Bike computer for cart

[drivin*me*buggy]

I want to put a bike computer on my Aerocrown to keep track of my miles/time. Does anyone here use one, what do you recommned and are they hard to install?

Thanks

Angie

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Cheryl will have a good answer for you, she uses one on her Hyperbike. I use a wrist GPS to keep track of distance and speed for CDE conditioning as I use at least three different vehicles routinely.

Leia

 

[drivin*me*buggy]

That's a good idea too..are they pricey?

 

[targetsmom]

I have bike computers on my BIKES but not on my cart, although I did consider it. You will need wireless, which is probably what all the new ones are anyway, and you need to calibrate it to your wheel size. If your wheel diameter is way off from what a bike wheel is, it might not be very accurate. How they work is that you install a small tracker on the wheel and then a sensor somewhere on the bike/cart that must line up perfectly with it, so that each time the tracker passes the sensor it sends a signal to the computer, which would normally be on the bike handlebars so you need to find a handy place to install it on the cart. Thus it tracks wheel revolutions and that is why the system has to be calibrated pretty carefully. They come with a standard calibration so they will give fairly good readings on most bikes. You probably can use a basic one as you don't need one that tracks your heart rate unless it will work on the mini!!! Most/all will track trip distance, average speed, top speed, time, and cumulative time/distance. Not sure if they will all track in miles or kilometers.

ETA: I used the GPS from our car to learn that Princess was too slow to do CDEs.

 

[R Whiteman]

I have used a bike speedometer on two of my carts. It worked well on both. However, most horse carts are difficult to setup the sending unit on the wheel so the unit will function properly. The easiest way is to buy a GPS unit and then mount the receiver on the cart. Mine can be set to give a variety of information. I can even get change in elevation if I want. I usually just get ground speed and time. I would look on one of the sales list for a used unit. Most of them would work fine and the cost is way less. One downside is that some GPS units don't work well under trees or other cover.

Ron

 

[Jetiki]

Anyone ever used the Jogtracker app on their phone? I downloaded it but haven't had a chance to use it yet.

Karen

 

[LazyRanch]

I use a bike computer on my HyperBike, and liked it so much, I now have one on the EE cart. It took me a bit to figure out how to calibrate, so I went back to my bicycle guy and he explained it to me, then gave me a pinger for my pneumatic tyres, which also have a different calibration.

I LOVE mine. It gives me all the information that Leia's GPS gives her, which has REALLY helped getting PJ up to speed, and lets me see when we are moving at a pace he will need. It also helps me to accurately work on aerobic conditioning - pick a pace and maintain over a particular distance. It also shows my ride time and distance, has a clock ( I am always late), and I can take the "head" off so I don't lose it, like the first one I had. There is also an overall odometer.

If you are a member of ADS, they have a drive time patch program, you log in the hours driven, and receive patches for various milestones. Kind of a nice, non-competitive incentive to get out there! The bike computer makes it easier to keep track.

They are highly variable in price. The first one I had was about $24 and I stole it from my bicycle. It's in the bottom of someone's water hazard. Pick your placement carefully. My new one - well relatively new, it has nearly 200 miles on it - was $50 on sale. As they are designed for bicycles, they are water proof and fairly jar proof. On the wire wheels, you should check the set screw on a regular basis - like every outing. On my HyperBike, I used liquid nails to ensure the little magnet doesn't wander off.

You don't have to use wireless, which makes them more costly.

You can also use a car GPS, IF it has the hiker feature and you have a place to mount it. With the HyperBike, I'd have to velcro it to PJ's butt, but on an EE cart it would work. If it doesn't have the hiker feature, the horses don't move fast enough, I am told by a Friesian driver.

If someone tells me how to do it, I will post a photo. I do horses' legs, not so great with tech.

 

[LazyRanch]

I want to put a bike computer on my Aerocrown to keep track of my miles/time. Does anyone here use one, what do you recommned and are they hard to install?

Thanks

Angie

Sorry Angie, more reply:

Yes! Very easy to install. Calibrating the hardest part. Ask your bike shop to tell you exactly how. I had to revisit my bike guy because the instructions left out the little issue of a zero on the end. I have my computers set to measure kilometres, as most of the competitions are measured that way and conversion is not my forte. If you need to know distance by k, check the computer can go that way. My first computer didn't, new ones do.

Also, get in your cart/carriage and look around you to find a spot to locate the head of the computer. It should be somewhere that you will not step on it, kick it, the singletree won't bash or impale it, you can readily view it and it won't get hung up on brush, and eventually fall off when you hit the water. EE carts have way more options than my 'Bike, but that can be a bad thing. Also, I found with my 'Bike, I didn't need to ultra secure the wire from the register to the head. On the EE cart, I have black conduit wrap to protect the cable over distance and which I can remove when I show in a pleasure class.

Duhhhhhh!

I found the button that says "attach this file" so now there is a photo of my computer. It is on the shaft by my left thigh. Reading it top to bottom:

PJ is walking at 4.5 kph

Our "ride time" is 1 hour, 16 minutes, 44 seconds

Our distance is 9.86k

The time is 11:10

If I push the bottom of the head up once, I will get overall odometer where the clock is. If I push and hold a couple seconds, the distance and ride time reset to 0

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

Oh Oh! Something else I just HAVE to have lol

 

[drivin*me*buggy]

I am glad to see you answers! I went ahead and ordered one from Amazon- a Sigma BC 1009...it was like $20...I have mine mounted but other than me pulling my cart around- haven't been able to try it as we just had a hay barn brought in and a little weather called Hurricane Irene. I also bought one for a friend and just put hers on today. Seems like it will work.

Thanks for the liquid Nails idea...that might keep things more secure.

I will let you know how it goes.

Angie