Bryton’s new flagship Rider S800 computer has a claimed 36-hour battery life, colour screen and voice recognition

Bryton has introduced a new flagship bike computer, with the Rider S800 offering a claimed battery life of 36 hours, a 3.4in colour screen and voice recognition.

The Rider S800 joins the Rider 750 and Rider S500, which launched in January, at the top of Bryton’s range.

The stand-out feature of the Taiwanese company’s latest computer is the 36-hour battery life, which Bryton says can be extended to more than 40 hours of continuous use if you're not viewing the mapping pages.

“With this product, we hope to push the boundaries of what cyclists should come to expect from their GPS cycle computers,” says Samuel Wang, CEO of Bryton.

Bryton uses a technology called ‘memory in pixel’ (MIP) for its screen, which lowers power consumption by only refreshing the pixels in the display that need to be changed.

Bryton also says it’s worked on the outdoor viewing experience with an internal reflective layer that avoids screen shadow and an ambient light sensor to control the screen backlight. Charging is by USB-C, which should lower recharge time, too.

Pricing starts at £339.99 / $399.95 / €399.95 / AU$649.99.

Voice-controlled functionality

Bryton has included Google Voice Search on the Rider S800, which works with a paired smartphone to give you address and POI (point of interest) information without needing to use your phone or type on the screen.

You can also set up group rides with other S800 users and use voice-to-text to message your companions, as well as tracking their locations. There’s live tracking available for non-riders via a shareable link.

As always with voice-activated functionality, which is also offered on Bryton's Rider 750 computer, the test will be how well it works when out riding in the wind.

Navigation and route planning

The Rider S800 has the full suite of functionality you’d expect from a high-spec cycling computer, including turn-by-turn navigation, rerouting and the option to navigate back to the start, with an OpenStreetMap base map.

The Climb Challenge functionality gives you a climb profile when you approach an ascent on your route – another feature that’s now ubiquitous in the best bike computers.

You can also specify a distance you want to ride and the Rider S800’s Explore function will suggest three different round-trip route options.

There are pre-set ride types for road, MTB, indoor cycling, cyclocross and gravel riding, and you can set up to three different bike profiles, customising screen data for each, either on the device or in the Bryton Active phone app.

Finally, there’s a status summary that you can display by tapping the screen as you ride, which gives you user-configurable information such as laps and a summary of your riding data, so you’ve got all your most interesting info in one place.

Smart trainer and power meter compatibility

Bryton says you can hook the Rider S800 up to a smart trainer to control your workouts and it will display electronic shifting and rearview radar information, if you have the relevant accessories.

There’s also Cycling Dynamics support, to analyse power data on the fly. After pairing compatible power meter pedals, Bryton says the Rider S800 can display both static and graphical data, “including seated/standing position, power phase (PP), platform centre offset (PCO) and right/left balance”.

Comparing to the competition

The Rider S800 joins an ever-competitive market when it comes to bike computers but, on paper, the Garmin Edge 1030 Plus looks to be the closest competitor.

The flagship Garmin’s screen is a little bigger, at 3.5in, but the Rider S800’s runtime betters the Edge 1030 Plus by a full 12 hours (we’re comparing claimed runtimes here).

The Rider S800 is a fairly compact unit, with physical dimensions 9mm shorter than the Edge 1030 Plus, the same 58mm width and a depth of only 14.2mm, against 19mm for the Edge.

As for weight, the Edge 1030 Plus is 124g, with the Bryton unit coming in at a claimed 106g.

There’s also the Wahoo Elemnt Roam computer, though the screen size shrinks to 2.7in, with a claimed battery life of 17 hours, and, as a relatively new entrant, the Hammerhead Karoo 2, with its 3.2in screen size and 12 hours of ride time.

These numbers only scratch the surface, though – functionality and performance out on the road or trail is what matters. We’ve got the new Bryton Rider S800 (as well as the Hammerhead Karoo 2) in to test at the moment, so look out for full reviews soon.

Bryton Rider S800 pricing

The Bryton Rider S800 is available in two options.

The Bryton Rider S800 E packages the computer with a protective rubber case and screen protector, mount and lanyard, priced at £339.99 / $399.95 / €399.95 / AU$649.95.

Meanwhile, the Bryton Rider S800 T adds speed, cadence and heart rate sensors, increasing the price to £409.99 / $479.95 / €479.95 / AU$789.95.

Both options include a plastic bar-top mount, but Bryton also sells a compatible metal out-front mount priced at £11.99 / $12.95.