Bike Computer Buyer's Guide | What Does a Cycle Computer Do? | 10 Things You Need to Know!!

Bike computers buyer's guide! In this video, I will answer the questions... What does a bike computer do? and what is the best cycle computer for you?
00:00 - Common questions answered
01:03 - How do cycle computers work?
01:57 - Wired vs Wireless (Old vs New)
02:37 - What can a cycle computer measure?
03:09 - A note on battery life
03:59 - The costs of cycle computers
08:06 - I can just use my phone… right?
10:21 - Ant+ & Bluetooth connectivity
11:07 - Do you need a cycle computer?
12:11 - What cycle computer is right for you?
13:26 - IMPORTANT INFORMATION (Don’t skip)
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Bike computers buyer's guide! In this video, I will answer the questions... What does a bike computer do? and what is the best cycle computer for you?
Do you even need a cycle computer? That's another good question and that really does depend on your needs and your long term goals on the bike. Cycle computers can measure a vast amount of metrics, but if you have no plans to use those metrics then you could save yourself some money and buy a simple cycle computer.
With the information in this video, you'll be able to make an educated decision when purchasing a new cycle computer and probably save yourself a handful of money in the process.
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○ Instagram: / jourdaincoleman
○ Strava: / strava

[@HanOfGod13]

I used to use my phone for cycle data, mainly when i used to commute. But start of the first lockdown, when i got a new bike, i upgraded to a Wahoo Roam. Best decision! Love it! When out for new rides to explore, i do get lost (quite often 🤦), so having a GPS just helps getting me to my destination without having to take my phone out of my pocket every 5 minutes). Went for Wahoo over Garmin for a couple if reasons, firstly for ease of use/set up. Read loads of reviews and Garmin's can be fiddly as a lot is done through the computers menus whilst the Wahoo App makes it very easy. And secondly, buttons over touchscreen, being in the UK, it can get cold out on the roads so wearing gkoves quite a lot. Buttons makes using it whilst riding easier to change between screens etc. These were important to me, but the Garmin's do do some things better than Wahoo. Better maps and navigation, multi colour displays, better data analysis through Garmin's app etc. Like Jourdain said, find what is important to you and buy accordingly. I got the Roam over the Bolt because it's bigger, more colours on the map (not Garmin level, but better than Black and White maps). If i went for Garmin, i would have gone for the 830, don't need the 1030, way too expensive for my wallet and more options and better than the 530.

[@JourdainColeman]

Great information Han! Thank you for commenting and sharing. 👍🏽 - I think the touch screen conversation is often overlooked, it should certainly play into people decisions 😁

[@basiledk]

I'm very happy with my Polar V650 cycle computer and also with my Polar Vantage V2 watch. I think it's a very good brand.

[@rurocking]

I bought a Magene C406 with Magene H603 HR along with their Speed and Cadence sensors and it's a great combo. Works flawlessly all the time. All this for well under $200.00 CDN. I've been out in pouring rain on many occasion and or very wet road and have had no issues. It's a great system and gives more than enough data including temperature.

[@JourdainColeman]

Great to hear that you have had a good experience with Magene. They have been good to me and I really like their products. You get a lot for your money compared to other larger brands.

[@rurocking]

@@JourdainColeman all my friends with Garmins have nothing but trouble with connectivity. My Magene never fails to connect and directly uploads to Strava.

[@Matahalii]

Cycling computer: My recent favorite one is Xoss G+ for around 30EUR. Pros: ANT+, GPS speed and tracking, App for Android and Iphone, with strava and other connectivity. Cons: no navigation, no Powermeter connectivity. For navigation (no need on known training routes) I can use my phone (Komoot) with earplug or visible.

[@JourdainColeman]

Hey Niels, I just had a look at some reviews and the Xoss G+ looks like a great little unit for the price. How have you found it so far? Also, are you able to display maps on it? I assume not considering the price point, if you can, then I'll think about ordering one for a full review. 👍🏽

[@peterdenham6233]

Hello Jourdain, just watched your excellent video on cycle computers, albeit two years later. I'm a quite fit 72 year old cyclist, who has got back into cycling after many years away from it. I've just started to do sportives and charity rides, plus maybe a cycling holiday in unfamiliar areas (only in the UK) and want to get a cycle computer. I hope I can manage up to 100k on some of these rides this year. Have spent hours looking at the computers on the market, so as of 2023, could you please recommend a couple that might be suitable for me. No.1 priority is reliable navigation, I'm really not interested in performance connectivity etc. Obviously the cheaper the better, I suppose I would go up to £250. Mainly, I would be downloading gpx routes to the computer. Have looked at the Beeline Velo 2, but not sure I like the fact that you have to be connected to the mobile phone whilst using it. Others I have looked at are Mio 210 or Mio Discover, even Bryton 750E. Would be very grateful for your advice. Many thanks, Peter

[@mustaphasalim2577]

Another very informative video. Guys make sure you watch this video before buying a cycle computer. Thank you Jourdain for doing all the hard work for us.

[@JourdainColeman]

Thank you my man! Again, I'm pleased that you found this video helpful. Random question, are there any other videos that you would like to see? 👍🏽

[@mustaphasalim2577]

@@JourdainColeman How about group set?

[@john_doe_66]

I just want something to track my route and record speed , time , and elevation. Power output would be cool as well but not necessary. Any recommendations? And I have a fitbit I'd generally do all this with but it loses connection in the mountains. So I'm looking for something that's going to work specifically where my phones not online and I don't have a GPS signal to my phone

[@okkesersinmart]

8:21 NOTE: samsung s6-7-8-9-10 have ant + hardware and software built-in it. I can easily connect ant + cadence and hearth rate sensor to the samsung s7

[@AlanTPT]

I use my Apple Watch to record the rides and upload them to strava. I am thinking of using my smartphone and Kamoot for now until i see the impact on battery life with distance and then naturally progress to a cycle computer. Great video!

[@JourdainColeman]

I'd be interested to hear how you find using Komoot with your Smartphone, For longer rides my phone would not last (Google Pixel 2). I'm starting to use Komoot as well so I plan to do a full video on the inner working of Komoot. Do you prefer it over Strava?

[@AlanTPT]

@@JourdainColeman so after a 100k ride today, I can say that Komoot is excellent although my old iPhone SE (which I used Komoot in offline mode) drained the battery in the first 40kms. And I had to use my main phone (latest iPhone SE) for the rest of the ride. It was very accurate and it linked data to my Apple health as well. Overall well pleased but the next time I’d carry a mini charger so that I don’t impact my main phone :-). Alternate would be to get a cycle computer but I seldom do long rides.

[@JourdainColeman]

Hey Alan, great to hear that you had a good experience with Komoot (and got out on the bike). Mad that it drained your battery in 40km, that's not going to work for a lot of people. Good for shorter rides though 👍🏽

[@driessensr]

You say you can't connect multiple sensors with a smartphone, that isn't correct. I connect my phone to a cadence- , heartbeat- and speed- sensor when i ride. It is just the battery life that forces me to use a bike computer

[@largogrunge2]

Personally, I use a basic wireless 30 USD cyclo computer from Decathlon (which provides current speed, average speed, total distance, time and a few other features) plus a smart watch (which has GPS so I can record my route, heartbeat and other features).

[@JourdainColeman]

I must admit, these small affordable GPS's are really good! I don't know why there is such a gap between devises like these and your top end device 🤔

[@cameronloggenberg937]

Great video. Saved me some money with this one. My fitness watch linked to speed/cadence sensors will do for now.

[@JourdainColeman]

Hey Cameron, I'm glad that this video helped you out 👍🏽 - What watch do you have out of curiosity? I'd like to test one out.

[@cameronloggenberg937]

@@JourdainColeman I have a polar vantage m watch. It’s got a really good heart rate sensor built in. Plus through the polar app it automatically updates strava. If it’s not on strava it didn’t happen.

[@JourdainColeman]

@@cameronloggenberg937 I like that it has the heart rate monitor built-in. I didn't realise that was the case with these watches. Also good that it updates Strava automatically 👍🏽 Cheers for the info,

[@alexsiu7305]

you definitely deserve more subscribers!

[@JourdainColeman]

Thank you, Alex! We are building slowly but surely. Hopefully it picks up in the 2021 😁👍🏽

[@basedpatriotLT]

what would be the lowest price of a computer that can show me altitude/elevation gain?

[@jemhor]

Thanks for the content. Nice 👍🏻. Wanted to ask your opinion on using Garmin Fenix 6x as cycle computer. What do you think?

[@JourdainColeman]

Hi Jeremy, thank you for commenting. I've not actually used a Watch as a cycle computer so It's hard for me to comment. I have seen many people use watches as computer so I'm sure that they work. It depends if you wanted to navigate and see your metrics as you ride, if you do, then a computer will win. If you simply want to record a ride and don't care to see your data live on-screen, then I'm sure the watch will work. The only thing I'd check is the sensor connectivity. A quick glance leads me to believe that you can connect external sensors with the watch.

[@jemhor]

@@JourdainColeman thanks so much 😊

[@sameerjoshi515]

Very informative video Jourdain! I'm just starting out and mainly interested in navigation, not so much the other metrics, which computer would you recommend on a budget?

[@JourdainColeman]

Hey Sameer, thank your for your comment and sorry for my delayed reply. If you are interested in navigation then it is worth spending the money. It does however depend on how far you want to ride and the type of navigation you would like. For the first 6 months of my riding I used a Garmin 200. It doesn't have a proper map, it only has a line that you follow. There was no turn by turn navigation either. That cost me £30 of ebay. It worked for local roads where I kind of knew the route. After that I got a Garmin 810 of eBay for £100, and that has worked very well until this day. The only thing I wish I had was the ability to sent routes to it form my phone... but I can do without that for now. Now that I have a map I don't think that I could go back, especially for gravel riding when I need the map to know which directions I'm riding as there are no roads. Armed with that knowledge, if I had to buy a GPS I would want 2 things... turn by turn navigation and a big map. So to answer your question... Buying new - Garmin 520 or Wahoo Element Bolt Second Hand - Either of the above or any Garmin 800 series. I hope that helps you make an informed decision. 👍🏽

[@JourdainColeman]

Let me know what you go for 😁

[@sameerjoshi515]

@@JourdainColeman thanks for getting back buddy, I've just been using komoot on my phone and have to stop every turn to pull my phone out and look 😅 I went for the Wahoo bolt. Got it for £110 off Facebook marketplace 😄 keep up the good content 👍🏽 you're inspiring new gravel riders like myself.

[@JourdainColeman]

@@sameerjoshi515 Good choice with the Bolt! That's a great price as well 👌🏾 Glad you are enjoying the videos as well. :)

[@ZebraLemur]

Old smart phone works well

[@MrSARichards]

I used to use my phone and Strava/Komoot. It works absolutely fine for a casual ride HOWEVER, now I have a bolt I’ll never go back to it - focus on the ride, more accurate data, it looks better sitting on the handlebars! That being said - one more thing to carry in your jersey pocket! Great vid Jordan

[@JourdainColeman]

Cheers, for the kind words, Stefan! I ned to get on the Komoot hype. I've head a lot of good things. I need to dig a little deeper thought and explore all the features.

[@kylestewart4444]

I think it would be silly to spend more than $250 on a bike computer if you aren’t a dedicated, keen cyclist who plans to pour over all of the data and take cycling training very seriously. If you’re essentially a hobbyist or someone who rides primarily to get a bit of exercise or commute to work and all you really want is decent GPS navigation, I’d definitely stick between the entry level to mid tier computers. There’s no point in paying for loads of features you aren’t going to use. I’m not looking to get into bike racing and avidly tracking every possible metric so I’d never spend $600+ on a bike computer. I would spend $200-300 though to get high quality navigation and enough battery life to last for long rides and bikepacking trips.

[@bradjohnson169]

B.S. on wireless! Wireless only works well if you do not have a handlebar bag in the way of the signal. Personal experience, I do not compete/hard training anymore, I tour much like the great majority of cyclists. Whats with an extra cable when you already have 4 cables already?

[@georgex5959]

Bl**dy great video. Really helpful for me a beginner cyclist

[@JourdainColeman]

Awesome to hear that you found it useful!! I hope you are enjoying the world of cycling my friend! 👌🏾

[@samanthnair2692]

Very useful

[@JourdainColeman]

Great to hear you found the video useful and thanks for commenting!! 👍🏽

[@maximme]

thanks for very sensible advice. Buy what you need and dont touch those touch screens.

[@JourdainColeman]

Exactly! Glad you found the video helpful! All the best 👍🏽

[@MatthewLenton]

If you're just going to put your phone in your pocket to record a ride, a smart/fitness watch would be just as good and you'd get your heart rate

[@whazzat8015]

Phone on the top tube in a bag with spare battery. you carry the phone anyway. If you are looking at your bars enough to notice the difference you need to be riding more and fiddling less.

[@bradford_shaun_murray]

5:02 the problem with this one is it only goes up to about 100km/h.

[@SimpleTrax]

I just want GPS with offline maps, nothing more.

[@JourdainColeman]

Yeah, I wanted the same. An old Garmin device that you can install an SD card in will be the cheapest option. They seem to last an age, I still have my Garmin 810 and it's going strong. The screen is big... the maps a clear!

[@cycling.cheers2326]

hi, my name is Kiko and I am writing from iGPSPORT contacting you for GPS BIKE REVIEW. Currently, we have a new product. You would be interested in that?

[@trovelemmanuel5627]

Do you need to ride with your phone if you own a bike computer

[@JourdainColeman]

If you have a bike computer with GPS then you won't need your phone to record your ride If your bike computer doesn't have GPS then you would need your phone to record your ride I hope that helps. If you let me know what you are trying to record and what cycle computer you have I can help a little further 😁

[@trovelemmanuel5627]

@@JourdainColeman this answered my question. I'm thinking about the bryton 750 or wahoo elemnt bolt. Both are good but can't seem to decide which one.

[@JourdainColeman]

Perfect! 😁 I don't think you can go wrong with the bryton 750 or wahoo element bolt. Everyone I know who uses the Bolt, loves it! 👍🏽

[@erich9779]

this video is every reason why it should not be successful.