Cat Eye Padrone Wireless Bike Computer

I'm a 76 year old cyclist and got on the wired cycling computer craze many years ago.

I bet I have had at least 7 since then starting with a Cateye.

So when I went from full time work to part time ( retired teacher for 10 years now) I decided time to go wireless!

So far have tried all sorts of sensors and a couple computers . And haven't found anything that worked with my Garmin Forerunner 735xt watch.

I certainly don't blame the Cateye computer for not being stable, but the sensors I probably was trying to connect to the Garmin ( have had two to three Garmin watches over the past 20 years.

Why the Cateye didn't work for me: the cadence/speed sensor would not straddle the frame as my Giant Defy carbon / aluminum wheel crank stay was too beefy.

Tried to customize it (the sensor) but no joy.

So spent some bucks and went with a Garmin computer and a Garmin cadence sensor.

I wanted the basics. Speed, trip distance, average speed and total accumulated distance. Did not want cadence, calories or 'community' capability. Easy to set up. I've had for about 6 weeks. My one concern is that as I ride it occasionally goes from actual speed to 0 mph or a reduced speed (not actual). This lasts a second or two or up to 5 seconds. Not all the time and not every trip. Not sure what causes it. Have rechecked sensor alignment. Shouldn't be batteries that came with device but haven't tested. Something similar happened on my prior computer (different brand) but not as often. Still figuring it out. Other than that so far it does what I was looking for. The 'easy setup' diagram wasn't that helpful but the downloadable user manual and past experience made it a non issue.

Roadie here I bought the Padrone because it has the same features as the Strada RD300W, minus the pace arrow, on an easier to read screen, for less money. Setup went smoothly and the mounting hardware is all top notch quality. The unit size is large enough that I believe it might be a little clunky mounted on the handlebar, seems more in its element on the stem or with out front accessory. I have it mounted on the stem and it looks great. The sensor can be mounted on the right side of the fork facing backward (not recommended, as it would be sucked into the spokes should it be knocked inward) or the left half of the folk facing forward. Magnet has stayed in place so far with bladed spokes. Sensor size is average.

Other than its perceived quality and doing what any no-frills computer is supposed to do, some specific pros

- Mounting system (but would be nice to provide two extra zip ties)

- Unit clicks into its mount very securely.

- No delay as you're scrolling through the unit's basic functions (this is a complaint in one Strada review)

My two complaints

- Padrone is single touch, glove friendly operation. The button on the back of the unit is activated by pressing the lower edge of the unit, rocking it on its mount and depressing the button you cannot see. This is great, except that I accidentally reset my trip data three times on my first ride. You may not realize it, but when you're off your bike making a pit stop, the stem is often what you grab to walk/hold your bike. I reset it twice off the bike and once while riding. I would love if they added a hold switch to the side so that two things need to happen for data to be lost.

- Yes the screen is considerably larger than your average basic computer, but, in operation, there's a considerable amount of screen space that is wasted. Padrone form factor with ANT capability would be sweet.

Random tidbits

- The odometer will reset when you replace the battery, but there is a way to manually enter a desired odometer reading after the new battery is installed.

- 2 yr warranty

- Sensor range is advertised as 70 cm

- I have not ridden enough to judge its susceptibility to interference.

When concentrating on the road, it's nice to easily glance at the Padrone Bike Computer and instantly know what you're looking to find out, be it speed, distance or any of the multiple functions this computer provides.

I'm on my 4th Padrone. Their electrons seem to get confused after a couple of years/10,000 miles, and I just buy another one. There are probably other options, but I've stuck with the Padrone.

a) BIG display. Easy to read.

b) Effectively one button operation once it's set up. Easy to reset the computer between rides and easy to cycle through the screens during a ride.

c) At about $2/month by the time I replace them, it's not going to put me in the poor house.

d) I've got several spare mounts and some other pieces now that I'm on my 4th Padrone.

e) It took a while, but I've finally figured out which buttons to press and for how long when I do the initial setup. I don't want to have to go through that again with another computer.

This computer uses a large font, making it easy to read at a glance.

Very accurate, once the correct tire diameter is entered.

It was not obvious that the computer relies on a rocking movement in its mounting bracket to change modes, but once this is understood, it is very easy to cycle through the modes (e.g., average speed, maximum speed, total distance).

This is my 3rd Padrone. The first one lasted forever, the 2nd shot craps in a couple weeks. I bought a different Cateye model, and that one also failed in a few weeks. For awhile I relied on my bike-mounted Garmin 64, but missed the backup and accuracy- checking of two units, so I bought my present Padrone. So far, so good. Compared to most other bike computers, the display on this model is huge and easy to read, which I like. And the fork mounted sensor has much greater adjustment range than the oher Cateye model I tried. If you have a bike with a wide fork, like me, you may need this. One caveat with the Padrone, a quirk which makes it either irritating or endearing, depending on your temperament: to reset it you press the lower edge of the unit. This is fast and easy, but it means the unit can accidentally be reset by incautious movements. Most of the time this is not a big deal, but if you're on a long or fast ride and you need your data.... Still, I would not discourage the purchase of this computer, it is extremely accurate, usually showing within a few hundredths of a mile what my Garmin shows, and my Garmin is very accurate.

Easy to use, simple. I own 2 of them. The only issue is that it is too easy to reset your trip details during a ride. Sometimes when I am wrangling the bike, to look at a tire, etc., my arm/body rests on the computer, which resets it. It should be harder to reset.

Bought this computer after trying other brands. The reviews were excellent and the computer is easy to setup and install. Provide all the information I need and is easy to reset when needed to. I would recommend this computer as a outstanding product for the price.

I use the Padrone for training. I am very happy with it. One drawback is when you are removing it from your bike if you don't pay attention you could erase your workout. Because you have to lift up on the front of the computer to remove it from your bike which could depress the mode button for too long and boom your workout is gone. One improvement I would like to see is a scan mode. I like to see all the information when I ride.

Just a simple and easy to read computer. All the info you need on your regular rides.

Little tricky to get installed and configured, but the directions are pretty good. When you install the mount, be aware that the little plastic wheel has to be tightened down so that you can have a tight cable. Not 100% clear in directions. Once I got that, things came together. Very large display for us old folks! I like it.

Road use on stem and out front mount. PROS Color choices, price if on sale, works as well as other Cateye wireless computers, and instructions are getting a little easier. CONS Biggest Cateye screen but it just shows the same data as all other Cateye computers (except the Smart or GPS ones). Cateye should have gone with 3 rows of data on a screen this size. Cateye should have made a GPS Padrone with this big screen instead of the Smart model with tiny screen. Cateye just doesn't get the obvious.

While I have two other cat eye products I really like, I bought this one for a hybrid bike I own. However, it seems that the extra mass of the huge (easy to read) display just overwhelms the base and it falls out. I have resorted to electrical tape to hold it into position, which does seem to work, for awhile. In the end, because of concern for losing it bouncing down trails, I moved it to another road bike that sees less bumps that might dislodge it.

Pro very easy to install, easy to read display, price not bad

Con the mount is undersized for the display weight, needs a redesign

Nice display. Setting my 700x23 tire size caused the speedometer to grossly overstate the speed by 2 to 3 times actual speed. Even using the default tire setting, the reported speed was too high. Setting the tire size down to 1500, the reported speed is fairly close to actual speed. :-((

The Padrone Cycling Computer works flawlessly for me. I love the big display.

If I have a single complaint, it would be it's almost too easy to reset the ride measurements. Pressing and holding MODE (the only button on the face of the unit) when on the measurement screen resets all measurement data to 0 (excluding Odo) - something I have accidentally done several times.

this is the easiest set-up - easiest to read cat eye computer I've ever owned - enlarged read-out helps my old eye see what I need at a glance

I have written the company in Japan for further trouble shooting advice, but I have been messing around with this thing since I have gotten it.

It sure has a lot of potential,,,,,but not for me!

I would like my money back please.

As others have stated, the large display is great. Fairly simple operation and usual aggravation of learning to set up the operation.

My two main annoyances are 1) you have to remember to hit the button to start operation. Other cyclocomputers I've used sense my motion on the bike and start automatically. Not heart rending, but a pain when I'm prechecking a route for a ride I'm leading and don't get an accurate number for the length of the route. (Yes i know, strada and ridewithgps blah blah. I'd rather not have my phone keeping tabs on my every movement. Old enough to suspect such tech, see "appreciating large display, " above. )

Annoyance 2) sometimes the unit will reset my trip mileage and time data out of the blue. Maybe i touched the button a millisecond too long? Happens often enough that user error should be anticipated and avoided thru good design.

Hard to program wheel size ,time, etc. but once done the unit works pretty good. I have had interference from my headlight which caused erratic numbers on the unit. I changed lights and it worked ok again.