Customer Reviews

Cateye CC-RD200 Strada Cadence Bicycle Computer

5 star:		(41)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

A bike computer is much needed accessory for your bike. If nothing else, most people want to know how fast they are going and how far they went. Of course, this computer, like just about all of the ones on the market, will tell you that and more. It has two trip odometers as well as a non-trip odometer, elapsed time, time of day, average speed, maximum speed, speedometer, and cadence.

On this model, the speedometer is always on display on the top of the screen with large numerals that are easy to read. There is a secondary display on the bottom of the screen with the other data, such as time, cadence, and the like. You scroll through the bottom display by pressing the bottom of the front of the computer, and one by one, the other data readouts are shown. As noted, the speedometer display remains constant as you scroll through the readouts for cadence, elapsed time, etc.

You can easily reset all the trip-related info (one of the trip odometers, elapsed time, average speed, and maximum speed) with the press of a fingertip. You can reset the second trip odometer by repeating the process when the second trip odometer is on the screen. The regular (non-trip) odometer can be reset through a more complicated procedure that wouldn't be done accidentally.

There is never a problem reading the speed readout. The large numerals can be read at a glance. The bottom display has much smaller numerals, and as a result can't always be read at a glance. Sometimes I have to study the display for a few seconds, particularly if I am trying to tell whether the seconds on the elapsed time readout are at ":12 or :42".

Why did I pick this model? The deciding factors were cadence, cost, and reliability.

Cadence tells you how many times a minute your pedals are rotating. As the Cateye puts it, "Your legs are your engine, and the Strada Cadence is your tachometer." Pedaling at the right cadence is important to pedaling efficiency and thus rider endurance. Thus, I eliminated any computer that did not offer cadence.

Cost was a factor since, with an entry level bike, I felt no need to have the top of the line gadget.

And reliability and cost concerns translate into having a hard wired, not wireless, computer. Wireless costs more. And I have heard a number of reliability complaints about wireless systems. It may be nice not to have wires, but it's certainly nicer not to have reliability problems. And since many of the wireless computers use a wire for the cadence, why not just go with two wires and not worry about it? As it turns out, the second wire does not detract any more than the first wire, and the wires are out of the way in any event.

I did not install the computer myself and therefore can't address the difficulty of installation and of initially programming the computer, but having seen how the bike shop installed it, it doesn't look that hard to do.

Given the price and features, I have been completely satisfied with this product.

First to note that this is NOT a touch screen device. Rather, you press down on the bottom part of the computer, and that depresses a button on the back, which switches modes. So instead of putting the button on the face of the unit, they put it on the back. It works good though. It took me a while to install because the instructions say you need to have the magnets 3 millimeters from the sensors. That was hard to do on my bike. I had to switch the rubber mounts between the speed and the cadence sensors. But most people won't have to do that. I bought this unit mainly for the candence benefit. I thought the cadence magnet that attaches to the crank might slip because it spins so much and so fast. But, it is very secure. The magnet is sticky on the back, and the fasteners hold it well.

The speed readout is nice and big. So I have speed on top and cadence on the bottom. I also use an expensive Polar heart monitor on my bike. When I switched them both to the speed readout, they were identical, so I believe the cateye is accurate. One good thing about wires is that you do not have to worry about interference.

Another nice thing about the cateye is that you don't ever have to lose your odometer miles. If you change the batteries or reset it, you can always manually enter in your odometer miles. If you have two bikes, you can program tire sizes for both bikes and switch the unit between them.

The handle bar bracket works good. You can also mount it on the stem. Overall I would recommend this, especially those who want cadence. Be prepared for a little time to install it correctly though. I still have a cateye cycle computer I bought 20 years ago that is as big as a hockey puck. It still works.

I'm a long-time cycle computer user. I recently bought this Cateye model to use on a new bicycle. My previous computer a Cateye Astrale with cadence that worked well for several years. My disappointment with this computer began on my first ride: I noticed that the refresh rate is quite slow, especially with the cadence function. Since my previous computer was very fast (though also inexpensive), this was a big disappointment. Secondly, while there is a dual-display on this model (speed display large, other functions small), not being able to toggle between speed and cadence as the main display has been a let-down, since I typically am more concerned with cadence than speed at any given time. They can, however, be displayed simultaneously, which is the mode I typically use with this computer. Lastly, and most importantly, the contacts between the computer head and the mounting bracket are not reliable. Several times per ride I notice that either my speed or cadence, or both are reading zero, and I have to wiggle the computer in the bracket to get the reading to come back. This is not only inconvenient and creates inaccurate records of time and average speed for my rides, but is dangerous as well, since I'm taking my eyes off the road as I fiddle with the computer. With other units, this poor contact is typical in wet weather, or when computers get aged (the contacts wearing from vibration), but on a month-old unit, I find it unacceptable. I'll be ridding my bike of this computer ASAP.

The device was easy to install and works as advertised. I'd have preferred being able to see more than two functions at once, or be able to substitute cadence for speed, because it's kind of a pain to cycle through all the functions while riding. And it can be a little fussy about magnet/sensor orientation. But those are nits.
A few days ago I returned from a ride, stuck the head unit in my pocket - intending to record details in my log, then forgot to empty the pocket and threw the shirt into the laundry. It rode through the washer in the pocket, then came out of the pocket in the dryer and popped out on the floor when I opened the dryer door at the end od the cycle. It held its settings, still works fine, and it's really clean.

I haven't had time to use this product much, so I can't say much about it's performance. However, if your considering buying, you should know this about my purchase from Amazon: I received the product at lightning speed. But when I got it, it was missing the cadence magnet. Cadence was the main reason I bought this computer. I didn't want to wait on the mail to exchange the computer, so I called Cateye. They said no problem! They mailed the magnet to me at no charge and I received it the next day! WOW! I am confident that if I do have any issues with the computer, that Cateye will stand behind their product.

This bike computer tells everything that the beginner (me!) want, speed (+average), time, cadence, odometer, ... It's also very easy to install. I spent around 30 min to install and it works right after my first attemp :-) I'm very satisfy with what I got at this price!

I have road with the Cadence for a hundred miles and like it. The only problem I have had has been with the speedometer magnet being too far from the sensor, and the wires aren't the most attractive, but it is still very functional and the cadence comes in handy.

I was looking for a basic computer with cadence and this was has fit the bill just fine. Unlike some of the other reviewers, I have not found the interface confusing. It is a single button interface for most ride related operations. The button itself is actually on the back of the head unit and when you press the front "button" area, it rocks in the mount and depresses the button on the back (maybe CatEye thinks this will keep the button out of the elements, sweat, etc.). You hold the "button" down to reset the ride time, trip odometer, etc. I have not had issues with the head unit coming out of the mount too easily ("falling out") or getting stuck when I try to remove it. As far as installation, it is a "single wire" which is really a tiny coax cable for the speed sensor and another coax cable for the cadence sensor bonded together (I have no idea why some reviewers think that this is somehow not really a single wire). I like that both sensors mount on the rear triangle pretty close to each other. This allows you to have the bike in a rear wheel trainer and I still get a sense of "speed". The head unit bracket allows you to do either a stem or handlebar mount location.

In summary I have found that this computer does everything that I wanted and it does it for a great price. For basic training, you want a clock, speed, cadence, trip distance, trip time, odometer and this device delivers that. The auto start/stop works fine unlike one of my other super cheap CatEye computers. I have had my unit for 2 months, it has about 650 miles on it and I have had no issues. Wireless units might seem elegant and "cleaner" (no wires) but I am officially done with wireless units because I find that I have sporadic communications errors (suddenly I am doing 60 mph or my cadence is 200+) and I hate having to deal with constant the battery changes. If you like wireless setups because you are a "weight" nerd, my guess is that a wired system weighs the same or less because there is only 1 battery and not 3 (1 head plus 2 sensors) even though you have the weight of the wire.

Some users complained their unit was missing the wheel magnet and they had to contact CatEye to get one. In my box, the wheel magnet (speed) and crank magnet (cadence) were really stuck together. So much that I thought they were a single magnet. If you find yourself looking for a "missing" wheel magnet, look at your cadence magnet carefully and you might notice they are stuck to each other.

The first time installing everything was going great until I clicked in the computer and I didn't get any readings. What i had to do was put a small )shimmy (thick double sided tape behind the speed sensor to get it closer to the magnet on the spoke. After about an hour of modifications the system works great.
I also had to manipulate the cadence sensor to get it closer to the magnet. Overall the install was fun but frustrating. Hope this helps someone.

Installation was quick and easy. The sensor for speed is on the back wheel so it is perfect for use on a trainer. Setting up was no harder than other computers I have used. Just pushing on the unit switches functions. My only reservation is that the writing is a little small and there are quite a few functions to skip past if all you want to see is speed, time and cadence while you are riding.