Used the following Cycle computers for 12 months, so I think the test is quit reliable.
- Polar CS400:
The CS400 is small and light, looks good, and can be mounted either on the bar or, as I prefer, on the stem.
The buttons are large and easy to hit (you have to press a little bit to hard), and the read-out is clear and can be read while bumping along. Its overall shape is very appealing, too.
However, I am disappointed at how user-unfriendly the operating system was. Inputting the setting is relatively straightforward, but toggling through the options to arrive at your target display is not.
I found it unreliable too. We’ve wiggled the fork/wheel sensors to within the recommended 4mm range, moved the head unit to see if the signal was being blocked by the stem, but to no avail. Sometimes we get a reading, sometimes not. When you use it together with a lefty, TROUBLES !
Why do they use IR instead of usb ? this is so disappointing
- Sigma 2006 DTS mhr:
This computer has similar features in many ways to the Polar, though it lacks some of the more in-depth functions and the ability to record and download the data.
At less than half the price though, it’s a good alternative if you’re happy keeping an eye on things ‘live’ when riding. Although the set-up is a little more fiddly than some, it isn’t that hard (it’s completely tool-free), and it’s easy to use.
- Garmin Edge 500 hrm:
Every once in a while there’s a product that comes along that I like so much and I won’t shut up about it. The Garmin Edge 500 bike computer is one of those products. It’s been my little gadget of obsession over the past few months. I’ve been using it since Last Christmas and have given it a good test drive to know what I like and what I don’t like about it. Why I bought it ? Because I was sick and tired of using a polar what didn't function all the time.
Let’s start with what I don’t like about it:
- hard to find something. Oh yes ! The blue color, ist nice on my bike.
Here’s what I love about it:
- The battery life, up for 500km's and more.
- The size. It has a minimalist form factor and no unnecessary large screen and maps (unnecessary for me anyway).
- The backlight is coming in very handy for these dark mornings and nights.
- The mounting is verry good and it’s very simple to swap onto different bikes.
- The usability and intuitiveness of all the features is outstanding. I haven’t needed to pick up the manual.
- The amount of information that’s possible to display is phenomenal. Temperature, road gradient, vertical ascent rate, HR, power (with pwr meter of course), cadence, heading….you name it, it’s got it.
- The display has 3 separate screen pages that are totally customizable. You can have up to 8 different sets of information on each screen (5 works very well but 8 seems to be too much info on the screen at one time). This is very easy to do and you can even do it on the fly.
If you want a nice good working computer ---> garmin, no doubt !
