Gary Hunt
Bryton Inc. has been around for just seven years, but has developed a range of GPS enabled bike computers that feature many of the desirable attributes of their higher priced and longer lived rivals. They have, in recent years also had the credibility boost any emerging company would appreciate, by way of association with WorldTour team AG2R La Mondiale.
Despite their modest price points, the Rider 100 and the 310 have many features; 36 and 70 respectively, including speed, cadence, heart rate, gradient, distance, time, calouries, power, temperature, altitude, lap time and more… sometimes with several variations of each of the above, and many more than you’ll likely think about using.
While they do collect and display a lot of data they don’t have a mapping or navigation function on board; that is to say there’s no ability to upload a GPS route, or to display maps or routes to follow, but they will capture your route data for uploading to Strava or the like.
They both have seven customisable pages which allow you to include up to five data fields on one screen for the 100 and up to eight on the 310. It takes just a short while to learn the system interface and how to customise the display. You can opt for as few as three data fields if you like with a very large format font (18mm high) for one, say speed, and two smaller fields below perhaps with HRM and cadence. The fonts are sharp and there’s a backlight for your rides in the dark.
The Riders depend on satellite connection to provide a speed reading, which does away with the need for a sensor; I didn’t find any data dropout even under heavy tree cover. If you are particular about this function there’s an optional speed sensor kit with a wheel magnet available for purchase. Appropriating a satellite signal happens quickly when you turn the Rider on, and once complete the unit will detect movement and prompt you to hit the (large orange) start button if you forget to turn it on.
Pre-paired (where they’re bought in a bundle) with accessories like cadence and HRM sensors, there’s no messing around trying to get this done before the first use. Just turn the Bryton on and go. They’ll also pair with other Ant+ sensors you may already have including HRM straps or power meter units.
The Rider’s will automatically detect data sensors if they are in range and display information received in the fields you have defined on your customised pages. Interestingly they’ll remove any data field from the display where the sensor is not detected, so if you don’t wear your HRM strap today it will be removed and not show up as a vacant data field.
Battery life on the Riders is a strong point with the 100 reaching up to 25 hours and the 310 running strong for 36, while the market leader claims it will run for up to just 20.
Bryton has developed an app that will allow their units to sync with your smartphone via low energy Bluetooth so you can save ride data to your phone and the Bryton website if you choose.
This series of Riders the 100 and 310 despite being Bluetooth enabled won’t wirelessly upload your ride to Strava in the same way as a Garmin 520 for example will, though Bryton tell me they have this function in the pipeline for their next model. Still, uploading the GPS .fit files they produce is quick and simple via micro USB cable and direct into Strava or similar sites, with no need to navigate through a Bryton website first.
Mounting the unit is pretty standard with an O-ring secured quarter turn bayonet fitting supplied, or there’s an ‘out front’ style mount available as well. This mount is made from plastic and I found this allowed some vibration on rough roads…enough to make vision of the smaller fonts troublesome even though the 310 itself was just 53g (while the 100 weighs only 41g).
The Bryton Rider 100 and 310 are keenly priced and very capable. While not incorporating some recent tech innovations like a simplified display and function management system like the Wahoo Elemnt (where the interface is managed with a drag and drop app on your smartphone) or automatic upload of shared files like the Garmin 520, they provide more than enough critical data, have speedy satellite connection and good battery life, all the while looking slick compact and modern. I’d recommend you take a close look at these if you are in the market for a new GPS unit.
SPECIFICATIONS
RRP: Rider 100 alone $99 or $206 with HRM & Cadence. Rider 310 alone is $149 or $242 with HRM & Cadence.
