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review

Bryton Rider 750T GPS Cycle Computer Bundle

8
£299.99

VERDICT:

8
10
Thoroughly impressive unit and app at a price that might outweigh the slow processing and unrefined map graphics
Voice-activated navigation
Good app integration
Interplay with broad range of other apps
Colour touchscreen
Slow processing
Inferior map graphics compared with competitors
Weight: 
182g

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The Bryton Rider 750 offers everything that you could want from a GPS unit – colour touchscreen, app integration and on-board navigation, at a price that significantly undercuts its competitors. Even with one or two minor niggles, mainly relating to the user interface, it's difficult to be negative, particularly if your focus is to log riding stats and sync with other platforms; it does this as well as any other premium unit.

The Rider 750 replaces Bryton's 860 as its flagship unit and is available in two package options – the Rider 750E and the Rider 750T.

The 750T, on test here, is the bells and whistles bundle; in addition to the 750E's USB cable, two bike mounts and safety lanyard, you get an ANT+/Bluetooth heart rate monitor, ANT+/Bluetooth cadence sensor, and ANT+/Bluetooth hub speed sensor. Both packages come with the same Bryton Rider 750 head unit.

The no-frills bundle will set you back £249.99, the full package, £299.99.

Unit and mounting

The computer comes with a standard twist-fit bracket and a range of different sized rubber o-rings.

There's a sleek-looking, durable, aluminium, out-front (31.6mm) mount too. The brackets have a firm hold and distinct 'click' when the unit is in place.

2021 Bryton Rider 750T GPS Cycle Computer Bundle With Speed-Cadence & Heart Rate Monitor - mount.jpg

The 750 fits in both the old and new Garmin mounts that I own, though it's not a perfect fit – there's no 'click' at the vertical position. The reverse isn't so; the Garmin won't go in the Bryton mount.

2021 Bryton Rider 750T GPS Cycle Computer Bundle With Speed-Cadence & Heart Rate Monitor - back.jpg

The unit itself is a decent size – 92.3 x 49.4mm with a 2.8in touchscreen. It could be a little more compact – the logos at the top and bottom add unnecessary length, in my opinion, which could be an issue if you are mounting it on the stem – but it still looks pretty slick on the bike.

2021 Bryton Rider 750T GPS Cycle Computer Bundle With Speed-Cadence & Heart Rate Monitor - on bike 1.jpg

The unit itself weighs just shy of 100g (the whole bundle 182g), slightly heavier than Garmin's Edge 830. Alongside the latter, it looks a bit chunky.

2021 Bryton Rider 750T size comparison.jpg

The buttons (two either side) are easy to locate and activate, but the charging port could be better placed, particularly for anyone hoping to charge on the go (endurance bikepackers, perhaps) as it sits under the unit.

2021 Bryton Rider 750T GPS Cycle Computer Bundle With Speed-Cadence & Heart Rate Monitor - side buttons 2.jpg

It doesn't seem ideal in terms of exposure to the elements either, especially as the port cover on ours, a rubbery tab that slots in place, is already 'curling' at a corner. That said, the Bryton does come with an IPX7 waterproof rating, so should withstand atrocious conditions.

2021 Bryton Rider 750T GPS Cycle Computer Bundle With Speed-Cadence & Heart Rate Monitor - charging port.jpg

Battery life

Bryton claims an impressive battery life of up to 20 hours; I didn't get that, but like most GPS units, the more functions you use and the more you interact with it, the quicker the battery drains. It's certainly got a decent life with just the basic sensors on the go – HR and cadence, and without navigation. I would get in four two- to three-hour rides and think to charge it, but it wasn't necessary.

Annoyingly, there's no percentage indicator for the amount of life left in the battery. Even when charging, it doesn't show the capacity it's at.

Setting up and sensors

For someone who's been conditioned to a Garmin for several years, the Bryton took some getting used to. It's been worth the effort to discover its full capabilities. Bryton has some great videos on its YouTube channel that I'd point any new owners to.

Setting up the Bryton Active App is a must from the word go – you can do loads from there. At first I found it slightly more intuitive and efficient than using the unit, but over time I've got accustomed to changing settings on the unit; it's simply a matter of familiarity.

All the supplied sensors are easy to pair with the Rider 750, and equally easy to install. The on-screen prompts are great.

2021 Bryton Rider 750T GPS Cycle Computer Bundle With Speed-Cadence & Heart Rate Monitor - speed and cadence sensor.jpg

The hub-style speed sensor (6g) comes with a flexible rubber band attachment to fit all manner of hubs. The cadence sensor (6g) is slim and comes with a soft rubber backing to stay in place without marking the crankset.

The HR strap isn't the best quality – the actual fabric feels pretty flimsy, and creases and folds, while the plastic clip-on element is rather chunky and cheap looking. Transmission has dropped out on a few occasions when riding, but no worse than any other monitor I've used in the past.

2021 Bryton Rider 750T GPS Cycle Computer Bundle With Speed-Cadence & Heart Rate Monitor - heart rate monitor.jpg

The 750 picks up a signal pretty quickly. It never beat the Garmin 830 when starting up on my driveway, but it was only ever a second or two behind. It uses GPS, Glonass, Galileo, Beidou and QZSS satellite support; you can make your own selection based on your location – a great feature if you are planning to travel with the 750.

I found that under the cover of trees there was frequently a lag in the speed sensor, something that the Garmin 830 didn't suffer from. In general, the processing is a little sluggish.

Touchscreen

There's a lag in the 750's touchscreen which became more obvious when I was testing the Garmin 830 alongside it; it simply doesn't respond instantaneously like the Garmin, or indeed a smartphone.

On occasion, I've had to swipe twice to move screens, and when trying out thick winter gloves with it, it certainly missed swipes. An intended swipe is frequently picked up as a tap, which actually brings up a sensor status screen. (The buttons up the side can be used to cycle through screens too – as well as stop/start/pause, lap/reset, lockscreen...)

Profiles

Once everything is up and running, you can start to tailor the Rider 750 to suit your needs. There are three different bike profiles to name and customise. Each profile can have up to four data pages, plus a map and elevation screen. There are eight different grid arrangements available for data display, with a minimum of two and a maximum of 12 fields; there are in excess of 85 different metrics.

2021 Bryton Rider 750T GPS Cycle Computer Bundle With Speed-Cadence & Heart Rate Monitor - front.jpg

I found two pages for my main road bike, along with the map, sufficient. With six data fields on one screen things weren't too overwhelming and I could easily read all the fields. All of this can be customised directly on the unit or in the app.

GUI

The Graphical User Interface is a unique addition to the unit, and looks seriously smart, though I'd question its usefulness while riding on the road; I like to keep my wits about me and prefer a quick glance at a number rather than an attempt to assimilate a pretty ring of colours. I can see how it would come into its own for indoor training. I haven't tested the unit for indoor training, or indeed synced any kind of power meter – the GUI can be used with speed, power, cadence and HR.

The colour screen is pretty vibrant, but even on full brightness the contrast doesn't match that on the Garmin 830. That said, I had no trouble reading it. Riding in bright sunlight definitely makes it harder to read, though not impossible – I could still see what I wanted to, including the map.

2021 Bryton Rider 750T GPS Cycle Computer Bundle With Speed-Cadence & Heart Rate Monitor - on bike 2.jpg

I didn't warm to the auto-pause icon. While very visible, it obscures the screen – it was annoying if I wanted to read the map while static, for example. I'd prefer something more akin to the amber frame that the Garmin 830 uses.

Apps

As I mentioned, having the Bryton Active App is vital. Once installed, you can link to mainstream third party apps. Once the app is up and running, transferring data to and from the device is quick and seamless. When rides have been downloaded, you can access all the data and relevant graphics in the app without issue, no manuals needed. I'd say in-app data collation and summary is first rate.

2021 Bryton Rider 750T in app analysis.jpg

If you don't want to use the Bryton Active App (for ride analysis), you can link TrainingPeaks, Strava and/or Komoot. Syncing rides with these third party apps happens the instant they are uploaded to the Bryton Active App.

The app has never crashed on me and I never had issues with (full) data not syncing to TrainingPeaks, Strava or Komoot. The only omission is that the unit doesn't entertain Strava Live segments in the same way as a Garmin or Wahoo do.

Navigation

I actually had to load a map onto the 750, from the Bryton website – there were plenty of other countries, but no UK map. The Bryton website has full, easy-to-follow instructions and I had a map on there in less than 10 minutes.

While the map is clear enough, the graphics look pretty outdated, especially in comparison to the Garmin 830.

2021 Bryton Rider 750T map graphics comparison.jpg

It's worth noting that the map will not colour a trail of the roads that you have been on, in either free-riding or navigation modes. I use a GPS mapping screen a lot when touring – being able to see where I've ridden has been pretty vital on some tours, so not having a record of where I've come from on the screen at any given time is a real negative of the 750 for me.

I contacted Bryton about this; I was struggling to believe that there isn't a setting to change it. The prompt response was: 'This is not something that is currently offered but this is being looked into and developed. We expect (all going well) this to be released in an update by the end of the year.'

You can plan routes in the app (think waypoint plotting), or import them from the linked apps to upload to the unit. All of this is pretty intuitive and works as well as it does with the Garmin 830.

If you are following a planned route and happen to stray off course, the unit doesn't re-route you.

> GPS cycle route planning made easy – how to plan and follow a bike route

A unique feature to the 750 is the voice-activated navigation. I've found it pretty reliable, credit to the unit – I'm a northerner; it's picked up some tricky place names like 'Miserden' and 'Bishop's Cleeve'. I can't say that it always took me to destinations via roads I'd have opted for myself, but it would get me there. Equally, it has taken me on some lanes I didn't even know existed, so it's not always going for the most direct route. These were destinations close by and the processing time wasn't too lengthy – a minute at most. Out of interest, I asked it to take me to York from my home in Gloucestershire, and within 10 seconds it had a 273km route plotted – impressive. No, I haven't followed it, yet.

For any kind of on-board navigation – voice or a typed-in destination (via the unit or app) – the app needs to be active (with an internet connection); if it's not, you'll keep getting a pop-up reminder. The unit will re-route with this kind of unplanned navigation (provided the app remains active), and I was impressed by the speed at which it did this if I'd wandered off-course.

There’s more, if you want it...

Bryton claims that the 750 will connect not only to smart trainers (via ANT+ FE-C for power control of your trainer and upload of virtual rides), but that it also supports electronic gear-shifting systems 'including Shimano's Di2, SRAM's eTap and Campagnolo's EPS. Gear information, such as gear ratio, gear combo and even battery life (such as on the ESS), are displayed immediately on the Rider 750.'

There's even more: 'It incorporates Shimano Steps and ANT+ LEV e-bike support for compatible brands to display various e-bike data, including assist mode, assist level shifting mode, E-Bike battery, travel range and rear gear position.'

> 13 of the best cycling GPS units – get ride data and bike satnav from £50

I have it on good authority that it connects to the Garmin Varia Radar System too. I haven't tested any of these features myself but, based on the linking and syncing performance that I have, I'd have faith in its capabilities and reliability.

Just like some of the upper end Garmin and Wahoo devices, using Bluetooth Smart wireless technology, the Rider 750 can receive phone call, text and email notifications.

Value

The 750T Bundle is very modestly priced at £299.99. By comparison, the equivalent bundle with the Garmin Edge 830 has an RRP of £429.99. Wahoo's Elemnt Roam doesn't come with sensors, so its £299.99 price tag can only be fairly compared with the Rider 750E, which has an RRP of £249.99. Take out the sensors from the Garmin 830 bundle and you'll pay £349.99. In short, Bryton isn't being beaten on price.

Conclusion

Even considering all of the niggles that I've mentioned, the Bryton Rider 750 is a one hell of a package for the price. I struggled with the lack of processing oomph and outdated mapping, but this won't be at the top of everyone's priority list. Integration with the Bryton Active App and all third party apps has been, in my experience, flawless. Throw in all of the pairing opportunities with sensors, systems and smart trainers for under £300, and it's easy to see why many riders will happily overlook the unrefined mapping and slightly less power processing.

Verdict

Thoroughly impressive unit and app at a price that might outweigh the slow processing and unrefined map graphics

If you're thinking of buying this product using a cashback deal why not use the road.cc Top Cashback page and get some top cashback while helping to support your favourite independent cycling website

road.cc test report

Make and model: Bryton Rider 750T GPS Cycle Computer Bundle

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, 'Designed for demanding cyclists looking for powerful new features and technologies, the all new Rider 750 excites with pre-loaded maps for online navigation and a range of advanced training features well beyond it's price tag. The Rider750 also includes new features such as the Bike Radar System and full support for smart trainers bikes as well as compatibility with all of your Bluetooth and ANT+ sensors including all brands of Power meters. With an interactive graphical user interface (GUI) with easy-to-understand icons on a bright 2.8-inch colour touch screen, the Rider 750 offers a compelling user experience. It combines powerful features such as online navigation with pre-loaded maps of the most important regions and address entry by voice command with new technologies such as ANT+ FE-C (Fitness Equipment Control) for smart exercise bikes, 3 highly customizable bike profiles and support for Bike Radar systems. Furthermore, the Rider 750 E is compatible with SHIMANO Steps and can show the status of your e-bike on the display.'

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

From Bryton:

The Rider 750 T bundle comes packaged with an additional Bluetooth/Ant+ Heart Rate Monitor + Speed & Cadence sensors in the box.

Features:

2.8-inch colour touch screen with graphical user interface (GUI)

Online navigation with OSM

Online search by voice command

Google fuzzy search

Downloadable world maps

Route tracking with POI/peak information

Indoor trainer compatible with ANT+/FE-C connectivity to give control of the Smart trainers

Virtual ride simulation

Training with TrainingPeaks

3 quickly changeable profiles

Automatic sensor scan

Wireless connections - BLE/ANT+/ANT+ FE-C / WLAN

ESS support

Support of Bike Radar Systems

Support for e-bike (Shimano Steps)

In the Box

Rider 750 Main Unit

USB Cable

Bike Mount + Sport Out Front Mount

Bluetooth/Ant+ Heart Rate Monitor & Strap

Bluetooth/Ant+ Speed Sensor

Bluetooth/Ant+ Cadence Sensor

Safety Lanyard

Quick Start Guide

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10

Unit itself is tidy enough, if not as slick as some more expensive competitors.

Rate the product for performance:
 
7/10

Excellent app integration with great analysis. Good on-board navigation. Processing speed doesn't match that of some competitor units, with lags in touchscreen response and map loading.

Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10

Unit seems sturdy enough.

Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
8/10

Perfectly acceptable for its size.

Rate the product for value:
 
8/10

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

Reliable recording, syncing and analysis of data in both Bryton's own app and mainstream third party apps. Decent navigation functions, both onboard and in-app or third party synced. Niggles are only with processing speed; it always gets there though.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Reliable integration with Bryton Active App and third party apps.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Lack of coloured trail on map and slow processing/lag in swiping. The pause icon was also a little annoying; although very visible, it obscured the screen – not great if you still want to read the map.

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

It undercuts all comparable units from leading competitors. Both Garmin and Wahoo are considerably more. Sigma's Rox Sport 12.0 is not overpriced at £349.99, but you may struggle to get your hands on one of these at the moment.

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 Rider 750T is an impressive bundle for the price. It's reliable in syncing with the Bryton app and third parties, boasts some decent navigation functions and a whole range of other features. There's no escaping the lack of refinement with regards to the mapping and processing, but it's difficult to be too negative about these things when it does everything else so well.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 42  Height: 173cm  Weight: 64kg

I usually ride: Road  My best bike is: Carbon road.

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

I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, touring, club rides, general fitness riding, Getting to grips with off roading too!

Emma’s first encounters with a road bike were in between swimming and running. Soon after competing for GB in the World Age Group Triathlon Championships in Edmonton in 2001 she saw the light and decided to focus on cycling. 

After a couple of half decent UK road seasons racing for Leisure Lakes, she went out to Belgium to sample the racing there and spent two years with Lotto-Belisol Ladies team, racing alongside the likes of Sara Carrigan, Grace Verbeke, Rochelle Gilmore and Lizzie Deignan. Emma moved from Lotto-Belisol to Dutch team Redsun, then a new Belgian team of primarily developing riders, where there was less pressure, an opportunity to share her experience and help build a whole new team; a nice way to spend her final years of professional racing. 

Since retiring Emma has returned to teaching. When not coercing kids to do maths, she is invariably out on two wheels. In addition to the daily commute, Emma still enjoys getting out on her road bike and having her legs ripped off on the local club rides and chain gangs. She has also developed an addiction to touring, with destinations including Iceland, Georgia and Albania, to mention just a few. There have also been rare sightings of Emma off-road on a mountain bike…

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5 comments

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leonardarthur | 1 year ago
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Don't buy this gps unit if you want to use it for navigation.  It won't navigate anywhere unless your phone app is on and connected (which defeats the purporse of having it), it can only navigate to an address which has to be spoken into it, to program a ride into it you have to have an address (no pin drops). 

Also don't buy it if you are not good with computers because there is nothing intuitive about the setting up - although once set up it works well.  For instance to get to control power on your smart trainer you go through courses.  Who would think of that?

Great screen, gps holding comparable to my old garmin 800, slick mounting bracket but otherwise spend a couple of extra dollars and buy a garmin 830 - which does everything that the bryton won't do.

Avatar
Hirsute replied to leonardarthur | 1 year ago
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830 is on offer at amazon for £50 less at the moment.

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eeney | 2 years ago
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I've had many Brytons and used a 750 since early this year, used once a week. For the most part the unit was great, however the touchscreen developed a white line and then stopped working, the 'touch' stopped working.  Without touch the unit cannot be controlled making it useless.  Unfortunately I couldn't find the receipt and got no help from Bryton. Note, I had dropped it whilst taking of the bike to charge, but my previous Garmin 530 had been dropped many times without issue.

I want to like Bryton for giving another option outside of Garmin and Wahoo, but the 750s robustness dissapointed, the screen wasnt' as bright as the 530, and the 750 costs closer to Garmins/Wahoos than previous models.  I guess the support dissapointed, no receipt but a unit ID which Bryton could track by, Garmin support has been much better for watches and my Neo. 

I'm back to an older Bryton which works great, but not sure I'd buy again, which is dissapointing. I liked having 'another option' in the market, and something different to 'everyone else'.

Avatar
huntswheelers | 2 years ago
0 likes

Had my 750 since release in the UK.... I find it a great unit for the cash, it has worked faultlessly since January 2021. Battery life is good, I hook it up to Lifeline HRM/Speed/Cadence sensors and almost always plan routes on Bryton Active or PlotaRoute.... Never failed yet on navigation a pal with a Garmin lost signal and directions while on a bridleway/gravel ride recently...but the Bryton was all good. I've used it on road and off road rides...with no issues...and Strava segments are not an issue for me as I don't chase numbers....I ride. With all these GPS units...they all have their app/operating methods in different ways... I upgraded from a 450 to the 750...but kept the 450 for backup...time to sell that methinks after a "summer" of cycling with reliable uploads, decent app upgrades and easy map upgrades.... Nice unit...and I'd recommend to anyone..

Avatar
Secret_squirrel | 2 years ago
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The £50 extra for a very complete bundle seems good.  The RRP for the heart rate band seems to be £60 on its own.  I dont think you could do that even with "amazon/ebay special" sensors let alone branded ones.

The live segments is a bit of a miss.

Prices online for the bare head unit seem nearer £220 which creates some clear blue water between the Garmin 830 and the Karoo Hammerhead 2.

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