UKH

Hoping someone has some words of advice -

I think I want a bike computer - ideally it would tell me the following:

1) How fast I am going
2) How far I have gone
3) Height gain/loss over the course of a ride (cumulative)
4) Calories burned (and for a nice bonus how many Mars bars this represents).

I'm not so bothered about mapping as I mostly ride locally and know the roads pretty well. 

Does such a thing exist?  Any pointers welcomed!

I think if you want accurate calories burned you need a heart rate monitor. If you don't want maps get something like a vivoactive wrist watch. 

If you want it mounted on the bike get a Wahoo bolt second hand. I picked up a pistine one of ebay for £90.

Ta, calories burned not as important as speed and distance.  Will research a wahoo bolt. 

I just use a Garmin Triathlon watch, does it all and mine is an old 920xt. Strap it on handlebars when on bike, wear on wrist when running 

I would agree with spragglerocks, the estimated calorie counts if you don't use a heart rate monitor are way wrong.

Wahoo bolt is good but would suggest you also check out the older end of the Garmin range. Pretty much anything will do what you need.

If speed and distance is the most important just get a basic cateye one. 

You could get much of that using an app such as Strava on a phone, although not sure you can get speed while cycling. If you already have a smartphone all you need to do is install an app & try, if nothing else it won't cost you anything (assuming you go for a free to use app)

I'd disagree with you both - what you really need is a powermeter  

Garmin all the way - much more user friendly, solid software, and better maps.

Sorry edited to add, something that will give me nice data on how many miles I am doing over a time axis would be very nice, without me having to keep some sort of manual log.

Also - phew, this is why I am confused, loads of options out there and heads up display of speed is important, thanks everyone!

I use the Cyclemeter app https://cyclemeter.com/

The basic functionality is free including speed and distance measurement. There is a premium version that allows linking to a watch, recording weather etc. 

I have a Cateye Strada Wireless on most of my bikes - gives me the speed/distance/time at a glance.

Then I have Strava on my phone in a pocket - so I also have mapping, if I need it.

Otherwise, I have a Garmin running watch with heart rate strap, if I want to add metrics from that - got a handlebar mount for it somewhere.

Any bike computer will give you this.

Ditto.

Simplest solution is a GPS capable bike computer.

Most bike computers will give you a 'number', but it'll be pretty meaningless - particularly for flat rides - without an (expensive) powermeter. As for Mars bars, just go with one bar per 50 miles and you'll be in the ball-park.

Good. That'll keep the cost down.

Apart from the calories number, any basic GPS cycle computer will do the job: Something like the Garmin Edge 25 (or whatever is their current basic model) or if you want cheaper then something from Decathlon (<£50). A phone with a free cycling app (any of them) will do the job, but it's a bit of a pain to mount/protect on a bike.

I recently came off my bike in the New Forest and broke my collarbone, ending up in a ditch. The crash detection on my Garmin automatically texted my wife with a dropped pin of my location. As it happened, I was out with some friends and so it wasn't critical.

It is a feature that I hadn't considered when I bought my Garmin. But it is pretty high on the list now, particularly recommended if you ride alone on quiet roads.

Get the most basic Garmin Edge (I think the 130 is the current simplest one) which will do everything you need. Alternatively get a watch like a Forerunner 45, which is slightly cheaper.

All Garmin devices sync automatically with the Garmin mobile app, which allows you to track stats  over time, and see on a map where you've been. If you want to, you can connect your Strava account to your Garmin to have everything sync there.

For accurate calories info you'll need a heart rate monitor, Decathlon do one for not very much money, which will connect easily via ANT to the Garmin.

I have a basic garmin watch, the 735, and a fairly basic cateye on bike, between the two there is masses of data. The only bonus of a cateye on bike over just a watch is I can get speed, cadence and HR all on the same little screen at the same time. 

You can have all the stats on the garmin connect app, it'll show you any data: distance ran, walked, steps, cycled, heart rate, vo2, etc  over 1 day, 4w, 6m or 1 year... plus it'll automatically populate to strava. Or you can get strava to talk back to your watch and tell you about segments as you ride if you're interested. 

How much do you want to spend?

I wear a Garmin Fenix 6 Pro which is on my wrist 24/7 unless out on the bike then it is strapped to the handlebar using this https://www.wiggle.com/p/garmin-wristwatch-bike-mount which is £11. I wear a heart rate monitor on the bike as normally picked up via wrist monitor in the watch. 

The watch obviously costs a lot more but is with me more than my phone so worth it. Fenix 7 Pro out now so good deals on older models and as above forumites have alluded to a basic one for maybe £200 will do what you need. I actively use the Garmin metrics as climb, run, hike and cycle and all feeds in to one ecosystem. Body battery, calories, sleep score, resting heart rate, total miles across sports, training status, step count etc are all important to me but aren't for everyone.

Alternative is Garmin Edge 540 which is £350 Edge 840 at £450 or 1040 at £550. Don;t pay the extra for Solar models. Bike specific so easier to view / read than a watch but again depends on budget. Older 530/830/1030 models still available.

I use the watch for navigating 50 mile road rides so does the job but I often magpie to the Edge but end up buying something else instead (like the Zwift Hub smart trainer).

Sorry, I've basically just mirrored your reply typing out at same time. At least we agree. 

....*slightly tremulous tone* really?

I hate to turn this hiterto useful thread into "How far does Bobling have to cycle to eat a Mars-bar?" but that seems an awful lot (Bobling is approx 75 kg folks if you want to work it out for me ; ) ).

Whether I run or road / indoor cycle I work on burning around 250 calories per half hour. This can vary with intensity. 26 min parkrun on Saturday in blinding heat was 406 calories of which the activity was 365 and normal resting (burning them regardless) was 41.

I did a 2 hour 15mph road cycle on Sunday and burnt 1151 being 945 active and 206 'resting'.

I'm 52, 85kg, 6ft 2 (aiming to lose 5 kg's over the next 3 months).

A Mars bar is 228 calories. So about a Mars bar every 6 miles ridden (for me)

Or sit on the sofa and after 2 hours you've earned a Mars Bar.

Most people will take about 3 hours+ to do a 50 mile ride. If you think people are only expending 70kcals (51g Mars bar =  ~210kcals) per hour cycling, then that's a pretty low range compared to what most sites seem to suggest (about 400-1000) kcals per hour depending on effort and speed (https://caloriesburnedhq.com/calories-burned-biking/).

OK, I was just trying to keep you off the Mars bars. Therein the "safe" proviso.

If you're cruising along at 100W power (easy) then you're outputting ~86 kcal/hour. Assume ~25% efficiency in your body and that translates to ~230kcal/hour input (e.g., a Mars bar/hour). Better?

Still don't like Mars bars.

344 kcals / hour at 25% efficiency?

I was rounding to the nearest Mars bar. You don't want to be putting a half eaten Mars bar back in your pocket.

An ultrarunning nutritionist I know works on the basis of fuelling exercise with 40-60g carbohydrates per hour - the stomach can't digest more than that. Say a 50g Mars bar per hour and you've eliminated one of the slightly pseudosciencey requirements off your list  

For me, your needs are most effectively met using Strava or Komoot and a bar mount for your phone.

RE: Carb intake: Not strictly true for cycling, where cyclists are consuming and processing over 100g of carbs per hour now, when trained to do so. This is purported to be one reason why pro cyclist are doing 'faster rides' now. Of course there is conjecture about other reasons. 

But is does equate to a mars bar every 45 minutes rather than every hour... That might make a difference for some people.. If they really love mars bars.

I;d suggest you take on a mars bar every 30 years to check you still don't like them.

To be honest I use English muffins with peanut butter and jam as ride food. 

Mars bars...?

Beat me to it haha!

Thank you - I may be none the wise about the rest of it, but at least now I have an accurate read for my WMBR (Working Mars Bar Rate).

Perhaps true for pro-cyclists, but perhaps not relevant in this (UKC) context?

A few years yet before I have to try one again. Thankfully.

Spot on!

Anyone got a 3D printer and can knock up a prototype? This time next year we'll be millionaires.

These two statements appear mutually exclusive

Edit to add in case of offence!

Maybe modify the tomato dispenser...

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/technology-science/technology/bizarre-japanes...

Maybe - but I don't think Tom Pidcock is asking for cycle computer recommendations on a climbing forum :-D 

My Garmin reckoned about 2400kCals for a 150km ride on the weekend, with heartrate monitor, then about 1300 for the 30km home after, without.

My ego much prefers the latter calculation.

As others have said, most bike computers will do what you need. Personally I went for a Garmin Edge many years ago. Even my older model will do all you want and more - far more than you need - but it’s been faultless and easy to see and use whilst on the move. It transfers data to my phone when I want (I choose just to manually sync) to be able to view details later which is then stored on the phone app and can be called up on its calendar whenever. Software updates done from phone via the app.

I don’t need or use many of its functions, but I opted for the Edge partly for being able to use the Garmin radar with it to detect approaching vehicles at the rear. I find it useful to know how many vehicles and what approx speed they are approaching at, how many are behind me still or if they have all passed, etc. It works even when you can’t hear the traffic say due to wind noise.

I don’t have likes switched on but if I did you would have one from me. 😂
 

I dislike mars bars and much more of a marathon man (not the run, did Paris, ticked the box and went back to 10k’s) but I was using the example to contextualise for Bobling but as usual my English was a tad lacking. 
 

To climbing pieman, I love my garmin radar and it works on my Fenix 6 but as you say the Edge shows it much better. Next purchase I think. 

Just bought a Wahoo Elemnt Roam bundle, comes with HR strap, speed sensor and cadence sensors. They're 249€ on offer direct from Wahoo. Upgraded from my 6 year old Elemnt Bolt which now only lasts for about 6/7 hours.

Did a 4h ride today and there's still 82% battery left - awesome.

E

Go with the bike specific computer over mounting a phone.

I’ve used a Garmin for 10 years plus and it’s faultless.

using your phone with app drains the battery and you want your phone for when/if you need it. Also, bike comps tend to weatherproof, I know my phone isn’t!

In general I would agree, but...

You can use a 'phone' (hardware) as a very cost effective android-based bike computer separate from your emergency phone. I have an Ulefone Armor 7 (no SIM) for serious navigation duties: Battery lasts well over a day whilst navigating (e.g., Locus Maps app, verbal turn-by-turn instructions), is waterproof, goes on a standard Garmin mount and cost me ~£100. Unlike Garmin/Wahoo it gives me OS mapping and just about any other Android app I care to install.

Not for everyone, but you shouldn't discount it as a viable option.