Is it worth it?

[DLB]

i bought a cr2032 from ebay for about £2 inc p and p. With the £3 you save you could have a night in the student bar!

 

[TheDoctor]

Tesco do a wired computer at about £6 or so. I think Asda do too - or at least did. I don't work near Asda anymore, hence the uncertainty.

 

[punkypossum]

Found 2 batteries for £2.99 in the end...one would have sufficed to tell me that unfortunately the thing has died permanently, but hey, at least I didn't waste a fiver!!! I know it's only about £1.70 less, but it seems a lot cheaper somehow - and I got 2 that I don't need ;-(

I love my computer, feel lost without it And I don't like wired as I've got suspension forks, had one previously and the cable was really annoying!

 

[bonj2]

I've pretty much stopped bothering having a computer at all!

hmmm... i empathise... I've got to the stage where the only thing I use mine for is to tell the time. I'm not normally that bothered how fast i'm going.

 

[Steve Austin]

Watch shops sell the batteries for a pound
and you can buy them on Ebay very cheap!!!!

 

[PatrickPending]

Hi, have you checked that the magnet has not moved or the wheel sensor - this may well happen after an accident and cause it not to work. If you have the sensor off the bike wave a magnet near the sensor with the unit itself in its holder to give you an idea if it still works. Multimeter as suggested ids good for testing the battery, batteries themselves, well Maplins is a good place cr2032s are aout 99p (maybe £1.99, and the 12V things usually used in the sensor are a similar price. Good luck!

 

[PaulSB]

This may have been suggested already. At this time of year I find the contacts between the mount and the computer can get damp. A quick rub over with some fine sandpaper or wet and dry on both sets of contacts will remove the rubbish and moisture that can build up. After rubbing over blow off the rubbish and wipe over with kitchen paper. Works every time for me.

 

[Mortiroloboy]

FWIW, I don't think it matters how much you spend, I paid £75 for a
Polar CS200CAD, the bl**dy thing will insist on giving me random cadence readings. The cadence meter isn't even fitted to the bike!!! I emailed Polar 4 times to ask about the fault and to see about getting it replaced under warranty (it was only 7 months old) when the problems first started. They never responded, bunch of b*st*rds. I'll never buy another Polar Product again, crap after sales IMO.

 

[mickle]

The way to avoid fatigueing a computer cable is to ensure that you bypass the frame and the sus forks if you have them. Start with the sensor/ magnet interface and run the cable up the inside of the fork leg, (onto the fork brace if sus forks), from there straight onto the front brake cable and then onto the handle bar. Any excess length should be taken up by coiling the wire around the brake cable. Check that you can unhook your front brake cable without stressing the wire, there should be enough slack left in at that point, and zip-tie at both sides of this length- at the top of the fork brace and at the point where the wire connects to the brake cable.

Running the wire from the fork to the head-tube across the headset and from the stantions to the fork crown introduces unnecessary movement which will fatigue the wire. Running it up the outside of the fork exposes it to knocks and scrapes.

 

[fossyant]

Exactly how mine are routed, and still running 2x Cateye Vectra's (the first ones) that have been on for ohhh maybe 15 years !

 

[Christopher]

Punky!
So are you getting a new computer, or have you spent the cash onna Cyclechat jersey?

 

[punkypossum]

Hah!!! The cyclechat jersey has been ordered with permission from Santa, no way I could afford one otherwise!!! I convinced Santa that having signed up for Amsterdame there was no way I could possibly go without a new jersey (even though it's at least twice as expensive as what I would normally spend on one Fortunately Santa agreed...(partly due to even more ignorance than me when it comes to high-tech clothing ).

As for the computer, a very nice forumer said he might have a spare one, so there is hope!!!

 

[HJ]

If the spare falls through, Chain Reaction have VDO A04 on sale for £7.99, which is good value...