VDO MC1.0 Altimeter/Cycle Computer Review

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(More customer reviews)15 AUGUST, 2005
I bought this computer because I wanted an altimeter, so this review will focus on the alt functions. I researched other altimeter bike computers and found others either had suspect reliability or were inaccurate. Having only read good things about the VDO, I took the plunge.
I decided not to get the wireless version because simpler is better in my opinion.
My first ride with the VDO was 235 km through everything from hard rain to hot sunshine. The VDO worked fine in all those condition. I avoided pushing the buttons during the hard rain because I didn't want to risk getting water into it on my first ride. Plus my attention was elsewhere during the thunderstorms. But like I said, the VDO worked fine under some rather harsh condition.
The display has a lot of info on one screen. Maybe too much info because the screen is a bit crowded and some info is displayed in rather small characters. I'd like to see less info per screen and bigger characters. The % grade readout is particularly small. However, I was able to read all the displays under all the conditions.
The altimeter seems to work very well. I paid particular attention to the % grade display and I never saw it give me unreasonable info, such as negative grade when I was going uphill. I was surprised at the sensitivity of the % grade display. When going up a slight uphill, for example, the display might read 1%. Then say the grade increased a bit and sure enough, the display changes to 2%. I am surprised that the VDO can calculate such slight grades just from the change in air pressure. Remember, a 1% grade is only 1 meter over 100 meters. Nevertheless, it seems to work. The alt gets updated about every 10 seconds and it does have a fair amount of smoothing built in. So if you start going down a 6% grade the display will not jump from 0% to 6%, but rather it will count up from 0% to 6% at an increasing rate. All in all, it seems to work quite well.
Since I just got this computer, I can't comment on its long term reliability. It does have a 5 year warranty, but it appears the only service center is in Germany. Due to this and the other nits I've pointed out, I'd probably give the VDO 4.5 stars if I could. Still, I'm happy with my purchase and I would recommend this computer for someone looking for an altimeter.
The seller shipped on the same day I ordered via Priority Mail so I got the package in a couple of days. Good work!
UPDATE ON 3 SEPTEMBER, 2006:
I've used this computer for a couple of thousand kilometers now, and through a lot more rain, so it's time for a review update.
The computer seems to be holding up just fine. In fact, I'm still using the original battery. The VDO has been through several days of rain and there is no hint of water getting into it.
The clock seems to keep pretty good time. Over the course of a year it was only off a couple of minutes.
I have a friend who owns one of these, and he has at times seen some strange alt data. For example, he says he has seen max grade readouts of 48%. (I didn't know the VDO would register such grades!) He attributes such anomalies to rapid temp changes, such as when you take the computer from an air conditioned room to your bike parked on the street on a hot summer day and immediately start riding. That makes sense, since the alt calculation is dependent on the temp. I have never seen any such strange data on my computer, but I usually leave my computer on the bike.
I don't want to get into an argument with one of the other reviewers, but this computer DOES accurately measure inclines. It calculates inclines by measuring the alt change divided by the distance traveled. So you have to be moving to get a change in the % grade readout. The fact that the grade does not change when you tilt the unit means nothing. The VDO does not calculate instantaneous inclines, but it does measure average inclines.
In conclusion, I'd still give the VDO 5 stars. In fact, I like it so much I bought another one.

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