Customer Reviews

Sigma BC1606L Bicycle Speedometer

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I just bought this item. It includes two harnesses. One for the front wheel and one for the rear wheel. It also includes the optional wired sensor to measure cadence and of course the bike computer itself. I am please with the unit so far and I installed it on the rear wheel of my bike that is on a Kurt Kenetic trainer. It works well for both speed and cadence. Now I can judge the kind of effort I am using and can up my game as time goes on. The only problem was that the install instructions leave a lot to be desired. I figured it out but it took about an hour for the install. The package also does not come with a list of items included in the box either which was a little frustrating. These were not really big problems but Sigma should address them for the future. I recommend this unit to anybody who wants a bike computer with a wire rear wheel sensor.

We've had this a few weeks. I purchased for my wife's bike so she could use it with the indoor trainer. This was one of the cheapest ones I could find that would work for the rear wheel. It also has the cadence monitor. Pretty easy to understand, not too difficult to set-up. It has a back-light on it, so once you press a button it will light up for a few seconds. Probably could have used a couple more zip-ties with it, but I had some.

Just got and installed this computer today. couple things you should know about it:

1) the backlight is like an indiglo watch. when you have it "on" (really "on" means "enabled") whenever you hit a button it lights up for a few seconds. It does not change modes or whatever unless you hit the button again which is nice.

2) other reviewers have rightly noted that the refresh rate is rather slow. If this bothers you, this is not the computer for you. Backlight was more important to me than anything else as I ride a lot after dark. If I don't have a backlight I might as well just not have a computer at all.

3) the computer comes with two wheel sensors; one front wheel and one rear wheel. The front one *always* reads as "Bike 1" and the rear one as "Bike 2." There is no way to change this unless you want to get into disassembly, glue, soldering, etc. There is only one cadence sensor and one wheel magnet in the box so to fully install this on two separate bikes you would need to purchase another cadence sensor and wheel magnet.

I didn't have any problems mounting this with the cadence sensor on the stem of my old bike. I suspect that the problems others may have had was because they had large threadless stems; I have an old aluminum quill that is rather slender. You might have to gently bend the connectors to get it to work on a larger stem. (I don't have a whole lot of handlebar real estate on my bike...)

that's about it. I'll try to remember to check back and comment on durability in a while, but I suspect that this is being closed out and replaced by a newer product, because of the very low price so by the time I get around to it it may no longer be available.

edit: I see that this computer is still available... it's still on my bike, too. Still working fine and on the original battery. Have not discovered anything about it that wasn't already covered in my original review. It's just working and doing its thing, and since all I really wanted was something to tell me appx. how fast I was going, how far I'd gone, and how fast my legs were turning, it's met my needs perfectly.

This is a terrific cyclocomputer...even better than advertized. It came with two mounts (for two bikes), one cadence set-up, sensors, magnets, mounting stickers, bands, tie-wraps...everything you need...perhaps more. The best feature is having a cord long enough on one of the mounts to easily reach the rear wheel (great for when you are set-up on a trainer). The magnet even fits bladed spokes. The instructions are good and installation was simple. Some other reviewers complained about installation difficulty but they must be folks who haven't set-up a computer before. The display is a bit larger than expectd and and contrast is crisp. In addition to the normal trip time, trip distance, total odometer, total time, average time, cadence, etc there's also stopwatch, count-up timer, count-down timer...sheesh! TMI but what the heck.

Installation was a snap and the features are great. I bought this unit because I use my bike on an indoor trainer and need the speed from the rear wheel. This unit has everything a serious bicyclist would need on a bike computer.

FRUSTRATION!

The cadence feature never worked in the 1 1/2 years I have owned this. The prongs that hold the cadence wire to the computer mount will not stay connected no matter what I try, in part because once you mount the computer base unit, your handlebars are then in the way and the prongs can't be connected securely. It's a poor design. I've tried everything short of duct tape and nothing has resolved this problem. I contacted SIGMA/USA and they couldn't / wouldn't help me.

Now the computer won't let me adjust or reset the major features such as time-of-day clock or the odometer.

So I gave up after 1 1/2 disappointing seasons with this computer and bought a CatEye instead.

Don't waste your time with SIGMA A-N-Y-T-H-I-N-G. Go with a different brand.

UPDATE JULY 2011: I SENT THIS COMPUTER BACK TO SIGMA AFTER WRITING THE REVIEW ABOVE. I NEVER HEARD A THING FROM THEM. THEY NEVER HELPED ME, NEVER ACKNOWLEDGED THE PROBLEM, NEVER RESPONDED IN ANY WAY. BUYER BEWARE!

Well, what can I say? It works and it's relatively cheap. The buttons and overall usage take some getting used to, but the readout is awesome and the backlight comes in handy. I use this on my Trek Y5 and I've put well over a few hundred miles on this computer. Works like a charm. Survives the rain. It looks great compared to some others!

On important note: You have to be on the "language" option to EXIT the settings mode. Beat myself to death trying to figure that one out.

The main functions of this product work well.

I hope this product is improved in these two ways:

1) The backlight isn't all that useful. I ride mainly at night. It is awkward to be riding down a dark street, pressing the button, and then looking at the display within the current backlight time period. It would be an improvement to have the backlight stay on for 30 seconds at a time.

2) I have had the unit fall out of its holder many times. Because I ride at night, I press the backlight button and sometimes accidentally push it the wrong way, and it gets loose. After I hit a bump in the road, the unit falls to the ground.

I give it 3.5 stars based on what I paid over a year ago. At its current higher price, I would look for an alternative for night riding.

I needed a bike computer for rear wheel speed because I recently bought a trainer. The BC1606L has been discontinued, so Performance-Downhill shipped me the BC1609 instead but for the rear wheel. It differs from the BC1609 sold on Amazon only by the fact that the wire length for the wheel sensor is longer. This is because it must go to the rear wheel instead of the front wheel. The BC1609 has all the features of the BC1606L that I could observe. The makers have obviously thought more about packaging as the battery comes separate so it doesn't get used up sitting in the warehouse; this was not the case with the BC1606L. The BC1609 for the rear wheel apparently comes with only instructions for front wheel installation due to an error on Sigma's part. However, installation is straightforward as I will describe. Instructions for the computer unit mounting are identical to those included in the package. Same with the cadence sensor. However, the rear wheel sensor wire follows the same path as the cadence sensor wire. I recommend not using your zip ties until you've mounted both the cadence and rear wheel sensors. Then zip tie them together along the same path from the handlebar. Installation of the rear wheel sensor is done on the wheel side of the same chain stay as the cadence sensor (see diagram of bicycle frame on howstuffworks.com if you don't know what a chain stay is). The installation of the magnet is identical to the front wheel instructions included. I was successful putting the cadence wires into the two separate top contacts of the head mount for the computer. The rear wheel sensor wires just went into the separate bottom contacts of the head mount for the computer. That's all there is to it. Enjoy!

I bought the 1606L because it had all the features I wanted: Wired speed and cadence; backlight; ability to mount on the stem (vs. handlebar); easy-to-read display.

The connection of the cadence wire to the base unit does not work well. The cadence wires (2) plug onto two posts on the underside of the base unit. The posts are not spaced far enough apart to allow room for the stem underneath. I had to slightly bend the posts apart to allow clearance for the stem. Eventually one of the posts broke off, rendering the cadence non-functional.

After several months of use, the unit would not reliably register even speed/distance. It seemed to not be able to make contact with the base. I tried cleaning off the contacts on the base unit and on the computer itself, but to no avail.

I eventually removed this computer from my bike and replaced it with a unit from Specialized (which has worked well).

Bottom line: The features of this computer are great; its operation and reliability are sub-par. I recommend you purchase a different brand.