Cycling with a Strada Smart Bike Computer

Like many middle-aged men, I returned to cycling last year in an attempt to get out more and do some much-needed exercise. I am a casual cyclist, but it's very good for my mental as well as physical health, and I like to be able to keep track of how I am doing.

Strava

I soon discovered Strava. With the Strava app on my phone, I could track my routes and see how I was improving over time. The app uploads each ride to the Strava website, where you can also compare your 'segment times' with other riders, and see how often you have beaten personal best times.

Sensors

The Strava app uses the phone's GPS to track speed, distance, and of course record the route. The next step was to add some cadence data. A cyclist's cadence is the RPM of the pedals. I tend to slow down as I get through the ride, so it would useful to have a read out of the effort I was putting in. I added a 'Bluetooth Smart' cadence and speed meter (from Lidl!) to the bike. Most Android and recent Apple phones are equipped with the Bluetooth LE functionality to link to such devices. The Strava app could now record and display the speed and pedal cadence direct from the bike, rather than relying on the GPS for the former.
I even went  further and added a 'Wahoo Blue HR' Bluetooth Smart heart rate belt as well. This means I can measure effort directly, regardless of terrain.

Mounting the phone

I started by mounting my phone on the handlebars, but this wasn't very practical. Even though the Moto E I use is small by modern standards, it took a lot of space and didn't feel very safe if I ever dropped the bike. More importantly, I found it quite distracting to have a phone in my line of vision. 

Next I moved the phone to a 'Topmove' carrier (Lidl again!) on the top bar, which was much better. 

This was great for tracking the rides, but not great at displaying information. For one thing, the Strava app only displays live information (rather than an average) when you pay a subscription for the premium version. For another, having the phone's display on the whole time uses up the battery, and causes still more distraction when riding.

Strada Smart

The final piece of the jigsaw was to add a cycle computer. I chose the Cateye Strada Smart, a small Bluetooth Smart display that mounts on the stem or handlebars. This acts to mirror the data from the phone to its display. The main screen displays my speed, cadence and heart-rate, reported via the phone from the bluetooth sensors on the bike and my chest. You can also click the device (no buttons, which is clever) to swap the lower part of the display to distance, elapsed time, clock time or various trips and averages.

The phone has to run the Cateye Cycling app (versions are available for Android and iOs) to connect to the Strada Smart. This app records your ride, connects to the sensors, mirrors the data to the cycle computer and finally uploads the data to Strava at the end of the day. The Strada Smart isn't really that smart - it mainly just displays the data from the phone, though it can also be used to start, stop and pause recording.

The system will also work with no sensors - it will just fall back to using the GPS for speed and distance (no cadence or heart rate, obviously). Alternatively, it can work without the phone, connecting directly to the sensors. In this mode you will lose any route tracking, but you can still upload summary ride information with the app at a later date. I did find this mode less reliable than the normal mirroring, and the Strada Smart often lost connection to the sensors.

Summary and Verdict

Overall, I am happy with this. I can record my rides, including cadence and heart-rate data and upload them to Strava. I can also get live read-outs of this data without having my phone display switched on.  The Cateye app is functional and pretty easy to use. The Strada Smart is even better. It needs no setup, as the phone takes care of this, and is very easy to use when riding. I find the display very clear, and battery life pretty good (a few months on a CR2032, depending on how regularly you ride). You just have to remember to start the app, and switch on Bluetooth on the phone, before you set off.