Can anyone recommend a uni computer for the Coker. Is there one that can accomodate the size of the wheel?
I got a Scwhinn trip computer from walmart for $9. It works really well. The only mod you have to do is file the slot in the magnet a little wider to fit over the thick Coker spoke. After doing that the set screw didn’t work so I used some JB Weld to fasten it on.
I’ll agree with pdc, the inexpensive Schwinn computer from Walmart will accept the large diameter of the 36" wheel without having to use 2 magnet to calibrate it. Use care when filing the slot on the magnet so that you don’t remove too much metal.
I just got a Qu-Ax 36" and went to my bike shop for a computer. They had Cat-Eye ones but they only went up to 700c wheels.
Does this using two magnets idea that Krashin Kenny mentioned mean I could set the speedo for an 18" wheel and put two magnets (equal distance apart) on the wheel?
I gotta find out how fast I’m going on this thing!!!
I’ve been using an older model Schwinn computer. It’s a model that has a single button rather than two. Schwinn has discontinued the old single button version and now has a two button version. I don’t know if the designs are from the same engineers or if they’re based off the same design. I don’t know how similar they are. I haven’t used the two button version. I mention all that because what I have to say about the old single button version may or may not apply to the two button version.
The good news is that the Schwinn computers are under $10 at Wal*Mart. Quite a deal and it works great.
What I like about the Schwinn one button computer:
- Displays speed in 0.1 mph increments
- Requires more than 2 passes of the magnet before it calculates the speed. This is a big feature for a unicycle. Some computers will register a new speed after every pass of the magnet. That can lead to erroneous max speed readings. During an idle or a mount or a dismount or a UPD the magnet can make two really quick passes by the sensor and record a max speed that does not match with reality. A computer that requires 3 or more passes of the magnet to register the current speed will not have that problem. I have never had an erroneous max speed reading with my Schwinn. People with other brands of computers can have that problem. An erroneous reading would be something like a max speed of 25 mph when you know that you never went that fast and never could go that fast.
What I don’t like about the Schwinn one button computer
- You cannot reset just the max speed. When you do a reset it resets all of the settings (trip distance, max speed, ride time, avg speed). It would be nice to be able to just reset the max speed without affecting the other settings.
Some of the Cateye computers can handle a wheel as big or bigger than the Coker. The table in the manual only shows suggested settings for up to a 700c wheel. But you can do a manual setting that and calculation for larger wheels and the manual explains how to do that.
Cateye has the manuals for their computers online. You can check the manuals to find out what the specifications are for the max wheel size.
The Coker wheel requires a setting of around 2770 mm to 2850 mm (277 cm to 285 cm). The Cateye Enduro8 can handle a wheel size up to 300 cm. That’s more than enough to fit a Coker wheel.
Most other cycle computer manufacturers also have their manuals online. It’s more convenient to check the specifications online than to go to a bike shop and open up the boxes to read the manual.
I have the Cateye Enduro 8 on my 29er.
And I have the Cateye OS 1.1 on my Coker. It’s a really cool computer. It saves historical data. Daily data for the last seven days. Then monthly, etc. It’s nice if you want to keep track of your mileage and average speeds, etc.
You can change the font size too. So I made the MPH font small and the statistics font big (because I can’t see it while I’m riding).
Check it out if you are into gadgets and tinkering.
Have you had any problems with false max speed readings with the Cateye computers? Does it take more than 2 passes of the magnet to register a speed?
I’ve attained amazing speeds of 300 miles per hour on my 29er. It is very rare that I go that fast. And I don’t recall ever achieving such speeds on the Coker.
It’s only happened a few times in the last two years. I don’t think it’s ever happened while riding. I always assumed it was when I was “handling” the uni (parking it, standing with it, putting it in the car, etc. – where the magnet twitches past the sensor a few times).
I’ll do some experiments tomorrow and see if I can figure out the “two passes” answer.
I definitely have. Not that I’m a close attention-payer, but I’ve run both the Cateye Enduro 8 and the old one-button Schwinn you mentioned. The incidence of false max speed readings is much higher with the Cateye…I’m assuming it’s due to how they calculate, i.e. two passes instead of 3, but I don’t know that for sure.