Cycling Weekly – August 22, 2019

44 | August 22, 2019 | Cycling Weekly

TECH GROUPTEST

Five mid-priced units

to track and record

your vital ride stats

Sub-£200

GPS

computers

WHAT

With a GPS (global positioning

system) computer you can track time,

speed and distance without attaching

a sensor to your fork blade and

magnet to the spokes.

Afterwards you can either upload

and analyse your ride data and route

via your computer manufacturer’s own

app or use a third-party app, the most

popular of which is Strava.

Th at’s the basics. At the sub-£200

price point what else you get depends

on the device and the market it’s aiming

at. Fitness-focused units will pair with

sensors such as power meters and

heart rate monitors via wireless

protocols ANT+ or Bluetooth (or both)

at the expense of navigational features,

while others may favour enhanced

route fi nding over sensor connectivity.

We’re seeing more button-operated

devices again and we say this is a good

thing. Bike computer touchscreens are

never as responsive as smartphone

touchscreens because they have to be

tougher — with gloves on it’s easier to

operate buttons anyway.

WHY

Why? Mainly because of Strava. If you

don’t have GPS you can’t be on Strava

and if it’s not on Strava it didn’t happen

— everybody knows that.

HOW

We’ve taken fi ve units out on the road

to fi nd out what sort of riding buddies

they are. After all, you and your bike

computer spend a lot of time together

so you’ve got to see eye to eye...

Lezyne Super Pro GPS £135

Wahoo Elemnt Bolt £199

The Elemnt Bolt is an aerodynamically

tuned, out-front computer —

something no one else is

off ering yet.

You set up data screens in the

app, pairing peripherals at the

same time. We found the software

very straightforward.

With no touchscreen there are

three buttons on the front and

two on the sides. These are

chunky and easy to use

with gloves.

The zoom function

via the two side buttons

means if you want to

focus on speed or power

you can zoom in and

only see what you want

magnifi ed — great for

eff orts out on the road.

The Elemnt Bolt

integrates computer and

mount and claims a

saving in a 40km time trial time of 12.6

seconds at 21mph over rivals.

The 2.2in black and white

display is clear and the numbers

are easy to read.

Maps are easy to follow too, easier

than Garmin. The road is chevroned so

there is no mistaking the direction.

It does also score against the Garmin

on maps, as they are included on

the base unit. With Garmin,

they are an optional extra.

The Elemnt Bolt is a great

little bike computer that we

can highly recommend.

Battery life: 15 hours

Screen size: 2.2in

Connectivity: ANT+,

Bluetooth

Contact:

http://www.

wahoofi tness.

com

Lezyne’s unit can be used in either

portrait or landscape orientation on

your bar. It’s controlled via four

buttons on the side of the casing

which have a precise action, although

when positioned on the bottom in

landsape orientation they are slightly

fi ddly to reach.

As with Wahoo and Polar, the

Lezyne Ally app can be used to

confi gure the unit and this is easier than

using the menu on the computer itself.

As for navigation, you can download

maps for the area where you intend

to ride and use these offl ine for turn-

by-turn navigation.

Lezyne has increased the 2in

monochrome screen’s resolution and

contrast and we found it easy to read

even in bright sunlight.

Battery life is now claimed to be up to

28 hours.

Lezyne’s quarter-turn mount is more

secure than Garmin’s but the Lezyne does

sit quite high above the bar or stem and is

not very

aero or

nice-looking.

It looks better with an out-front mount,

which isn’t provided with the standard unit

but does come bundled with an out-front

mount as well as a heart-rate strap and

speed/cadence sensor for £225.

Battery life: 28 hours

Screen size: 2in

Connectivity: ANT+, Bluetooth

Contact: http://www.upgradebikes.

co.uk

Weight

60g

BEST FOR

VAL UE

9

Weight

62g

9