20 Best Bike Computers Under $100 (2023 Updated)

Reading the instructions to set the unit up is the hardest part. Once set up, it is fabulously easy to use. I use it when riding my old motorcycles and the clear digits tell you your speed very easily.

I have already recommended it to my friends and when others see it, they will also want details.

Aside from an owner’s manual that’s comical this is like the greatest speedometer ever. You just have to remember to turn it on because unlike my old unit this one does not turn on by itself. The first day I used it this unit would occasionally beep at me.

I finally figured out that it was losing contact with it’s satellite and then it would reconnect a few moments later and make another beeping sound. Apparently when it’s really overcast it can’t maintain connection.

Since then I’ve ridden five more times without a problem but it’s been sunny to partly cloudy on each of those days.

I have used this to replace my very old non-functioning BK Precision meter. It works very well for a very inexpensive instrument. One note though is that it came in a box labeled digital multi meter.

It is a handy piece of equipment to go along with an ESR meter in the testing of capacitors.

Have used a Protege 9 for the past 12, 13 or 14 years. The first one was the wired Protege. When the wireless version came out got one of those. Bought this one now because the head of the Protege was dropped from my hand and was lost while I was changing a tire on a bike path.

Couldn’t find it again. So bought this one and happily it ‘plugged and played’ without any fuss except for entering my biking data for this season.

Before this model I had a defective Sigma Pure 1 ATS (strongly not recommend). It’s very convenient when you see 5 indicators at once. A bit massive but for some it’s a plus because it looks solid. Two odometers for two bikes (or a second pair of wheels).

I didn’t notice any errors in the indicators, but it’s possible that the weather indicator is not always accurate. Installed in 10 minutes. In general, I recommend Protege 9. 0 to anyone who doesn’t need a bunch of options like ATN+ or cadence – a simple and reliable bike computer.

I have gone through four of these over 15 years on two separate bicycles. I purchased this one after the disappointing and irregular performance of a modestly priced bike computer. You get what you pay for.

This model is reliable and quickly provides the information I seek.

Cateye makes good cycle computers, but I like this one the best simply because the readout is so large–I usually wear reading glasses, so can’t see small figures, but these are large enough to easily see, without glasses.

They are very accurate, and last a very long time on a battery–I have them on all five of my bikes, and I ride a LOT (about 15,000 kilometers a year). I rotate bikes, and on one bike, the computer shows that I have ridden more than 10,000 km alone–without a battery change, over the course of the last couple years.

Very easy to set up. I used to have one computer and separate mounts for each bike, but eventually got one for each–not so expensive, look good, and work fine. Over the years, I’ve bought at least six of these–one didn’t work, it keep restarting after about 10km, sent it back, got an exchange, and no issues.

Going over in-city rail tracks, where electric trains run, the screen goes to zero for the moment crossing the tracks (the electric field is too strong there), but within a second two, the screen is back on, nothing lost or changed.

If you don’t need or want GPS/Smartphone (I don’t), then this is as good as it gets.

Set this up according to the specs required and it worked until I swithced my Lezne 1100XL macrodrive front light on, which immediately stopped the computer from working. Apparently the electomagnetic pulse from the light interferes with the computer, which is quite a common problem with the cheaper cateye computers.

Suggested solution was to downgrade the light to a less powerful one, or buy a more expensive computer. My solution was to mount the light upside down on the bar and move it as far away from the computer as is comfortably possible so the stem is effectively between the computer and light.

The computer now works well providing I dont use the strobe flashing light mode on the light. Otherwise a good computer, clear to read and does what I want it to do without being stupidly complicated.

With thanks to help from Chris at Tredz for contacting Cateye about this problem.

I bought one of these Micro Wireless cycle computers to replace an old 7-function Echowell which had died on me. Cateye bike computers (made in Japan not China) are good quality, reliable, and seem to get deservedly good reviews.

The setting up instructions with mine consisted of almost meaningless pictures and flow charts and atrocious descriptions in poor English. You’d think after all these years they’d have an English speaking proof reader on their payroll.

Warned about all this nonsense from on-line reviews I visited the Cateye website and watched their simplistic videos on how to set it all up properly, and was able to do so with no further problems. The functions are comprehensive, although I doubt I’ll ever need half of them.

You can hide unwanted functions from view, but they still use up precious battery power. The unit itself is fairly chunky with a large, sharp screen and a variety of medium, small and tiny numbers and symbols.

The screen is also quite convoluted but you can move characters around in an attempt at clarity. You are warned in the instructions not to peer at them while riding and a glance is usually enough to see the basics like speed and time.

However, I found having the buttons on front and back confusing and unnecessarily complicated compared with my old one which had just two buttons on the front. It’s quite difficult to press the front of the unit in exactly the right place when you’re moving so as to hit the right buttons and for the correct amount of time, and eventually I got thoroughly fed up with it.

The only button on the front actually does nothing on it’s own, and yet normally you must avoid pressing it with the corresponding one on the back. Many other reviews have pointed out the incredible design fault with these dual front-and-back buttons, in that pushing down on the unit to unclip it from its stiff bracket can erase all your data apart from the odometer.

Absolutely crazy. In the end I found it to be too badly designed and disfunctional for what is basically just a small calculator, and got rid of it. However, staying with Cateye I replaced it with a wireless Strada 310, the latest version of a slightly earlier model; far simpler to operate, smaller with a better screen, way cheaper to buy new, and a much nicer unit all round.

Cateye Strada – a gem, Cateye Micro – far too fiddly.

Sigma is the best manufacturer providing a reliable product that performs consistently well over years. My last one didn’t even require my changing the battery for at least 8 years – no kidding. It just kept on keeping on.

You can imagine my despair when it jumped off its bracket one day on a bumpy road never to be seen again. But it was at least 12 years old so, while I miss it, the new one has so many other features I’d been wishing for that I’m over the moon with it.

The altimeter alone has 4 functions and the thermometer is accurate down to tenths of degrees. Beyond that there are all the usual features and a backlight. There is one and only one issue I have – the numbers are quite tall and skinny which makes reading them a little tough sometimes but it still easily outpaces its closest competitor.

Almost as many features as a cyclocomputer without the extravagent price. If you don’t want the problems inherent in many of the wireless cyclometers I hear and read about, go with the wired version.

Just be careful when putting it on your bike to allow free movement of the handlebars so as not to rip the tiny wire apart.

The product is good but could be better. Before you get this if you are thinking of getting one theses, just to give you a few things to think about. their is a strict measurement from the magnet to the receiver so if you are going down a bumpy road it can become inconsistent in its readings but generally ok.

When doing night rides or no that it is winter this device has no night mode is cannot see your readings unless you have a head torch. For the price it could be a lot better. Overall I’ll give it a 8/10.

Why is this a 5-star product review? First, the name Sigma, which has proven to be eminently well-engineered and thought-out in my experience. I’ve owned a number of Sigma products and have always admired the pragmatism associated with the design and the usefulness of the information options provided.

This one is the 14. 16 STS CAD which includes all the usual speed/distance functions plus an Altitude function and finally a Cadence function. Three buttons that are ergonomically swell-designed and allow easy scrolling through the various functions All in one little package.

Don’t be intimidated by the AAA-size installation/set-up instructions that come in a United Nations-like plethora of languages. Have no fear, as some very good videos are also available on the /sigma YouTiube channel.

This is not a GPS device, but Sigma also offers that. For the difference in price and the fact that my phone is my redundant system and does possess GPS capability (via MapMyRide) it would be superfluous to opt for a GPS capable device.

Finally, the price was about $20USD cheaper than the MSRP and other vendors online. Add to this the rapid delivery, and you have a winning combination. A couple less than positive observations: the OEM packaging looked as if it has been kicked down the roada couple times, i.

e. , package was open and all edges were crumpled. The contents, however, were all present and in their protective plastic packets. Secondly, the main battery, i. e. , the cyclocomputer was dead. Fortunately, I always have a supply of CR2032 button batteries on hand so I just swapped it out.

The batteries for the speed sensor and cadence sensor tested very good. Installation is about the easiest I have used, although if you are new to the Sigma philosophy, the elastic bands (O-rings) used to mount the devices can seem a bit unusual; even unnerving if you have any trepidations about losing a component on the road.

I know I did 20 years ago when I bought my first Sigma computer, but after running them for years in all sorts of weather and terrain, have no fear, they last. But, if you still are leery of the methodology, you can always use cable ties to fix the sensors in place.

Something I may still do just to keep the sensors from changing position. All in all, that’s my review of the Sigma 14. 16 STS CAD cyclocomputer. Hope it helps you make a well-informed decision.

The information that the unit provides is great but to reset the unit and get it to start working again is difficult. The way the unit is made you have to push the entire base forward to reset to all zeros but the unit does not move back to the original position to start over again.

You have to play with the unit and move it back and forth to get it to start working again and you are not not really sure if it will start up when you move your bike. The unit is just not reliable if you are on the start line and make your first move and want the unit to start up.

I did a triathlon recently and the unit did not start up when the bike moved. I had to play with the unit until it started recording which cost me some time. Having some push buttons like all other bike computers that I have had would be much easier and reliable.

I would not recommend.

I’ve only had this computer for a few days, but so far I really like it. It has all the features I’m looking for, including a clock, temperature & a large display. It was very easy to set up & the mounting bracket feels solid enough.

The computer includes a battery, three rubber mounting straps in different thicknesses to fit any size handlebars, & several zip ties. The sensor mounted on my Rock Shox fork with zero issues. I plan to grab another one for my wife’s bike too.

Excellent. Easy to use. Accurate. Cost effective. Plenty of functions.

Easy to read. No need to rotate thru multiple lines to get the most used functions. Short cut to often used functions when programming (changing time).

Unlike most bike computers, it shows distance and time on the same screen (along with speed). So, for example, if my goal is 5-minute miles (12 mph), I can see how far ahead of or behind that pace I am without flipping from screen to screen.

It has other features, but that’s the one that matters for me. Only downside is that changing the settings is a little cumbersome.

Excellent ‘plug & play’ unit that does what your crappy ‘magnet on the spoke’ computer does only it’s easier to install, it works all of the time, and, more to the point, it’s accurate. The automatic backlight is a bonus.

This computer does everything I wanted without the unnecessary options of the Garmin.

Easy to use and download your ride which is very easy good value for the price,and doesnt cost a fortune like some well known brands.

I cant seem to get any tech help. I can’t pair with my phone. Any advice?

Good product

Pretty good low cost odometer / speedometer. Easy to fit as there are no wires, but came across a couple of issues: 1) the sensor is strapped to the bike forks with tie-wraps but although there is a a rubber pad supplied it can be moved no matter how tight the ties are, 2) the magnet for the spoke has a fairly soft plastic body, so you can’t tighten that much and the part can move on the spoke.

I put some tape around the spoke before fitting the magnet and that helps keep in place, but not 100% secure. I also found that the sensor registers better if the magnet is offset from the sensor centre line – I have found the same issue with a different make on my other bike.

Setup is fairly easy, though the instructions are basic. I found the calibration table for wheel (tyre) circumference to be quite close to actual. Measured values compared to GPS recorded data for a ride showed distance to be slightly low, but max speed to be slightly higher – which is odd as a calibration error would have meant both parameters were either high or low.

In use it is easy to read as the display is a good size. Display can be set to scroll through parameters, though the instructions don’t mention this. I haven’t had it long enough to determine charge life of the battery, but so far it looks good.

I don’t use the backlight (which works well) as I don’t ride at night, but that might change the charge life. A slight niggle is that if you choose to record in miles / mph the temperature reads if F, it will only show temp in C if set to kilometres / kph – it would be nice to be able to choose independently.

Very happy with the delivery which was about 48 hours, good start. Setting up is painless but as usual the translation is not fantastic. Bought this article to replace another bought last year noticing than this was rechargeable on USB, its predecessor going through far too many 2032 batteries for comfort.

Having used this now for a couple of weeks has been satisfying. Tells me the speed I am achieving and the current time and date with a backlight which is essential for 30 minutes use daily. Although not much interested in the other features at this time they may interest others but naturally include total time, distance, averages etc and looking forward to making use of these in the future.

Character size and viewing angle excellent After using for several months my sentiments about this product are much the same. Rarely needs a charge and the sensor mounted on the front forks is largely unnoticed.

Very happy customer indeed.

Good bright display and easy to set up. As it is rechargeable with lithium battery it lasts for ages. Instead of changing batteries and losing all the saved mileage and time etc, just plug into USB and charges very quickly with no information loss.

Unit is moulded in 1 piece so waterproof, it feels nice to handle and although there are reports of it being flimsy, this is not true. Only 1 annoyance – have now found out that if you are using miles, the temperature is set as Fahrenheit.

Spent ages as there is no information on this anywhere online. Tried the unit in kilometres, bingo. up it comes in Centigrade. Have not used F for decades so only understand C. Not serious – but just annoying it cannot.

be changed. if using miles.

Looks great, seems to work okay though the speed did display incorrectly at some points during my first ride out in it (showing around 8pm when I was doing over 20th). Hoping it’s just a glitch and repositioning the bit on the wheel might help.

Looks seriously cool and easy to read whilst riding. Easy enough to set up though it lists all tyre dimensions except for the ones on my bike (obviously!). Spoke to Tredz customer services and they recommended I just go with the nearest tyre diameter to mine, not ideal but shouldn’t effect the speed too much in the grand scheme of things.

Would recommend for people that just want to get an idea of their speed and distance on their rides.

1st the flaw: Outside electro-magnetic interference can cripple its’ function. Case in point, a blinking high current LED lamp can overload the wireless receiver of the computer. This caused the computer to not measure speed and hence not register distance.

I had to disassemble the LED lamp and electrically shield the internal circuitry to produce less interference. Once this was accomplished, the computer’s intended functions returned. The one feature the computer does not provide is pedal cadence.

Just two (mostly one) flaw. The rest is excellent! Time, ride time, average speed, top speed, trip distance, total distance (odometer). With a computer the size of a lollipop to provide all these functions is truly a marvel of technology.

The fact that the unit is wireless, makes this most likely the easiest device to install. All said, This computer is a feature rich, simple to use, and ergonomically efficient device.

I have had 2 gps bike computers and found them more trouble than their worth. If all you want is Speed, distance and average speed this is the computer for you. The numbers are large and legible. You can skip from screen to screen with the press of a a button.

I found, if I left my Quick on the Speed/Distance screen, I also had my average speed indicated with an icon on the left top corner. So basically I had all the information I wanted. The only thing missing from this computer from a gps computer is elevation.

I know the elevation gain in most of my local rides, so I don’t really miss it. And if I need to know, there is always a friend with a gps computer on the ride. If you need a lot of data and load it on your computer, and you are into Strava, this will not work for you.

If you want the basic data while you are riding, this beautifully designed computer is ideal. You cannot beat it for price, design and convenience. One more point. I thought I would like the rechargeable battery on my gps computer.

But basically it just became another thing to remember. The batteries in My Quick will last at least one year. Simpler really.

I purchased a bicycle some years ago that had a sigma bc 1200 on it and liked it so well I use them on ever bicycle I have. 12 different modes of info and I like that when I change the battery I can write down mileage and other info and program it back in so I know the totals.

The sigma works good for me.

Good product. Easy to install, easy to set up, and very accurate. I use these little bicycle computer/speedometers on some of my motorcycles and the Sigma’s are by far the best.

Very full. The little extra temperature Easy to mount and install. Only small default the last mode button the counter pressed with a toothpick. The very reliable wired system I prefer this kind of model.

It has two big problems. GPS and Pairing It takes more than 5 mins to catch GPS signal. The other is pairing with another wireless equipment like speed and cadence. For GPS signal slowness, I can wait.

That’s OK. But pairing is really BIG problem. If I pair with equipment at the SYNC menu, it shows OK. But I can see the values on display. If it show heartrate, it doesn’t show cadence like that. DON’T BE FRUSTRATED.

YOU CAN SOLVE IT. I found a firmware upgrade on their facebook page. They explained about the above problems. To upgrade it follow the below steps 1) Visit their facebook page 2) Find upgrade info for Rider 10E 3) Download a proper program and install it 4) Connect your 10E and run the upgrade program 5) Wait for a while and click the upgrade button That’s it Now you can enjoy your 10E without anyproblem Strong point is various functionality with low cost Week point is working program(?) Still I can’t understand why they released their 10E with two big problems.

The unit works great for tracking your rides, has decent battery life, a lot of metrics f9r the price, good accuracy of the gps and good sensor compatibility, but I have a few gripes. There is no way to pause the ride, so you won’t be able to pause the ride manually, you only rely on autopause, or you can stop it and then start a second track and then join them together.

Also, the uploads are quite slow, but acceptable (~2min for 2h ride). The app has poor reviews, but does the job Id say. Still lets not forget that on this price it delivers more than anybody else!.

The GPS is easy to use and set up. It is pretty much plug and play straight out of the box. I love that it can sync with Strava so that you can map your rides and share them online. I don’t have the optional heatrate monitor and cadence attachments but they appear to be good value.

All too often the phrase “Entry Level”is used to down-rate products that sit at the BASIC end of a product line. I think the the correct word for CATEYE Velo 7 Bike Computer is “SIMPLE”. I am a long term, daily bicycle rider.

I also take multi day bicycle trips. The information I really need from a bike computer is accurate distance recording for trips, cumulative miles, time of day and current ride time. Average speed is nice too.

The Velo 7 has all of these functions. It is relatively easy to program and very easy to use. The hardwired connection between wheel rotation sensor and the computer cradle is fine for my needs and in my experience battery life is far better than computers with wireless rotation sensors.

Con1: I would gladly pay more $$ for a version of this computer that doesn’t require me to reenter tire size and total miles when I replace the battery. If you buy one, make sure you record your tire size somewhere that you are likely to remember.

Con2: I am old and ride a bike that allows an upright riding position. So the handlebars are further from the the wheel than on some bikes. The wire between the wheel rotation sensor and the cradle is just barely long enough for my bike.

If the wire were 3 inches longer it would have made my installation easier. Summary:Excellent value, ease of use, good basic functionality.

This product could be a very good bike computer. However, it didn’t work for my bike. I am replacing a wired bike computer that broke after 10 years. No documentation for the CatEye Velo online gives any indication about the maximum distance the two units can be separated.

Only after doing half the install is there a small note indicating they can be no further than 27 inches apart. I need 34 inches for the computer to be on my handlebar where I can read the screen. If I moved the computer to within the noted 27 inches, and held it in my hand, it appeared to work fine.

But I can’t ride my bike safely while holding the computer. There was no place on my recumbent bike to put the computer within 27 inches of the wheel part where I could read the screen. While checking other bike computers/cyclometers, most descriptions are the same way – giving no indication on the maximum distance.

When I purchased my bike new a few years back I needed an odometer. I purchased a different model sigma and it lasted until it finally fell off the bike and couldn’t locate. To replace I went with a much more expensive GPS with all the online gadgets and stats.

Lately, I felt I wanted something with much less software and just a go to odometer and this fit nicely. Its fairly inexpensive, typical Sigma quality and easy to set up if you use the you tube videos.

Make sure you get the tire number exact or numbers will be way off. I like the speed, total miles traveled, max speed and average speed. I would suggest the wireless over the wired for looks and just neatness on the bike.

Its fairly simple but I don’t really need all of the GPS stuff and the road characteristics. Overall worth the price and again get the tire size number correct.

Sigma appears to have two design teams. One designs bike computers with one button, the other uses multiple buttons. Sigma also uses two displays. One display has the 2 and 7 easily distinguishable. In the other, 2 and 7 are identical except for the line at the bottom, so if you can’t see the bottom of the display, you can’t tell if it’s 2 or 7.

The 9. 16 uses one button and has the better numbers. It’s the same size as my 12. 12 from 2012 (with four buttons and the ambiguous 2/7 on the display) but is much thinner. And like the 12. 12, with its useless “fuel economy” feature, the 9.

16 has a totally useless “calories” feature it could have done without. But aside from that, it’s a useful computer with larger display than the 12. 12. One button goes through 8 functions (speed always displays, making up the “9” in 9.

16) as long as the bike is stopped. Once moving, the button cycles only through trip distance, trip time, average speed, max speed, and clock. And calories. Once stopped, you also get total calories (yawn), total distance, and total time.

The other nice thing about this computer is that it’s wired. Much more reliable than wireless, much cheaper, only one CR2032 battery to replace every couple of years, although I always replace mine on Jan 1 after I’ve done a total reset for the next year.

One tricky item on this computer is that by default, it sets wheel size to generic settings (650, 27, 27. 5, 700). 700 corresponds to 2095. If you want to set wheel circumference to actual millimeters, you must press the reset button on the back of the unit 11 times.

This switches the calibration for wheel size to millimeters.

I tried the wireless model of the same type but it performed poorly when used with LED bike lighting. The LED bike lighting produces a RF signal that interferes with the performance of the wireless model rendering them useless.

This model works great even though there is a wire to contend with. It’s a small price to pay for a rock steady readout.

Almost the same as Schwinn computer that Walmart carried a few years ago. The clock stays on now but the bike info goes into sleep mode after 5 minutes of no movement. It uses a LR-44 battery that is cheap and long lasting.

It does display mph or kph your choice.

Low price but works very well. This wired speedometer has smaller detector unit than the wireless speedometer and it only need one battery rather than two. Keep in mind that button batteries required for some wireless models are not cheap.

The picture shows the unit of speed as km/h, but you can easily change it to mile/h during the setting.

TranslateShow in original languageIl fait le minimum, c’est ce que je lui demandais. Pas de prise de tête. Très satisfait, j’ai commandé le kit pour un second vélo. Je regrette que la notice ne soit pas plus claire.

La référence produit reste allumée en permanence, qu’elle incidence sur l usure de la pile ? Manque un indicateur d usure.

TranslateShow in original languageUn peu déçu par ce compteur qui se réinitialise trop facilement. En appuyant sur le bouton de contrôle, si l’on va un peu vite, cela réinitialise le compteur. Dommage, moi qui souhaitai suivre le nombre de km que je fais par mois.

Nice little thing. Takes a while to set up but works well and is rechargeable. Backlight is useful. Best to put some adhesive on the spoke magnet. Hard to get it tight enough but not really a big deal.

Switches on as soon as you start to ride which is good. Auto switch off too. Great for the money.