Screw you, Cateye! (Product Review)

Well it was bound to happen eventually - last week my odometer battery konked out. In theory, this should be no big deal. In reality... it has turned into a nightmare!

After realizing my odometer was outta juice, I picked up a new battery and then promptly forgot all about it and my nonfunctional odometer. In fact, the problem completely slipped my mind until I rolled out of bed last Saturday morning to meet Les for a good ol' Quad Cycle group ride. With little time to spare, I threw the unopened battery in my bike bag and figured the always helpful Quad Cycle employees would be able to help me replace that bad boy no problem.

Ummm... not so much. As it turns out, my Cateye Strada odometer battery is locked behind the tiiiiiiiniest screws you've ever seen. They are SO tiny that Quad Cycles didn't have a small enough screwdriver to remove them, and I was forced to ride without any gauge of my speed or mileage... well, except for the updates I forced Les to give me every five seconds or so. What can I say - odometer withdrawal ain't pretty!!

Thankfully I made it through.... and then as soon as I got back to my apartment I AGAIN forgot all about this problem ! Until tonight that is - the night before we head to Sturbridge - when I was putting an emergency rain coat in my bike bag, and I saw it.... that goddamn unopened odometer battery ad;kgha;gdkh

So off I went to CVS to buy an eyeglasses repair kit - essentially the smallest screwdriver I could think of. Well ya know what, IT'S STILL NOT SMALL ENOUGH. I AM NOT EVEN KIDDING. I was finally forced to google this awful product only to find out that you need a "precision screwdriver" to remove the back panel.

What the hell is a precision screwdriver!?

I give up. At least for tonight, cause if you think I could survive this weekend's ride without a functional odometer, you're as stupid as the Cateye Strada.

Guess I'll just have to find a hardware store tomorrow morning and hope for the best.

In the meantime, I am giving this product a HUGE thumbs down - the Cateye Strada and its tiny screws have managed to screw me BIG time. Consider yourselves warned.