Bryton Rider 330 Bike Computer

Marti Bruce reviews the Bryton Rider 330 for Blister Gear Review,
Bryton Rider 330 Bike Computer

Bryton Rider 330 Bike Computer

Stated Features:

  • Highly sensitive GPS receiver
  • IPX7 waterproof
  • Large and easy-to-read display
  • Seven customizable data screens
  • Turn-by-turn navigation
  • Built-in compass and barometer
  • Pre-loaded training tests
  • One-second recording
  • Compatible with ANT+ Heart Rate monitor, speed and cadence sensors, and power meter
  • Anti-glare display and backlight for night rides
  • 36 hour battery life
  • Compatible with Strava, Training Peaks, and Fit Track
  • Compatible with Bryton app for planning a trip, analyzing and sharing rides
  • Strava auto-upload to sync activities from Bryton app

MSRP: $130

Test Duration: 17 rides

Test Location: Whitefish, MT

Intro

I began this bike season testing the Bryton Rider 310T to save some battery life on my phone while I Strava-ed my ride. Since then, Bryton released a new model, the Rider 330, and the Bryton app to provide on-the-go ride analysis.

The Rider 330 improves upon the 310T by offering a built-in compass and turn-by-turn navigation for rides, and the Bryton app provides some interesting details about your workout. Here’s what I found.

Installation

The Ryder 330 requires minimal effort to install; charge the computer, set your profile, and go. The Bryton mount is easy to attach to your bike. You connect two elastic bands to a plastic mount, then wrap the bands around your handlebars or stem (if it’s long enough). It’s a setup that’s very simple and similar to Garmin’s. The 330 even comes with extra attachment bands, just in case you break one, which I happened to do after a crash. I’ll say more about that in the durability section.

The Rider 330 uses GPS to track your speed, which saves you the hassle of installing a speed sensor on your wheel. Sensor installation is one of the more frustrating parts of using a cycling computer, so it’s nice to skip that hassle.

Features

The Rider 330 comes equipped with GPS and a barometer to measure the distance and elevation gained on your ride, as well customizable data screens so you can monitor these numbers in real time. Most days, it’s pleasant to see how far / high you’ve gone, although when you’re huffing and puffing, changing screens comes in handy so you don’t have to watch the numbers ever-so-slowly increase.

The Rider 330 doesn’t come with a heart rate monitor or cadence sensor, but it’s compatible with both, as well as a power meter. I mainly used the Rider when mountain biking, so I didn’t miss the cadence sensor much. I do have a sensor on my road bike, and getting the sensor and computer to communicate was fairly straightforward. Riders who are serious about training might miss the heart rate monitor, in which case I’d recommend checking out the Rider 310T.

One of the Rider’s selling points is its simplicity. Three buttons and a fairly large screen make the Rider pretty user friendly. With some trial and error, I figured out the training tests, and I’m not great with electronics.

When paired with the Bryton app, the 330 allows you to download routes, using Google Maps to pin a specific destination. With the app you can upload rides, which also display on Maps. From there, you can sync directly from the app to Strava. The Bryton app came out last spring, and this was my first experience using it.

The Bryton App and Website

The Bryton website hasn’t undergone any serious changes since I wrote my review of the 310T. It’s still not very intuitive. I offered a few troubleshooting tips in my Rider 310T review, but someone who uses technology regularly should be able to figure out the Bryton website with a bit of trial and error.

Marti Bruce reviews the Bryton Rider 330 for Blister Gear Review,
Marti Bruce with the Bryton Rider 330 bike computer.

That being said, Bryton now has a riding app, which the 330 and other Bryton devices use for uploading rides and downloading routes. The app is pretty new and feels like it’s still in its early stages, but it has a lot of potential, with features that make the Rider useful for mountain bikers — e.g., the ability to upload your ride to Strava immediately after you finish.

The app will direct you through syncing the Rider 330 with your smartphone. You’ll have to turn on bluetooth on the Rider 330 and on your phone. You’ll also want to make sure your phone’s software is up to date. In order to sync to Strava you also have to turn on Strava auto-sync in the Bryton app’s settings. Once you upload your ride on the Bryton app, it automatically uploads to Strava.

It’s worth noting that this is a Strava-specific auto uploading feature, so for other ride apps and sites, you’ll still have to wait and connect the Rider to your computer when you get home. All rides are saved as a .FIT file.

The app’s other main feature is that it can download routes and use the 330’s turn-by-turn navigation to guide you on your ride. I didn’t get a chance to test the route finding on the 330, due to an unexpected durability test (crash) which I’ll discuss in this next section.

I did have the opportunity to set a route on the Bryton app. My impression is that the route-setting feature will be more useful for road riding than for MTB because currently the Bryton app just uses Google Maps, not a service like Trailforks that shows actual mountain bike trails. However, you can follow a route that you’ve set on a previous ride. This could be useful for retracing a particular loop, but not for exploring some new terrain.

The Bryton app is pretty easy to use, and offers some interesting ride stats that you can’t get through Strava, like uphill time and downhill time. You can also examine the time, distance, and speed of different laps. I like the Bryton app, and it’s much friendlier to use than the website.

Durability

Sometimes I think I should start a new career as a professional durability tester. This time around, I put the Rider to the test with an over-the-bars crash, in which I damaged the 330’s display. The Rider 330 still works, but I can only see part of the screen thanks to a crack and blackened lower half of the screen. The 330 is still functional. I can record rides, but because I can’t see most of the screen it’s hard to know if I’ve started or stopped a ride, and I can’t use any of the ride tests or turn-by-turn navigation.

Bryton does offer a one-year warranty to repair or replace any component that fails in normal use, although I think my crash qualifies as an accident and thus wouldn’t be covered under warranty. Warranty exceptions and a few fairly standard terms and conditions are listed on Bryton’s website.

It surprised me that the Rider 330 broke in that crash, since I didn’t hit any rocks or roots in my crash. But, the 330’s display looks similar to other cycling computers’ screens, so I wouldn’t expect a different computer to fare better in the same crash. I guess the lesson is that if you’re going to get rowdy on the downhill, maybe stow the cycling computer in your pack.

The 330 wasn’t affected by rain, mud, or temperatures as low as 35 degrees. It has a nice long battery life (36 hours) so you don’t have to charge it every time you ride.

Comparisons

The Rider 330 is similar to the Rider 310T I tested this spring. Both computers use the same interface to record rides, both mount on your handlebars in the same way, and both computers offer the Workout Tests feature. The major differences are that the 310T comes with a cadence sensor and heart rate monitor, while the 330 allows you to download routes and follow those routes using turn-by-turn navigation. The 330 does work with speed and cadence sensors but it doesn’t include them.

The 330 is fairly similar to the Garmin Edge 25, which retails for $169.99. I haven’t used the Edge 25, so I can’t make a full comparison, but both computers let you track ride time, distance, speed, and heart rate, and both models allow you to save and share rides on their apps, as well as upload data instantly. One feature the Edge 25 offers is Live Tracking, which allows your friends and family to follow your ride (could come in handy in an emergency situation), but the Edge 25 costs $40 more than the Rider 330, so there’s a tradeoff.

For more comparisons, check out my review of the Rider 310T for a comparison to the Cateye Stealth, which also applies to the Rider 330.

Bottom Line

I’m pretty bummed that I broke the 330 because I enjoy the device and I was excited to try the new route-finding feature and turn-by-turn navigation. I like the new Bryton app; it’s much friendlier to use than the Bryton website, and offers some pretty interesting ride stats. The Rider series of computers is super competitively priced, and for $130, the Bryton Rider 330 is a great way to record your rides more accurately and save some battery life on your phone.

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