Cateye Strada Wireless Cycle Computer £50

At a glance Top-notch, button-free, cordless cycle computer sporting all the major functions and an easy-to-read, big screen display

Tested by
Jon Adams, tester for The Bike List

Value

Performance

A cycle computer adds another dimension to your ride, and enables you to assess your progress in the fitness stakes over time as well as telling you how far you've gone and how fast you're going. They're also useful for navigation - if you know from your map that you turn left in 2km, it's nice to be able to measure the distance by just glancing down at a read-out. Computers come with various features and functions, and the data is supplied by a sensor unit that clips on to your forks and measures the frequency of rotations made by a magnetic disc attached to the spokes. These measurements are processed by the head unit to give you all the ride info you need, and provided you input the circumference of your wheel accurately and set up the sensor and magnet correctly, that's all there is to it. The connection between sensor and head unit uses a cable on many c Cateye Strada sensor omputers, but spend a bit more, and you can opt for a cleaner and neater wireless version instead.

The £50 Strada Wireless is Cateye's best-selling computer, and it's easy to see why. The head unit is really small and neat, but offers a big screen that's easy to read - even when you're travelling at speed on a less-than-perfect surface. The screen manages to be large because there are no function buttons around the perimeter to hijack any space. Instead, the various read-outs are accessed by cycling through six display modes, and you get to these by pushing the head unit downwards.

This is great, as you can still use the computer when wearing thick gloves, and even better, there are no multiple-button configurations to remember, because you just push down repeatedly until you get the display mode you're after. The downward push actually activates a sprung button on the rear of the device, and this is handy, as it means you can still run through all the recorded info when the unit has been removed from the bike.

Cateye Strada stem As for the functions themselves, the current speed is always present in a very large font (you can have this in Km or Miles), and beneath in a second deck of data you have the option of either Clock, Elapsed Time, Trip Distance 1, Trip Distance 2, Average Speed, Maximum Speed, or Odometer (the total distance recorded so far). There's no Cadence function (the number of pedal revolutions you make in a minute) though there is a Strada Double Wireless model featuring this for £70.

Cadence is nice to have if you're training and want to be pedalling at a super efficient rev-count of 90 rpm or so, but on a cadence-less computer, a handy tip is to switch to the Clock function and simply count off how many times your right foot hits six o'clock over a 15 (or 20) second period. Once you've done this, multiply by four (or three), and you have your cadence. It's the same method used by nurses to measure heart rate, and if it's good enough for a pulse in the medical world, it must be good enough for you on a bike!

On top of the eight functions we've listed, there are a number of additional features, the most notable of which are the Auto Start/Stop, the Pace Arrow and the Dual Tyre Size option. The Auto Start/Stop means you don't have to remember to push any buttons for the Strada to start doing its thing - just start riding and the unit will fire up when the sensor detects the magnet. You'll need to push down and hold for two seconds (on any display except Trip Distance 2) if you want to record the data for a particular journey, but if, say, you want to record a week's worth of runs to and from the office to get an overall view of your general cycling performance, you can just let it run till you get home on Friday afternoon. The Pace Arrow is a small up/down arrow that lets you know if you're current speed is more or less than your average speed, and the Dual Tyre size allows you to use the same computer on two different bikes without having to input a different tyre circumference.

Cateye strada side When it comes to positioning the head unit itself, the supplied Flextight bracket can be used horizontally or vertically, and can be set up for the head unit to go on bars or stems anywhere between 22 and 31.8mm in diameter. It's a tool-free fitting, which is great if you want to move it to accommodate lights or swap bikes, and there's a transmission distance of up to 70cm, so a front fork mount won't present problems no matter how big your bike is.

If you like the features and functions, but don't want to spend £50 on a computer, then a wired Strada is available for £30. It works in exactly the same way, but the downside is you'll have to wind the cable round your forks, round the headtube and then round the most convenient brake cable before you 'spur off' to the head unit's mounting bracket. It's really not as neat. and though it costs 40% more, most will pay the extra £20 for the tidiness of the wireless option.

Overall the Strada is a superb computer. It's easy to install and operate and keeps working whether you're on smooth tarmac or bumping through the woods on a full susser. Even in driving rain or sub zero temperatures it keeps on going, and when the batteries eventually give out, the CR2032 button cells that power the head unit and the sensor are simple to change over.

For a wireless computer without features like Cadence or Temperature, it does seem a bit expensive at £50, but it's beautifully designed and highly functional, and the readability of the big screen combined with simplicity of the push-down operation makes it worth the cash. You won't have to look far to find more functions for less outlay, but the Strada has an elegance and a useability that justifies its price.

Buy from www.wiggle.co.uk

Cateye says:

Packed with functions but free from wires, the Strada Wireless epitomizes power and elegance.

The Strada Wireless boasts the largest screen and numbers in its class. Thanks to the new CatEye ClickTec^TM interface, you can switch among seven modes by simply pressing the bottom of the computer face - easy to do, even on rough terrain. Your selected mode displays at the bottom of the screen, while your current speed appears at the top in huge, easy-to-read numerals. An up/down arrow tells you how your current speed compares to your average speed.

The innovative FlexTight^TM bracket mounts quickly, securely and tool-free to virtually any handlebar or stem. The new tool-free wheel sensor mounts effortlessly to most road and mountain forks.

Functions