Stronger cadence magnet

Change your bike magnets yourself 

As soon as it is bike season, we get lots of fun tasks that involve magnets and bikes. A recurring feature is the magnets used for speed. Specifically, the magnets mounted on a spoke in the wheel and magnets for the cadence measurement (magnet mounted on the pedal arm). Tip: The small magnet that is included when you buy a bike computer can easily be replaced if it rusts or if you lose it. But what about the speed magnet? It is common for the speed magnet to easily get too far away from the sensor, and that can also be reason enough to replace the standard magnet with a stronger magnet.

Above you can see the difference between the original cadence magnet (the one on the right) and ours (the one on the left). The one from Magnetz (the name of our Danish company) is stronger. It does not have the traction grooves on the side that the original bike computer magnet has, but that only makes a difference if you have slippery fingers. Otherwise, both magnets are easy to screw on with the external thread. It is therefore easy to replace the magnet with a stronger one.

Should you lose or break the small clamping plate that comes with the original, we are going to share with you a great tip for a solution: you can either buy a new original plastic cover, or you can print it yourself with a 3D printer. The file can be found on Thingiverse.com. Simply search for (1) bicycle magnet, (2) transfer the file to your 3D printer, and (3).

Here is how you do it  

The magnet must be assembled with a plastic clamping plate on a bicycle spoke on the rear wheel. The first photo shows the original set from Garmin: 

The second photo (below) shows a combination of our ø13 magnet, and a 3D printed clamping plate. But should you prefer, it works just as well with an original manufacturer clamping plate. This is just to show you that both are possible:

Further optimization with magnets? 

Tip: You can also put a cadence magnet on the pedal arm. We recommend a 22x6 mm. rubber magnet (about 0.24 in.), which is our bestseller for the pedal arm. With a rubber magnet you do not have to use fastened strips around the bike. Not because the fastened strips do not work well, but because the magnet is far more elegant, gives more energy, and is durable.  

Also, we have observed cyclists' feedback that share concern about common magnets for the pedal arm. Some say the common magnets tend to get too hot in the summer heat, which results in periodic failures during a bike ride. But that can be avoided with rubber magnets. However, we must add that we have not investigated/tested it ourselves, so this is based solely on customer testimonials.  

ATTENTION!! Most pedal arms are aluminum (which is not magnetic). Therefore, the magnet is stuck to the pedal screw, which is usually made of magnetic metal. But if the pedal screw is also made of aluminum, you must attach the magnet with glue or with strips.  

This is what it looks like with standard equipment on your cycling computer: 

And this is what it might look like with a stronger rubber magnet: 

Do you want to know more about bicycle magnets? 

We are happy to conduct some tests for you, so contact us if we can help you solve a magnetic challenge for your bike. Our customer service team are available to answer your questions every weekday from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.