Strada assistance please

[Matt2matt2002]

Argh!!

Cateye Strada – wireless playing up after 18 months of use.
( new batteries were inserted 12 months ago as part of regular maintenance )
Display shows time, ODO distance etc. but no data is picked up from the magnet / wheel sensor.
It happened a few days in the middle of a road ride. No rough stuff bouncing about!

I replaced the sensor battery first, having made sure the magnet was positioned correctly.
No joy.
I then replaced the unit battery and reset the system.
Still no joy.

Since the display unit is showing time etc. I thought it may be a faulty sensor – so fitted and old one from another cateye unit I used a few years ago.
No joy.

Any ideas folks?
I’ve trawled the forums elsewhere and found nowt that helps.
It’s not a battery issue. And it’s not a magnet positioning issue. And it’s not an interference issue from anything else electronic.

Do the sensor units fail out of the blue?

Many thanks folks

[mickeg]

I am not familiar with your unit, so my comments are more generic.

I have a non-bike electronic device that every time I change batteries (a CR2032), it is very finicky, sometimes it works but usually I have to clean off the battery contacts on the device to remove any corrosion on the contacts first before a new battery will work.  Usually rubbing the contacts and battery with fabric is sufficient, but sometimes I have to do it several times to get it to work.

I have a VDO computer that goes through batteries very fast when cold.  I eventually decided that it needs a fairly high voltage and when it is colder, it only uses part of the energy from a battery before it quits.  Some winter rides, a battery will not last for even an hour.  But in summer heat, lasts all summer.

My VDO computer when I change the battery in it or in a sensor, I have to re-train it to understand that the two components are trying to communicate.  Does your Strada need to be reset?  You may need to look in the manual.

I did have a VDO sensor die a few years ago, it was nearly new, got it replaced under warranty.

Good luck.

[Danneaux]

Do the sensor units fail out of the blue?

Hi Matt!

I've seen it happen and had it happen to me.

These units can be real sensitive to the three issues you mentioned: Battery, XYZ-axis of the magnet and pickup, and resync procedure/sequence.

May I suggest you remove the head unit and hold it nearer the pickup transmitter and see if it registers anything when you spin the wheel. On some installations, the distance between transmitter and receiver are on the ragged edge of radio range and if the batteries are new but a bit low from storage, it can make the connection less robust. 70cm is the limit on this model.

Did you press the AC (All Clear) button first?

I think I'd try the resync procedure again and hold the reset button for 5 seconds or so before releasing it. Don't forget to reset the sensor also, and hold it down a similarly long time. That sometimes helps.

Did you recently mount a light or phone on the handlebars near the head unit?

I hate to say it, but this is why I use units with heavy-duty wired connections. I've found them less problematic overall.

All the best,

Dan.

[geocycle]

Hi Matt,
I've got a strada. When it fails it's usually the sensor or magnetic that has moved. Secondly the batteries, I always change the sensor and move that to the computer. Thirdly interference from the Dynamo. This is usually solved by moving the computer nearer the sensor or way from the grips. Dan's test is a good plan ie put the computer v close to the sensor temporarily. When you change the battery you have to change all the wheel settings, odometer and time of course.

[Matt2matt2002]

Thanks folks.
Near midnight here in UK but will try suggestions tomorrow.

Briefly
Yes, new batteries all round.
Yes, good stock from bike shop.
 Yes, did press the reset button on the main unit. AC button I guess,?
Yes, held the units near each other.

Reset the sensor??
I didn't see a button to press on that. But it certainly received a new battery.

[Matt2matt2002]

Many thanks folks.
Update......

I tried everything suggested and then some.
But no luck, so splashed the cash on eBay and took delivery of a replacement Strada yesterday.
Works fine and then I thought I'd see if the old unit linked up with my new one in any way.

It turns the old unit is fine but the sensor on the wheel does not send out a signal.
Despite a new battery and being threatened with the bin.
So I now have 2 units that work!

Is this a good enough reason to buy another bike?
😉

[David Simpson]

So I now have 2 units that work!
...
Is this a good enough reason to buy another bike?

That's a good enough reason to buy 2 bikes!

Oh wait... I see, you already have 1 bike. Then yes, just buy 1 more bike.

- DaveS

[Danneaux]

No...buy two more bikes, then when one fails you'll still have a spare.

This is how n+1 can be readily justified. It gets more difficult as the number of bikes grows beyond 10...or 15.

 

All the best,

Dan.

[energyman]

I have had to reposition my Cateye wireless thingies away from my Garmin sat nav as it jams the signal from the fork to the handlebar.  I spent a day renewing batteries and putting the magnet on a different spoke etc.  Too much technology !  Probably not much help but it passed a rainy winters day in my shed.

[Andre Jute]

Besides vulnerability to interference, the problem with many, perhaps most wireless components for bike use is the very short range, often announced as 50cm but in reality hardly more than 30cm, which is useless on a tall bike for computers and with tall people for heart rate monitors. Those that actually work are like gold dust. None of the wireless bike computers I tried worked reliably; in fact, most could be set up to work at all on a bike as tall as mine. So I'm with Dan. For a bike computer I use a basic wired Sigma BC509 because its predecessor BC506 served faithfully for a decade before it was smashed in an incident. For a Bluetooth 4 heart rate monitor sensor I use the Polar H7, which has the range and pairs solidly with the iPhone 4S I use as an HRM recorder; the H7 has a ripoff price and other shortcomings but it works, as the Chinese copies do not.

[JimK]

I got a new computer not too long ago, which I could not get to work. I switched to the magnet from my older unit and that fixed the problem. I would think it not too hard to make sure that the magnets they send out have enough umph, but apparently... well, it wasn't an expensive unit, so I guess quality control is one of the corners they cut!

[David Simpson]

Besides vulnerability to interference, the problem with many, perhaps most wireless components for bike use is the very short range

For me, a big problem of wireless computers is having to pay for two batteries: one for the computer, and one for the sensor. I have gone back to a wired bike computer.

- DaveS

[Matt2matt2002]

Re the wire/wireless debate; I'm not sure I like the idea of a wire hanging down ready to be caught or catch on something.

[Donerol]

A couple of zip ties will keep it all tidy.

[martinf]

Re the wire/wireless debate; I'm not sure I like the idea of a wire hanging down ready to be caught or catch on something.

I've been using wired cycle computers for at least 15 years. The only time the wires have snagged was during survey work on my 16" wheel Brompton in 2001 or 2003. Using (lots of) zip ties instead of the insulating tape I originally used to secure the wires solved the snagging problem for me.

On survey work I did a lot of riding on paths with abundant vegetation, the sides of the Brompton's front bag got quite worn. And due to the small wheels, the fork sensor was closer to the ground, so more likely to snag than on a large-wheel bike.

I reckon the main downside to a wired computer is aesthetics, not a concern for me as I already have wiring for hub generator lighting on my bikes.