MetroFlash VELOCITA Wireless Bicycle Computer
I am a casual biker, and so far have not had much of a need for a dedicated biking computer. I’ve used my iPhone a few times in order to get an idea of my biking trips, but that option has several drawbacks. In order to mount my iPhone on my handlebars during the bike ride I would need a separate mount, and those can cost as much as this MetroFlash or more. Furthermore, most of the mounts I’ve seen don’t seem to hold the iPhone securely enough. iPhone is too valuable to me to risk having it drop on the road while biking. Finally, iPhone by itself relies on GPS for all of its measurements – velocity, distance, etc. Those can be pretty unreliable, especially when it comes to instantaneous readings. There are gadgets out there that can be attached to your bike and work with the iPhone, but again, most of them are too expensive for casual use.
MetroFlash’s Velocita computer is a very well made little device. I’ve owned several other MetroFlash devices, and have always been impressed with the quality of their products. Velocita is very small, fits easily in your pocket, but the screen is big enough to be clearly seen in both the broad daylight and the twilight conditions.
Installing the sensor to the front wheel and the computer to the handlebar was straightforward. I needed to measure the size of the wheel in order to calibrate the sensors properly, but once that was done the whole setup was ready to go.
I compared the distance measurements with this computer to the ones I’ve done with my iPhone, and they seem pretty consistent. (Less than 1% discrepancy.) I’ve also compared it to some known distances, and again the computer seems to be very accurate. I was unable to properly gauge the instantaneous velocity, but the overall speed for the trip was (unsurprisingly) accurate.
Right now I am not sure about the battery life for this computer and its sensor. I expect them to last me few weeks if not months based on my biking usage.
One thing I wish this computer had was some kind of Bluetooth connectivity. It would be great if I could upload my biking stats wirelessly and simply to some of my other exercise apps.
Overall, I am really impressed and satisfied with this little computer, especially considering its affordable price.
About the Author
Bojan Tunguz
Bojan Tunguz was born in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which he and his family fled during the civil war for the neighboring Croatia. Over the past two decades he has studied, lived and worked in the United States. He is a theoretical physicist with degrees from Stanford and University of Illinois. Tunguz has taught physics at several prominent liberal arts colleges and has been writing about physics, science and technology for more than a decade. He also has a wide spectrum of interests, and reads and writes about current events, society, culture, religion and politics. Over the years he has reviewed many of the books that he has read, and posted his reviews on various online outlets. In 2011 he had become a top 10 reviewer on Amazon.com, where he continues to be very active. Aside from reading and writing, Tunguz enjoys traveling, digital photography, hiking, and fitness. He resides with his wife in Indiana. You can follow my review updates on the following pages as well: Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tunguzreview Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/tunguzreviews Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/104312842297641697463/posts
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