Any luck with bicycle computers?

[Guest]

Has anyone had luck using an electronic bicycle speedometer in place of the GS speedo? They are available with backlights, and it seems that they are small, light and useful enough to warrant a look.

[Richsuz]

I have tried them on three different bikes, I don't seem to be able to have them clock the speed correctly. Speedometer function is always slower than real speed by at least 10%. Odometer seems very accurate. Measured the diameter very carefully, so I don't know what the issue might be.

[Kerry]

I have one on The Flame! right now. Stock speedo died and I have been unable to source a new one -don't want to risk a used one and have the same problem again (howling at low ambient temperatures, as we get in these parts!)

I have a Sigma Sport on mine. Forget the model info (have the box at home) but the head unit says "8" on the bottom - holding it in my hand right now.

It's been perfect for me - more accurate than the stock speedo. Don't know exact error but matched perfectly when I drove along with my daughter in my Corolla doing a steady 80km/h. Should note that it has no backlight, though...

Hope this helps.

[Planecrazy]

I mounted a basic Schwinn speedo years ago when my stocker wasn't working correctly. because of the magnet placement on the wheel mine was dead on accurate to 74mph, but would then start failing to register every magnet pass. If I had mounted the magnet closer to the hub I'm sure this would not have been a problem.

The only criticisms I have about the Schwinn was the lack of a backlight (only mattered at night, of course) and the fact that it topped out at 100mph (which would have mattered if I had relocated the magnet to register above 74mph). Two minor issues, especially considering that the opportunities to take the bike into triple digits are few and far between (closed, private racetrack, etc.).

I liked the fact that adding the electronic digital speedo not only solved my temporary speedometer problem, but also added a clock, trip computer, etc. to the bike in one easy step! I'd recommend going this route, but be careful to log your odometer readings regularly, so that you can keep track of the bike's true and total mileage. Every time you replace the battery in the speedo (which isn't often) it will reset to 000000. Also, regarding calibration ... On my bike I had to experiment with different calibration values before I found the one that locked the speedo "in" and got it reading perfectly (tested against a GPS). Once you have yours calibrated be sure to write down the "magic number" so that when you replace the battery you don't have to start over again at square one...

Regards,