Specialized SpeedZone Sport Wireless Test

Specialized is wellknown for producing some of the best frames out there, but they manufacture other stuff too. shoes for clipless pedals, and bikecomputers. I have been testing the Specialized SpeedZone Sport Wireless, and have been impressed by it. it is much smaller than for example the Bontrager Trip 4W, but nevertheless is big enough to be readable. It is also a lot cheaper than the ultimative bikecomputer with inbuild GPS, the Garmin Edge 800.

On the road

A thing I really like about it is the holder of the computer, which is installed on the upper headset of the bike, rather than fitting it on the stem. It looks really cool actually, but in reality it’s not totally thought through. On lightly rough roads, it begins slamming against the stem, which creates a noise you definitely will notice. The first time this noise was represented to me, I kind of panicked and thought that something was broken on my bike, until I realized what it was. I got used to it though, and I am pretty sure most people would. But there is a solution I later found out. A simple one actually. The solution was to just tip it a bit up, so it does not hit against the stem, unless you are riding on cobbles. So the solution is easy to make the coolest looking bikecomputerkeeper on your bike, without the drawbacks, apart from 1 gram more drag.

The signal is strong. Never have I experienced it losing the signal to the sensor, not even amongst electric fences or antennas with great magnetic fields. Other cheap wireless bikecomputers tend to do this a lot, but not the Specialized SpeedZone Sport.

It is good on ending up with the same distance on the same routes. Just like the Bontrager Trip 4W it only have about 20-30 meters of difference per 40 km from day to day. It is more than acceptable, when you think of the possibility of the tires not having the same pressure every single time, which could lead to either a smaller or larger distance per rotation of the wheels.

As I mentioned, the screen is smaller than most other screens, but the speed is still easy to read. You do have to look a little bit harder for the odo-, tripmeter, distance and average speed, because those values are showed in smaller numbers. It is not a total problem reading the values on it; it just demands 1% more concentration. The screen is easy to read in direct sunlight though, so that is positive for those riding in high sun most of the time.
It does also give you all the basic information you need with the things mentioned above, so for that matter, I have nothing negative to point out on it.

The verdict

This is a great wireless bikecomputer for the money. It looks cool with its special(ized) holder and the size of it of course makes it light and compact, but still readable to a degree where it is easily acceptable. The signal is strong too, and it is good at showing the same data for each trip on the same routes, so it is trustable on that matter. All in all I can easily recommend this bikecomputer.

Written by René

Read more: http://cyclingtipsonline.com/news/specialized-speedzone-sport-wireless-test/

Bontrager Trip 4W Test

The Bontrager Trip 4W is a cheap wireless bikecomputer, in the other end of the pricescale compared to bikecomputers like the Garmin Edge 800 I reviewed not long a time ago. It is more comparable to the Specialized SpeedZone Sport Wireless bikecomputer I also have tested. The Bontrager Trip W4 can do what the ordinary bikeriders needs. It got an odo- and tripmeter, along with showing your speed (both average and the current speed) and distance. Which in the end is what we usually look for while we are on the bike. So for that purpose it would suit more or less everybody who are in search of a bikecomputer. Especially if they want a good wireless one for not much money. This comes in at around 30-40 euro’s and is compact, light, and easy to install.

On the road

It is good. It does not seem cheap built, and the size of the screen is good. Not too big, not too small. The values on the screen are easy to read too. Your current speed is highlighted, and the screen is showing the values very clearly. Even in sunlight I have no problem reading it. The batterylife is great too. I changed it after a year where I had been using it for more than 4000 km, so it is economic then it comes to batteries too.

Also, on the same routes it is good to tell the same distances everytime. It is only doing about 20-30 meters difference from day to day per 40 km, which is more than acceptable, when you think of the possibility of the tires not having same pressure every single time, which would lead either a smaller or a larger distance per rotation.

I have experienced just a single problem occurring though. On a day with high humidity, I rode parallel with an electric fence 5 meters from me, and the signal clearly got lost. I was doing 33 km/h before getting near the fence, and then it jumped from 70 km/h to 0 and back to 50, before I was away from the fence, where it started to show the normal values once again. I have been riding past that same fence 50 times before, never had I noticed it until then, and never did I notice it afterwards. So it was a single appearance I guess, on a day where the magnetic fields could travel longer than usual due to the greater humidity. And that was the only time I experienced that it lost its signal. The signal is definitely strong enough to make it useable. I have heard about people where this happened every time they passed electric fences, which is due to poor quality. But not on these Bontragers.

The verdict

I must admit that I am deeply impressed by what Bontrager has come up with.  For such a few bucks, you get a very solid bikecomputer, a wireless even, which holds a strong signal, is light and compact, and even got a screen that is readable in sunlight. If you are searching for a bikecomputer that does not have to have inbuilt GPS, this is a good choice for money.

Written by René

Read more: http://cyclingtipsonline.com/news/bontrager-trip-4w-test/