My Bontrager cycling computer went doolally

My Bontrager cycling computer no longer records my speed. This is very annoying.

I bought this gizmo as an early Christmas present to myself because I fancied it would look cool. A  nice bit of hardware on a neat clamp projecting out over the stem and front wheel. It added a bit more style to my stylish midnight blue Condor Italia RC frame.

Its years since I had a comp on the handlebars. I remember when that last one gave up the ghost. It had gone haywire, recording 80mph on a flat road.

This latest one is set to metric.  20kph doesn’t feel as slow at 12mph.


It was the clock I wanted, so I could easily see how long I was out riding, so as to return to my duties on time, my wrist watch having packed up earlier in the year.

Besides it would be fun also to see how slow I was riding.


On a slight downhill run I knew well I registered 40kph.  I was a bit disappointed for I always imagined I was going much faster!

I used to go twice that fast off the Horse Shoe Pass in North Wales in my youth. Spinning 54x14.

I know because on one flying descent a passing motorcyclist held up a gloved hand showing me five fingers!   50mph (80kph in today’s money) on the 1-in-7 drop past Valle Crucis Abbey ruins rushing by on the left.

And if I recall correctly, a tricky double bend over a humpback bridge coming up.  No trouble for the centre-pull Mafacs of course.  Innocent days.


Back to the future.

After a week, my new gizmo packed up. I had set out and noted immediately that it  was showing me a blank screen as I was rolling along.

So I stopped to have a fiddle with it.


The clock was on; information from my previous ride was still there, the Odometer, total distance, calories burned???

Can you believe that?

Calories burned!

How could it know?  Extrapolated nonsense.


I spun the front wheel. Nothing, no speed registered.

So I reset everything at the roadside!  And noticed that when it offered a selection of wheel sizes to choose, the 700.23 was no longer an option!

Then I thought bollocks to this. I’m meant to be on a bike ride, not fiddling around trying to reset this computer.

Where are the IT specialists when you need them?

Even so, the fact it wasn’t working was irritating and 30 minutes later I was again stopped pressing buttons in the hope it would start working. It wouldn’t. 


At home I hung the bike up, gave the front wheel a twirl.

Hey, and it came alive, 4.5 kph!

So I wheeled the bike back outside and rode around block. Blank!

Nothing.

It was having me on!


Perhaps the battery in the transponder on the forks was dead?

So I bought a new 12 volt battery.  Spun the wheel. Nothing.

I got out my magnifying glass to study a small icon which had appeared as a smudge on the screen. The icon was of a spanner! Or a wrench, as the leaflet called it.

The leaflet explained what the icon meant.

It meant, time for a service!

What?

I’ve barely had the thing a week!

Still, clearly something needed attention. So thank you, Icon.


Rang my excellent local bike shop where I bought this thing from.  Told them my story.

Bring the bike in tomorrow morning, they said.

The mechanic puzzled at the sight of icon of the wrench portrayed on the screen.

So he turned to the shop computer and I presume he found the manufacturers technical support page.


He screwed up his nose in disbelief at what the screen was telling him.

That icon has nothing to do with the computer, he said. It’s a reminder to have the bike serviced!

Totally superfluous bit on information, we both agreed.

What next, an icon reminding you when to blow your  nose?


Leave the bike with us and come back later this afternoon, said the mechanic.

Four hours later I collected my bike. The computer was working again!

How did you do that?


We moved the transponder on the fork closer to the magnet on the spokes, he said.

I looked at its new position, slightly turned inward instead of sitting straight as per the diagram in the explanatory leaflet.  It had worked in the original position, to begin with, which I am sure was set to the correct distance of between 3mm and 5mm from the magnet.

But hey, it had stopped working then. Now it’s OK.

Three cheers for figuring it out, I said to the mechanic.

No charge, he said.

Even better, I said.

See how it goes, he said. Any problems bring it back, it’s on warranty.


Wheeled the bike out of the shop at 1.5kph. No reckless speeding, me!

Walked it across the road. I had shopping from the supermarket so I was walking. Anyway, my house is only 200 yards away and on that short trip the computer dutifully clocked 2.7kph. Shopper speed.


Got in the house, slung the Condor on to its hooks and gave the front wheel a spin, just in case!

6kph, standing still. All well and good.

Came back out an hour later, gave the front wheel another spin.

The screen blanked me!

Except for the clock. That was running.

But no speedo!

What the *%!?

To be continued….(maybe)