You paid what!

I’ll be honest right up front, I am a little embarrassed to be reviewing this product…mostly because the more time I spend being a cyclist (and I say that loosely) the more snobbish I get. But what the hell, it serves it’s purpose and was very cheap.

As winter hits here in the Mountain West, I put the helmet away and pull out the trainer…my kids tell me that I should still wear my helmet and that I’m not a very good example to them. Anyways, my trainer doesn’t have all the expensive attachments like the power meter and speedometer which means I have to either move my Specialized bike computer to my rear wheel, or buy a cheap bike computer to put on my rear wheel. Obviously, I chose the latter which means I have 2 computers on my bike now, which is admittedly lame.

The Bell Wireless Cyclocomputer is easy enough to set up but because it is cheap there are a couple of issues. The zip ties that come with the computer are really cheap. I threw them away and used some that I bought from Home Depot. When setting up the sensor you should also be cautious to not tighten the magnet too hard otherwise the plastic piece will break. Another issue is that the computer has to be fairly close to the sensor. Because I have placed the sensor on the rear wheel, I have to place the computer on the top tube instead of the handle bars so that the computer can get the signals from the sensor.

Another major issue I have with this computer is that you can’t turn the face of the computer. If I did want to place the computer on my front wheel I would have a big problem because the computer is built to only go on the handle bars. Because I have my aero bars attached to my bike, the only place for a bike computer would be on the stem, but with this computer, it would have to face sideways.

So, there are issues with set up, but it is cheap and works fine once you get it running. It accurately provides your riding time, odometer, trip meter, maximum speed, average speed and even the temperature. It also has a calorie counter but you can’t rely on the accuracy because it has no idea what your heart rate is. I just pay attention to the current speed and average speed.

I found this computer at Target for I believe $25. I saw it at Sports Authority for almost double the price.

The Bottom Line ~

Ultimately, if you want a bike computer, can install it on your handlebars and don’t have a lot of money, this could be a great option for you. BUT, I should really just move my Specialized sensor to the rear wheel.

Do you have an experience or comment about this product?
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