wire bike computer as speedo

[MrPulldown]

Figured that the thumper guys are the only ones that might even consider using a bike computer as a speedo. Has anyone tried using a wireless one. Seems like it would be easier to deal with. But I was wondering if the electronics from the bike would interfere with the signal. Anyone have an experiance they would like to share.

[bisbonian]

I looked into the wireless ones last year when my speedo went out on my Moto Guzzi.

If I remember it right there was a lot of opinion that the wireless may not work very well due to electrical interference.

I ended up using a standard bike computer but ordered up the extra long recumbent wire and mount to make sure it would cover the distance.

This has been working fine for almost a year for me.

[Grreatdog]

Why go wireless? The wire on a Trailtech, Acewell or similar speedo is about unobtrusive as you can get. I can't remember the brand, but the little speedo/odo on my MXC is powered by watch batteries and goes for months. The only wire is the one down to the sensor.

[SkiBumBrian]

A trailtech can run battery only, or hard wired....

[k-moe]

I've used one, and they are......interesting. I used a http://www.walmart.com/ip/Bell-20-Fu...meter/17254766. At first it functioned well, though there is some lag between indicated speed and actual speed. It took mine about 2 seconds to settle in once I got to a constant speed. After a few months it would no longer give an accurate indication of speed above 30 MPH; it still worked fine below that. The inexpensive bike speedometers rely on a magnetic reed switch, instead of a Hall Effect sensor like the Trail Tech does. I think that on mine the reed switch simply began to fail due to flexing much more rapidly than the manufacturer intended.

[victor441]

From what I've read many brands will not work at motorcycle speeds but Sigma's generally do....have not tried a Sigma on an MC but they have worked great on my bicycles. Another option I have tried is a Garmin GPS bicycle speedo and it works well, also records your track if you want to download it to a computer, Google maps, etc after the ride. Will run for many hours on its internal rechargeable battery but will probably wire up a mini USB feed on mine so battery life is not a concern...

[bisbonian]

This is the one I've been running for almost a year now:



It's a Cateye Velo 5, this has been discontinued now but I think it was discontinued when I picked it up at my local bike store for about $25.

The specs say the max speed is 185mph, I have no fear of outrunning that.

[Kelly_O]

I use a Sigma wired unit. Watch battery once a year is all the service it requires. VERY accurate. About $17.

[MrPulldown]

Originally Posted by bisbonian

This is the one I've been running for almost a year now:



It's a Cateye Velo 5, this has been discontinued now but I think it was discontinued when I picked it up at my local bike store for about $25.

The specs say the max speed is 185mph, I have no fear of outrunning that.

What is wronge with the stock speedo?
I think that I am going to get a cheepo wired one, based on all of your comments. I have a wireless computer on the wifes bike (bicycle) and it is finiky.
No back light though. I guess I don't run at night too often.

[bisbonian]

Originally Posted by MrPulldown

What is wronge with the stock speedo?

The original dash crapped out but I came up with a replacement. However the replacement dash is metric. While I can do the math sometimes I'm lazy and the bicycle speedometer was a cheap and easy addition.

[MrPulldown]

I would really want to run a vapor but funds are low right now. I think I found a cheap Ebay unit with a backlight and air temp.