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Submitted by
Craig Smith
a Weekend Warrior
from Ocala, Florida
Date Reviewed: November 18, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Greenway | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$10.00 | | Purchased At: | wallyworld | | Strengths: | Cheap, accurate, easy to install and gives all pertinent information... | | Weaknesses: | Feels cheap, buttons don't always work on first press, I doubt it will last forever but then again what do you expect for $10?
| | Similar Products Used: | none actually, this is my first computer. | | Bottom Line: | I bought this unit because I mainly wanted to know how fast I was running and how far I was going. For those two features I feel this unit is doing very well. It seems very accurate and does exactly what I wanted it to do.
Following advice from these and other reviews, During installation I used short pieces of split rubber hose under the wire ties I used on the wires to keep them from getting pinched. I also used an exact measurement of my wheel to set the wheel calibration instead of the preset numbers. I found my exact wheel measurement was very close to the one in the chart, but I used the exact number anyway.
Overall I'd buy another one, but I'd just make extra sure to do a good installation and not take any chances with the wiring. Like I said before, what do you expect for $10?
| Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Charles Cammack
a Cross Country Rider
from Las Cruces, NM, USA
Date Reviewed: November 6, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Las Cruces BLM single track race course | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$12.00 | | Purchased At: | Wal Mart | | Strengths: | Easy to mount, use and calibrate if you are smart enough to keep the instructions. | | Weaknesses: | None. | | Similar Products Used: | Avocet 20 from the mid 1980's | | Bike Setup: | All rigid Fisher MTB
Custom road bike | | Bottom Line: | I have them on two bikes. Have had the one on my MTB for two years and the one on the road bike for one year. I have had zero problems with both. The one on the rigid mountain bike goes thru hell and has never given me any trouble. Works perfect. I read some reviews where users had problems with wheel magnet placement in relation to the pickup. I experiment with them to get the best response. The instructions do not explain this well at all. There should be an obvious reference mark on the sensor for the path of the wheel's magnet. I highly recommend this computer. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Half-Fast Biker
a Weekend Warrior
from Hollidaysburg, PA
Date Reviewed: August 14, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Great Allegheny Passage | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$9.00 | | Purchased At: | Walmart | | Strengths: | Really cheap price, functions, flexibility of stem mount design, black and red color matches my bike. | | Weaknesses: | 2nd one I bought would reset itself like others have mentioned before, exchanged it for another one and all is well. Must run magnet close to pickup for it to work reliably...switching to a samarium cobalt magnet would probably fix that. LCD display has temporarily turned black when bike is left in the sun on 90 degree days...this is typical for LCDs...take it out of the sun and let it cool off and it goes back to normal. | | Similar Products Used: | Nashbar NA-C210, older Vetta and Schwinn computers. | | Bike Setup: | 1990 vintage Schwinn KOM S-7 hardtail. | | Bottom Line: | This is Schwinn SW500T from Walmart, bought in 2005, this is the same basic computer as the Nashbar NA-CA210 computer I had...the display and functions are the same, only the case and mounting system are different. This Schwinn one has heavier insulation on the sensor wire, and a better set of contacts between the back of the computer and it's mount...the Nashbar's mount contacts looked like aluminum and were always oxidizing causing a loss of signal. Have one on my MTB and road bike, and the only problems I've had so far was the 2nd one I bought kept resetting itself, so it was exchanged, and I broke the mount wire where it goes into the stem mount. I accidently grabbed the stem too hard where I had the wire routed, and it ripped the black plastic cover off the bottom of the mount, and ripped one wire loose from it's solder joint. The wires leading into the mount are actually about as thick as what you'd find inside a pair of Walkman-style headphones...pretty thin, but the have thick insulation on them going down to the sensor. Under the plastic rectangular cover the wires are held in place with a dab of hot glue, and are then soldered onto their two pickup points for the computer mount. 5 minutes with a soldering iron, some crazy glue to firm up the hot melt glue and wire leading into the mount, a a re-routing of the cable along the stem to give it more slack have everything back to normal.
As far as everyday funtion goes the only thing bad I'd have to say about it is the sensor DOES need to be close to the magnet, the Nashbar computer was the same way, sometimes I bump the sensor out of place when putting the wheels on top of the bike when it's in the trunk of my car, but it's simple to move it back into place on the fork. I just make it a habit to spin the front wheel before the start of the ride to make sure it's reading OK. It might not be the best computer out there, but at only $9.32 that I paid for it it works well. Defective one that I got will knock it down from a 4 to a 3 rating. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
greg
a Cross Country Rider
from glenview
Date Reviewed: April 22, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$20.00 | | Purchased At: | target | | Strengths: | Price. Many features, looks and has indiglo light | | Weaknesses: | It is a Schwinn product | | Similar Products Used: | Cateye Enduro | | Bike Setup: | 2003 Specialized S Works Epic | | Bottom Line: | Absolute garbage. Never worked. I had the sensors almost touching and it never registered. I had to actually put the magnet on the sensor to get a reading. As I tried to slide the sensor down the fork the wire snapped. I woulD like to congradulate Schwinn for driving their company into the ground. They sacrifice qualty for mass produing useless junk. I should have known better than to buy anything from this sell out company. No one should waste thier money on anything from them. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Eric
a Cross Country Rider
from Grand Rapids, MI
Date Reviewed: April 4, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Yankee Springs | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$12.00 | | Purchased At: | Meijer | | Strengths: | Cheap, easy to use. | | Weaknesses: | Poorly built, malfunctioned. | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bottom Line: | This computer worked ok, but it occasionally malfunctioned on me and the magnet/sensor fell apart quickly. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John Ray
a Weekend Warrior
from Atlanta, GA USA
Date Reviewed: November 8, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Pisgah Forest | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$20.00 | | Purchased At: | Target | | Strengths: | Lots of function for small price | | Weaknesses: | Defective | | Similar Products Used: | Trek, Sigma | | Bike Setup: | Marin Verona road bike | | Bottom Line: | I bought this thinking it was a good deal since it had calories burned, fat calories, temp, etc. in addition to the usual functions and it was only $19.99 before tax.
But not long after I bought it (less than two months) it started to just reset itself all of a sudden for no reason! I lost all the odometer and other personalized settings I had put in. I set it back up then it happened again. I did not get on my bike for awhile and then when I did it was doing it all the time! It was too late now to return it, so I bought another one thinking I would swap out the bad one and return it to the store but when I put the new head on, it was doing the same exact thing! So it must be in the wiring somewhere, but I cannot detect any worn or broken places. I may try to switch the wire/holder mechanism too with the new one but if they all break as easily as these reviews seem to portray, I bet it will be broken soon too. At least i can still return one and just be stuck with one bad one.
I also notice Schwinn does not claim responsibility for these and other biking peripherals sold under its name but rather refers customers to some place called PTI that only has an 800 number and not a web site. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brian Hughes
a Cross Country Rider
from Albuquerque, NM
Date Reviewed: October 13, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | All Cedro Peak trails | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$12.00 | | Purchased At: | Walmart | | Strengths: | Inexpensive, easy to read display. | | Weaknesses: | Battery died shortly after purchasing, so I had to replace it right away. At months mine became totally unreliable. It randomly would reset itself during a ride for no apparent reason--losing all data. I would look down and instead of seeing my readings, it would be flashing the setup screeen. It would happen nearly every ride. | | Similar Products Used: | Vetta, Bell, Catseye. I'm going to try a Sigma next. | | Bike Setup: | Used this computer on my homebuilt recumbent. It was used on the road only, and it was never abused. | | Bottom Line: | If you had asked me how I liked this computer a month ago, I would have said it was a great $12 purchase and have given it 4 or 5 chilis. However, for whatever reason it just went bonkers on me a few weeks back. Nearly every ride it just resets itself and trashes all ride and odometer data in the process. No real reason that I can figure--it didn't get wet or banged up at all. I tried cleaning it and readusting it with no luck--it's still unreliable and will randomly reset itself during most rides. I'm pretty frustrated with this computer now and will enjoy cutting it off my bike and throwing it in the trash. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
William
a
from Edgewater MD USA
Date Reviewed: August 29, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | B&A trail in AA county MD | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$10.00 | | Purchased At: | Military Exhange | | Strengths: | Easy to install, Price very good. Accurate. Worked for about a year, and then the battery died. | | Weaknesses: | In replacing the battery, I cannot find the instructions, and I can't figure how to set the functions without the paper. | | Similar Products Used: | Cateye Enduro 8 | | Bike Setup: | Schwinn Sierra Mountain bikes..Used on streets and bike paths. | | Bottom Line: | I like the product, actually have two, but there is no Mfgr. support for recovering a copy of instructions for setting up the unit after you have replaced the battery. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brad
a Weekend Warrior
from Glendale, AZ
Date Reviewed: October 28, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$12.00 | | Purchased At: | Walmart | | Strengths: | cost, features, easy to read | | Weaknesses: | poor sensor, very weak and thin sensor wire breaks easily | | Similar Products Used: | Bell | | Bike Setup: | tandem, and trek | | Bottom Line: | first computer worked very well no problems so I bought a second one for my treck. the second one failed to work out of the box. I exchanged pieces with the first and quickly determined it was a failed sensor. I returned it to walmart for a second one. This one worked for 2 days of street driving and it's sensor failed as well. A close inspection revealed that the sensor wires were so thin that the zip ties used to hold it to the fork cut them. Secure the wires loosely. Very doubtful this would work for anything but a street bike. I love this computer when it worked. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Boy George
a Cross Country Rider
from Austin, Tx, USA
Date Reviewed: July 13, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Any Road | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$10.00 | | Purchased At: | WalMart | | Strengths: | Very accurate! Just make sure the wheel setting is set properly at the w/tire setting. | | Weaknesses: | A real beeyotch to install the sensor correctly. The directions say the distance between magnet and sensor should be set to 1mm. Mine must be closer. I had to replace the magnet because the screw broke, because I had such a hard time installing it. | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bike Setup: | Road bike Raleigh Marathon | | Bottom Line: | The price is great and it is simple to use. I checked it on a 90 miler I did and it was very accurate on all fiunctions on short and long distances. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
biker
a Weekend Warrior
from glens falls
Date Reviewed: July 9, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$14.00 | | Purchased At: | walmart | | Strengths: | very reliable if set correctly- easy to attach- long battery life- very durable | | Weaknesses: | hard to set with buttons | | Bottom Line: | this is great for any rider with any type of bike. i would recommend this product for the average to expert rider. it is very accurate and very tough(water resistent and all). | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brad
a Weekend Warrior
from Dallas,TX,USA
Date Reviewed: August 3, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | RCP | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$25.00 | | Purchased At: | Target | | Strengths: | Cheap, nice appearance, ease of use | | Weaknesses: | The wire broke after one ride on my mountain bike. | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bottom Line: | I wouldn't recommend this product if you ride hard. Even though the wire is very thick, the actual connection between the wire and the unit are very weak. This product should work well for a road bike. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Andrew Crook
a Weekend Warrior
from Palo Alto, CA USA
Date Reviewed: July 14, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$19.00 | | Purchased At: | Walmart | | Strengths: | Like the single button. Displays speed and one other function simultaneously. Easy to setup. Reliable -works in rain, cold, sun, heat etc. Removed easily. | | Weaknesses: | Could look a little better | | Similar Products Used: | Some Halfords product | | Bike Setup: | Diamondback Sorrento. Now NRS-3 stock. | | Bottom Line: | May get a wireless model or something that looks better and perhaps has no buttons. For the money though it's great. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Aaron
a Cross Country Rider
from Poway CA
Date Reviewed: June 30, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Sycamore Canyon | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$10.00 | | Purchased At: | Wal-Mart | | Strengths: | Simple to use, looks cool (i have the red one)
Has alot of functions compared to other computers in its price range..
The computer has everything you need and it works great. | | Weaknesses: | None | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bike Setup: | To tired to type it | | Bottom Line: | This is a great computer..
It is cheap(in price) looks good has alot of functions.
I suggest this to any rider looking for a good cheap first bike computer.
if you want more info before you buy check out the schwinn website you can find more info about it there. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Scott S
a Weekend Warrior
from San Luis Obispo
Date Reviewed: April 22, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Santa Rita Canyon | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$10.00 | | Purchased At: | Walmart | | Strengths: | Great Value, easy to install, 3 displayed functions, easy to program, easy to operate with one button, waterproof, great instructions. | | Weaknesses: | I only saw 2 color choices - silver and red. | | Bike Setup: | Giant NRS1 | | Bottom Line: | This great, inexpensive cycling computer is easy to program and operate. I read all the reviews and decided on the Schwinn unit and I couldn't be happier with it so far. I just don't think wireless is worth the extra expense. Installing this unit was easy to do and having to run a wire up to the unit on the bars is no big deal. I think these clowns that talk about the risk of wire breakage are blowing smoke. I ride about 100 miles a week and the Schwinn unit has been working great for about a month now. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bob
a Weekend Warrior
from Nashville, TN, USA
Date Reviewed: December 5, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$19.00 | | Purchased At: | WalMart | | Strengths: | Looks good, works good, easy to install and program, twelve functions. | | Weaknesses: | Haven't found any yet | | Bike Setup: | Stock | | Bottom Line: | This computer seems like a very good unit. It was easy to intall, and not difficult to program. It has one button to scroll through the twelve functions. It snaps on and off the mount easily. It had plenty of wire to reach from the hjandlebars to the forks, and the wire ties were long enough. I took a spill the first time out with it and it sustained no damage. So far, it is a very good value in a bike computer. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
David Davenport
a Weekend Warrior
from Michigan ,now living in Dublin,Texas
Date Reviewed: December 2, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$21.00 | | Purchased At: | Walmart | | Strengths: |
1)high quality, cheap price
2)great visablity
3)does everything that the more expencive computers do
4)single button design extreamly functionable | | Weaknesses: | 1)mounting cable on front fork very rigid,makes it hard to secure the sensor
| | Similar Products Used: | vetta 21 or something I forget the name | | Bike Setup: | Da Bomb | | Bottom Line: | This is a great product for the price. The single button function eleminates confusion, and allows for fluid display changes. While the display (which is very visable) lets you concentrate on the trail.With its aray of functions this computer easily stands toe to toe with the more costly brands. I would recomend this product to anyone interested in the world of biking.. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
nick
a Cross Country Rider
from Amarillo Tx
Date Reviewed: May 27, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$15.00 | | Purchased At: | hills bicycle shop | | Strengths: | easy to read and change modes while rideing,reliable, | | Weaknesses: | easily scratches if your bike ends up upside down... i dont think mine is very accurate but it may just be pride | | Bottom Line: | great for 15 buckaroos | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Matt Vanselow
a Cross Country Rider
from Bellingham
Date Reviewed: August 3, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Reliable, accurate. Easy to use. Affordable | | Weaknesses: | None so far | | Bike Setup: | Homegrown XT+XTR | | Bottom Line: | I've got the 8 function cyclecomputer. I've really enjoyed this computer
The only problem that I had was when the battery went dead and I replaced it I couldn't set it up. I had to go to a bike shop and have them set it up.
I'm impressed that I've only had to change the battery once in over three years.
This computer was a deal. 30 bucks and 3 years of reliability.
The only function that I would like in addition is cadence
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Greg
a Weekend Warrior
from Athens, GA, USA
Date Reviewed: July 15, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$55.00 | | Purchased At: | Galyans | | Strengths: | Schwinn SC-13
one-button mode selection-nice for mtb on the trail,
displays 3 functions at once, cadence, speed and odo, (max or avg for each) | | Weaknesses: | sensor straps are flaky, I used additional cable ties to hold sensors in place.
front sensor (wheel speed) wire is kinda short for a bike with front suspension, i'd like some slack there for movement. | | Similar Products Used: | Cats Eye Mity 3 | | Bike Setup: | 2001 Schwinn Mesa GSX hardtail. 2001 Schwinn Mesa regular hardtail | | Bottom Line: | I like the single button mode select. compared to the cats eye and avocet, I didnt want to be fumbling around with alot of button pushes while trying to concentrate on the trail so that was a major selling point. I was specifically shopping for a brain with a cadence function, and this was the only one I saw that could simultaneously display the cadence, speed AND odo all together. this was real bonus because it meant even less fumbling for buttons.
The sensor straps are kinda flaky though, they are hard to get real tight and the rigidity of the tie strap makes it so that it can actually release its own catch and loosen, so I just put an additional large cable tie on it and it holds fine, but for an off road bike, I would reinforce these points anyway.
The clip that holds the detachable computer on the handlebars is made of the same material and although it is stiffer/thicker, I think it might wear out eventually. also, the wire to the front sensor is a bit short since you have to mount it quite close to the hub to get the sensor close enough to the magnet and I wanted some extra slack for the front susp to move. this would NOT be a problem for a rigid bike.
by the way I have 2 of these on 2 bikes and Im pleased with their performance so far, they give all the info I want at a glance, and I would have reinforced the main clip and the sensor mounts anyway, so I still give it a 5 for the number of functions, quality of the display and ease of use.
from mfg website:
13 functions: Speed, average speed, max speed, trip distance, odometer, cadence, average cadence, time test, distance test, riding time, 12 hour clock, auto start/stop and power on/off.
Pace arrows allow the rider to see if they are going above or below their average speed.
Time and distance test allow the rider to program a set time or distance.
Three functions displayed at one time maximizes button strokes when scrolling through each screen.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tony
a Cross Country Rider
from Houston, Texas
Date Reviewed: January 23, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$20.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance | | Strengths: | durable hardware, Waterproof! | | Weaknesses: | the tie wraps were too small for my C-Dale fatty fork. No biggie though. | | Similar Products Used: | SuperGo, Specialized wireless | | Bike Setup: | C-Dale Hardtale | | Bottom Line: | I've only had it a month or so but so far it's been great( sc-8). Im more into adventure racing so having a computer thats waterproof is a big plus for me. You cant get more simple and easy than one button. And the auto start feature is really nice too. I did like the Specialized wireless I had but lost it. The superGo computer was really cheap. The plastic hardware was really unacceptable for mt biking and though it didnt claim to be waterproof dont even think of washing your bike with it still on! It crapped out on me.For $20 you cant go wrong. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ice
a Cross Country Rider
from Ardmore, OK, USA
Date Reviewed: October 22, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$25.00 | | Strengths: | Very tough, good display, simple | | Weaknesses: | none so far | | Bike Setup: | Mesa GSX | | Bottom Line: | Great computer, especially at the same price as one you could buy at wal-mart. It goes nicely with my GSX | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bart Sterman
a Cross Country Rider
from West Orange, NJ
Date Reviewed: October 5, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Inexpensive and reliable | | Weaknesses: | Set up is a little awkward. | | Bike Setup: | Bianchi Volpe Cyclocross | | Bottom Line: | Easy to install, but set up a little confusing. Display easy to read. Has been reliable. Used same unit on two bike for about 800 miles. Good value. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Punter
a
from VA
Date Reviewed: July 22, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | Simple function | | Weaknesses: | a little tough figuring out the setup | | Similar Products Used: | n/a | | Bike Setup: | Schwinn mesa gs | | Bottom Line: | The SC-8 has just enough information to keep things interesting, but not distracting. Once you get past the initial setup, the thing works great. Can also easily interchange the SC-3,5,8 & 13 models should you wish more functions as the display units all seem to use the same set magnet/bracket. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tristan
a Racer
from Maine
Date Reviewed: May 21, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Local CC Networks | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Just about everything. | | Weaknesses: | The instructions are a little confusing. | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bike Setup: | Schwinn Homegrown--stock | | Bottom Line: | This computer, although not so pretty, has a big screen on it so I can read it when riding easily. it has plenty of functions for me, and it challenges me to go futher than before. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Steve
a Cross Country Rider
from Flagstaff,Az
Date Reviewed: January 26, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | they are all good | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | simple to use with just enough functions and only one button to push | | Weaknesses: | maybe the thin wire, but if secured good it looks like it will be okay | | Similar Products Used: | none | | Bike Setup: | schwinn moab 3 wider riser bar,softer seat,wider tires | | Bottom Line: | The guys at the local schwinn dealer set it up for me and it works perfect. I got the sc-8 model and it is very easy to read while riding with just enough infomation for me. For 30 bucks it seems like a good deal. Now I have found that I have been traveling alot farther than I thought. Plus the computer challenges me to go faster and farther than before. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
jim
a Cross-Country Rider
from troy, CA
Date Reviewed: July 21, 1999 | | Duration Product Used: |
less than 1 month | | Strengths: |
none | | Weaknesses: |
ugly,
does not work | | Bike Setup: |
Rockhopper FS | | Bottom Line: | The other day, my max speed going up a really steep hill was 198mph, I averaged about 45mph. Or, maybe the computer was wrong??? Evertime I've riden my bike since buying this thing, I break 100mph. Im getting good. Can I give it a negative rating??? | | Overall Rating: |
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