Review of dB 4LW-C Wireless Computer w/ Wired Cadence

dB 4LW-C Wireless Computer w/ Wired Cadence
By: Db Average Rating: 3.5 Total Reviews: 2
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Very sensitive to interferences. Some design flaws.

On: 2008-07-02

Installation is fairly straightforward. Everything is attached to the bike with cable ties. Just in case, two spare cable ties are included. Functions are controlled with two buttons at the bottom of the computer. Cadence and speed are always displayed on the top two lines, the bottom two lines can be switched between three different modes.

One big plus is the price at which it was offered when this review was written. Another (smaller) plus is that cable ties work well, in theory, on all imaginable sizes of forks and handlebars. These pluses are offset by many minuses:

1. The computer is extremely sensitive to electromagnetic interferences. It is a fact known to the manufacturer because it is explained in the troubleshooting section of the manual (but not on the box, of course). In my experience, when computer is installed closer than 2 inches from a blinking LED headlight (NR Frazer 3), it counts each flash as a rotation of the wheel, and displays speed around 70-80 mph even when the bike is not moving... The problem can be fixed by moving the computer more than 2 inches apart from the headlight, which clearly limits the flexibility of setting up equipment within a limited room on the handlebar, or by using a headlight without electronics or without a blinking mode...

Citing the manufacturer: "Electronic interference is usually the cause of erratic reading on the computer unit especially when this happens and you are not moving.Possible sources of electronic interference include cell phones, flashing LED lights, alarm systems, high voltage wires, computers, florescent lights, car electronics, MP3 players, etc...If you move the unit away from the interference the erratic reading should stop."

2. For some reason, the cadence display is about 1.5 times larger than the speed display. Consequently, it is cadence that attracts attention when you glance at the screen. My previous computer did not have cadence, and I always watch speed. I find it frustrating that I end up seeing cadence before speed. I think they are equally important.

3. The two bottom lines are quite small, and the symbols which explain what these lines are are plain tiny. I find it diffucult to figure out what is displayed on the bottom lines when I ride fast and can switch my attention from the road only for a fraction of a second.

4. I still have to figure out what is the meaning of the pulsing bar in the left-hand side of the screen. Was it added to distract the cyclist?

5. There is no such thing as "Warranty" section anywhere in the manual, which makes me curious if Filzer Enterprises offers warranty at all.

Finally, some observations which are not really minuses nor pluses, but nuisances of some sort:

1. The unit uses two different batteries - CR2032 in the computer and 12 Volt VR22 (L1028) in the transmitter. Not a big deal, but logistics of buying replacement batteries gets a little complicated. Note that despite the bigger 12V battery, manufacturer claims that the maximum distance between the transmitter and the computer is only 60 cm.

2. Unlike Sigma-brand computer which I had before, it can be installed only on handlebar but not on the stem (no way to rotate the computer relatively to the mounting braket).

I can kind of understand why it is on such a big sale. In all reviews which I saw, customer satisfaction level is quite low. Largely because of the interference issues which symptoms are puzzling without careful reading of the manual or strong technical background, "Junk" is the buzzword. At MSRP, I would look elsewhere for a better design and quality, and there are many options available. However, at a good sale price, it is a very attractive deal for a computer with cadence.

Solid cyclometer

On: 2008-03-11

My choices were initially between this cyclometer and the Cateye RD200 Strada. They had both at my local Performance Bicycle store, but ultimately ended up choosing this model because of the large display.

- The very top displayed measurement is your current cadence. Im happy with the up update interval, as it appears to be about every 1s-1.5s. It certainly hasnt been an issue for me in using it. Another nice feature is while cycling, you can press the left button and it will flash your average cadence for about 4 seconds before reverting back to current cadence. It also shows you average cadence if you come to a stop, which I thought was a thoughtful feature.

- The second measurement is your current speed. A little "+" or "-" sign will appear and inform you if youre traveling above or below your average speed.

- The next two functions can be switched/scanned that will show distance/trip time, clock/odometer, and a few other variations. Another thing to note is that you can manually enter odometer miles in case of a reset/battery change.

One thing to note is that this has a wired cadence unit, with a wireless speedometer unit. Because the cadence unit is in the rear while the speedometer is in the front, you will only receive cadence if using this on an indoor trainer.

At this point, however, Im definitely much more interested in maintaining a proper cadence so this unit suits me perfectly fine.

I was a little hesitant at first since my last two cyclometers have been Cateye. Ultimately, Im glad I made this purchase as it functions just like I would like it to, and I much prefer the larger display.