Review of Sigma BC1606L Bicycle Speedometer with Rear Wheel Sensor Kit

Sigma BC1606L Bicycle Speedometer with Rear Wheel Sensor Kit
By: Sigma Average Rating: 4.5 Total Reviews: 9
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TMI (almost)

On: 2009-12-01

This is a terrific cyclocomputer...even better than advertized. It came with two mounts (for two bikes), one cadence set-up, sensors, magnets, mounting stickers, bands, tie-wraps...everything you need...perhaps more. The best feature is having a cord long enough on one of the mounts to easily reach the rear wheel (great for when you are set-up on a trainer). The magnet even fits bladed spokes. The instructions are good and installation was simple. Some other reviewers complained about installation difficulty but they must be folks who havent set-up a computer before. The display is a bit larger than expectd and and contrast is crisp. In addition to the normal trip time, trip distance, total odometer, total time, average time, cadence, etc theres also stopwatch, count-up timer, count-down timer...sheesh! TMI but what the heck.

awesome computer for the price

On: 2009-10-15

Just got and installed this computer today. couple things you should know about it:

1) the backlight is like an indiglo watch. when you have it "on" (really "on" means "enabled") whenever you hit a button it lights up for a few seconds. It does not change modes or whatever unless you hit the button again which is nice.

2) other reviewers have rightly noted that the refresh rate is rather slow. If this bothers you, this is not the computer for you. Backlight was more important to me than anything else as I ride a lot after dark. If I dont have a backlight I might as well just not have a computer at all.

3) the computer comes with two wheel sensors; one front wheel and one rear wheel. The front one *always* reads as "Bike 1" and the rear one as "Bike 2." There is no way to change this unless you want to get into disassembly, glue, soldering, etc. There is only one cadence sensor and one wheel magnet in the box so to fully install this on two separate bikes you would need to purchase another cadence sensor and wheel magnet.

I didnt have any problems mounting this with the cadence sensor on the stem of my old bike. I suspect that the problems others may have had was because they had large threadless stems; I have an old aluminum quill that is rather slender. You might have to gently bend the connectors to get it to work on a larger stem. (I dont have a whole lot of handlebar real estate on my bike...)

thats about it. Ill try to remember to check back and comment on durability in a while, but I suspect that this is being closed out and replaced by a newer product, because of the very low price so by the time I get around to it it may no longer be available.

great cyclometer

On: 2009-09-08

Installation was a snap and the features are great. I bought this unit because I use my bike on an indoor trainer and need the speed from the rear wheel. This unit has everything a serious bicyclist would need on a bike computer.

Great bike computer at a good price.

On: 2009-08-25

Well, what can I say? It works and its relatively cheap. The buttons and overall usage take some getting used to, but the readout is awesome and the backlight comes in handy. I use this on my Trek Y5 and Ive put well over a few hundred miles on this computer. Works like a charm. Survives the rain. It looks great compared to some others!

On important note: You have to be on the "language" option to EXIT the settings mode. Beat myself to death trying to figure that one out.

Good Bike Computer

On: 2009-08-16

The Sigma BC1606L is a very nice bike computer. It comes with both a front and rear mount for the computer and is very easy to assemble without any tools. The instructions are very poor. One thing to look for is that the magnet that is mounted on the front or rear wheel must be faced forward or backward, but not outward of the wheel, to avoid interference. The features are good and very easy to change with the touch of a finger on one of the four buttons. It would have been nice to package a second magnet so that the unit could be more easily used with two bikes. You have to remove the magnet from one wheel and put it on another with this package.

I WANT to like this computer, BUT .......

On: 2009-08-08

I bought this computer a few weeks ago and have put maybe 150 miles on it. I WANT to like it (based largely on what previous reviewers have said), but I found it disappointing in some areas. They are:

0 The cadance feature doesnt work at all. The prongs that hold the cadance wire to the computer mount will not stay connected no matter what I try, in part because once you mount the computer base unit, your handlebars are then in the way and the prongs cant be connected securely. (Im seriously considering duct tape). Its a poor design.

0 Instructions should be a lot more clear. They left out a few key points that would have really saved me a lot of time and frustration.

0 The display of mph in only .5 increments is a lot more annoying than I thought it would be.

Still, its one of the few computers that met my criteria for rear fork mounting and a few other things, so Ill stick with it. All features seem to work fine, with the glaring exception of the cadance feature which has worked for a total of maybe 1 minute since Ive been using this computer.

Bottom line advice: save the original packaging in case you have problems and decide to send it back. Im keeping mine, but I can see where others might not.

Great Speedometer, works at any speed you're likely to reach on a bike.

On: 2009-07-01

I bought this speedometer as a replacement for my cars speedometer (which would have otherwise cost me over $650 to replace). When the speedometer finally came in the mail, I was glad to find that it comes with two harnesses, for two separate bikes.

Although installation on my car was a long process and took about two hours, the second harness (which I installed to my bike) was installed and calibrated in about 5 minutes. It works great as either a bicycle speedometer, or on my car, although car installation requires the use of a much stronger magnet.

Without reading the manual, the menu interface is a little bit tricky at first, but it becomes second nature after only a few hours of use. Moving it from my car onto my bike is extremely easy, and the unit keeps track of how many miles Ive gone on each, as well as how many miles Ive accumulated overall. The display features large numbers which I find easy to read both in the car, and on the trail.

Ive measured up to 80 miles per hour with this speedometer, and its measurements agree completely with my friends gps unit. I drive about 4 hours a week and cycle about 1 hour every two weeks, and with two months of use, I havent yet needed a change of batteries.

Sigma BC1606L with rear wheel harness

On: 2009-02-28

I just bought this item. It includes two harnesses. One for the front wheel and one for the rear wheel. It also includes the optional wired sensor to measure cadence and of course the bike computer itself. I am please with the unit so far and I installed it on the rear wheel of my bike that is on a Kurt Kenetic trainer. It works well for both speed and cadence. Now I can judge the kind of effort I am using and can up my game as time goes on. The only problem was that the install instructions leave a lot to be desired. I figured it out but it took about an hour for the install. The package also does not come with a list of items included in the box either which was a little frustrating. These were not really big problems but Sigma should address them for the future. I recommend this unit to anybody who wants a bike computer with a wire rear wheel sensor.

Works Great!

On: 2009-01-05

Weve had this a few weeks. I purchased for my wifes bike so she could use it with the indoor trainer. This was one of the cheapest ones I could find that would work for the rear wheel. It also has the cadence monitor. Pretty easy to understand, not too difficult to set-up. It has a back-light on it, so once you press a button it will light up for a few seconds. Probably could have used a couple more zip-ties with it, but I had some.