Cateye CC-RD200 Strada Cadence Bicycle Computer

5 Comments

1. Richard Burt says:

   August 23, 2010 at 5:27 am

   Review by Richard Burt for Cateye CC-RD200 Strada Cadence Bicycle Computer
   Rating:
   A bike computer is much needed accessory for your bike. If nothing else, most people want to know how fast they are going and how far they went. Of course, this computer, like just about all of the ones on the market, will tell you that and more. It has two trip odometers as well as a non-trip odometer, elapsed time, time of day, average speed, maximum speed, speedometer, and cadence.

   On this model, the speedometer is always on display on the top of the screen with large numerals that are easy to read. There is a secondary display on the bottom of the screen with the other data, such as time, cadence, and the like. You scroll through the bottom display by pressing the bottom of the front of the computer, and one by one, the other data readouts are shown. As noted, the speedometer display remains constant as you scroll through the readouts for cadence, elapsed time, etc.

   You can easily reset all the trip-related info (one of the trip odometers, elapsed time, average speed, and maximum speed) with the press of a fingertip. You can reset the second trip odometer by repeating the process when the second trip odometer is on the screen. The regular (non-trip) odometer can be reset through a more complicated procedure that wouldn’t be done accidentally.

   There is never a problem reading the speed readout. The large numerals can be read at a glance. The bottom display has much smaller numerals, and as a result can’t always be read at a glance. Sometimes I have to study the display for a few seconds, particularly if I am trying to tell whether the seconds on the elapsed time readout are at “:12 or :42″.

   Why did I pick this model? The deciding factors were cadence, cost, and reliability.

   Cadence tells you how many times a minute your pedals are rotating. As the Cateye puts it, “Your legs are your engine, and the Strada Cadence is your tachometer.” Pedaling at the right cadence is important to pedaling efficiency and thus rider endurance. Thus, I eliminated any computer that did not offer cadence.

   Cost was a factor since, with an entry level bike, I felt no need to have the top of the line gadget.

   And reliability and cost concerns translate into having a hard wired, not wireless, computer. Wireless costs more. And I have heard a number of reliability complaints about wireless systems. It may be nice not to have wires, but it’s certainly nicer not to have reliability problems. And since many of the wireless computers use a wire for the cadence, why not just go with two wires and not worry about it? As it turns out, the second wire does not detract any more than the first wire, and the wires are out of the way in any event.

   I did not install the computer myself and therefore can’t address the difficulty of installation and of initially programming the computer, but having seen how the bike shop installed it, it doesn’t look that hard to do.

   Given the price and features, I have been completely satisfied with this product.
2. Rollie says:

   August 23, 2010 at 6:05 am

   Review by Rollie for Cateye CC-RD200 Strada Cadence Bicycle Computer
   Rating:
   First to note that this is NOT a touch screen device. Rather, you press down on the bottom part of the computer, and that depresses a button on the back, which switches modes. So instead of putting the button on the face of the unit, they put it on the back. It works good though. It took me a while to install because the instructions say you need to have the magnets 3 millimeters from the sensors. That was hard to do on my bike. I had to switch the rubber mounts between the speed and the cadence sensors. But most people won’t have to do that. I bought this unit mainly for the candence benefit. I thought the cadence magnet that attaches to the crank might slip because it spins so much and so fast. But, it is very secure. The magnet is sticky on the back, and the fasteners hold it well.

   The speed readout is nice and big. So I have speed on top and cadence on the bottom. I also use an expensive Polar heart monitor on my bike. When I switched them both to the speed readout, they were identical, so I believe the cateye is accurate. One good thing about wires is that you do not have to worry about interference.

   Another nice thing about the cateye is that you don’t ever have to lose your odometer miles. If you change the batteries or reset it, you can always manually enter in your odometer miles. If you have two bikes, you can program tire sizes for both bikes and switch the unit between them.

   The handle bar bracket works good. You can also mount it on the stem. Overall I would recommend this, especially those who want cadence. Be prepared for a little time to install it correctly though. I still have a cateye cycle computer I bought 20 years ago that is as big as a hockey puck. It still works.
3. R. Dunn says:

   August 23, 2010 at 6:30 am

   Review by R. Dunn for Cateye CC-RD200 Strada Cadence Bicycle Computer
   Rating:
   I’m a long-time cycle computer user. I recently bought this Cateye model to use on a new bicycle. My previous computer a Cateye Astrale with cadence that worked well for several years. My disappointment with this computer began on my first ride: I noticed that the refresh rate is quite slow, especially with the cadence function. Since my previous computer was very fast (though also inexpensive), this was a big disappointment. Secondly, while there is a dual-display on this model (speed display large, other functions small), not being able to toggle between speed and cadence as the main display has been a let-down, since I typically am more concerned with cadence than speed at any given time. They can, however, be displayed simultaneously, which is the mode I typically use with this computer. Lastly, and most importantly, the contacts between the computer head and the mounting bracket are not reliable. Several times per ride I notice that either my speed or cadence, or both are reading zero, and I have to wiggle the computer in the bracket to get the reading to come back. This is not only inconvenient and creates inaccurate records of time and average speed for my rides, but is dangerous as well, since I’m taking my eyes off the road as I fiddle with the computer. With other units, this poor contact is typical in wet weather, or when computers get aged (the contacts wearing from vibration), but on a month-old unit, I find it unacceptable. I’ll be ridding my bike of this computer ASAP.
4. Pamela Gatlin says:

   August 23, 2010 at 6:31 am

   Review by Pamela Gatlin for Cateye CC-RD200 Strada Cadence Bicycle Computer
   Rating:
   I haven’t had time to use this product much, so I can’t say much about it’s performance. However, if your considering buying, you should know this about my purchase from Amazon: I received the product at lightning speed. But when I got it, it was missing the cadence magnet. Cadence was the main reason I bought this computer. I didn’t want to wait on the mail to exchange the computer, so I called Cateye. They said no problem! They mailed the magnet to me at no charge and I received it the next day! WOW! I am confident that if I do have any issues with the computer, that Cateye will stand behind their product.
5. R. Leelawong says:

   August 23, 2010 at 6:38 am

   Review by R. Leelawong for Cateye CC-RD200 Strada Cadence Bicycle Computer
   Rating:
   This bike computer tells everything that the beginner (me!) want, speed (+average), time, cadence, odometer, … It’s also very easy to install. I spent around 30 min to install and it works right after my first attemp I’m very satisfy with what I got at this price!