Halfords Wirefree Bike Computer Tested out

Do many of you take regular exercise? Well as we’re told all the time now of healthy living you should really make an effort.  Now it’s not as hard as you think to pull yourself away from a computer when there are gadgets everywhere.  This brings me to a bicycle computer, which to be honest have been around for over a decade. My friend had picked one up last week so I thought I’d bring him over to show us what the amazing little thing does.

What’s convenient about this model though is the sense of “wirefree” which as it sounds contains no wires.  This makes the installation far easier if you’re not very good at DIY but you’ll be enjoying the product sooner instead of tediously following instructions to get it going.  This model is Halfords’ own at £22.99 and discretely fits in the centre of your bike’s handlebars.  Although it lacks any real meaty computer connection to track your stats it’s still useful for the beginner to see what they’ve been doing.

The functions are:

Current Speed, Maximum Speed, Average Speed
Trip Distance, Total Distance, Total Riding Time
Riding Time, 12/24hr Clock

To obtain the statistics, the apparatus comes in three pieces: the computer, a silver metal magnet, and a black sensor.  What basically happens is, with the magnet attached to the middle of one of the spokes, as the wheel rotates the magnet passes the black receiver which is mounted in the middle of the wheel.  This sends up the data wirelessly to the computer which then displays the information as you need it.  It operates with a simple one button interface which scrolls through the numerous functions -- easy when you’re pacing it down the nearest hill.  When testing it the data seemed pretty instant although when we tried it on the video it took a while to get going and the first speed it displayed was near 10mph and I presume it must have a minimum wheel rotation requirement.

Ok so it’s not the next Nike+ but it does what it says on the tin, why not get yourself one (and a bike if you don’t have one as it will be a bit useless without it) and get some fresh air. Do you remember what wind sounds like?