Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

by **jules21** » Mon Dec 12, 2011 10:50 am

this is a weird (or possibly stupid) question i know, but do 'real' MTBers fit computers to their bikes?

CRC has some cheap wireless ones for sale right now and i've already bought a couple for my roadie and the SWMBO's bike, but i thought - why not the MTB?

my concern is that i've ripped just about everything else not bolted down to my MTB off on branches, bushes etc. maybe if i mounted the wheel sensor on the rear wheel?

by **BNA** » Mon Dec 12, 2011 11:54 am

by **Nobody** » Mon Dec 12, 2011 11:54 am

jules21 wrote:this is a weird (or possibly stupid) question i know, but do 'real' MTBers fit computers to their bikes?

What's a 'real' MTBer?

I'm probably not consider a 'real' MTBer (whatever that is) but I don't bother with them currently.

by **jules21** » Mon Dec 12, 2011 12:01 pm

what i meant was, anyone who's done enough MTBing to come to a sensible conclusion on whether a computer is likely to survive the rigours of riding off-road.

by **DaveOZ** » Mon Dec 12, 2011 12:04 pm

Rather than buy multiple computers you might be better off with a single Garmin and multiple mounts/sensor kits.

While not as cheap as the one in your link they GPS based logging capability my be more useful for MTBing. Who really looks at the speedo while negotiating a tree lined track?

The Garmins will survive well on a MTB. I've seen loads of off roaders using them.

by **uglybob** » Mon Dec 12, 2011 12:14 pm

i've got a wireless cateye & never had a problem even with the regular stacks!

by **trailgumby** » Mon Dec 12, 2011 12:23 pm

Pretty much everyone among my group of riding buddies who does events has a Garmin. The only thing which varies is which model they choose (305, 705, 500, 800 etc...). I have a 705.

It would be nice if Christopher could implement the plug-in so that links to Garmin Connect would render as clickable pictures like they do on nobmob.com.

Like this: http://nobmob.com/node/32968

The rest of my mates who don't have Garmins do tend to use speedos. Knowing how far you've come along a trail can be handy if navigation has become an issue.

by **jules21** » Mon Dec 12, 2011 12:41 pm

ok thanks all. i'm really just looking for an excuse to buy another of these uber-cheap computers

by **Mugglechops** » Mon Dec 12, 2011 3:20 pm

I use both. Because the garmin swaps between bikes but eachs bikes computer tracks its mileage.

by **hannos** » Mon Dec 12, 2011 3:21 pm

Mugglechops wrote:I use both. Because the garmin swaps between bikes but eachs bikes computer tracks its mileage.

my garmin tracks each bike's usage separately. Just have to switch profiles on the device.

by **Jean** » Mon Dec 12, 2011 6:24 pm

uglybob wrote:i've got a wireless cateye & never had a problem even with the regular stacks!

+1, Cateye Micro Wireless - Pretty close to indestructible in my experience, including an OTB that mushed an Ay-up lamp unit and smashed its handlebar mount into lotsa bits.

The same crash after which I decided that a GPS unit, despite probably not being worth it anyway, was just an expensive accident waiting to happen.

by **Mugglechops** » Mon Dec 12, 2011 6:30 pm

hannos wrote:
Mugglechops wrote:I use both. Because the garmin swaps between bikes but eachs bikes computer tracks its mileage.

my garmin tracks each bike's usage separately. Just have to switch profiles on the device.

Not sure if mine does that. I think I can put one bike in it. It's a 305

by **zero** » Tue Dec 13, 2011 7:52 am

jules21 wrote:ok thanks all. i'm really just looking for an excuse to buy another of these uber-cheap computers

I have a cheap wireless echo. Its been on the bike long enough to need new batteries. Like all cheap computers with only 2 buttons, its absurdly difficult to use.

by **silentbutdeadly** » Tue Dec 13, 2011 8:03 am

Cheap speedos on MTB are not worth the effort unless all you want is a speedo, average speed and odometer. Both of my MTBs have basic speedos with one a cheapy (no name from T7) and the other one merely cheap (Shimano Pro 5 function). The cheap one ($45 from LBS) has a much better mount, is smaller and easier to use than the cheapy ($15) when on the MTBs. Another cheapy is on the road bike and there it is fine.

But then the MTB cheapy has been in place for over a year with no dramas or mishaps....so who is to say.

As for having a Garmin et al...... :lol:

there is such a thing as too much useless information in my book

by **fringe_dweller** » Thu Dec 15, 2011 2:50 pm

DaveOZ wrote:Rather than buy multiple computers you might be better off with a single Garmin and multiple mounts/sensor kits.

While not as cheap as the one in your link they GPS based logging capability my be more useful for MTBing. Who really looks at the speedo while negotiating a tree lined track?

The Garmins will survive well on a MTB. I've seen loads of off roaders using them.

Another vote for this. I swap my Garmin from the roadie to the MTB all the time - it's survived some horrific offs.

Grant

by **steve-waters** » Fri Dec 16, 2011 3:37 pm

Yep run a computer on my MTB - Garmin it has survived better than me .

by **trailgumby** » Sun Dec 18, 2011 6:19 pm

With Garmin you can share stuff like this with your mates:

Ooh, and this: somewhere to ride before you die

by **trailgumby** » Sun Dec 18, 2011 6:26 pm

And a really fun race:

by **gordy** » Wed Dec 28, 2011 11:43 am

I have the Garmin 200 Edge.
More basic than their other models, think gps based cycle computer, no Heart rate or cadence.
I have found it perfect for my needs and the bonus is it doesn't your wheel size to be entered every time you move to another bike.
At $150.00 RRP, it is quite affordable compared to the 6 wireless computers it replaced. Wireless computers have been sold off.