The B’Twin Count 4 offers bare-minimum data, but despite the current obsession with Strava stats, not every cyclist wants or needs a GPS computer. The Count 4 is as pared-down as they come, with just four functions: current speed, partial distance (trip), total distance, and time of day.
It’s very user-friendly though, and is one of the cheapest wireless computers on the market. It also weighs just 60g.
- Highs: Cheap, easy to read, no wires
- Lows: No average speed, flimsy release
The Count 4’s head unit can be mounted on the bar, but its long, slim shape is a more natural fit on the stem, where the supplied rubber strap secures it effectively. Fatter shafts or 35mm mountain bike bars are likely to be a stretch too far though. The long, narrow head unit puts the big-digit two-line display out in front of the bar for improved visibility.
The wheel sensor has a similar strap that aids in positioning it on the fork, and BTwin supplies cable ties to lock it in place. It works fine on most bikes, but can be tricky to align on very thin fork blades. It also needs to sit within 5mm of the passing spoke magnet which, incidentally, works fine on both bladed and round spokes.
Setup consists of entering the time of day, the size of your tyres, and your choice of units. If you’re replacing the battery, you can re-enter your total distance so as not to lose it. The computer is controlled by three intuitive, glove-friendly buttons and depressing a flimsy feeling lever on the mount releases the head unit for when you leave the bike locked up.
The Count 4 is a simple and effective way to measure mileage and speed, and we appreciated its large, easily legible display. Like any computer that relies on counting wheel revolutions, it’s only as accurate as the wheel size you input, but if you’re anal about that kind of thing you can always do a roll-out test as detailed in the manual to get it spot on.
The only notable feature that’s missing is an average speed readout, but if that’s important to you the Count 8, at just £4 more, includes that, along with some extra functions.
