Speedometer?

lmr0528

Question for the regular bikers. My husband and I are going to be getting more into bike riding this year. We are doing a 45 mile ride for charity in June and definitely need to do some training for it then plan on sticking with it after the ride. In the past, we both used to have speedometers on our bikes that have since broken and now need replacing. But now we're wondering if it just makes more sense to get bike mounts for our cell phones, since we'll always have our phones with us anyway. Then we could just use one of the many tracking apps. I'm wondering if anyone has an opinion on which is better or could recommend either a good speedometer or mount. Thanks in advance.

Calliope610

I have an onboard cycling computer on my bike, but I rely on the MapMyRide app when I ride. And you will be plenty ready to ride in June if you start now. Next weekend, I ride in a 2-day, 170mile charity ride - and I didn't get my bike until late last October. And didn't start training until January.

Good luck and have fun.

lmr0528

Which cycling computer do you have? We just don't know what we want to get so we're pretty open to anything! Wow 170 miles, that's awesome, good for you!!! And here I am worrying a little about 45!

corindeathawk

I'd recommend a computer, not a cell phone mount. The phone based apps are good for tracking the ride over all (GPS route, place to keep stats, etc.), but I find they are not as accurate about things like speed/distance, especially without sensors. And if you are getting sensors, might was well get a computer to with them as most sensors are ANT+ (meaning you'd need an adapter on the cell phone and an app that will use the adapter) I find over a 30+ mile ride, the phone app will miss 1/2 to 3/4 a mile or more, and even with auto pause the apps are just not as sensitive to when you are actually at rest.

I currently have a Node 2.1 which may be overkill for what you are after. In addition to speed, it does cadence, Heart Rate, Altitude, Grade and few other things, and keeps trip & long term stats for some of that. I use Runtastic to track things, so I enter the data afterwards, and just use the app to track the route & ride (and I will adjust the time and distance to match the computer).

If all you want is speed & distance, the Bontranger 100 or 200 may suit you fine. They just need one sensor - front mounted. If you'd like cadence as well, the 300 is also pretty good, but it will need a dual sensor.

A well meant word of advice - if you think you might EVER have a use for cadence, go with the computer/sensor package that can handle it - in other words one that is based on the rear wheel. These also have the advantage of still being usable on a trainer.

Calliope610

I have a Cateye Enduro 8 with tire sensor.

After second thought, the answer depends on your goals. If you are cycling for recreation and a fun way to increase your fitness levels, you don't need a high end racing bike or computer that does calculates everything. If you just want to know (roughly) how far you rode (was it 8 miles or did I do 10?) and how fast, a phone app should be sufficient. You can always upgrade as your interest/passion in cycling increases.

lmr0528

Thanks for the suggestions. As of right now, I plan on this being just recreational, my hubby and I enjoy going for a nice bike ride when we have the time. But we have this charity ride coming up so we'll need to get out more and train for it, right now the most I've ever ridden was 33 miles. I doubt we'll ever get into racing, but I do see us increasing our distance as time goes on. In the winter I do also want to buy a trainer for my bike so I can continue to ride inside once the snow starts flying.