Customer Reviews

Cateye CC-RD400DW Strada Double Wireless Cycling Computer

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I bought this to replace an old Cateye computer that finally conked out. First, it's nice to get rid of the old wires as this model is wireless. Setup on this was not too difficult, but a word of caution - Do not tighten the nylon zip-ties all the way down until your crankarm transmitter and the receiver on your chainstay are properly aligned. Cateye does not supply any extras and once you tighten them down there's no reversing. It may require a few careful test rides up and down the street, but it's worth the inconvenience. The display is pretty simple to understandand and easy to read. I measured the distance mode with the mile markers on my local bike trail and it was dead on. Pressing the middle button resets the data fields and starts "Distance 1" mode from zero. I would recommend this product to anyone on the market looking for a basic no frills cyclocomputer.

I love the features of this computer, and especially that the sensor is on the back wheel as I ride my bike on a trainer often during the winter. Unfortunately, I have found that some of the symbols on the display are too small for my middle aged eyes, even when I'm wearing my progressive eye glasses. Specifically, I find the small symbols that tell you what mode you are in difficult to read. I think Cateye could have made these symbols a bit larger without making the display look too crowded.

I've put just over a 1,000 miles on this computer and like every other Cat Eye product I've ever owned, it works. Cat Eye is one of the best cycling companies you'll ever deal with. If you need something, either a small part or technical help, they are always just a phone call away. I have two small qualms with the Strada. One is the size of the readout, which several people have mentioned already, and the other is the unit is sometimes easy to accidentally re-set. By leaning down to adjust a skewer on the wheel or some other slight movement you can easily re-set the unit. Fortunately there is a distance two reading that will at least keep your mileage. I'd like to see Cat Eye use the "hold two buttons down simultaneously" approach to reseting the unit. However this is a small gripe. I've owned just about every name computer out there and Cat Eye is the only one that constantly works.

Computer works & works well. No more zipties & wires catching crud all over your frame. I like the second odometer feature with its own reset so you can measure distance between 2 points without losing your total distance for that day's ride. Don't get hung up on all the details in the mounting directions with 3mm and 5mm distances from magnets to sensors. Get it close, it will work. I also like that it can be stem mounted so it leaves space for your hands on the bars. Also, I am very tall and have a custom bike and it definitely works at least to approx. 40-43in. distance between transmitter and computer so you can probably go a little further and still be good. Also, I have polarized sunglasses which create a black spot and rainbow effect on my Polar HRM while this Cateye remains perfectly clear and readable. I don't see why anyone would buy a different computer, this thing is excellent.

Using it to train, Cadence for inside and speed for outside. Accurate, same miles as Garmin high end model after two housrs of riding.

I like this computer overall but there are some things that you should consider. The wireless transmitter is located on the rear frame chain stay. On my Giant FCR2 the frame swells in size toward the rear hub. This makes it very difficult to mount the transmitter as it pushes it very close to the spokes. Also the tolerance is VERY close to the magnet on spoke. So there is really on a small margin of space on the Giant bike frame. Realio you have to mount the transmitter and a magnet to your crank arm using cable ties...not the most elegant solution and also a magnet to your spoke using a integrated clamp.

Second the Cateye LED head lamp I have caused the computer to stop working when I had it located on the left side of the handlebar (same side of bike as wireless transmitter) however I moved it to right side and it seems to work ok. Not enough time to know for sure. Strange as both are by Cateye! Also unless you have very good eye sight the display text is VERY small. I like the features, but as a weekend rider I'm not sure that I get enough use out of the cadence function to warrant the extra cost. Finally unless you are really set on getting rid of the wires, the transmitter unit sticks out really far and is very close to the crank arm and has to have a close relationship with BOTH the crank arm magnet AND the magnet on the spoke, so getting this just right takes some fiddling around. No problems after a couple of weeks, but I think you could easily kick the unit out of place. In summary, nice features, but a can be tricky to install and design could use some work.

Great product ! I took the time to read the instruction and check out the parts. Then it was 1 2 3.... I think the most important thing to do is assemble with the zip ties loose at first ,so the crank,spokes and sensors will all align within spec. Not really hard to do . I really like the large numbers,easy to read even with RX glasses shaking around . Flipping though the functions happens with a solid click,feels high quality. Updates for speed+cadence take about a second. So far there haven't been any breaks in communication form other signals, but i don't ride in a pack anymore . 100 miles and the best looking and functioning cyclometer I've owned!!!

Overall, I generally like this cyclocomputer. It has nice functions, including the tracking of cadence, and seems reasonably accurate, although I haven't done a careful check. Also, unlike what some other reviews suggest, it does snap into the holder pretty tightly. You just have to give it a hard enough push until it clicks into place. Once there, it's not going anywhere. As for removing the reader, just follow the directions by pushing down on the front and firmly pulling it out, and it'll come out without too much trouble. Finally, it's unobtrusive without being too small to be legible. At least for me, although I could see how others might have a problem.

But there are a few things that I don't like:

First, it's a bit difficult to set up. As some other reviewers have noted, it's pretty sensitive in terms of the placement of the sensors to the magnets, so you have to fiddle with it for a while to make sure that it's consistently getting a reading. This isn't terribly hard, but it is a bit frustrating and would seem to be something that the manufacturer should be able to make easier.

Second, I really don't like the zip ties used to attach the sensor to the chain stay for a number of reasons.

To begin with, the zip ties seem to yield an attachment for the sensor that's a bit precarious - it's hard to tell whether the thing is sufficiently tightened to keep it in place. This is especially a problem because one part of the sensor is leaning towards your spokes (to record speed, distance, etc.) and the other is leaning (very close!!) towards your crank arm (to record cadence). As a result, you have two areas where the sensor could end up whacking some park of your bike if it shifts a bit, and it's hard not to be paranoid that a big bump will jog it loose, ever so slightly, pushing the thing either into your spokes (potentially a real mess, or at least destruction of the sensor) or your crank shaft. If you tend to be a worrier on these types of matters, I would ask yourself whether you really need the cadence meter. If not, then go with a cyclocomputer that doesn't record cadence - you only have one contact point to worry about and can really make sure that the thing is secure in that single dimension. (Or pay to have your LBS install the thing, which should help with the peace of mind, as well as solving the annoying installation.)

Next, once you get it in place, it's basically there forever, unless you want to buy more zip ties and redo the annoying installation. As some reviewers have noted, the thing only contains exactly enough zip ties for you to attach it once. While I didn't find this problematic for the initial installation (as it's still a bit adjustable even after you've tightened it down, at least to a small extent), I don't like the fact that you can't remove the sensor. Suppose you want to put it on another bike? Or suppose that you want to take your bike through some muck and don't want to risk beating up the sensor? True, you probably shouldn't put this on a mountain bike that you're taking on rough trails where it might get whacked, but suppose that you have a cyclocross bike that you use both on and off road? I would have preferred a set-up that was a bit more flexible in terms of its installation so that you could remove the sensor as necessary or could move it to another bike.

Ultimately, the zip tie attachment is so primitive, difficult, and inflexible that I'm stunned that the manufacturer hasn't developed a better system to attach the sensor to the frame. It could be that there's some structural difficulty, like differences in size across bikes, that makes other installation methods difficult. And ultimately, this isn't a deal-breaker for me, as I think the thing will serve its purpose well enough. But you should be aware of the lack of flexibility along with the other concerns noted above.

Great when it works, which is only about half the time. I agree with Carolyn Walker's review- [...] If there's any interference at all, like riding near other cyclists with wireless computers or near a tv when riding the trainer in my garage, the transmitter doesn't work. Changing the frequency and the batteries do not help. I'm tired of messing with it and hopefully I can find another cadence computer that's reliable.

Pretty much tool-less easy set up. the best part is that the one one, rather large, unit that relays the cadence and speed/distance does everything from the rear chain stay. This is great if you want to use this on an indoor trainer. As others have said, the readout is pretty small for anyone with less than perfect eyesight. I wear +1.25 readers and cannot clearly see the second line of the readout without my glasses. It would seems like a simple software fix to offer larger fonts or a hardware fix to have a maginifyer you could stick on top of the screen. My fix is to wear the $15 plastic safey glasses that have a +1.25 bifocal diopter. They come in clear and tinted and look relatively stylish.