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Cateye Astrale 8 - first impressions
I've been in the market for a new bike computer - one that also
monitors cadence - and had been looking at several, including: Cateye Astrale http://www.trisports.com/cateyeastrale.html Vetta RT77 Cadence Computer http://www.speedgoat.com/product.asp...=120&brand=274 I ended up with the Astrale 8. It's a wired, dual sensor; rear wheel mounted magnet/sensor for the main functions. Problems: 1. Rear wheel mount of the sensor to detect the spoke mounted magnet was difficult to set up with the supplies in the kit. On some bikes the chainstay may be close enough to the rear wheel spokes so that a detector mounted on it will project the sensor rod ~1/2" and come within the usual 5mm of the spoke magnet, but not mine. The space between any spoke and the frame was over an inch! There were no large spacers just a rubber pedestal ~1/2" tall into which the detector fit, and I needed to add at least an additional inch of spacer material on the inside of the chainstay. 2. Cadence sensor, exactly the same as the other sensor, typical Cateye type, needed to be mounted on a slant from under the frame. When mounted it had to project near the pedal across from a magnet mounted near the pedal spindle, inside bottom of the crankarm. Since the frame in that location as ovoid, not round the rubber pedestal didn't want to stay in position, which took some fiddling. Since the clearance between crank arm and frame was only 1/2" or less, and I needed to find a location where the clips, or my shoe would rub against the zip tie retaining strap, it ended up near the pedal spindle, which is too close for a horizontal pass between magnet and sensor. I ended up with the minimal 5mm gap, but at a lateral slant and front to back slant of detector to pedal magnet. Will it survive a 20 mile bike ride in the rain and mud spatter? Don't know. ;-) 3. Handlebar mounting strap didn't want to fit snugly around my H/B. My ride, being a hybrid bike, has straight bars with a smaller circumference, apparently, than drop bars in the available space on the H/B. Took several layers of spacers and duct tape and a couple iterations of screwing it closed and finding it still not gripping the bar to get it to fit. By then, and even sitting and kneeling where I could to do the whole install, my lower back was aching. Arrgh. Note to self. Get a better bike repair set up. I was based in a friend's garage so I had to improvise a little. Pros: Otherwise install and set up were quick and easy, clear display and large enough numerals. Button press caused a positive 'click', unit fit into unit base with a nice snug click also. Much easier to zero out the unit at the start of your daily ride with biking gloves on than my other Cateye (Enduro),which I bought without much deliberation, on sale, and in a hurry. It's very interesting to have a cadence counter. Be careful, you'll tend to stare at it and forget to look where you're going. ;-) I expected my instinctive cadence count to be lower than actual and I was right. However with a little work I can get it into the high end of the suggested ranges. 90 to 100 seems right for spinning up. Not sure if it stores average cadence. More later since I've only ridden with it once. -B |
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#2
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In article ,
Badger_South writes: I ended up with the Astrale 8. It's a wired, dual sensor; rear wheel mounted magnet/sensor for the main functions. Thanx for reminding me; I still have yet to disencumber my bike from the old wiring harness. cheers, Tom -- -- Nothing is safe from me. Above address is just a spam midden. I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca |
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On Fri, 01 Oct 2004 18:47:17 -0400, Badger_South
wrote: I've been in the market for a new bike computer - one that also monitors cadence - and had been looking at several, including: Cateye Astrale http://www.trisports.com/cateyeastrale.html Vetta RT77 Cadence Computer http://www.speedgoat.com/product.asp...=120&brand=274 I ended up with the Astrale 8. It's a wired, dual sensor; rear wheel mounted magnet/sensor for the main functions. Hi, I have both the earlier Astrale and an Astrale 8. The 8 that I have, was meant to be installed on the front wheel and fork, for main functions. The older one was meant to be installed on the rear wheel. I just checked the manual, for the 8 and yes the instructions show a front wheel installation. I wonder if they came both ways, what does your manual show? Mine has worked flawlessly for 395x.x miles. So about 4000 miles in 14 months, with out a problem, I like it! I bought the older one on closeout, so I could put it on the old bike, which I use in the trainer. That one is setup for rear wheel use, ideal for the trainer. Life is Good! Jeff |
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Badger_South wrote:
--snippity-- I ended up with the Astrale 8. It's a wired, dual sensor; rear wheel mounted magnet/sensor for the main functions. That's the computer I opted to put on my road bike. FWIW, they install very easily on a road bike -- sorry you had to fiddle so much with yer hybrid. I put a Sigma (front wheel mount) on my son's hybrid and had some of the same trouble getting the sensor rod and the magnet close enough. Maybe they need to make some bike computers that take these larger clearances into account. -km |
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On Fri, 01 Oct 2004 23:45:48 -0500, Jeff Starr wrote:
On Fri, 01 Oct 2004 18:47:17 -0400, Badger_South wrote: I've been in the market for a new bike computer - one that also monitors cadence - and had been looking at several, including: Cateye Astrale http://www.trisports.com/cateyeastrale.html Vetta RT77 Cadence Computer http://www.speedgoat.com/product.asp...=120&brand=274 I ended up with the Astrale 8. It's a wired, dual sensor; rear wheel mounted magnet/sensor for the main functions. Hi, I have both the earlier Astrale and an Astrale 8. The 8 that I have, was meant to be installed on the front wheel and fork, for main functions. The older one was meant to be installed on the rear wheel. I just checked the manual, for the 8 and yes the instructions show a front wheel installation. I wonder if they came both ways, what does your manual show? Mine has worked flawlessly for 395x.x miles. So about 4000 miles in 14 months, with out a problem, I like it! I bought the older one on closeout, so I could put it on the old bike, which I use in the trainer. That one is setup for rear wheel use, ideal for the trainer. Life is Good! Jeff I have the Vetta 77. No real complaints until I got caught in a heavy downpour. I had to open it up and let it dry for days before it worked again. Ben |
#6
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On Sat, 02 Oct 2004 23:13:04 GMT, the black rose
wrote: Badger_South wrote: --snippity-- I ended up with the Astrale 8. It's a wired, dual sensor; rear wheel mounted magnet/sensor for the main functions. That's the computer I opted to put on my road bike. FWIW, they install very easily on a road bike -- sorry you had to fiddle so much with yer hybrid. I put a Sigma (front wheel mount) on my son's hybrid and had some of the same trouble getting the sensor rod and the magnet close enough. Maybe they need to make some bike computers that take these larger clearances into account. -km Thanks for the input, km. Do you find it operates ok in the rain and colder weather? Heh, I'll be finding out, for sure, so I'll let the group know. As far as mounting, a few rubber spacers, about 1/4" thick for the H/B mount and a couple 1/2" and 1" spacers for mounting on the chain stay for the sensor would have been nice. I ended up doubling up the duct tape and making my own spacers. If that slips, I'll replace it with something more substantial. -B |
#7
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Badger_South wrote:
On Sat, 02 Oct 2004 23:13:04 GMT, the black rose wrote: Badger_South wrote: --snippity-- I ended up with the Astrale 8. It's a wired, dual sensor; rear wheel mounted magnet/sensor for the main functions. That's the computer I opted to put on my road bike. FWIW, they install very easily on a road bike -- sorry you had to fiddle so much with yer hybrid. I put a Sigma (front wheel mount) on my son's hybrid and had some of the same trouble getting the sensor rod and the magnet close enough. Maybe they need to make some bike computers that take these larger clearances into account. -km Thanks for the input, km. Do you find it operates ok in the rain and colder weather? Heh, I'll be finding out, for sure, so I'll let the group know. Cold weather, yes so far, but I haven't ridden in a real downpour with it yet. Nor am I likely to with the weather cooling down -- I'm small enough to have real trouble maintaining body heat when wet, and I don't have proper clothing for it (yeah yeah I know I know, it's just that money is going for more important things right now like medical testing for one of my kids). -km |
#8
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Badger_South
wrote in part about Astrale 8: Not sure if it stores average cadence. It doesn't. In the Cateye line only their TR100 and the CD300DW do that. I don't know if you'd want to spend the additional $120 (www.lickbike.com sells the CD300DW for $150 versus $30 for the Astrale 8) for that feature. Besides, without it you can just brag, "My average cadence is ____." with no fear of being contradicted by some pesky cyclocomputer. g Regards, Bob Hunt |
#9
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I just bought one of these to put on the back of a tandem. I picked it
becuase of the long wires, but they still weren't long enough to get from the stokers handlebars to the back tire. So I ended up putting the tire sensor on the front tire and the cadence sensor on the front sprocket, which has worked well. The only I was didn't like about it was you can't "set" the odometer, as we could with our other cateye computers. We like to keep track of exactly how far we've ridden the bike so we can constantly recompute the cost-per-mile figure. :-) Rich Badger_South wrote: I've been in the market for a new bike computer - one that also monitors cadence - and had been looking at several, including: Cateye Astrale http://www.trisports.com/cateyeastrale.html Vetta RT77 Cadence Computer http://www.speedgoat.com/product.asp...=120&brand=274 I ended up with the Astrale 8. It's a wired, dual sensor; rear wheel mounted magnet/sensor for the main functions. Problems: 1. Rear wheel mount of the sensor to detect the spoke mounted magnet was difficult to set up with the supplies in the kit. On some bikes the chainstay may be close enough to the rear wheel spokes so that a detector mounted on it will project the sensor rod ~1/2" and come within the usual 5mm of the spoke magnet, but not mine. The space between any spoke and the frame was over an inch! There were no large spacers just a rubber pedestal ~1/2" tall into which the detector fit, and I needed to add at least an additional inch of spacer material on the inside of the chainstay. 2. Cadence sensor, exactly the same as the other sensor, typical Cateye type, needed to be mounted on a slant from under the frame. When mounted it had to project near the pedal across from a magnet mounted near the pedal spindle, inside bottom of the crankarm. Since the frame in that location as ovoid, not round the rubber pedestal didn't want to stay in position, which took some fiddling. Since the clearance between crank arm and frame was only 1/2" or less, and I needed to find a location where the clips, or my shoe would rub against the zip tie retaining strap, it ended up near the pedal spindle, which is too close for a horizontal pass between magnet and sensor. I ended up with the minimal 5mm gap, but at a lateral slant and front to back slant of detector to pedal magnet. Will it survive a 20 mile bike ride in the rain and mud spatter? Don't know. ;-) 3. Handlebar mounting strap didn't want to fit snugly around my H/B. My ride, being a hybrid bike, has straight bars with a smaller circumference, apparently, than drop bars in the available space on the H/B. Took several layers of spacers and duct tape and a couple iterations of screwing it closed and finding it still not gripping the bar to get it to fit. By then, and even sitting and kneeling where I could to do the whole install, my lower back was aching. Arrgh. Note to self. Get a better bike repair set up. I was based in a friend's garage so I had to improvise a little. Pros: Otherwise install and set up were quick and easy, clear display and large enough numerals. Button press caused a positive 'click', unit fit into unit base with a nice snug click also. Much easier to zero out the unit at the start of your daily ride with biking gloves on than my other Cateye (Enduro),which I bought without much deliberation, on sale, and in a hurry. It's very interesting to have a cadence counter. Be careful, you'll tend to stare at it and forget to look where you're going. ;-) I expected my instinctive cadence count to be lower than actual and I was right. However with a little work I can get it into the high end of the suggested ranges. 90 to 100 seems right for spinning up. Not sure if it stores average cadence. More later since I've only ridden with it once. -B |
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