Review on 🚴 CATEYE Velo Wireless Bike Computer: Track Your Cycling Performance with Precision by Javarie Malick

I've been using a Cateye bike computer since Solar II (the one I bought in the 80's still works). When I was building a new bike, I needed a simple computer to do it. It looked good on a bike with hydraulic disc brakes as there isn't a good way to route the wire from the fork to the handlebars. The computer and magnetic sensor work well. The pickup is less finicky than the ones that came with the wired models I bought in the 90's (they still work and I still use them). The display is sharp and bright, but I think it's too big for what it does, and everything on the screen is controlled by a single button. To change or initialize settings, you must use the two small buttons on the bottom of the device, which you cannot reach while it is installed. Installation was easy but everything is done with 2mm cable ties. They supply 4 of these, no extras. Two are needed to attach the sensor to the fork and another two are needed to attach the bracket to the handlebars. In contrast, my older wired computers have sturdy screw-on clamp mounts. They also have rubber bushings to fit a variety of handlebars and forks. Once secured, they stay in place until you loosen the screws. If you decide to remove the computer and sensor for any reason, you don't need to buy anything to reinstall them. The handlebar mount is flimsy, just a piece of flimsy plastic with a few holes for zip ties. There is no rubber grommet to secure the mount so it rotates easily on the stem. It's a flat bar with a 31.8mm mounting diameter, so there's quite a taper here. I had to sit next to the brake lever. However, it is not very secure. I didn't want to pull the ties any harder for fear of breaking them. It's also quite difficult to remove the computer once it's snapped into the handlebar mount. Unlike the old Cateye mounting brackets, there is no unlocking mechanism. You must press firmly on the bottom of the device to pull it out of the mount. Since the mount isn't securely attached to the handlebars to begin with, this is annoying. The fork mount is taped to aid in positioning the sensor prior to attachment. This is only a good idea if you never intend to take it off your bike. As with the handlebar mount, there is no rubber grommet to hold it in place. You can make your own - it's a good use for older cameras - but they don't work that well and they don't look very good. The initial setup is relatively easy, but setting the wheel circumference is tedious. I initially accepted the default 26-inch wheel setting, but after a few 20+ miles of riding, comparing the total distance to the distance recorded by my phone's GPS showed that this wasn't a reasonable approximation of my actual wheel circumference. You can set the circumference of the wheel to within 1cm just like the old Cateye computers, but that means it has to be removed from the bike. This is still an inexpensive computer that I would recommend to anyone who can put up with the shortcomings. My experience with Cateye computers has shown that they last almost forever and I would still rather buy one than one of the no name computers that sell for a bit less.