Thursday 28 May 2009

Instructions for CatEye MICRO Wireless Cycle Computer (CC-MC100W)

So - I got a new wireless computer for my bike today - a CatEye MICRO Wireless Cycle Computer (CC-MC100W) - and the instructions are, quite frankly, crap. This seems to be a very common complaint and having sat down for a while and done a bit of research on the net, I can now write out some instructions to hopefully save some people a bit of time!!!

There is an option to use this computer on two bikes and save two sets of data. I think this is a bit pointless seeing as you have to buy a whole new sensor and mountings for your second bike and may as well then get a second computer. Therefore, I've ignored the '2 bikes' options. It's a rubbish idea!

Fitting the Device:

This is perhaps the clearest of the instructions in the manual. I would suggest fitting the sensor first. I mounted mine on the right hand side of my fork (opposite to the disc brake) and about halfway up. You basically cable tie the sensor to the fork (don't do it too tight at first) then slide the magnet onto the spoke. The trick here is get the magnet to glide past the sensor zone (marked on the sensor) with a gap of 5mm or less between the two. This is VERY important! It's a case of tweaking to move the arm of the sensor round and the magnet up and down to get the best path. Don't forget that realistically you need to keep the sensor and computer less than about 50cm apart for it to pick up the signal!

Once you've done this successfully, you will hear a nice quiet 'tick' when the magnet passes the sensor as you spin the wheel. I snipped the cable ties down to leave 1cm spare to pull on with pliers should it work loose, which is unlikely, but you never know.



Mount the computer on the handlebars how you want. I prefer in the centre as I have a lockout switch on the right hand side of my handlebars already.


To Set the Device For First Use:




* With a pen or a bent paperclip, push the AC button on the back of the Cycle Computer.

* Flip it over and the screen will say “UNIT” and KM/H will be flashing. This is so you can set whether the unit uses KM or MILES. If you want KM, just press the MENU button once. If you wish to select MILES instead, press the MODE key once then press MENU.

* Now you come to the part where you select your wheel circumference. It needs this so it can compute your distance according to how many rotations the wheel has made. You can find your tyre size either printed on the side of your tyre or in the owners manual and then match it to the table below to get your circumference figure for the Computer.



On the screen, you should see a small wheel flashing with a figure next to it (2096). Using the MODE button to increase the figure and the START/STOP button to move to the next number, set your tyre circumference. Press MENU.

YOU’RE READY TO GO!

Main Functions:

Now you are confronted with the main screen that you'll see 99% of the time when you're riding. As you’re pedalling along, you can press the MODE key to cycle through the following modes:

(clock) - This is.. wait for it.. a clock. You can set this to 12 or 24 hour (see later).
TM – The total time you’ve been cycling
DST – Trip Distance
AV – Average Speed
MX – Maximum Speed
ODO – Odometer. This is your total distance travelled since the last time you reset the Cycle Computer.

To reset the Trip Distance, Average Speed and Maximum Speed, hold the START/STOP button and tap the MODE button. This clears everything but the Odometer.

Advanced Functions:

Press MENU once. This takes you to the Advanced Functions menu. To advance through these sections, press MODE and press START/STOP to go into each of these options.

SLCT (A/B)
This is used to select whether you are using the Cycle Computer on Bike A or Bike B. Switch between A and B using the START/STOP button and then press MENU to confirm. Alternatively - go buy a second computer!!

(o)2099
This is used to change the wheel circumferences without resetting the whole Cycle Computer. Neat eh? Using the MODE button to increase the figure and the START/STOP button to move to the next number, set your tyre circumference.

SLCT (AT)
This controls whether the Cycle Computer automatically stops/starts or whether you wish to do it manually. Use the START/STOP button to toggle this on or off and press MENU to confirm.

SET
This is used to set your clock. When you first go into it, the 12h will be flashing. If you wish to change it to 24hr clock, press MODE. Press START/STOP when done. The time below starts to flash. Use the MODE key to move the digits up or down. Pressing START/STOP moves between hours and minutes and back up to the 12/24 hr selector if you missed it first time. Press MENU when done.

INPUT
This allows you to enter a figure in for your Odometer. Say you replaced the batteries and previously you’d done 10,000 miles, this is where you can enter that figure to restore your glory! Again, set this figure by using the START/STOP button to switch between numbers and the MODE key to change them. Press MENU when done.

How Well Does it Work?

Put bluntly, it works well! It got my ride this evening pretty much spot on. However, the backlight is terrible. Truly terrible. However, as far as bike computers go, as a whole package it's awesome! Plus - I got mine for £30! Bargain!

Some Other Useful Resources:

The official CatEye website - Go HERE
The English Instruction Manual from CatEye - Go HERE

47 comments:

  1. It is nice to see this written clearly. The instructions that came with my cateye suck...
    thx

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    Replies
    1. You're right, the people spend the money with this product and the manufacturer writes one of the worst instructions manual i ever seen in my life.

      Delete
  2. You have done the entire cycling community a great service with this web page; my only regret is that it took me about two days of Internet searching before I finally found it. As an older road rider living in Southern California, I want to say "thanks" for your very credible effort and, also, I hope you and the rest of the lads in the UK are finally over that little skirmish we had with you about 235 years ago ... the good news is you gave us a good head start on proper use of the English language. Cheers!

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  3. Thank you so much for posting this -- my husband and I are just getting into biking and you saved us a lot of time trying to decipher those terrible instructions.

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  4. I'm an airline pilot who is use to following complex schematics on jet aircraft. Although certian assumptions had to be made with regards to their (CatEye) instruction sheet, I personally found the instructions to flow reasonably smoothly.
    It may be helpfull if they had a video on their website that would assist with the set-up.
    Kevin.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's good that your career area give you a heads up on following the "instruction flow." I'm not an airline pilot, although my career area also involves reading complex documents that instruct me as to what I need to do. In general, I have always been dismayed that in almost every endeavor, instructions are boiled down to sketches and icons rather than simple written instructions that tell one explicitly what needs to be done. The instructions above allowed me to set up my Cateye unit in less than five minutes.

      I spent twenty minutes trying to follow the Cateye-supplied "manual" before I told myself that I'd have a better chance of finding an online solution written by someone as equally disrespectful of the Cateye manual as I.

      Less than a minute searching and five minutes following the instructions, and I am finished.

      Just sayin'

      Del

      Delete
  5. Thank you so much. Might I put in a reference for you when you apply for work at the Cat Eye company??

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  6. Thank you so much. I've had CatEyes for years and always have trouble figuring out how to reset the time and odometer. In the past I've gone back to bike shops and they, too, have had to fool around with it until they stumbled upon the correct sequence. I just spent about twenty minutes trying to figure it out (again) as I changed the size of my tires. Now I've written your instructions on my manual so I won't forget next time.

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  7. Much thanks for posting--this is what I needed- clueless from the directions in the box-now I'm good to go!

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  8. I, too, am so grateful for your assistance. My battery had to be replace and I needed the manual which I could not find (had cateye for 4 years)Your directions helped me fly through the set up. They need to hire you for the writing of the manual, which was needlessly complicated. Thank you.

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  9. Under "Input:" How exactly does this sequence go? I have it on "ODO" and have pushed start/stop but nothing but zeros come up. I just replaced the battery and want to hang on to my glory.

    Thanks,
    Dave Cary
    dcary3133@hotmail.com

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  10. It seems that if you press and hold MENU for 2 seconds it goes into SLEEP mode. Presumably that will save the battery.

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  11. Does anyone know what the triangle icon means in the upper right?

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    Replies
    1. The triangle displays average pace or when you're above or below it.

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  12. Thank you for posting this, it's really helpful. Cateye should buy this post from you and add it to their website.

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  13. Thank you so much for such clear and concise explanations for turning what should have been simple back to simple once again. I can now go out to re establish the lost ‘glory’ I once enjoyed.
    Found your Blog just in time for my scheduled Brighton bike ride tomorrow.

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  14. I've had the cateye for seven years, and I'm a tech guy, but that manual... it drove me nuts. When I started having problems with the computer and had to reset it, I was stymied. So I just stopped using it for years. Until today. Thanks.

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  15. Cheers for these instructions. The manual is a load of rubbish, but this makes setting the device so simple. I've just changed bikes so it was good to reset everything easily.

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  16. Never would have figured the clock set from the users guide. I'll print your work and carry it with me. Thanks.

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  17. Does anyone know what circumference setting works with a 29er? (29" x 2.25"). The manual only goes up to 700C

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    Replies
    1. The easiest way to get the input number is to put a dot of grease on your front tyre, roll the bike in a straight line and measure between the two dots now marked on the floor, centre to centre in millimeters is your number.

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  18. Thank you. I feel better now my husband was laughing at me because I could not figure out the manual. It is nice to know I was not the only one. Your instructions were much easier to follow. Thanks again.

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  19. Great, thanks for the help. I forgot about the button on the bottom of the unit to actually make the changes. Also have just realised you can SLEEP the unit by holding the MENU button in for a couple of seconds.

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  20. The selection A and B is for two wheel sizes on the same bike. Say for example you run different wheels in the winter to summer / off-road to road. Only the wheel magnet is needed for the second set of wheels.

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  21. Great Work. Very clear concise instructions. Much better than the Cateye ones. Thank you.

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  22. Thank you so much. My husband bought this, played around with it & finally handed it to me & said "do your thing" I read the awful directions, played around a bit & could figure out all except the clock. Found these directions & had it set within seconds. Thank you so much for helping me look like a "pro" in my husbands eyes.

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  23. Thank You, well done for putting it together

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  24. Thank you very much! I lost my instructions (useless as they are) and changed my battery today.

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  25. This may be a silly question but... does it turn off?

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  26. THANK YOU SO MUCH! I've spent >30 min searching the net for exactly what you posted. It's UNbelievable how bad the instructions with these Cateyes are. Useless. But - you've made my day! Now my device is ready to go for tomorrow's ride.

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  27. Greetings from Simi Valley, CA! I got a new battery for my very old Cateye and the instructions were long gone, so I downloaded a copy from the Internet and I could not make heads or tails of how to format the damn thing, and then I found this link and I heard music as the heavens opened up. Thank you for taking the time to do this, and if you're ever in Simi Valley I will take to a tavern and ply you with food and strong drink. It's the American way!

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  28. Great instructions. My husband and I spent the better half of a day trying to figure out how to set the clock and until we found your instructions and finally we got it done. thank you so much for doing this. Lawrenceville, Ga USA

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  29. Thanks. I tried to do this with the instructions but they are worthless.

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  30. Hi, I have struggled with these stupid instructions for five years now. Just followed your set up and did it in 10 minutes. Thank you for restoring my sanity. Bob, NSW, Australia.

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  31. "THURSDAY, 28 MAY 2009"..., until the Present ('MONDAY, 11 APRIL 2016'), STILL ~ 'The Absolute *BEST* Instructions' ~ covering the Cateye Micro Wireless (CC-MC100W) Computer. Very well done, Sir! 'HeyRon' ~ GA, USA.

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  32. Really simple, helpful instructions. Took me 5 minutes to set mine up.
    Now if you could just write some instructions for building an IKEA fitted wardrobe.......

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  33. Cateye should hire you. Thank you. Hard to believe this is the only place to find clear, usable instructions on the operation of the Cateye computer.

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  34. How do u set this up if your wheel size is 2270 mm this is for a. 29" bicycle?
    Thanks

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  35. You are good. Your good deed of the day.
    Thanks

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  36. Wonderful!! I hate these picture instructions. So hard to figure out! Yours are so much better!!

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