Shimano Flitedeck Help Please

[Sandy]

In order to get a completely wireless cycle computer, I bought a Shimano Flightdeck computer. I have had a couple of significant problems with it.

First, if I put the computer in the mode that shows the cadence as the main screen display, after a short while the screen shifts automatically to some other display. I was told by the LBS that that is how it is programed. Have others using the Flightdeck computer experienced this? Sounds like a stupid and unwanted feature to me.

Secondly, and much worse, I have never complted a ride in which the data for the ride is close to being accurate, as the ride time, which I set to zero, at the start of the ride, always stops multiple times in the ride. I try very carefully to avoid pushing the button that stops the time of the ride time function. My hand is not normally there during the ride. What can I do? Is there anyway of solving this problem, as it makes the computer basically useless for most of the functions. Is the computer malfunctioning, or am I inadvertently hitting the button? Can I override that feature?

THANKS for any help that you could give me. Maybe I should have gotten the Mavic Wintech computer.

Speedless Sandy

[Bruce K]

Sandy;

We have 4 flight decks in our bike fleet, 3 - 9 speeds, and 1 - 10 speed and we have never experienced your first problem of the deck switching modes on its own during a ride. Unless this is a new feature, it sounds like BS to me.

The second problem of inaccurate information leaves me a little puzzled. I believe the Flight Deck stops timing if you stop for a modest amount of time and only records actual riding time. I am not sure how long you have to be stopped before the clock "sleeps". If that is what you are talking about, it is one of the idiosyncracies (sp?) of the unit. If you are talking about mileages and averages, I would re-check your programming for tire size and gearing.

I have a Wintech on my TT bike and overall find the Flight Deck more helpful for road rides.

Good luck,

BK

[BumbleBeeDave]

I have an ’01 wireless Fligt Deck and if I put it in the cadence mode it stays there. I don’t look at the cadence much, though, because it’s “virtual”--it calculates the cadence from other factors rather than an actual sensor--and so it gives your “cadence” even if you are coasting down a hill.

As for the stopping, it does have an “auto-stop” feature, so if you stop for more than (I think it’s) five seconds, then the clock stops too. That’s to keep your total info more accurate, not less. Is this what you mean it’s doing, or does it stop while you’re riding?

Lastly, a tip--these things seem to eat batteries. Best to put a new one in religiously every three months. It has a “low battery” alert and you really need to pay attention, because it doesn’t flash until you need a new battery RIGHT NOW. It will retain programming memory for a few minutes while you change the battery, but if it’s longer than that, you lose all the data and have to program the $#%& thing again--which takes at least four hours to do! ;)

BBDave

[Sandy]

Thanks for the responses.

BBDave- I do not mean the "auto-stop" feature. It stops while I am riding.

It has nothing to do with the battery as I have always had the problem. I am able to program the computer in a very short time.

Bruce- It is a 10-Speed flightdeck and it definitely will switch out of the cadence mode on its own. The LBS said, after calling Shimano, that it is programmed to do that. I completely understand the sleep mode, as it goes to sleep every night like a good little boy, and in my car after a ride. The problem is not the sleep mode at all. The time of the ride simply stops at a certain point, as if I pushed the button on the right side of the left brake hood.

I am pretty sure that I put in the proper gearing as the gear that you are in shows on the screen immediately after you make the shift. The gear has nothing to do with the time. I understand the cadence is virtual and is a function of gear size and speed of the bike.

Thanks for all your comments.

Still Speedless Sandy

[dirtdigger88]

go back to the shop and tell them dirtdigger said they are full of it- I have an 01 9 speed and a new 10 speed unit and I do not have any of the problems that you mentioned- All my numbers stay consistant with other riders computers and the unit never changes modes on its own- DEMAND and new unit or find a new shop

Jason

[Bruce K]

Sandy;

I'm with dirtdigger on this. My 10 speed unit does not change modes while riding and does not turn off while riding.

It behaves like all my 9 speed units, and I have both the 1 bike and 4 bike versions of those as well.

I would call another LBS, describe the problem and see what their response is. You could say something like "I'm here on vacation and I brought my new bike and this is happening. Is it normal?" and see what they say.

If they agree with dirt and the rest of us (as I suspect they will), then I would go back to your LBS, tell them you have checked around and they are incorrect (I'll be polite), and ask them to either replace the unit with a new Flight Deck or exchange it for a WinTech if that will make you happier.

Either way, the unit you have seems to be defective and their answers seem like an attempt to not have to deal with your problem.

Again, good luck.

BK

[spincycle]

Sandy,

I have an '04 10 speed wireless Flightdeck and it doesn't switch out of cadence mode on its own nor does the ride time stop as you describe. Sounds like yours is defective. Good luck.

Frank

[dirtdigger88]

Sandy-

I was thinking about your problem- when I got my 01- 9 speed unit I had problems with it as well- my max speed would read a number but not the acutally max that I hit according to the speedo- I would hit 45 down a hill and my max would say I hit 19- :crap: I went into the shop several times (not Big Shark) and complained- I got the run around every time- I even had one shop kid tell me that I could not hit 45 mph any where around where we were- (I invited him to go for a ride- he refused) I finally got pissed and went to the owner- I POLITELY reminded him about the new road bike, riding clothes, helmet, on and on and on- that I had bought from him- then I asked how much HE had in the head unit of the FliteDeck- then I POLITELY asked if that amount was worth risking me walking out the door and never comming back- I walked out the door- with a new head unit :) No problems four years later- and BBDave do you really change your batterys every 3 months- I honestly don't think I have ever changed them in the head unit of my four year old unit- I know I have changed them on the sensonr- but not the head- and lastly why do you care if the cadence is virtual? Either way it is accurate- just wondering :rolleyes:

jason

jason

[Sandy]

Thanks very much for your extremely helpful comments. I just sent my LBS an email and will probably stop by this afternoon to discuss it.

Your responses are genuinely appreciated!

Sandy

[Lost Weekend]

Sandy, I have 500 miles on my flightdeck so far with no problems. I set it for the trip distance group before every ride. At first I would hit the stop button (left) inadvertantly and would have to hit it again to re-start, but am getting better about not doing that.Maybe your doing the same when your in cadence mode?

[csb]

sandy, as to your problemos, no _ never.

keno helped me discover how close you need to keep the
wheel magnet to the transponder on the fork. sometimes
the transponder wanders out of 'reach' of
the magnet, but its easy enough to remedy _ whack it back
closer with the $89 shimano hammer.

bees evidently use batteries differently than others, 'cause as with
dirtdigger, my unit asks for a battery maybe, and thats being
conservative, maybe once a year.

[LegendRider]

How do you change the cassette info on a Flitedeck? That is to say, if I have one wheel with a 12-23 and another with a 12-25, is there any easy way to change the info so the proper ratios are displayed?

[Bruce K]

Legend-

It depends which model you have.

Some have multiple bike/gearing capability, while others are one bike only.

The multi-bike units you just push the button while it is flashing Bike No.-- and it changes. You have to program your different cassettes in as different bikes.

The single unit ones, find the manual and re-do your programming. It's a pain, but it's cheaper than having more than one computer. :rolleyes:

BK

[vaxn8r]

and BBDave do you really change your batterys every 3 months- I honestly don't think I have ever changed them in the head unit of my four year old unit- I know I have changed them on the sensonr- but not the head-



jason
Mine go about every 3 months. Very little warning on the low battery indicator. So I've just learned to stock up on those 2032 button batteries. I buy them in bulk...not a bad idea anyway as I regularly ride 5 different bikes, all wireless, so that's 2 batteries each.

I use Cateye wireless on 3 other bikes and one with a Ciclo. None of those eat batteries. But I love the gear indicator on the Flight Deck for the tandem...so I live with the battery issue.

[Tom Kellogg]

A few thoughts:
The "switch mode" issue is a symptom of a miss installed right button plate or a result of contamination (water?) in the switch. It is possible that the head unit is too sensitive, but I kind of doubt it.

The trip timer "auto off" during riding can only happen two ways unless the head unit is defective. First, an installation of the button plate issue. Second a sending unit that is a bit too far away from the magnet. It should be no more than 2mm.

Finally, my old 9-sp head unit never went through it's first battery in the 18,000 miles I had it. With about 7,000 on my 10-sp unit, it seems fine. I have had to replace my sending unit battery after an average of 5,500 miles. Fortuantely, if yours does run out of gas, you can reprogram all those annual miles when you set it up again with the new battery.

Get the installation checked. If that does not do it, have your supplier replace the whole thing. Flight decks work great when set up properly.

[Kevan]

Might I suggest a riding style change for you, here? A getting back to basics, if you will, in a world too full of trinkets. Rather than subjecting yourself to added stimuli, involving that little screen and the frustrations its caused, why not just toss the computer away, or at least take it off for a month ‘r so, and see if you really miss it? Ride naked for a while, why don’t you, and see how much more you enjoy the scenery around you and how much more cognizant you are of things going on around you (i.e. traffic!). Oops! Sorry Flyd, Smiley, and Spectrumbob…let me clarify that naked comment a bit further...

What is really the point to that thing for you? I mean if you are only casually interested in your distance traveled and average speeds, then that information can generally be determined by asking others in your ride. I appreciate the computer as a tool for training and tracking a seasonal progression, but for the casual rider, I think the damn things are more a distraction and aren’t used beyond a, “Oh boy, look what we did!” Also, some people like looking at the gauge to see what cog they’re in; I like an occasional quick glance to the rear hub instead.

Generally, when I ride alone my average isn’t going to be that good and the distance I travel will suit the time I have available to ride so a computer isn’t going to enlighten me. Also, for my standard loops, I already know the distance, and can determine my own average just doing some math in my head. When I do fast group rides I can rely on others to ballpark my average and other gruesome details.

One last point… if I can compare... how much time do you spend monitoring your car’s gauges while you drive? Do you sense that while bike riding you spend more time looking at your bike’s computer than you do the car’s tac or speedometer? If you do, what does that, if anything, tell you? My guess is we spend a lot less time looking at car gauges than we do bike computers while driving/riding. Upon reflection, I would think most of us would want to think they look at a bike's computer less and the road and all a lot more.

Now before you throw that snowball of yours, let me just pick up my garbage ca….OWWW! HEY!!!

[weisan]

Kevan-pal, that is the most intelligible piece of writing I have seen coming from you in a loooong time ever since Sandy assimiliated your brain into the great collective...no garbage ca...Children, attack with our waterguns!!! :p

[vaxn8r]

What is really the point to that thing for you?
No snowballs, and I appreciate your perspective, but the car gauge analogy escapes me a bit.

I use my computer alot, but mostly when I ride alone. That's when average speeds actually mean something right? Not when you're with a group drafting off from each other.

I cycle for the enjoyment of it and to gauge my fitness level. I need that feedback to accomplish my goals. There's nothing wrong with that. Don't make it sound silly for those of us who like to do so...with all due respect.

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . to imply everyone's battery experiences should be like mine. But mine does act like that . . . if the low battery warning lights up, I know I need to replace it right after that particular ride, because by my next ride the next day or later, it will be dead, dead, DEAD! Also when I program mine, it will not let me reprogram the lost mileage readings--it just skips right over that program step. So it's even more important for me to replace the battery quickly so as not to lose the odo readings.

Perhaps this is all part of a diabolical practical joke by the Shimanoans, where no two examples of the product work exactly the same? :rolleyes: :crap:

BBDave

[Kevan]

Please accept my apologies if I was too flippant with my remarks regarding computers as useful tools. I believe their use is practical if used in a disciplined manner or when gauging directions off a queue sheet.

It took me several years to realize that for me, I wasn’t really getting much in return for keeping a computer. I knew beforehand I was in the minority here, but tried to share a different perspective.

Perhaps not with the same purposes intended, I thought there might be some comparison to a car’s gauges and our perspective of how we use information while traveling. Oh well…

[zap]

Sandy Sandy Sandy

Shiftless ShimaNO Sandy

When are you going to learn that the Ott. deserves Campy. Not only will Campy work with greater reliability than your Shimano, but it's also rebuildable.

And a bonus. That's another 1/2lb you won't have to lose due to the lighter Campy groupo.

So come on. Join the hip, fast, shiftable, happy Campy crowd.

Then we can call you Cee, Campy Candy Can Climb

:banana:

[vaxn8r]

Please accept my apologies if I was too flippant with my remarks regarding computers as useful tools. I believe their use is practical if used in a disciplined manner or when gauging directions off a queue sheet.

It took me several years to realize that for me, I wasn’t really getting much in return for keeping a computer. I knew beforehand I was in the minority here, but tried to share a different perspective.

Perhaps not with the same purposes intended, I thought there might be some comparison to a car’s gauges and our perspective of how we use information while traveling. Oh well…
No problem. I have a buddy who never uses a computer. It's so far beyond my understanding...how do you guys do that? The fact is different things motivate us and numbers/information/comparisons motivate me.

My wife and I have a running joke when riding the tandem. She'll be commenting on what a beautiful day it is or on the fantastic scenery. Then I'll yell back something to the effect "Focus Damnit!" Then she swats my butt or pulls the rip cord (rear brake cable).

[Rink]

Sandy,
I rode a few days ago and put my 10 speed flite deck in cad. mode (in honor of you). It did not switch on its own. If the computer is messed up I know the LBS will take care of you as they have in the past.
:banana:

[Sandy]

I am sure that they will. They called Shimano about the problem and have emailed me twice and called me twice concerning the problem.


Sandy