Blackburn Atom 2.0 cycle computer

We recently reviewed the Blackburn Atom 4.0. Now it is the turn of the little brother, the Blacburn Atom 2.0, essentially  the wired version of the Atom 4.0.

The 2.0 by Blackburn is a neat little unit that can be mounted either on the stem or on your bars. The stem mount supplied allowed me to try this on both my normal road bike and also my TT bike with the computer fitted to one of my aero extensions which worked well.

For £20 you can't expect to get HR monitors, GPS readouts or other fancy features, you are not even going to get a back light, but what you do get is 12 functions (the same as on the Atom 4.0) a good design and very decent build quality.

All basic but required features are in place. Multi Bike settings so you can swap between your training and race bike or your mountain bike, current, average and max speed recording along with the odometer and a smart little pace icon deals with the ‘in ride’ display. Basic functions like clocks, ride time, auto stop and start are also on the line up.

The controls are easy to use, and basically amount to one large red button at the base of the unit that works very well when prodded by a finger or a gloved hand, and the readout is clear. Thankfully the instructions come in a proper little booklet and not a daft, folded over A1 piece of paper that is impossible to comprehend.

If you aren't that bothered about whether your computer is wireless then the Atom 2.0 is definitely worth considering, it's half the price of it's wired sibling the 4.0. On the other hand, if you're tempted by the wireless route you can get a Cateye Vectra for less than a tenner more than the Atom 2.0.

Verdict

Good value, well made computer with all the functions of its wireless stablemate but at half the price