How do bike computers work?
Thursday, November 25th, 2010 at
5:10 am
Question by John: How do bike computers work?
I’m new to cycling. Is it like gps to work out how far you have travelled? And how do you fit them?
Best answer:
Answer by wle ņ?ã??? ????????
since they cost as little as $ 9, you might guess there is no GPS
that is right
those just have a magnet on the wheel that says when the wheel turns
the computer knows the wheel size so it also knows the speed and distance etc
wle
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Bike computers are simple electronic counters. They count every time a magnet on a spoke passes the sensor on your fork. There is an electronic clock and microprocessor in the display module that calculates speed and distance traveled from the number of times the magnet passes the sensor.
As the other replies have stated the type of cycle computer you are referring to works off a magnet on a wheel spoke passing a sensor mounted on the fork. You have to set it up with the circumference of the wheel, and then it counts the number of revolutions of the wheel. From this it can calculate how far and how fast the cycle is going.
Some also have an additional sensor to detect pedal rotations to display the cadence of the pedals.
They should have fitting instructions.
The magnet will be held onto the spoke by a screw, and the sensor and display will usually be mounted using cable ties. If it has wires, these will need to be held in place by cable ties.
There is usually a chart of wheel and tyre sizes to calibrate it, or you can get a more accurate figure if you measure it yourself.
Position the wheel with the magnet on so that the valve is at the lowest point, and mark on the ground where the valve is. Sitting on the bike, roll it forward one revolution of the wheel, until the valve is again closest to the ground, and mark the ground where the valve is. The distance between the two marks is the circumference of the wheel, which is the figure you need to enter. The measurement is usually required in millimetres.
You can get devices that work of the GPS network, but these are much more expensive, and they usually have maps and route finding features. Some also have heart rate monitors and the ability to load your route onto a computer for you to log your training.
Everyone else has told you how they work. Now I’ll show you where to get one DIRT CHEAP! See the two links below. One has the Schwinn brand on it. The other is generic. Both come from the same factory.
One is $ 14.95. That’s inexpensive enough – but how does $ 3.33 sound? You can spend anywhere from the $ 3.33 on one up to hundreds. Just depends on how fancy you want to get.