I swapped my phone for a cycle computer after a crash — but a tiny, underrated device was the real safety upgrade

I’ve been a regular cyclist since 2015, and I’ve had my fair share of bike crashes — all minor, thankfully, where I got away with a few gashes at worst — and the common denominator was that I was distracted by my phone.

A smartphone mounted on bike handlebars is a distraction magnet. The big, bright screen is great for navigating with Google Maps, but notifications and other pop-ups can also take your focus off the road. This setup can also drain the phone battery quite quickly, especially if you’re also recording your ride on an app like Strava, making it less than ideal for longer rides.

Bike computers aim to address these issues. They might resemble small smartphones, but without the distractions, recording metrics like speed, distance, heart rate, time and more. They can range from basic models that cost no more than ...