Shimano Flight Deck Computers
Written: Jul 26 '01 (Updated May 03 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Control buttons are built into the brake/gear levers
Cons: None
The Bottom Line: If you ride a bike with Flight Deck compatible STI levers, this is the best bike computer available. It features safe "hands on bars" operation.
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| nmg1969's Full Review: Shimano |
I’ve been using a Flight Deck computer for almost a year. I’ve used a range of brands over the last ten years, including Avocet and various Cateye models. The Shimano system is, in my opinion, the best option.
To use this system, your bike needs to be running the correct STI (integrated brake and gear) levers. To find out if your Shimano equipped bike is compatible, look for the words "Flight Deck" on the levers. This is a very safe system as the buttons to control the computer are built into the side of the STI levers. This means that the computer can be controlled without the need for the rider to take his/her hand off the handlebars. With the other brands mentioned, the buttons to control the various functions are on the computer display head, which means a rider only has one hand on the handlebars.
Because Shimano’s Flight Deck has eliminated the control buttons from the display head, the screen is much bigger and easier to read than other brands. Another great advantage of the Shimano system is that the computer will display the gear ratio to the rider. Flight Deck computers feature a gear position display (a series of up to 3 x 9 ovals, representing the range of gears). There are always two ovals highlighted (one for the chainrings and the other for the sprockets on the rear wheel) and these change as the rider changes gear. In addition to this, the system will also momentarily display the chain ring and sprocket size. Before I got this computer I used to have to look between my legs at the rear wheel to check which sprocket I was in!
Cordless cadence is another feature of this system. Cadence is the pedaling speed of the rider, displayed as revolutions per minute. Other brands use a cable running to a sensor on the frame and a magnet on the crank arm. This can look a bit messy. Shimano’s cordless system calculates the cadence via the bike speed and gear ratio.
What if I have two bikes? No problem. Flight Deck can be programmed to work on up to four different bikes. The wheel size for each bike will need to be programmed into the computer (see my epinion on “what is a bike computer” if you need more information on this) as will the chainring and sprocket sizes. The local bike shop will be able to help with an extra bracket/magnet kit so that the display head can be swapped from bike to bike. The computers are 7, 8 or 9 speed compatible so as long as the bikes have the correct STI levers there won’t be a problem.
Other Flight Deck features include:
~Odometer/Trip distance
~Current/Average/Maximum speed
~Cordless wheel speed sensor (SM-6501 series)
~Elapsed time and stop watch functions
~Easy wheel diameter calibration
~Control keys on the base of the display head, for off the bike data viewing.
~Lap counter
~Low battery indicator
~Power saving sleep mode
~Waterproof (you can take your bike scuba-diving to a depth of ten meters)
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
nmg1969
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Location: Australia
Reviews written: 14
Trusted by: 10 members
About Me:
I'm an Australian who loves bikes, hi-fi, travel and photography.
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