Bryton said it wanted to push the boundaries with the Rider S800 bike computer at its launch. It’s up there with the best for screen size in a mid-sized unit and for battery life.
The Rider S800 provides the basic functionality well too, but some of the more advanced functions are awkward to use.
Bryton Rider bike computers have been bubbling under for a while now. A few years back, when Garmin first started to dominate the bike computer market, Bryton head units were relatively clunky things.
The brand has upped its game recently though, with the current flagship Bryton Rider S800 intended to pack in premium features and target the top end of the cycling computer market.
The Rider S800 is Bryton’s best crack at a premium computer yet, despite falling down in a few areas.
Bryton Rider S800 specifications
The Rider S800 is mid-sized and fairly light in weight at 104g.
Bryton
The Bryton Rider S800 sits in the mid-range of cycle computer dimensions, a bit larger than the Garmin Edge 830 and Wahoo Elemnt Roam, but not as big as the Garmin Edge 1040.
Despite its dimensions (105x58x14.2mm), it doesn’t feel that large on the bike or in the hand. That’s due to the S800’s steeply sloping sides and relatively shallow format, rather than the usual slab-sided cycle computer designs. It’s also fairly lightweight at 104g.
Bryton claims IPX7 waterproofing and the S800 is charged via USB-C, so a recharge is theoretically faster than with a standard USB cable; I got a 50 per cent boost in an hour and 75 per cent in under two.
As well as the touchscreen interface, you can control the Rider S800 via the four physical buttons on the sides of the case, which enable you to switch the device on and off, start and stop a ride, drop a lap marker and scroll between pages of data.
Bryton has managed to pack a large colour touchscreen into the computer’s top surface. At 3.4in diagonal, it’s almost as large as the Garmin Edge 1040’s 3.5in and significantly larger than the 2.6in of an Edge 830, the Rider S800’s closest Garmin competitor price-wise.
You can send messages to other S800 users through voice-to-text.
Bryton
Its resolution of 240×320 pixels compares favourably to most rivals, although it’s significantly less than the Hammerhead Karoo 2.
Bryton has looked to ensure readability with a reflective layer installed behind the screen to help prevent screen shadow and an ambient light sensor to control brightness.
It uses a technology called Memory In Pixel (MIP), where only the pixels that need to be refreshed as the data changes are addressed by the processor, helping to extend battery life.
The S800 comes packaged with a standard rubber band bar/stem mount, as well as a rubber protective case and a lanyard. You can also buy a robust metal out-front mount as an extra.
The mounts use Bryton’s own quarter-turn system that’s not compatible with Garmin-style mounts, but you can unscrew it from the bottom of the computer and replace it with an optional Garmin mount.
As well as the …….