Cycle computers?

Question

hi i was thinking about getting a cycle computer , just couple of questions,

1.how accurate are they

2. will it work with my bike , GT Aggressor XC2

thanks

Answer 1

Yes it will work. Get a wireless computer. Since I am pretty sure your bike has a suspension fork, the wire would be the 1st thing to get broken on a non-wireless unit. Accuracy depends. They use a magnet on the front wheel with the sensor attached to the fork. This indicates 1 revolution of the wheel when it passes by the sensor. As long as the front wheel is spinning, the sensor picking up the magnet, and the correct diameter of tire set in the computer, it's really a simple calculation for the computer. Obviously if the wheel is off the ground, all bets are off since the wheel is not moving in time with the forward motion.

Answer 2

For less then $10 you can get a Schwinn cycle

computer from Walmart. They are very accurate

and durable and measure down to 1/1000 of

a mile.  I checked it against a mile marker that the

County found fit to install in my front yard and my

road bike measured 1.006 miles to the next one.

That is only  31.68 feet off !

I never had any luck with the wireless computers,

they would loose data or reset in the middle of

a ride.

The computer is only as accurate as the data you

put in it.  Measure the circumference of your front

tire with a tape measure and convert it to MM for the wheel size or a more accurate way is to put a spot of

paint on your tire and with your weight on the bike

move forward (in a straight line) until you have

4 markers.  Measure the distance between the first

one and the forth one and divide by 3 to get the

average.  Then convert to MM.