Is the Ergo-brain a good idea?

Hi, all.

I recently built up my bike with Chorus-10, but put off adding a
computer until the pain subsided. Now that there's a light at the end of
the train-wreck, I'm wondering:

Is the Ergo-brain worth 3-4x the price of other full-featured
cyclometers ($150-225USD) just to have the cool built-in switches in the
brifters? I understand that Cateye makes the unit for Campy - are there
Cateye or other makers'units that could be operated with the built-in
switches? If I bite the bullet, is installation pretty much
plug-and-play, or is there brifter-mangling in my future?

I look forward to your comments.

-Mark

In article ,
Mark Schecter wrote:

Hi, all.

I recently built up my bike with Chorus-10, but put off adding a
computer until the pain subsided. Now that there's a light at the end of
the train-wreck, I'm wondering:

Is the Ergo-brain worth 3-4x the price of other full-featured
cyclometers ($150-225USD) just to have the cool built-in switches in the
brifters? I understand that Cateye makes the unit for Campy - are there
Cateye or other makers'units that could be operated with the built-in
switches? If I bite the bullet, is installation pretty much
plug-and-play, or is there brifter-mangling in my future?

brifter-mangling. i considered the ergo-brain (briefly). once i
downloaded the installation manual and had a good hard look at
the feature/price ratio, i decided to waste all that money on
the vdo mc1.0. no, it doesn't tell me what gear i'm in without
having to glance back. and no it won't tell me my cadence even
when i'm not pedaling. but it's reassuring to know that i'm
suffering because i'm climbing a 9% grade and not just because
i'm a clydesdale.

also, no brifter-mangling.

Mark Schecter wrote:
Is the Ergo-brain worth 3-4x the price of other full-featured
cyclometers ($150-225USD) just to have the cool built-in switches in
the brifters? I understand that Cateye makes the unit for Campy - are
there Cateye or other makers'units that could be operated with the
built-in switches? If I bite the bullet, is installation pretty much
plug-and-play, or is there brifter-mangling in my future?

I really like my Ergo-brain, but I'm a gadget geek. Some folks don't
care for cyclocomputers at all - so figure where you fit in the
gadget-geek spectrum. I had one of Cateye's first models, and two of
the next, back when a huge (2AA batteries) computer cost a bunch.

It isn't so much the built-in *buttons* on the brifter hoods that I like
with Ergobrain, but the *sensors* in the shift levers that keep track of
what cog/ring I'm on.

Yes, I can look back at the cogs, but on a long climb, when you're too
cooked to remember if you've "hit bottom" yet, it's nice to have an easy
way to check your gearing. When I get really cooked, it reminds me what
ring I'm on (!)

Also, the ergobrain has a bazillion goofy features to fool with [1]. I
like that it has two independent timers - one with auto-stop and one
elapsed - I can tell how much time I've spent in rest stops on centuries
- another geek joy in life! Oh, and by the way, the cadence is actual,
not computed from gear and speed, so you don't get a bogus number when
you coast.

I really don't think any other mfr's computers would integrate with the
brifters. Installation is a bit fussy, but the directions actually are
good. Note that you do have to remove the brifters for the
installation, and of course the bar tape, since the wires run under the
tape.

[1] Stock disclaimer - pay attention to where you're going instead of
the cyclocomputer!

Mark Janeba

Mark Schecter wrote:
Hi, all.

I recently built up my bike with Chorus-10, but put off adding a
computer until the pain subsided. Now that there's a light at the end
of
the train-wreck, I'm wondering:

Is the Ergo-brain worth 3-4x the price of other full-featured
cyclometers ($150-225USD) just to have the cool built-in switches in
the
brifters? I understand that Cateye makes the unit for Campy - are
there
Cateye or other makers'units that could be operated with the built-in

switches? If I bite the bullet, is installation pretty much
plug-and-play, or is there brifter-mangling in my future?

I look forward to your comments.

-Mark

Pretty expensive answer to a simple question. Same for flite-deck. Not
hard to install but challenging to program and finicky at best. Look at
the Cateye double wireless or just get a simple wired Cateye, like the
Mity series, if ya gotta have a 'puter.

I've been using the ErgoBrain 10 for a few months on my new road bike.
Overall I like it a lot but it is a far from perfect product.

The best features for me a
Dual timers, one with autostart.
Control buttons in shift levers.
Direct readout of rear cog being used. This is exremely valuable
with 10 speed cassettes.
Ability to store wheel and cassette data for two different rear
wheels - makes wheel swaps very easy.

For me, the above features make it worth the admittedly steep price.
It seems to be a high quality unit and has operated well for me so far.
That being said, there are LOTS of things I don't like about it:

The cadence function should be virtural from gear and speed to
eliminate need to install cadence sensor. For this reason, I did
not install the cadence sensor to reduce cabling clutter on my bike.

The LCD display is poorly executed. It is an older vintage LCD with
poor contrast. Hard to read in some lighting conditions, especially
with sunglasses. The display is small for the amount of information
displayed, and some data items are too small to read easily, especially
for someone who uses reading glasses. The gear readout continually
cycles from chainring to cassette. The switching frequency is very
rapid and makes it hard to catch the cassette gear reading with the low
contrast display and small numbers. Lets face it, we all KNOW what
chainring we are in - there are only 2 or 3 and they are readily
visible. Would prefer just to show the cassette gear with a physically
larger display for easier reading.

The mounting bracket could be better designed. Attachement to the
bars and location of computer are fine. But the mechanism to detach
the computer from the bracket is awkward. Hard to grasp the computer
for removal without pressing the buttons on the side.

The buttons in the shift levers, while a terrific feature, are low
quality from an ergonomic point of view. They are very "mushy" feeling
and give no tactile feedback when you press them.


This particular design has been around for a few years now, so I'm
thinking that Campy should be coming out with a newer model before too
long. One would hope that they address some of the above items in the
redesign. If so, it will be a terrific product. Unless you are in a
big hurry, I'd recommend waiting to see what the next version looks
like.

Mark Schecter wrote:
Hi, all.

I recently built up my bike with Chorus-10, but put off adding a
computer until the pain subsided. Now that there's a light at the end
of
the train-wreck, I'm wondering:

Is the Ergo-brain worth 3-4x the price of other full-featured
cyclometers ($150-225USD) just to have the cool built-in switches in
the
brifters? I understand that Cateye makes the unit for Campy - are
there
Cateye or other makers'units that could be operated with the built-in

switches? If I bite the bullet, is installation pretty much
plug-and-play, or is there brifter-mangling in my future?

I look forward to your comments.

-Mark

Not in my opinion, same for flite-deck. VERY expensive answer to a
simple question.
Not hard to install, but challenging to program. Get a Cateye double
wireless for a better unit.

"Qui si parla Campagnolo" wrote:


Mark Schecter wrote:
Hi, all.

I recently built up my bike with Chorus-10, but put off adding a
computer until the pain subsided. Now that there's a light at the end
of
the train-wreck, I'm wondering:

Is the Ergo-brain worth 3-4x the price of other full-featured
cyclometers ($150-225USD) just to have the cool built-in switches in
the
brifters? I understand that Cateye makes the unit for Campy - are
there
Cateye or other makers'units that could be operated with the built-in

switches? If I bite the bullet, is installation pretty much
plug-and-play, or is there brifter-mangling in my future?

I look forward to your comments.

-Mark

Not in my opinion, same for flite-deck. VERY expensive answer to a
simple question.
Not hard to install, but challenging to program. Get a Cateye double
wireless for a better unit.

http://snipurl.com/9dfg

$130 to $150.

I lusted over that thing for quite a while before going with a
straight Mity 8.

Then, when the second Moots rolled into the picture, I lusted over the
double wireless again . . . before buying a second (third, really)
Mity 8. $21 bucks? Get the F outta' here....

Qui si parla Campagnolo wrote:

Mark Schecter wrote:

I recently built up my bike with Chorus-10, but put off adding a
computer until the pain subsided. Now that there's a light at the
end of the train-wreck, I'm wondering:

Is the Ergo-brain worth 3-4x the price of other full-featured
cyclometers ($150-225USD) just to have the cool built-in switches in
the brifters? I understand that Cateye makes the unit for Campy -
are there Cateye or other makers'units that could be operated with
the built-in
switches? If I bite the bullet, is installation pretty much
plug-and-play, or is there brifter-mangling in my future?

Not in my opinion, same for flite-deck. VERY expensive answer to a
simple question.

I agree. I have a Flite Deck that came with my bike. While I like the gear
indicator, I wouldn't pay all that money for it.

Not hard to install, but challenging to program.

I don't know about the Campy unit, but I can program my Flite Deck easily in a
few minutes. However, installation could be a pain because the wires are so
small and fiddly.

Get a Cateye double
wireless for a better unit.

If my bike hadn't come with the Flite Deck, that's probably what I'd do.
Wireless rules though -- it's awfully nice not having wires all over the bike.

If you're going to spend all that money, might as well get one of the fancier
computers with altimeter, downloadable data, etc.

Matt O.

You're obviously a committed rider, upgrading your ride to 10 speed.
Your machine is current - state-of-the-art. You're done, Mark.
Well... maybe not.

Monitor the motor not the machine... spend the $$$ on a HR monitor
w/USB download feature. You'll learn more about yourself, your fitness
and cycle MPH faster than watching an LCD in realtime. The HAC4 has
MPH/Cadence/HR/Timers/Zones/Countdown/Altitude/Grade/etc... built-in
and graph your ride profile by alt-HR-cadence/time to really fine tune
your on-bike fitness.

Anything less is just playing around on a bike.

wrote:
The HAC4 has
MPH/Cadence/HR/Timers/Zones/Countdown/Altitude/Grade/etc... built-in
and graph your ride profile by alt-HR-cadence/time to really fine tune
your on-bike fitness.

Anything less is just playing around on a bike.

Ummm... I thought that was the point of riding?

Mark "Not making my living turning the pedals" Janeba