cateye

09-09-2003, 02:27 AM

My old bicycle computer was a CatEye Dual. It snapped on and off the
handlebar fairly easily. It didn't have as many functions as my current
computer but it did what I wanted (recorded distance.) I especially
liked that it came with a wristband for when it isn't on the bicycle.

I still have the computer, but the wires were on the bike that was
stolen. Does anyone know how to get new components?

My new bicycle computer is a CatEye Enduro 2.

(It isn't that I have any special preference for CatEye. Both times I
have bought the only model available at the store ... the first time it
wasn't just the only model but the only unit too.)

I'm having some problems with it, and am wondering if I should gripe to
the nice people in Japan who make these and get a replacement or what...

I don't particularly like the lack of wrist strap or the comparative
difficulty in removing it from the handlebars but that isn't so much a
problem as a nuisance.

There are three problmes.

1) Sometimes I put the main unit on the handlebars and it does not
register the bicycle as moving.
2) It thinks my maximum speed achieved over the last few days was 74.0
kph. A few days ago it told me my max speed was 120.2 kph. As I have a
max speed function it would be nice if it read correctly. My max speed
is more in the 30-35 kph range.
3) Sometimes the main unit tells me I am moving (even quite fast) when I
am nowhere near the bike...such as when I am eating lunch.

09-09-2003, 05:32 AM

On Tue, 09 Sep 2003 18:27:06 +0800, Marian Rosenberg
<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:
> liked that it came with a wristband for when it isn't on the bicycle.

Why would you want to wear a cyclocomputer on
your wrist?

> I still have the computer, but the wires were on the bike that was
> stolen. Does anyone know how to get new components?

Maybe [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

> (It isn't that I have any special preference for CatEye. Both times I

I've found my Cateye Astrale to be superior
to the Trek and Specialized computers I have.

> I don't particularly like the lack of wrist strap or the comparative
> difficulty in removing it from the handlebars but that isn't so much a
> problem as a nuisance.

Is it any different to remove than my Astrale?

All I do is press a release trigger on the
bottom of it and it slides off easily.

My Specialized, OTOH, requires you to push
with a lot of force, which usually just
makes the mount slide on the handlebar; and
my Trek comes off easily, especially when
you don't want it to in a MTB wipeout...

> 1) Sometimes I put the main unit on the handlebars and it does not
> register the bicycle as moving.

....is clicked into it's mount well?

> 2) It thinks my maximum speed achieved over the last few days was 74.0
> kph. A few days ago it told me my max speed was 120.2 kph. As I have a
> max speed function it would be nice if it read correctly. My max speed
> is more in the 30-35 kph range.
> 3) Sometimes the main unit tells me I am moving (even quite fast) when I
> am nowhere near the bike...such as when I am eating lunch.

2 is probably related to 3. Those sound like
interference on a wireless setup, but I see
that it's wired.

Is there anything electric near the sensor?
Or anything magnetic?

--
Rick Onanian

09-09-2003, 05:52 AM

Rick Onanian wrote:
> On Tue, 09 Sep 2003 18:27:06 +0800, Marian Rosenberg
> <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:
>
>> liked that it came with a wristband for when it isn't on the bicycle.
>
> Why would you want to wear a cyclocomputer on
> your wrist?

Because when I park the bicycle outside of a store I don't like to leave
the expensive gizmo on the bike. And the wristband means that I have a
convenient place to carry the gizmo ... especially as it has a nice
large time display, I can even use it as a clock.

>> I still have the computer, but the wires were on the bike that was
>> stolen. Does anyone know how to get new components?
>
> Maybe [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

d'oh!

>> I don't particularly like the lack of wrist strap or the comparative
>> difficulty in removing it from the handlebars but that isn't so much a
>> problem as a nuisance.
>
> Is it any different to remove than my Astrale?
>
> All I do is press a release trigger on the
> bottom of it and it slides off easily.

The release trigger is placed such that I bump into the buttons when I
am pressing it. It is also comparatively difficult to remove. It isn't
difficult per se, just comparatively difficult.

I am not sure what kind (or brand) of cyclocomputer I had on my
wheelchair but I remember that as being fairly easy to remove in the way
that the Cateye Dual was easy to remove. This one is not so easy to
remove. It could be more difficult, but it could also be a lot less
difficult ... especially since I know that the same brand makes ones
that are easier to remove.

>> 1) Sometimes I put the main unit on the handlebars and it does not
>> register the bicycle as moving.
>
> ...is clicked into it's mount well?

yep ...

>> 2) It thinks my maximum speed achieved over the last few days was 74.0
>> kph. A few days ago it told me my max speed was 120.2 kph. As I have
>> a max speed function it would be nice if it read correctly. My max
>> speed is more in the 30-35 kph range.
>> 3) Sometimes the main unit tells me I am moving (even quite fast) when
>> I am nowhere near the bike...such as when I am eating lunch.
>
> 2 is probably related to 3. Those sound like
> interference on a wireless setup, but I see
> that it's wired.
>
> Is there anything electric near the sensor?
> Or anything magnetic?

The first time I noticed it, I had just removed it from my bag to put on
the bike ... and it said I was going 10kph. The phone is kept in
another pocket. My leather glvoes were wrapped around it.

The second time I noticed it it was sitting on the cafeteria table
(which is metal). No electric sockets nearby. No electrical equipment
nearby, save for the ceiling lights. I can deliberately make it say I
am moving by placing the unit flat on the table.

-M

09-09-2003, 05:58 AM

Marian Rosenberg <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote
>...
> My new bicycle computer is a CatEye Enduro 2.
>
> There are three problems with it:
>
> 1) Sometimes I put the main unit on the handlebars and it does not
> register the bicycle as moving.
> 2) It thinks my maximum speed achieved over the last few days was 74.0
> kph. A few days ago it told me my max speed was 120.2 kph. As I have a
> max speed function it would be nice if it read correctly. My max speed
> is more in the 30-35 kph range.
> 3) Sometimes the main unit tells me I am moving (even quite fast) when I
> am nowhere near the bike...such as when I am eating lunch.

Two possible problems:

1. The magnet us too far from the picker (the fixed thing that sits on
the fork). This is a typical cause for intermittent signal, although
not for problems #2 and #3.

2. You have a loose battery contact. You might open the cover and make
sure the battery is well set. It's fairly unlikely, but as it is a $0
solution, it's worth checking.

3. There is an intermittent signal going to the computer.
The most probable cause is because the terminals under the unit don't
come into full contact with its base. Make sure the unit is fully
engaged in the base, clean contacts, sand them *lightly*, etc. to make
sure there is no rust.
Another possibility is that your cable is bent and that wires have a
loose contact inside the cable. Then you would either need another
cable (in theory, it's for sale somewhere), or you would need to
solder and repair the cable.

Regards,

Michel Gagnon

09-09-2003, 06:11 AM

On Tue, 09 Sep 2003 21:52:01 +0800, Marian Rosenberg
<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> from wrote:

>Rick Onanian wrote:
>> On Tue, 09 Sep 2003 18:27:06 +0800, Marian Rosenberg
>> <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:
>>
>>> liked that it came with a wristband for when it isn't on the bicycle.
>>
>> Why would you want to wear a cyclocomputer on
>> your wrist?
>
>Because when I park the bicycle outside of a store I don't like to leave
>the expensive gizmo on the bike.

They aren't expensive anymore.

--
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] human rights = peace
YOW!! The land of the rising SONY!!
9:11:44 AM 9 September 2003

09-09-2003, 06:47 AM

Rick Onanian wrote:
> On Tue, 09 Sep 2003 21:52:01 +0800, Marian Rosenberg
> <Marian@TheRosenbergFamilies.Net> wrote:
>
>> The release trigger is placed such that I bump into the buttons when I
>> am pressing it. It is also comparatively difficult to remove. It
>> isn't difficult per se, just comparatively difficult.
>
> I looked at a picture of the Enduro 2, and if the
> release trigger is in the same place as my Astrale,
> I can see your problem.
>
> As far as difficult to remove; does it have a lot
> of friction when you slide it? If that's the problem,
> you could try either an oil, grease, or a dry
> lubricant like powdered graphite.

There was some stiffness when I first got it but that has gone away
now-probably because I am more used to it.

It slides in nice and easy. It is the taking it out that isn't as easy.
Within a few days I could remove my old computer on autopilot. This
one, after nearly three weeks, still requires conscious thought and
effort to take off the bicycle. Not a few times I've found I left it on
the bike when running short errands.

>> The first time I noticed it, I had just removed it from my bag to put
>> on the bike ... and it said I was going 10kph. The phone is kept in
>> another
>
> I think a lot of them will momentarily register
> some speed when removed and installed; sometimes
> one of mine does, though I forgot which one.

I was about to put it on my bike. I had not actually put it on my bike
yet.

>> pocket. My leather glvoes were wrapped around it.
>
> Hmm...sweat from the gloves as a conductor?

maybe

>> The second time I noticed it it was sitting on the cafeteria table
>> (which is metal). No electric sockets nearby. No electrical
>> equipment nearby, save for the ceiling lights. I can deliberately
>> make it say I am moving by placing the unit flat on the table.
>
> There's definately your answer; conductivity of
> the metal table would be one cause (possibly one
> of _many_ causes).
>
> Of course, it could just be defective.

problems aside it is a nice bike toy ... definitely has more useful
whizzbangs than my last one.

-M

09-09-2003, 10:33 AM

"Marian Rosenberg" <Marian@TheRosenbergFamilies.Net> wrote in message
>
> > Of course, it could just be defective.

>
> problems aside it is a nice bike toy ... definitely has more useful
> whizzbangs than my last one.

I vote for defective. I have two Enduro 2 and one Astrale and none of them
have the problems you are describing.

-Buck

09-09-2003, 11:16 AM

Marian Rosenberg <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:
> I still have the computer, but the wires were on the bike that was
> stolen. Does anyone know how to get new components?

CatEye sells mounting brackets, but once you factor in shipping it'll
probably cost more than a brand new unit. Even getting the part
locally might not be cost-effective, although it doesn't hurt to ask
your LBS about it.

> 1) Sometimes I put the main unit on the handlebars and it does not
> register the bicycle as moving.
> 2) It thinks my maximum speed achieved over the last few days was 74.0
> kph. A few days ago it told me my max speed was 120.2 kph. As I have a
> max speed function it would be nice if it read correctly. My max speed
> is more in the 30-35 kph range.

The three main points of failure in a cyclo-computer are the
magnet/sensor (I find the Enduro2/Mity3 magnet tricky to set up and easy
to knock out of alignment), the wire, and the braket/computer coupling.
I'd suspect the magnet/sensor alignment if I were you.

Having a multimeter really helps in checking the magnet/sensor
alignment:
<http://www.sheldonbrown.com/cyclecomputer-troubleshoot.html>

> 3) Sometimes the main unit tells me I am moving (even quite fast) when I
> am nowhere near the bike...such as when I am eating lunch.

If you look at the back of the Enduro2, you'll see that the two contact
pins protrude a bit. Bridging the two pins with a metallic object will
register as one rotation of the wheel. Intermittent contact (like when
you put the computer in your pocket with your keys and loose change) can
produce interesting results.

--
Frederic Briere <*> [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

=> <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> IS NO MORE: <http://www.abacomsucks.com> <=

09-10-2003, 04:27 AM

Kevan Smith wrote:
> On Tue, 09 Sep 2003 21:52:01 +0800, Marian Rosenberg
> <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> from wrote:
>>Rick Onanian wrote:
>>>Why would you want to wear a cyclocomputer on
>>>your wrist?
>>Because when I park the bicycle outside of a store I don't like to leave
>>the expensive gizmo on the bike.
> They aren't expensive anymore.

In the US.

I wasn't clear about my circumstances.

I currently live in a developing country that, in some places, is very
definitely still a third world country. In my country of origin they
aren't expensive.

Here, I have well-to-do acquaintances who, if they did not spend any
money at all (no rent, no food, no clothing expenditures) could manage
to save enough money to buy one in a week or ten days.

For the cost of my cyclocomputer I can theoretically eat for 2 weeks.
If I'm not eating western food, an expensive resteraunt meal for me is
one where I spend more than $1.50 (US).

If I leave my *removable* _expensive_ gizmo on the bike it isn't a
question of if it will get stolen. It is a question of when.

-M

09-10-2003, 06:29 PM

On Wed, 10 Sep 2003 20:27:13 +0800, Marian Rosenberg
<[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> from wrote:

>I wasn't clear about my circumstances.
>
>I currently live in a developing country that, in some places, is very
>definitely still a third world country.....

>For the cost of my cyclocomputer I can theoretically eat for 2 weeks.
>If I'm not eating western food, an expensive resteraunt meal for me is
>one where I spend more than $1.50 (US).

Do you have an online diary or journal of your experiences where you are? IT
sounds like you're getting lots of good story material. I'd be particularly
interested in bike stuff, of course.

--
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] human rights = peace
Laundry is the fifth dimension!! ... um ... um ... th' washing machine
is a black hole and the pink socks are bus drivers who just fell in!!
9:29:02 PM 10 September 2003