Reliable, Altitude Function

Display, complex, broken sensor bracket

I purchased my AT100 in 1998 before a cross country ride on my new Trek touring bike. I now have about 10,000 miles on the computer and the bike. Only problem I've had is a broken sensor bracket.

It has been very reliable, all functions have worked well. Altitude is generally within a 100 ft error when properly set at the beginning of ride. Altitude gain function has been very useful as I do considerable hill/mountain riding. I've replaced the battery twice over the 13 years.

I keep thinking I need to upgrade but this thing just keeps on working.

Altimeter.
Bike on / bike off mode for altimeter.
Value.

Lots of keystrokes for some functions.
I find the display difficult to read in some lighting conditions compared to other computers.

I bought the CatEye AT100 in order to track total elevation gain per ride. It has worked reliably and accurately for that function in 4+ years of service. When purchased, it was the least expensive computer with altitude capability. Because of the low cost and years of accurate service, I give the unit a high score for value.

Because of weaknesses listed above, I use a different computer (yes, I have two mounted on handlebars) for time and distance functions.

I think a basic understanding of how an altimeter works will alleviate frustration when working with this, or any, altimeter. An altimeter doesn't really know what the altitude is. All it knows is what the air pressure is. It is your responsibility to tell the altimeter if the air pressure at your trailhead is different than it was last time you were at this trailhead.

Similar Products Used:

Avocet, specialized

The Altimeter

Many of you folks are way too hard on the Altimeter function. Since it is based on barometric pressure it will give different readings throughout the day based on temperature and barometric pressure. I usually find that I am within 100 feet or so of the actual altitude and that is good enough for me. To me the big bonus is the altitude gain feature which is highly accurate and repeatable. Not only do I care about distance traveled but elevation gained during my ride and it does that extremely well.

The unit has proven to be reliable over years of use and the battery life is very good.

Who cares about temperature and back lighing? I don't. That is not why I got the computer.

This computer is better than anything that is available and even at list price I find it a good value.

Too bad they quit making it. Now you guys can whine about that!

I never give 5 stars for anything, but if you look at the reviews this computer is one of the highest rated out there and I will give it 5 stars to keep it up there.

Similar Products Used:

Avocet 50, Vetta, GPS's

Alt. and total ascent amount. Mileage and speed are accurate when compared with a riding partners GPS stats.

Non programable odometer.

So far I only have a little over 150 miles on the unit but so far it seems to work great. I used on a 15 mile 2300' climb ride where another ride had a GPS unit on his bike. Our speeds were identical throughout the entire ride and the altitude and total acent figures were never more than 20' apart.

I've done one ride on three seperate occassions and the total ascent has been within 30' all three times. My home altitude has always been within 20' after returning from a ride.

There is some error when riding flat terrain, but that is best explained by one of the other reviews.

Bottom line is that so far this has been well worth the $

Similar Products Used:

Lower end Cateye and Specialized. None with an alt.

Rugged Design that can take the jolts and bumps. Back lighting in cool blue color. Accurate Speedometer. Some usefull functions. Altimeter

Very inaccurate Temperature readings. Takes about 10-15 minute before a closer accuracy temp can be taken. Basically the temp does not cycle fast enough. The altimeter can be a bit confusing to understand and set up.

Once the speedometer was calibrated correctly, I found the accuracy of it to be very good. In my line of work, I work with a vehicle dynamometer and I calibrated my AT100 to within 0.3MPH accuracy up to 60MPH. The altimeter function is very cool and a interesting tool when biking. It has the ability to function also away from the main pod. Usefull when hiking. The battery life seems quite good lasting over 1 year life. The speedometer pickup might seem a little cheap, but a lot better than other models I have seen from other manufactures. The computer has MAX speed, MAX ALT GAIN, Total Distance, Inaccurate Thermometer mainly used for Altitude compensation, Back lighting and a 12 hour clock with timer. So far it is the best computer I have ever owned from Cateye.

Similar Products Used:

Other Cat Eye Cyclocomputers including wireless models.

Altimeter, large display

Multiple resets needed to zero out, short backlight duration, occasional problems with rain.

Of all the altitude measuring devices I have used, the Cateye has been the most accurate, especially in the area of total altitude gain. I had used the old Avocet 50 before they discontinued it, and was dismayed by huge exaggerations in my altitude gain - the Cateye has been consistant and accurate for me for several years. I am on my 3rd At-100 (I have had one stolen, and one crushed) and they all seem to have worked identically well.

I wish it was easier to zero everything, as it is I sometimes still forget to reset the total ascent, even after zeroing everything else. And I wish the backlight stayed on longer.

I have noticed user complaints about the unit failing in the rain, and I have noticed this too. What happens is water gets underneath the unit and shorts the two metal connectors on the mountaing bracket. Taking the unit off and wiping the mounting bracket (and the bottom of the unit) has worked for me in 90% of wet situations.

I am a gadget freak and have had various GPS units on my bike for long (over 1000 mile) trips, the latest being the Garmin Summit, and although it has a nice altitude graphing and total ascent feature, the cateyes ascent feature has been so dependable and accurate, I keep it on my bike even when all the features are duplicated by other gadgets (Now using the polar s-710 for the cycle computer functions) because of this.

Its a great, classic unit.

Similar Products Used:

Avocet 50, Garmin Summit

Fairly accurate altitude readings, the total altititude gain measurement seems to be very accurate. Easy to use and many features.

May be prone to water problems. Raced in the rain where it wouldn't keep speed. May have just been another problem, but I'll see next time I ride in the rain.

Seems to be a very good computer / altimeter. I live at 5400 feet and ride anywhere from 6000 -12,000 and it is always within 100 feet of correct altitude after an initial calibration. DOn't know how it works at low alititudes, but out here it is a big help when trying to see how much you have climbed since flat trails are non-existent in CO.

Total altitude gain seems to be very accurate and this is definately the best function and best reason to get this computer.

This is a follow-up review from last April. Today I just turned the odometer over to 700 miles. Considering that this was done in just over 2 months, I'd say the computer has proven itself. Ride on!!

Size, Shape, Buttons, Shock Resistance, Magnet Sensitivity,
Backlight, Functions

None so far!

The bottom line is this ...

I had some difficulty setting up the sensors on my front wheel / fork leg because it's made for cross-laced spokes. None of my front wheel spokes cross. However, after a little creative handy work, I got it securely set-up.
The first couple of rides were intentional abuse sessions. A day in the desert outside of Phoenix, a day bouncing off many, many red rocks in Sedona and finally a snow/mud ride at 9000 ft. in Flagstaff. This thing did not flinch and my readings were right on with other rider's computers. The altitude function is a lot of fun and will be a great training tool for the Vail 100 this summer (13,000 ft climbing)

Similar Products Used:

Checked out computers that fellow riders have ...
Specialized, Avocet, Echowell

o Backlight
o Altitude readout
o Temperature readout
o Large controls

o Battery drain
o Altitude functionality is inacurate

I've had two of these over the last four years (both were
stolen), and found it a reliable and useful bike computer.
I bought it primarily for the backlight feature, as very
few bike computers seem to have that, and treated the
altitude function as a bonus. Just as well, since the
altitude readout is very rarely acurate. As others have
said, it will acumulate climb on level ground, and the
absolute altitude will be wildly inacurate even a short time
after setting it up. Basically, you can't really use the
altitude feature as more than a toy. The other major
downside is battery drain: It seems to need several
batteries a year, even if you avoid using the backlight.
A few weeks of night-riding and the battery is dead. A bit
pricey if all you want is the backlight. I've since
switched to the CicloMaster CM414, and I'm much happier
(though my wallet took a hit).

Similar Products Used:

CicloMaster CM414