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Post by RobP on Sept 22, 2013 21:24:39 GMT
So since getting my T3 I have been using the Strava App on my Samsung phone. Giving me all the info I thought I wanted. I picked up a turbo trainer from Red Devil yesterday and had my first try of it today. My immediate issue is that as I am sitting inside the garage on it the app is useless so I have no idea how fast or far I have gone on it. Started looking at bike computers on the web tonight and there is just too much choice, so thought I would seek the wise counsel of the all knowledgeable forum. Looked at several basic wireless computers (don't really want wires everywhere) but not sure if you can fit the sensor on the rear wheel. Functions that are a must: Time Speed Distance I presume these are standard on every computer but need to be sure it will work from the rear wheel rather than front Nice to have: Cadence So anybody care to recommend something that fits these criteria? Cheers Rob
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Post by Deleted on Sept 22, 2013 21:36:35 GMT
Only limitation to fitting on the back wheel will be the distance the wireless works over, can't remember what my count 8 said in the manual but pretty sure it wasn't far enough to reach the back wheel as they are usually designed to go on the front wheel and use low powered transmitters.
You'll probably be looking at something that uses a speed/cadence combined sensor or is wired with a wire long enough to reach the back.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 22, 2013 22:17:17 GMT
One complete answer, if they do an app for your phone: Cyclemeter. It is amazing, I have it for iPhone. For turbo training, this may be handy to know:
Supports interval training Supports performance zones (with audio prompts) Rear wheel magnet and cadence support.
App = Β£4, Topeak iPhone 5 compatible Bluetooth sensors Β£20ish, can't remember exactly.
I love it.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 22, 2013 22:19:20 GMT
Oh, and works brilliantly on the road too!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 22, 2013 23:02:00 GMT
Oh, and works brilliantly on the road too! How do you find the battery life mate, will it last around the 4 hour mark?
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Post by Deleted on Sept 23, 2013 5:43:59 GMT
That's a really good point, Steve. With all other apps properly shut down you should get that out of it even with a bit of Google map browsing, etc, but I have the Topeak battery extender as back up and for mini tours, it gives another three whole charges and sits neatly under my bar stem.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 23, 2013 6:42:28 GMT
You really should be putting cadence in the 'must have' features.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 23, 2013 8:04:37 GMT
Nice one @perniciousviper that could be a cheap solution for me, still fancy a garmen or a mio but they're too pricey for me to justify it just now.
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Post by captslog on Sept 23, 2013 8:22:39 GMT
As you are fitting this for just your turbo trainer, then it shouldn't be to tricky make some sort of bracket that holds the sensor so that it comes from the trainer itself. Perhaps some sort of flexible arm that you can position to be near the wheel sensor? The cycle computer doesn't have to be wireless either, it's quite easy to mount the comp onto a large clip like this... And then put that onto the bikes bars (or some nearby object like the back of a chair) when you want to use it. I had the same problem when I went onto the rollers and a gps is useless, and the above is basically what i did. I mounted the magnet and sensor onto one of the rear rollers and put in the relevant figures. Mine is less than ideal because the number of pulses generated by the sensor overwhelms the computer at quite a low speed, but this isn't important because it's really just a guide and the effort required at a low speed/gear is enough for a tough workout. If the computer wire isn't long enough, it's very easy to put an extension in. Just cut it and put in a couple of joints, there's no polarity to check or anything, it only looks for a contact being made.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 23, 2013 9:44:15 GMT
Surely if the wire/wireless range is far enough to reach the trainer then you could just mount it on the rear wheel and not overwhelm the computer with the pulses?
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Post by cbrdeano on Sept 23, 2013 10:08:13 GMT
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Post by captslog on Sept 23, 2013 10:13:11 GMT
Surely if the wire/wireless range is far enough to reach the trainer then you could just mount it on the rear wheel and not overwhelm the computer with the pulses? He could, yes. But he might not want the stuff mounted on his bike as he normally uses a phone app. Nor will he overwhelm the computer because he would be using the sensor on the rear wheel and picking up and calculating from rear wheel revs. My situation is different because I'm using it on rollers and the speed is taken from the revolutions of the roller as if it was a wheel of 11.5cm diameter.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 23, 2013 10:56:12 GMT
Nice one @perniciousviper that could be a cheap solution for me, still fancy a garmen or a mio but they're too pricey for me to justify it just now. Same here. I considered which route to go down for a long time, I even tried the doomed B'twin Satcount+. I looked at the Garmins and the Mios but came to the conclusion that I have this super-computer in the shape of my iPhone 5 that I take with me on rides anyway, doing nothing other than wait to take or make a call, so I may as well use it. Strava doesn't give real time performance info as you may have noticed, which was why Cyclemeter came to my attention as it does provide this. My iPhone 5 is neatly clipped onto my stem with a dedicated mount ( my review here) showing fully (I mean fully to the nth degree!) customisable screens, plus default display pages showing cadence related performance, heart rate, speed, ascent/descent, etc, it really is impressive. Needless to say it also exports .tcx files to upload into Strava, which means your HR and cadence data isn't lost, it goes into Strava too. The Cyclemeter app has just been updated to coincide with the launch of iOS 7, btw, and there are some new features and display options although haven't played with these yet. The Topeak Bluetooth speed/cadence sensor is combined so no excess clutter on your frame.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 23, 2013 12:09:35 GMT
Aye mate i have the cyclemeter app already hust not the sensors, i have a lifeproof case for my iphone so the bikemount for that is all i need i just wasn't sure how the battery would be, only thing i've struggled with is a turn by turn navigation that works with imported .gpx files but that's not really a big deal, just an added bonus.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 23, 2013 13:05:43 GMT
Google Maps does turn by turn these days, but I seem to recall there was an issue with routes drawn in Google Maps on a computer being unavailable in the mobile version of the app, hopefully they're sorting that ASAP.
You can replicate the battery drain by having your phone run Strava in your pocket and going for a ride - Strava eats a similar amount of power as Cyclemeter as far as I can tell - just deduct a little bit more for the Bluetooth usage. It's low power Bluetooth so power consumption should be light.
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