If, like me, you have scoured the online prices of various cycling computers and triathlon computers then you will probably have come across Bryton. But then moved swiftly on. Bryton are the company that produced that triathlon watch that looked quite similar tot he black Garmin 910XT.
The expansion of the cycling and triathlon market has not escaped most product vendors. Cateye, Lezyne and others have brought out new products. The same is true of Bryton except they’ve been a bit ‘greedy’ and have brought out 4!
Just like the Lezyne ones I looked at yesterday, they will perform all the essential data acquisition (power, HR, GPS, cadence) in varying degrees across the range. Just like Lezyne and others they are good value for money devices with prices coming in generally below £200 even for their top-end device.
You can get 12 bits of data on one of the 7 Bryton screens with the Rider 530, it’s ANT+ – compatible and claims good waterproofing. There are the usual links to STRAVA and TP. It doesn’t seem to have gone too far down the Bluetooth integration with smartphone notifications but there is of course the usual smartphone app. There are also colour-screen models with in depth navigational competencies.
Q: Is it any good?
A: No idea. I’ve never looked at one. I have looked at MIO and Lezyne devices and there are probably more competent devices out there than you would think.
If you do consider buying one of these then a bit of price-research is recommended as online stores can vary by over £100 for the same top-end model.
I have a Bryton Rider 310 and so far it is a great little GPS. I use it with the bePRO S power pedals (commented about that here). Just make sure you get the latest firmware for it.
Download the complete manual from their website as the one in the package is….. well, lacking. Once you get a hang of it, it is easy to use.
It is possible to configure up to 5 custom data screens (pick any parameter) showing up to 8 parameters at a time. They can be manually selected or (if I didn’t get this wrong) they can be set to automatically scroll through each one.
The battery life is outstanding. It does not have any Wifi or automatic links to online apps so you’ll have to download the ‘fit’ file via USB which works just fine. No special drivers needed and it shows up just like any other flash drive.
I can’t compare the accuracy to anything other than an app on my Windows Phone (8.1) and it is just as good (or bad). Use the 1 sec update rate instead of the ‘smart’ setting. For $90 (base model without sensors) it is a bargain.
The only complaint is that the screen is a bit small. With 8 parameters active it gets hard to read. However, with the back-light on it is much better.
No problems so far.
sounds like a nice little unit. ty for the feedback. interesting that you own a PM and use this device.
For someone on a budget this combo is probably the cheapest path to riding with GPS + Power Meter, especially if your groupset is older. In my case I am running a 9 spd Dura Ace setup.
An update.
All was good up until yesterday when it suddenly just locked up and became unresponsive. It’s still powered on and do not respond to any button action and USB connection.
All I did was to go in for a coffee brining the unit with me without pausing or stopping the ride.
I’m hoping the battery will drain and it can be restarted that way. Bummer, I liked it.
Update to the update….
It’s working again!!
I had to open it up and short the battery for a very short time. That drops the voltage at the input of the device and it can reboot.
The case opens by removing 4 small screws. The screen pops out and the board can be removed with yet another 2 screws.
Phew! No need to by a new unit. I was considering throwing in the towel and just get a Garmin 520 but luckily there is no need to spend $300. I will be rocking this $90 unit until it fails.
The hardware is good (besides this problem) but their site and app is not good.
Skip all that and just download the .fit file via USB and all is good.
change your brand of coffee 😉
ah. you’re very brave using it in the wrong sport mode! I always avoided that as it would likely mix my data up. but you highlight the point that all those calcs should be available I nrunning mode.
try the free golden cheetah. that will give you some interesting power stats. sporttracks too but you night need to pay a few tens of dolalrs for plugins to get the best benefit from that.
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