Wireless on recumbents (RANS Stratus)

In article ,
says...

"Cletus Lee" skrev...
As a former Stratus owner, I initially experimentd with wireless. AFAIK, all wireless
transmitters have a range limited to about 70cm. This excluded the Rans Stratus H/B to front
wheel. I did mount a wireless on a Crono 'Nob' attached to the top tube near the headtube.
While it worked, it was out of reach and the night light feature was useless.

As I mentioned elsewhere Mavic is coming out with a wireless.
http://www.mavic.com/servlet/srt/mav...=uk&news.id=70
Digital so might be better. Doesn't say how long the range is
but it should work on a VK2. Nice that the skewer has the sensor
and you can get a wireless cadence kit too.

Review when my LBS gets it. Sometime in the new year I think.

Two comments:
1. Curiously missing from Mavic's website are any useful information
like range and installation instructions. If the range is still limited
to 70cm, 'Bent users are still out of luck and worse since the
transmitter is located at the axle and not the rim.
2. With wired Magnets and sensors, if the sensor is placed too near the
SON Hub, the computer malfunctions. I am wondering if the Skewer
mounted transmitter will work with a SON Hub.

--
Cletus D. Lee
Bacchetta Giro
Lightning Voyager
http://www.clee.org
- Bellaire, TX USA -

"RVC" wrote in message .. .
I've just purchased a Stratus and wonder if any improvements have been made
in the wireless computer world ? I've read the archives and it appears the
main problem(s) is/are transmission distance and durability. I can mount by
Garmin eTrex Vista on the bike as a solution, but would prefer a bike
computer.

Any recommendations, to include waiting for improvements! :-)

Thanks!

RVC, USMC(Ret)

Currently riding a Stratus with the new style bar and using a wireless
Vetta 100A computer. This baby is loaded, Temp, Alt, Cadence, and
Speed. Called Vetta prior to installing. They stated their standard
response was it would not work on a recumbent. Installed it anyway
with the cadence and speed sensor on the left side of the bike with
the cadence sensor on the front derailleur tube and the computer on
the top left side of the bar as it is designed to be installed and it
has work flawlessly for 350 miles. Confident it will not work for all
applications but it works great on the Stratus with the new bars. On
wireless computers you do have to replace the batteries on the sensors
occasionally and perhaps more often where the signal must be stronger
for the additional range required. By the time you buy the computer
with the cadence sensor you will put out a bit of change, over $100
but it is a slick looking installation compared to wired. In general
I have not had very good luck with Sigma wireless computers even on df
bikes. Kelly

http://www.vetta.com/

bentcruiser wrote:
If you are talking distance trouble, try putting the computer on the
derailleur tube.



Deraileur tube solves the reception problem, but I'd prefer having it up
on the handlebars so I don't have to move my head and take my eyes off
the road to see it.

I think you could partially run a wire down from the receiver to serve
as an antenae, but that significantly erases wireless benefit.

If you don't run in packs, it probably wouldn't be much of an issue to
increase transmitter output. Maybe higher voltage battery could extend
range, but anyone know if the transmitters handle the higher voltage?



--

"Mark Leuck" skrev...
If HERE means the US its for sale here

Nope it means out in the fringes of the civilized world... Denmark ;-)
LBS is getting it soon.

Mikael

I wonder how well one of these would work on a bike:

http://www.interbike.co.uk/html/cs_pedometers.html

Thanks to all for your replies.

RVC USMC(Ret)
"RVC" wrote in message
...
I've just purchased a Stratus and wonder if any improvements have been
made
in the wireless computer world ? I've read the archives and it appears
the
main problem(s) is/are transmission distance and durability. I can mount
by
Garmin eTrex Vista on the bike as a solution, but would prefer a bike
computer.

Any recommendations, to include waiting for improvements! :-)

Thanks!

RVC, USMC(Ret)

"Cletus Lee" wrote in message
Another choice, a Garmin Geko. uses GPS for speed and distance. No wheel
magnet. It does under report speed by about 1.5% over a well calibrated
wired computer.

My Garmin Geko doesn't under report speed--it's right on.

"bentcruiser" wrote in message
om...
Rvc wrote:
I've just purchased a Stratus and wonder if any improvements have been
made in the wireless computer world ?



If you are talking distance trouble, try putting the computer on the
derailleur tube.

That's what I did on my RANS Tailwind, it works just fine on the derailler
tube. Except last Tuesday when the weather was quite cold for these parts
(about 15 deg F) on my morning commute. My wireless only reported about
1/2 the distance I really traveled--kept jumping between my actual speed and
zero. The rest of the week the temp was in the mid 20's and it worked
fine--I guess I could try a new battery but this one isn't that old. Seems
like under 20 deg F it doesn't work dependably.

I don't think poor cold weather performance is a wireless thing. On my
V-Rex and my DFs I have wired computers and they don't work well either when
it gets well below freezing. Anyone know of a computer that works well in
the bitter cold?

In article k.net,
says...

"Cletus Lee" wrote in message
Another choice, a Garmin Geko. uses GPS for speed and distance. No wheel
magnet. It does under report speed by about 1.5% over a well calibrated
wired computer.

My Garmin Geko doesn't under report speed--it's right on.

I am sorry, You are correct about the speed. Mine is accurate to the
0.10 mph. Except for the time it registered 888 mph in downtown Houston
while I was stopped at a traffic light. It is distance that is under
reported by ~1.5%. The reason the distance is off is because the Geko
measures distance from point to point. A route with a lot of turns will
be in error. Also I have found that false signals are causing route
track errors in city canyons.

--
Cletus D. Lee
Bacchetta Giro
Lightning Voyager
http://www.clee.org
- Bellaire, TX USA -

"Cletus D. Lee" wrote in message
T...
In article k.net,
says...

"Cletus Lee" wrote in message
Another choice, a Garmin Geko. uses GPS for speed and distance. No
wheel
magnet. It does under report speed by about 1.5% over a well calibrated
wired computer.

My Garmin Geko doesn't under report speed--it's right on.

I am sorry, You are correct about the speed. Mine is accurate to the
0.10 mph. Except for the time it registered 888 mph in downtown Houston
while I was stopped at a traffic light. It is distance that is under
reported by ~1.5%. The reason the distance is off is because the Geko
measures distance from point to point. A route with a lot of turns will
be in error. Also I have found that false signals are causing route
track errors in city canyons.

--
Cletus D. Lee
Bacchetta Giro
Lightning Voyager
http://www.clee.org
- Bellaire, TX USA -

Well, I'm not so sure about the trip distance being under-reported. When I
first bought it, just for an experimentation I brought it along and watched
it update while my wife was driving down the freeway. Assuming the survey
mile markers were correct, I didn't see any noticeable error at all. I also
used it when I rode a century (actually a 108 mile ride), every rest stop
was exact on my Garmin, as was the final distance when compared to the
cheat-sheet. It was not 1.5 miles off, it wasn't even .15 miles off. But
heck, I guess you could also argue that they probably used some kind of GPS
to calculate and make the cheat sheet to start with.

Maybe you know for sure, but I theorize the Garmin does not simply
triangulate between points (thus cutting corners as you indicate). I
believe the Garmin somehow integrates velocity, and thus doesn't necessarily
cut off corners. The reason I believe this is I've seen the Garmin continue
to update trip distance for a several seconds (at least) after the GPS
signal is lost.

Brian