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Bryton Rider 15E Neo GPS cycle computer

8
£64.99

VERDICT:

8
10
Small, simple to use satellite-tracking computer for non-GPS money
Very well priced
Easy to read screen
Quick Bluetooth upload to Strava etc
No ANT+ connectivity
Buttons can be a bit tricky to push when new
Weight: 
60g

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The Bryton Rider 15E Neo is a compact, easy-to-use GPS computer for those who don't want all the bells and whistles of much more expensive units. It's quick to set up and battery life is excellent; assuming you don't want mapping or directions of any form, there really isn't anything to dislike for the money.

Some people thrive on data, while for others it's not that important – it's the latter who will find the Rider 15E Neo most appealing. It offers the same metrics as a standard wireless computer – speed, time, distance and so on – with the added benefit of a GPS chip and Bluetooth.

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The monochrome 2in screen can look a little cluttered at first glance, but once you know what data is where it proves easy to read, and it's easy to scroll through while riding too. Well, once the buttons have bedded in is... when the unit was brand new, I had to really push hard to get them to register. That got better after a few weeks use.

2021 Bryton Rider 15 Neo - buttons.jpg

There are five pages of data available, and you can use as few as or many as you like, each with either three or four sections per page. You set all of this up via the Bryton app on your phone/tablet, and the Neo updates before your very eyes.

As well as those metrics I've already mentioned there is altitude, gradient, temperature and – thanks to the Bluetooth capability – it can pair with various sensors to display heart rate and cadence. There is no ANT+ compatibility, though, which may hamper some pairing options.

2021 Bryton Rider 15 Neo - back.jpg

With all the 'average' and 'max' variations and the like, there are a total of 21 data fields in all. It will also display your heading too, although that is as much info as you're going to get when it comes to directions.

There is no mapping to speak of, not even a breadcrumb trail or turn-by-turn arrows, which is why the 15E Neo is unable to deal with uploaded routes of any description. If you rarely head off into the unknown it's not really an issue, especially as most of us carry phones with mapping capabilities anyway.

Bryton's Rider 420E offers basic turn-by-turn directions should you require it for just £134.99.

> Buyer's Guide: 13 of the best cycling GPS units

Battery life is a claimed 16 hours (in a perfect world), and running it from full to flat over the course of a week in varying temperatures I easily achieved around 13.5 hours before the battery icon started flashing. I got about another 1.5 hours after that, so the 16 hours is realistic, though it's less if you use the screen's backlight frequently. In daylight the screen is easy to see, so you'll only need the backlight at night.

The 15E Neo is IPX7 rated, which means it is waterproof enough to survive in 1m of water for 30 minutes. I rode the Bryton on a fair few wet days with no issue. The micro-USB does sit underneath the unit, but the rubber cover does a good job of sealing it.

2021 Bryton Rider 15 Neo - charging port.jpg

It feels well made, just like previous Brytons I've tested, and it locks onto a satellite signal quickly. It's compatible with GPS (USA), Galileo (Europe) and QZSS (Japan) satellites. Having it connected to your phone while riding also allows you to get notifications about phone calls, texts and emails on the unit's screen.

Value

For your £64.99 you get the unit, a USB charging cable, a handlebar mount with various sizes of rubber bands and a quick start guide. That's not a lot of cash for a GPS unit (that's for the 15E version that we have here; a C version is available with a cadence sensor for £79.99).

2021 Bryton Rider 15 Neo - mount.jpg

Something like the Beeline Velo will set you back £99.99 and that's just a screen, piggybacking the GPS from your phone.

Lezyne was offering the Macro Plus GPS for £100, although Mike really wasn't impressed with it. Many of Lezyne's smaller computers seem unavailable via its distributor's website now, though, so maybe there are new models on the way.

Other than that, there are a few computers from the likes of Amazon, as can be seen in our guide to the best cheap GPS cycling computers, but we haven't had chance to test any of those yet.

Conclusion

Overall, I think the Rider 15E Neo is the ideal companion if you just want to record your ride and upload it to Strava (or wherever) without loads of graphs or data as you go. For the price, you really can't fault it.

Verdict

Small, simple to use satellite-tracking computer for non-GPS money

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Bryton Rider 15E Neo GPS cycle computer

Size tested: n/a

Tell us what the product is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Bryton says, "Rider 15 Neo comes with a clear 2in screen and 3 intuitive buttons, as well as improved software, more than 21 functions, and an orientation mode for displaying which direction the rider is going."

I think it's a neat little computer that has a easy to read screen, giving you the basics for a good price.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Dimensions: 71.1 x 46.1 x 16.7 mm

Log History: 30 hours in one sec mode, 120 hours in smart recording mode

Satellite Supported: GPS, Galileo, QZSS

Display Size: 2 inches

Waterproof Rating: IPX7

Battery Life: Up to 16 hours

Barometric Altimeter: Included

Wireless: Bluetooth

Metrics:

Time of Day

Ride Time

Trip Time

Current Altitude

Max Altitude

Altitude Gain

Altitude

Grade

Distance

Distance

ODO

Current Speed

Avg Speed

Max Speed

Heart Rate

Average HR

Max HR

Current Cadence

Average Cadence

Max Cadence

Heading/Direction

Temperature

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
7/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
8/10
Rate the product for value:
 
7/10

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Gives all the basic data you require, with a long battery life.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

It's a neat little device that is very simple to use.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

No ANT+ connection.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

It's rare to find a GPS system for this amount of money – even Garmin's basic (now discontinued) Edge 25 was £139.99 back in the day. There are various GPS computers for around £65 on Amazon, but we haven't had the opportunity to test any of those.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

The 15E Neo is a neat, compact unit that gives you all the basic data, with the bonus of GPS and Bluetooth for uploading to Strava and so on. The lack of ANT+ might be an issue for some though, and even basic breadcrumb trails would be a nice addition, but it's still very good.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 42  Height: 180cm  Weight: 76kg

I usually ride: This month's test bike  My best bike is: B'Twin Ultra CF draped in the latest bling test components

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed,

As part of the Tech Hub here at F-At Digital, our senior product reviewer Stu uses the knowledge gained from putting well over a 1,000 products through their paces (including hundreds of bikes) to write in-depth reviews of a huge range of kit. After first throwing his leg over a race bike back in 2000, Stu's ridden more than 160,000 miles on road, time-trial, track, and gravel bikes, and while he's put his racing days behind him he still likes to smash the pedals rather than take things easy. Although, as he spends a fair bit of his time reviewing ebikes these days he's becoming an expert in letting the motor take the strain. He's also waiting for 23mm race tyres to make a comeback!

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5 comments

Avatar
PpPete | 2 years ago
1 like

Very well prices?  Not compared with similar spec items available direct from China via Aliexpress.  £25 for the basic Xoss G  - for most of the above data - a very reliable little unit IME.  The Xoss G+ has all the above plus ANT+ and still less than half the RRP of the Bryton.  Plenty of good reviews on Youtube.

 

Avatar
Secret_squirrel replied to PpPete | 2 years ago
0 likes
PpPete wrote:

Very well prices?  Not compared with similar spec items available direct from China via Aliexpress.  £25 for the basic Xoss G  - for most of the above data - a very reliable little unit IME.  The Xoss G+ has all the above plus ANT+ and still less than half the RRP of the Bryton.  Plenty of good reviews on Youtube.

Thats not exactly like for like though is it? 

Whats the warrantee and return options on those?  Who do I contact for support?  

Avatar
Vl_Po | 2 years ago
1 like

My bike has a Bryton 420 installed on it and I don't have the slightest complaints about its work. Bryton 15 Neo is installed on the wife's bike, and there have already been freezes in the readings.
Syncing with the app on your smartphone is very slow, and yesterday it was not possible to sync at all. Satellites take noticeably longer to find than 420.
And the auto-pause algorithm works differently in comparison with 420 - yesterday, during our joint walk, 420 counted 52 km, and 15 Neo counted 57 km. I think that it is worth choosing a different model...
Sorry - Google Translate.

Avatar
chocim | 2 years ago
1 like

I have had this one for a few months now and unfortunately, it is prone to freezing, with the figures on the display no longer being updated (even the time). It did so more frequently in July and August, so overheating could have been the problem. Anyway, mine is not fully reliable, but the problem is not sufficiently easy to reproduce to claim that it is defective.

Speed measurement is also quite inaccurate (understating the actual speed), especially with poor GPS coverage (dense woods, etc.), but this can be remedied with a speed sensor mounted on the bike's axle.

Avatar
joeegg replied to chocim | 2 years ago
2 likes

Same freezing problem on mine. Keep having to press all the buttons to reset it. Gone back to using my ancient Garmin.

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