Shopping for a wireless bike computer? Hollandbikeshop has a wide range of wireless bike computers!

Wireless bike computer features

Wireless bike computers can have any number of different features, though generally, they measure current speed, distance covered, average speed and cycling time. And of course, almost all bike computers have a clock, so you can make sure you’re home on time. 

A solid bike computer, without too many bells and whistles, is the Ciclosport Protos 205. Beside the so-called odometers, which are mainly concerned with distance traveled, there are bike computers with GPS. They let you review and analyze the route you took and specific parts of it - like how fast were you going up a certain hill. This is especially useful if you’re training for an upcoming event or trying to beat your personal best. 

If you’re a competitive cyclist, it’s useful to know that you can connect certain bike computers to a cadence sensor or heart rate monitor. A cadence sensor measures your pedaling frequency, or the number of pedal strokes per minute. This is often indicated as RPM - Revolutions Per Minute.

The cadence sensor is sold separately and can easily be mounted on one of the pedals. It transfers its data to your bike computer via Bluetooth or ANT+. This lets you check your cadence frequency in a certain gear after your training. The higher your cadence frequency, the higher your speed.

A heart rate monitor is basically a chest strap with a sensor that measures your heart rate. The heart rate monitor shows you the intensity level of your workout, and can also show you whether you’re going too fast or how much your heart rate increases at a certain level of exertion. You’ll find all the cadence sensors and heart rate monitors in our range here. 

More advanced bike computers, like the Bryton Ryder S800 T, are also capable of showing you the difference in altitude, the gradient info and the distance traveled going down a slope. This type of bike computer is also known as a cycling GPS unit, as it has GPS and can often connect to an app on your phone or PC, so you can go over your cycling data after a ride.

If you’re already using a training app, like STRAVA, TrainingPeaks, SelfLoops or Relive, you can often synchronize it with the bike computer app. Find out whether this goes for your wireless bike computer by checking its product description.
 

What should I look for in a bike computer?

First of all, ask yourself what you want to use the wireless bike computer for. For recording your speed and distance covered, or for navigating as well? And will you want to be able to upload the data from your bike computer to a phone or PC app? This is often done by cyclists with a certain training goal who want to evaluate their progress. Should this apply to you, we do recommend a wireless bike computer with GPS. 

Bike computers with GPS measure your speed with an internal GPS sensor. With a solid bike computer, you can see how fast you were going during specific sections of your ride. This is perfect for training - how will you improve/raise your speed during certain sections? 

If you’re looking for a wireless bike computer specifically for recording the number of kilometers you’ve cycled, as well as your speed and calorie consumption, a wireless bike computer with GPS is perfect for that. Bike computers can also feature GPS and the possibility of being connected to a cadence sensor or heart rate monitor. Please remember that this is not the case for all bike computers. 

If you’re a serious cyclist that goes on numerous weekly bike rides and wants to record every achievement, in order to push yourself further and become faster, you need cycling GPS. Bike computers or cycling computers have GPS and can connect to apps like Strava, so you can keep exact track of the places you’ve been and determine what sections of your ride could use improvement.

On top of that, it’s easy to connect a bike computer with cycling GPS to a heart rate monitor and a cadence sensor. Road bikers often use cycling GPS for training and improving specific stages of a race. You can improve your performance on time trials, climbs, descents and sprints with the help of bike computers with cycling GPS, for example by figuring out where you should switch to a higher or lower gear.

And since road bikers often want to keep their bicycles as light as possible, they tend to go for smaller, more compact bike computers, like the Sigma BC9.16 ATS. This type of bike computer is usually placed in the middle of the handlebars, so as not to influence aerodynamic performance.

Mountain bikers usually pick hilly terrains to ride. They also tend to choose bike computers that feature an altimeter and can keep track of the gradient percentage. This allows them to accurately determine how fast they’re going at any given time while going downhill.

If you’re a mountain biker, it’s also important to actually be able to check your performance while riding along bumpy terrain, so a bike computer with a slightly above average, clearly legible display (often full-color) is preferred, like the Bryton Rider 15 Neo E. 
 

How to mount a wireless bike computer

A wireless bike computer is easy to mount. All you have to do is tighten a screw on the handlebars. When your new bike computer arrives, it comes with a holder or mount, and a sensor and a magnet. The bike computer is mounted on the handlebars with a clamp mechanism that you can tighten with a screwdriver. That’s usually all there is to it. 

The sensor is attached to one of the prongs of the front or rear fork using strong elastic bands, and the magnet is usually mounted easily on one of the spokes. Finally, you can slot the bike computer into place on the holder or mount and then that’s it, you’re done. 

To get an impression of just how easy it is to mount a wireless bike computer, check out the Sigma BC14.16’s instructional video, under Manuals & Videos on its product information page. The various wireless bike computers in our range come with assembly instructions.