Why Should I Calibrate My Bike computer?

Navigating these rides might be a bit challenging. There are simply a lot of turns. I originally hoped that I could reduce the amount of navigating involved in a ride, but this turned out to be difficult. I’ve tried to be as careful as possible in calibrating my bike computer to make the navigation as easy as possible. If our computers are calibrated within 1% of each other, then after 10 km they’ll be off by 100 m. That’s not too bad. But, if our computers are off by 10%, that works out to 1km after 10 km of riding, and this will make it difficult for you to follow the cue. So, I would encourage you to spend a little bit of time to get it right.

Sheldon Brown has some info about calibrating your computer. Don’t just fill in the number off a chart, though, check out the “Roll Out Test” towards the bottom of the page. Chris’Z has a nice page about calibration as well. You can also check the instructions that came with your computer if you still have them. Don’t forget to set and note your tire pressure to what you normally ride with when you calibrate, and make sure it’s the same before you try one of the MTBTOPOS. Tread wear can also make a difference, so it’s worth to write this down, too.