Richard Pestes reviewed the VDO MC 1.0 + Altimeter, a bike computer that includes an altimeter and thermometer. This is a high end bike computer which includes altimeter and thermometer features, but doesn't include a heart rate monitor or PC connectivity.

VDO MC 1.0 + Altimeter With everything from actual gradient to total altitude for all trips, this computer is designed to give you a complete topographical look at all your rides, as well as all the pertinent speed and trip data. See Performancebike.com for a complete list of functions and features. Wireless. 70cm range.

I personally prefer bike computers like the Polar CS200 or the Polar S725x. These Polar models have built-in heart rate monitors and infared PC connectivity. This means that they can be used with fitness tracking applications like Polar Precision Peformance Software or data can be sent to a coach via email for analysis.

Lots of people don't need or want this much analytical capability. They want to know how fast they are going, how far they've ridden, how steep the climb is that they're on at the moment. The VDO MC1.0+ is perfect for this.

I thought Richard Pestes review of the MC1.0+ was very good. He clearly likes this computer, since it's the one he has ridden with daily for the last two years. According to the review, he used it on his ride of the Stelvio in Italy in May 2005.

I think the VDO MC1.0+ is a well-built, compact bike computer that makes a lot of sense if you want to see all of the important trip related data during your ride. It's not going to satisfy real data junkies, or people who want HRM or GPS capability, but there are many other choices if you want those capabilities.

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