Bicycling Computers
I had the opportunity to go for a short ride after work so I packed up my gear and headed out to Sydney Olympic Park. The great thing about this place (which was custom built for the Sydney 2000 Olympics) is the nice wide roads, most with bicycle lanes, and the very low traffic. The scenery and the newness of it all make it an even more pleasant ride.
Whilst riding I realised I'd really like to mash-up my cycling and technology. The best I'd be able to do would be for me to collect data using both a heart-rate monitor and, naturally, a bike computer. I have a Polar S210 HRM which in my off-time has had its battery drained out, which ought not to be a big issue to get replaced. But the bike computer I have is an early model Sigma Sport, this could do with replacing.
Other than the basic features that most bike computers offer, doing some hill training, I'm more interested in the average gradient and also the altitude that I'm working at. Unfortunately the options seem limited, there was once a great brand called Avocet, but from their current product line it seems as though their innovation has really stalled in the last few years.
My searching also led me to the Vetta V100A WL2X which has all the features that I'm after and more. The funny thing is that my very first bike computer was a $40 Vetta, bright yellow with two black buttons, many years ago. It was cool and funky, but quite limited in functionality. Anyway, I'm not sure what price range the V100A is around but if it's reasonable it could very well be on my shopping list.