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Average Rating
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3.56/5
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# of Reviews
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52
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MSRP
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$ 29.99
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Weight
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Description:In addition to the most common cycle computer functions, the Astrale offers one of the most useful measurements a cyclist can have - cadence. Cadence is the measure of your revolutions per minute - how fast you are pedaling. The Astrale will let everyone form the seasoned racer to the novice rider monitor their cadence, and excellent indicator for proper gear selection.
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Submitted by
Nathan
a
from Pasadena
Date Reviewed: March 8, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance | | Strengths: | Easy to use and read, nice design and has the basic function you need as a cyclist. | | Weaknesses: | Stopped working after about 6 months. Computer was still working but the wires are not robust - i've only used this on the road and in one ride the cadence went, then a few miles later the speed. There was no visible problem with any of the wires. Performance swapped it for a new one free of charge though.
Also, you can't switch between km/h and m/h without reseting odemeter. | | Similar Products Used: | n/a | | Bike Setup: | decent road bike | | Bottom Line: | Not a bad computer and has nice easy to use basic functions but at $30 you are getting what you pay for in terms of longevity. The product would be a lot better if Cateye would buff up the wires a bit so they don't go bad easily. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Amy
a Weekend Warrior
from Riverside, RI, USA
Date Reviewed: May 30, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | East Bay bike path | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | Cadence with simple display and buttons. Price. Small size. Durability and battery life pretty good. Works extremely well for me, mostly on bike path in all weather including pouring rain and snow. (Note: original model) | | Weaknesses: | Getting the speed sensor close enough to the wheel magnet. On one bike I was experiencing speed fluctuations (dropping to a fraction of actual speed), and correspondingly less distance on odometer: swapped another main unit in, same problem--a more powerful magnet fixed the problem. No backlight. Having to replace wires occasionally when I wear them out (may have installed without enough slack for turning handlebars relative to rest of frame over long term). | | Similar Products Used: | Other Cateye models, Sigma, Cateye and other brand wireless. | | Bike Setup: | current: Lemond Zurich, Wizwheels Edge trike; soon: handcycle | | Bottom Line: | I like the original Astrale so much I have four of them (on different bikes). I really like its simplicity and reliability. Since I use mine primarily on bike path, vibration is not an issue for me, but they have worked prefectly in crummy New England weather for me for years. Original model is hard to find now but I want to keep compatible between bikes. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Gilbert Cunanan
a Cross Country Rider
from Paranaque City, Philippines
Date Reviewed: October 27, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | All trails in Montalban, Rizal (Philippines). | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | cadence, looks good, easy-to-read digits, good contrast | | Weaknesses: | rear-mounted sensors easily misaligned, especially the cadence sensor | | Similar Products Used: | Gary Fisher Alpha, Cateye Enduro 8 | | Bike Setup: | Budget XC MTB: BigCat/Mosso frame (Taiwan), SR Suntour XC60 fork, Shimano Acera groupset. | | Bottom Line: | First and foremost, the cadence function is very useful. If RPM is useful for car engines, it is 100-times more useful for "human engines". Helps maintain discipline so you conserve your energy and focus on proper shifting. The result: more efficient transfer of precious energy to the ground. I think this is even more important than speed/distance since these two don't factor out coasting.
If you also use an indoor trainer, the next most important feature is the rear-mounted sensor (plus the cadence). Front mounted sensors simply don't work. For me, the speed/distance/cadence is a good motivational tool for training indoors in place of the feel of real biking.
Just find a way to secure the sensors well, specially if you ride on rough and muddy terrain. Careful too when you wash.
Even just standing still, the computer unit looks really cool and easy to read with large clear digits. It adds to the overall aesthetic value of my cheap bike. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ian Channing
a Weekend Warrior
from London streets
Date Reviewed: November 26, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Thames Embankment | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$55.00 | | Purchased At: | Evans Cycles | | Strengths: | Cadence. Cheap. Rear mounting sensors. Relatively simple installation. Better sensors than the cordless I tried. 3000 miles quality service. | | Weaknesses: | It will stop working in heavy rain. In the end it got one soaking too many and died on me. Not very clear display - could do with back light. | | Similar Products Used: | CDC10 Cordless computer. | | Bike Setup: | '98 Specialized Stumpy. XT rear, LX front. Avid 7 brakes. Mavic rims. Gripshift. | | Bottom Line: | The Astrale doesn't appear to be designed to suffer the abuse of off-road. As a road computer this is excellent. The cadence is really useful for improving road speed - and subsequently reducing commuting time. Also any cycling training book will refer to cadence so you really need it to make use of them. The rear mount is useful as you are more likely to remove the front wheel when locking your bike, so no wires to get in the way.
As I said it survived 3000 miles and did the job well. Shame it died, I'll be replacing it with the new Astrale 8. Hopefully its more sturdy, it looks like the Mity now... | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bert
a Racer
from Israel
Date Reviewed: August 22, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | sansana | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Purchased At: | branford bike | | Strengths: | Accurate, aesthetic, legible display, easy to install and operate, great customer service. | | Weaknesses: | Displays data even when not completely secured to mount. | | Bike Setup: | Kestrel 200 SCi 58 cm | | Bottom Line: | I live in Southern Israel (semi arid region) and average about 200 km a week. Astrale 8 provides me with all the essential information I require to measure my progress during actual training and over the long haul. The parameters are all very accurate and I had no problems installing the system.
Recommend pushing start/stop button before going out on ride. Good value, quality and excellent company service. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Bryan
a Weekend Warrior
from Chicago, IL
Date Reviewed: August 9, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$25.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance | | Strengths: | Nice Display. Easy to navigate. | | Weaknesses: | Mounting brackets suck. Sensors not sensitive enough. | | Similar Products Used: | Avocet. | | Bottom Line: | The computer itself is great. I like having the cadence, and the functionality is fine. However, the mounting brackets are very difficult to install properly, and both the cadence and primary sensors keep slipping out of position and require constant adjustment. I've tightened them a number of times yet they keep slipping. My next attempt is going to be to tape it in place with electrical tape. Perhaps a stronger sensor wouldn't have to be so close to the magnet to get a reading. Overall, I rate it 2 and a half stars for this. | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Eric
a Weekend Warrior
from Holland, MI
Date Reviewed: May 17, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$10.00 | | Purchased At: | Ebay. | | Strengths: | Cadence, Speedo accuracy, mounts are compatible with other cateye computers. | | Weaknesses: | No 2nd Trip Distance, Odometer is NOT setable, Takes lots of button presses to scroll through important information. Thin wires. | | Similar Products Used: | Mity 3/Enduro 2 series | | Bike Setup: | Road bike. | | Bottom Line: | The astrale series of cyclocomputers have most of the same features as the Mity3/Mity 8/Enduro2/Enduro8 series of cyclocomputers such as Speed, Distance,Odometer (NOT setable), Ride time, clock, average speed, maximum speed, selectable auto/manual start stop. The only bonus features an astrale has over the mity 3 is a 4 digit tire size (more accurate distance calculations for those who need it) and cadence. The features it does not have compared to the Mity/Enduro series are pacer arrows (not a big deal), dual tire settings, setable odometer, 2nd trip distance (Argh! I loved that feature), and the ability to swap the top and bottom lines (a less than useful feature really).
The new astrale 7 is functionaly identical to the original astrale. It merely has a redesigned case, display, and button arrangement.
The astrale's user interface is primitive and it it's biggest downfall. The microchip inside was designed way back in 1993 and is the oldest still in current production for the cateye line. No effort was made to minimize the number of button presses needed to acess the most vital information. It takes up to a maximum of seven button presses to scroll to the information you want to see. The mity/enduro series is much superior since it divides the data into 3 different groups, with the most important information (Distance/Average Speed/Elapsed time) listed first. So with the exception of the odometer, all ride data is at a maximum of 4 button presses away, with the most needed information at a maximum of 2 button presses away. I would rate the Astrale's user interface 3 times less efficient than that of the the mity/enduro series. Cateye should have designed a new microprocessor for the astrale when they revamped it's look.
The astrale will work (minus the cadance) in any non cordless cateye computer mount and any non cordless cateye computer will work in the astrale's mount. It's good to see that cateye keeps their parts somewhat universal! The sensor wire in the astrale's mounting kit are extremely thin. Durability has been sacrificed for discrete mounting. I didn't have any trouble installing it, but cateye should include black zip ties to match darker colored bikes.
Unless you really want cadance, steer clear of this cyclocomputer. There are many tradeoffs in using this rather antiquated design. For a cyclocomputer that costs more, the features, durability and interface are less. The mity/enduro series is still the best value there is. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Aaron
a Racer
from Greendale, WI, USA
Date Reviewed: February 23, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$37.00 | | Purchased At: | Emerys Super fitness and Bicycle | | Strengths: | Cadence moniter, Rear wheel mount sensor makes it useful on a trainer. Ease of installation. | | Weaknesses: | Cadence sensor mounts on Crank arm with zip tie. It has a tendency to slip. Use electrical tape to keep it in place. | | Similar Products Used: | None | | Bike Setup: | Trek 8000, with stock setup. | | Bottom Line: | Seeing that this is my first computer I have no real basis for comparison. I can say that it was easy to mount and very easy to use. The odometer is very accurate as I rode a closed course then measured the same distance in my car. It was right on the money. A defenite good buy. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ken Bessler
a Weekend Warrior
from Aurora, Colorado, USA
Date Reviewed: September 10, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Colfax blvd | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$25.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance Bicycle, Denver, CO | | Strengths: | Simplistic design, ease of use | | Weaknesses: | Light duty wires, outboard position of crank sensor | | Similar Products Used: | Mity 3 | | Bike Setup: | Bianchi 12 speed road racer | | Bottom Line: | It's a good computer. I have my GPS (Garmin Etrex Vista) mounted on the right handlebar and the Astrale mounted on the left handlebar. The main control on the computer is the left button so mounting it on the left means you can control the computer with your left thumb, never taking your hand off the handlebar! The controls also have a light touch - much lighter than my Mity 3. Yes, the wires are light duty - Cateye refined the older design by replacing the wire tape with zip ties but now they are so strong they can crush the delicate wire! I solved the problem of exposing the wires to abraision by mounting them on the inboard edges of the frame.
Now the crank sensor is different - the crank is outboard of the frame so the sensor is outboard, too. This exposes the sensor to possible damage. IMHO there is nothing that can be done except maybe to mount the crank sensor to the right side of the frame where the chainrings will protect it a bit.
My Bianchi has a 50cm frame and the wires in the kit were about 6" too long - I just folded them back on themselves and secured them with zipties...... The wires are the same
size as those with my Mity 3 but they are more flexible and delicate. Still - they work and with a carefull install should be alright in even the roughest use.
FYI I don't use the speed function - my GPS gives me that. All I need from the computer is cadence. I use the cadence and riding time display. My GPS gives me speed, tripmeter, odometer, average speed, max speed, rate of ascent, descent, altitude, heading and a moving map.....nice but expensive ($339.95)!
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chi
a Cross Country Rider
from San Mateo, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: July 31, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Anywhere away from everything | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$20.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance | | Strengths: | All the basic stuff plus cadence. | | Weaknesses: | Wiring harness, wire too short or too long for frame, number of simultaneous function displays. | | Bike Setup: | Trek 7000 MTB | | Bottom Line: | I have used this computer for more than 6 months now and it's a bargain for me so far. With the cadence function, it gives me an idea of how I am performing, esp. when power output is high and I need to reach a certain RPM to avoid hammering my knees. I ride my mountain bike on the road a lot. Since it's water resistant, I haven't had any problems with water. The most stringent test I took it on was a rainy trail up this hill in mud and dirt. The two buttons got stuck, but I was able to clean it out with some very unorthodox methods. It works great now.
Like a previous reviewer said, being able to reset this computer with one hand is a plus.
But the sensors and wiring seem flimsy, esp. the cadence sensor, due to this position. I have broken the sensor twice (repaired it once) on the commuter train, and I finally threw the clamp away and resorted to some zip ties to maintain the sensor's position.
Crank and wheel magnets are mounted very securely. The manual mentions that the wheel magnet will not be able to mount on bladed spokes, and that a adapter is available for such setups.
Like I said before, I've taken it off-road, and it does perform. I'd appreciate a larger insulation for the wire, but so far I haven't had problems. The display window only displays two functions on my model, but I think the new '04 model displays more functions at once. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Aram
a Weekend Warrior
from San Francisco
Date Reviewed: May 5, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Still looking | | Duration Product Used: | Tested or demo'ed only | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance Bike | | Strengths: | Small, Cheap, CADENCE! | | Weaknesses: | Lightweight. Not for off road use. Crankarm sensor attachment was a joke... | | Similar Products Used: | None yet | | Bike Setup: | Street Trail mutation | | Bottom Line: | I spent an hour setting up the sensors when I realized that the crank arm sensor was never going to stay in place and would be a constant source of anxiety. I threw in the towl right then and never took it out for a ride.
I will return it as PB has an excellent policy on returns. I am considering the ENDURO instead, and giving up cadence.
I'll just have to count! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tim
a Cross Country Rider
from Holland
Date Reviewed: December 7, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Egypt Valley | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$45.00 | | Purchased At: | velo city cycles | | Strengths: | Has cadance, and rear wheel capability. Excellent for trainer. | | Weaknesses: | Crappy display. You can only see MPH and one other item. I have yet to figure out how to set the odometer to the bike mileage. Didnt like the magnet mount for the crank either. The whole setup was a royal pain on my 2001 M4 frame. But in all they seem to work just fine afterwords. Very touchy when there not very close to the magnet | | Similar Products Used: | Specialized Computer (Use for Trail Riding) | | Bike Setup: | 2001 M4 Comp with alot or S-Works and XTR upgrades. | | Bottom Line: | Trainer use only. I cant not see myself using only two options for display when only one is changeable. Speed is fine however I like to Review Speed, and Avg Speed to conferm where I am currently riding at. On a trainer RPM is more of the Key. Due to the crappy Rear wheel and crank wiring setup I dont think I would trust this on the trail. There is to much going on to get caught up. And with a short magnet to pickup you have to be carefull let alone they mount to the bottom of the frame.
All in All if you have a trainer I recommend this cheap unit. But buy on ebay or cheaper. I wanted to ride my new trainer that day so a local bike store was a little expensive. But everything there is. But hey I wanted it then so i cant complain to much.
You cant find cadence at a much cheaper price.
NOT FOR TRAIL USE..SUCKS FOR TRAIL | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Christopher
a Cross Country Rider
from Valley Cottage, NY
Date Reviewed: October 2, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Hook Mountain | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$29.00 | | Purchased At: | 1UpUSA.com | | Strengths: | Cadence | | Weaknesses: | Took a little time to mount the two sensors to my bike | | Similar Products Used: | Cat Eye Cordless | | Bike Setup: | Giant Sedona | | Bottom Line: | I replaced my Cat Eye Cordless 2 with this computer which costs less, and unkike the Cordless 2 it works with my headlight system. The added cadence feature is a real bonus. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Larry
a Weekend Warrior
from Long Island, NY
Date Reviewed: August 26, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$40.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance | | Strengths: | Cadence, time riding and being able to see both cadence and mph at the same time. Mounting system to the holder is much better than my old Specialized computer. | | Weaknesses: | back sensor is easily bumped out of alignment. | | Similar Products Used: | Specialized computer, don't recall the model. Broke after 900 miles of use. | | Bike Setup: | Specialized Hardrock | | Bottom Line: | Love this computer, plan on getting a new bike and will get another one. Have already put on 1,500 miles on this one, but want a second one for the new bike. I don't want to go through the hassle of resetting for each bike.
I couldn't find another computer for the price with all of the features that this one packs into it. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
bigcat
a Weekend Warrior
from USA
Date Reviewed: May 26, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Strengths: | CADENCE! | | Weaknesses: | lcd a little small | | Similar Products Used: | Mity3 | | Bike Setup: | Trek | | Bottom Line: | This thing rocks! I wasn't sure if I really NEEDED the cadence function, but after using the Astrale for a few days I can say for sure that it's improving my ride way more than spending hundreds of dollars on bike upgrades! Now I'm able to evaluate how fast I'm spinning the cranks and make improvements over time. So, if you want to improve your performance, then get the Astrale!
As for installation, it was very straight forward. I don't know what the other comments about difficult installation is about; everything mounts together in a logical way. If you're struggling to install this device I can't see how you could do any bike work yourself! The hardware is all high quality. The wheel magnet is a million times better (even one blade spoke mountable) than the magnet that's provided with Cateyes other popular computer, the Enduro/Mity3. The unit itself is also far superior to the Enduro -- button placement is flat on TOP and easily pressible, quite the opposite with the Mity3 where the buttons were underneath and hard as hell to press. Plus, you can actually reset the unit with one hand, something you can't do with the Mity3.
If there was only improvement I would make, I would ask Cateye to make the LCD panel a little larger to see. Not that much larger, but a 25% increase in size would help a lot. Otherwise, this is a fantastic product! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Joe
a Weekend Warrior
from Pleasanton, CA
Date Reviewed: May 22, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Saragota Gap | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$40.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance | | Strengths: | Great for indoor training because of rear speed sensor. Not made for mountain bikes. Who really needs cadence on a mountain bike? | | Weaknesses: | Very thin sensor cables. Small letters M, A, S, D, O identifying selection. Could be larger. | | Similar Products Used: | Specialize, Axiom | | Bike Setup: | 2000 LeMond Zurich with Rolf Vector Comps | | Bottom Line: | After reading some of the reviews, I had some agreements and some disagreements. It does take some time and care in routing the cable and mounting the sensors. The best approach would be first to tape the sensors to their ideal locations first and then route the cable up the down tube up to the bars. This is actually my second one because my wire did get pinched while performing some maintenance. They have a heavy duty wire kit which you can purchase sparately. It really should come with the computer. I never had any bad experince with the sensors falling apart. I usually don't ride in the rain but the times I did get got caught, I didn't have any problems with my computer. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tim
a Weekend Warrior
from Germantown, MD, USA
Date Reviewed: April 11, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Purchased At: | Performance, Gaithersburg, MD | | Strengths: | 10 Years old and still works fine | | Weaknesses: | Time-consuming to install. | | Similar Products Used: | Cateye Vectra | | Bike Setup: | '89 Nishiki Modulus (Road) w/Time Pedals
'01 GT Aggressor (ATB) w/Time Pedals
'01 Lemond Nevada City (wife road) w/Time Pedals | | Bottom Line: | I upgraded from my 1989 Cateye Vectra to my first Cateye Astrale in 1993. My reasons were as follows:
I purchased a trainer so I wanted a rear-mount with cadence for training purposes.
I got tired of forgetting to START/STOP my computer, and accidentally stopping it.
My wife's bike got stolen (11/01) with her Cateye Vectra on it. When we replaced the bike, I bought another Astrale to go on hers. She loves it too, for the same reasons mentioned above.
I have had zero problems with this computer. I have not yet even replaced the battery in my 10 year old Astrale!
I have seen complains about problems in the rain here. I learned early on with Cateye computers (only brand I have used) to keep a tuck and close sandwich baggy (not a zip-lok) and rubber band in my saddle-bag. When it rains, I just slip the baggy over the computer, smooth it out, and wrap the rubber band around it, and WALLAH...no computer problems.
I have never replaced the wiring harness on my 10 year old Astrale.
My wife or I have never had any problems with either of our Astrale's on the trainer, and I think mine is magnetic resistance. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Derek
a
from Cedar Springs, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: January 26, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$40.00 | | Purchased At: | Smiths cycle | | Strengths: | Cadence, Classic look | | Weaknesses: | not suitable for off road | | Similar Products Used: | a number of cyclocomputers | | Bottom Line: | I'm a mountain biker who mostly trains on the road. I purchased this computer mainly because it has the cadence funtion. The hook up was time consuming (about 1 hour to do a decent job) but I made a cup of tea, read the instructions completely and took my time. The Cat Eye has a nice look to it, and the buttons have a positive feel to them. I would not however recommend this computer to anyone who plans to use it in serious off road situations as the cadence hook up and sensors are a accident waiting to happen. Also the wire is of a thin nature for a rough and tumble mtb.
I have not really had the chance to get to much use from this product yet but just wanted to offer information to potential buyers. Good luck.
Bottom line: Nice computer but keep it on the road bike. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jim
a Weekend Warrior
from Portland, TN 37148
Date Reviewed: October 25, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Any long, smooth piece of asphalt | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$40.00 | | Purchased At: | Sun & Ski Sports | | Strengths: | Dual function display and cadence. | | Weaknesses: | Very tiny wires. Rear wheel mounting instead of front wheel or at least a choice. The sensors are VERY fragile. | | Similar Products Used: | This is my first cycle computer. | | Bike Setup: | 2001 LeMond Zurich, full Ultegra group, Rolf Vector Comp wheels with Michelin Axial Pro's and Profile Design aerobars. | | Bottom Line: | As mentioned earlier, this is the first cycling computer I have owned. At first I was estatic about the computer, especially the cadence moniter. This happiness was short lived because within 700 miles of use the housing of the cadence sensor came off exposing the inner circuitry and shortly thereafter totally broke off. The rear wheel sensor does not want to stay in place even after double and triple checking the tightness of the rear sensor mounting bracket. And the most recent complaint involves the rear wheel magnet. Lately the magnet does not want to stay attached to the flat spokes of the Vector Comps. Also, the computer head unit seems to have a little trouble maintaining contact with the mounting bracket causing the unit to quit functioning until I apply some "fine tuning." (a.k.a. smacking the unit to regain contact) One additional note........I contacted the folks at Cateye and explained my problems and the spokesperson insisted it was a installation error but was told they were sending me a new installation kit free of charge. This was weeks ago and I have yet to see ANY kit. If you are looking for a good cycling computer I would check out some other brands first. | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Christopher Paton
a Racer
from Edinburgh, Scotland
Date Reviewed: August 18, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Roadie: Any quiet road... | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | [Came with bike, second-hand] | | Strengths: | Cadence, good manual, rear speed sensor | | Weaknesses: | Trouble with sensor, rain! | | Bike Setup: | Peugeot Competition 300 | | Bottom Line: | The Astrale is a simple, easy to use computer which I would highly recommend, especially to first-roadies. The fact it uses a rear wheel sensor makes it good for using on a turbo, although there are problems: The lack of waterproofing results in an incorrect speed reading in poor weather, and additionally the sensor needs to be very close to the magnet to work - just a small misalignment results in no speed. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Paul Listerman
a
from Edgewood Kentucky
Date Reviewed: August 10, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | I'm a roadie...don't need no stinkin' trails! | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | All the functions you will ever need | | Weaknesses: | Doesn't work in the rain. Wires are flimsy - that's why Cateye makes a replacement harness kit. I've replaced my wires onc | | Similar Products Used: | Several others... | | Bike Setup: | Colnago Ti, Campy Record 10sp, Speeddreams | | Bottom Line: | Great functions when it works. Forget it when it gets wet. The wiring harnes is flimsy - it will break on you eventually. (replacement:$20). For the price, its' a good deal becuase I try not to ride in the rain. Would I buy another one?? Probably not due to the 'rain' problem. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Wayne Bird
a Weekend Warrior
from Loveland, CO USA
Date Reviewed: August 2, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Purchased At: | Colorado Cyclist | | Strengths: | Easy read display, cadence, very long battery life | | Weaknesses: | Clock stopped keeping accurate time after 5 yrs of use, replaced tape to secure wires with tie-wraps | | Similar Products Used: | Cateye Solar | | Bike Setup: | Mongoose Hilltopper SX, City Slicker road tires | | Bottom Line: | An excellent computer. The cadence function is very nice to have. It's a nice compact unit. I'm purchasing a new road bike and debating whether I put on an Astrale or Flight Deck. It's hard to change from something that has worked so well for 5 years. I've had no problem with the wires being too thin. Anyone looking for a quality computer with cadence will surely find this to be the one. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
John
a Cross Country Rider
from Staten Island, NY USA
Date Reviewed: August 1, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Hartshorne | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$45.00 | | Purchased At: | Peddler | | Strengths: | CADENCE | | Weaknesses: | A little tricky to install and align properly, the wire is a little on the flimsy side. | | Similar Products Used: | None | | Bike Setup: | Univega hardtail, Marzocchi XC 600 fork | | Bottom Line: | Cadance in a unit that costs less than $50.00!!!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
David
a Cross Country Rider
from St. Louis, MO
Date Reviewed: July 6, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$40.00 | | Purchased At: | Touring Cyclist | | Strengths: | Cadence, and rear mounted. Auto stop/start while on rides. | | Weaknesses: | Cables are way to thin hold up to any kind of trials of the road. They need to use ties instead of tape to hold on the wires. | | Similar Products Used: | Cateye Micro, Avocet 30 | | Bike Setup: | Giant road bike. | | Bottom Line: | I mainly use it for training while inside, but when I take it outside it works sometimes. The sensor in the back came off the bracket and I have had to readjust it ocassionally. It would change speeds, (ex. 20 mph - 7 mph while going at 20 mph). I have had to replace the harness due to the cheap design for the wires. It needs to be much thicker and be able to handle the rough terrains of the road and weather. I haven't had any problems with the display going out, but haven't worked with it in the rain yet. It is good for using inside for training due to nothing else interfering with the ride.
I wouldn't hesitate buying a Cateye again. They are a great computer, but needs a little help. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
maverick
a
from m'sia
Date Reviewed: May 19, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Strengths: | 1. cadence
2. dual display for easy reading | | Weaknesses: | 1. not waterproof
2. difficult to install | | Similar Products Used: | cateye vectra | | Bike Setup: | steel with shimano | | Bottom Line: | works well when dry.
lousy in rain, mine died regularly.
can never fix the problem unless you place a baggy to cover the unit.
overall: good features but poor rain performance
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
The Slack Ass
a Weekend Warrior
from Dundas, Ontario
Date Reviewed: May 4, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | The cadence feature is great if you're doing any real training, it has essentially all the features I need | | Weaknesses: | Extremely cheap wire...it's weak and it's only a matter of time before it breaks. The sensors are very finicky, the magnet has to be very close or it doesn't work. | | Similar Products Used: | Sigma Targa (for my mountain bike...nice thick wire, but no cadence) | | Bike Setup: | F.Moser frame, Ultegra grouppo, Syntace aerobars w/shimano bar end shifters, mavic wheels | | Bottom Line: | It was on my bike when I bought it, but seems like a bit of a hassle to set up if you had to. Once it's on, it seems to do the jo though. I don't know how it will handle in the long run, as I haven't had it very long. I give it 5 value chili's because it's got all the functions you need for relatively cheap, and 4 overall chili's because of the uber-cheap wiring. | | Value Rating: |
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