Bryton is well known for the affordable and feature-filled GPS cycling computers. Whether you’re looking for a color touchscreen or basic speed display, Bryton’s computers offer one of the best values on the market. The Bryton Rider 15 is one of the company’s most affordable computer models and in this review we’ll be looking at the latest version, the Bryton Rider 15 neo. With a retail price of only $69.95 for the headunit, the Rider 15 neo offers a number of features not typically found at this price point. The Rider 15 neo supports 3 satellite systems (GPS / Galileo / QZSS), BLE sensor connectivity and high accuracy 1-second recording. Bryton also claims upto 16 hour battery life with a micro USB rechargeable design. Compared to the outgoing model, the Rider 15 neo has an improved 2” display that has better contrast and data layout.
The Bryton Rider 15 GPS computer is a customizable budget friendly GPS computer that offers an impressive value.
| Rating | 9.0/10 |
| Retail Price | $69.95 |
| Measured Weight (in g) | 48 (head unit) / 10 (handlebar mount) |
| Likes | + Entry-level price + Display layout can be customized via Bryton Active app + Easy to use three button interface |
| Dislikes | – Cluttered display – Easy to accidentally cancel ride recording – Some icons are difficult to understand |
| Where to Buy (US) | Bryton |
UNBOXING
The Bryton Rider 15 neo is shipped in a small cardboard box with Bryton’s green/black graphics printed on it. An overview of the features are printed on the sides of the box with a reflective graphic depiction of the computer on the front. For the head unit only option, you’ll find the following in the box:
- Rider 15 neo GPS Computer
- Stem mount + O-rings
- Micro USB to USB charging cable
- Warranty Card
- Instruction Manual + Touch Screen Quick Guide
To supplement the somewhat simple instruction manual, Bryton does offer additional guides/tutorials on their website.
MOUNTING
As with other Bryton devices, the Rider 15 neo uses Bryton’s own quarter turn mount molded into the base of the GPS computer. Included in the box is a plastic handlebar that uses elastic o-rings for mounting. It’s a simple design that works well on handlebars of bike stems and provides a secure fit. We still recommend buying an out front mount like the Bryton Sport Mount as it’s a cleaner installation and puts the computer directly in front of the stem. At first glance the mount design looks very similar to Garmin mounts, but Bryton uses a slightly thicker tab design that makes them incompatible. That said, the Bryton can be put on a Garmin mounts and vice versa but the different designs can damage the mounts and devices over time which is why we don’t recommend it.
FIT & FINISH
Visually the Rider 15 neo shares the same distinctive rectangular design and beveled edges found on other Bryton computers. The Rider 15 neo looks like a downsized Rider 320 as it has a similar button layout albeit with a smaller 2” screen. Despite the claimed 16 hour runtime the computer itself is compact and thin with the micro USB port located under the computer. There is also minimal branding on the black computer with only the Bryton logo and model name printed on the front face. As with other lower cost computers, the Rider 15 neo is silent with no speaker or annoying beeps or alerts.
To achieve the lower price point of the Rider 15 neo, Bryton has used a segmented LCD screen. Instead of having a dense grid of pixels that can be adjusted to display dynamic text and graphics, the LCD screen has a predefined grid of icons and text. The display is similar to other budget GPS computers such as the Bontrager RideTIME Elite and Cycplus M1 but has better contrast and brightness. Although it lacks the flexibility of traditional screens, Bryton has done a good job laying out the elements and icons for a good user experience. Configuration menus and other items are well labeled with easy to understand controls.
USER INTERFACE
To achieve the lower price point, the Bryton Rider 15 neo utilizes a non-touch screen 2” segment type HTN LCD. As it uses a predefined layout, the user interface is significantly more constrained. To interact with the GPS there are three physical buttons on the device, two buttons on the bottom corners and an additional button on the left rear. Each of the buttons are context specific, which means pressing or holding them do different actions depending on when you press them. The primary actions for each button are:
- Rear Button (Power / Menu) – Press to turn GPS on, hold to turn it off. While the GPS is on a short press also opens / closes the configuration menu.
- Bottom Left Button (Page / Backlight) – Holding this button while the GPS is one turns the back light on or off while a short press will cycle through pages or menu options.
- Bottom Right (OK / Record Ride) – Pressing this on any setting option acts as a confirmation. Otherwise the button start recording a ride, or stops it if there is already a recording active
Although we prefer the Bryton Rider 320 four button design, this simplified interface is intuitive to use. Unlike the Bontrager RIDEtime Elite which overloads buttons with short / hold / long hold actions, all the buttons on the Rider 15 neo are simply a press or hold which is easy to remember. The main issue we found was that we’d often start and stop ride recordings on accident as the “ok” button is the same as the record button. We wish Bryton had utilized a long-press to stop a ride, otherwise it’s far too easy to accidentally stop a ride recording as you need to press the page button, then the ok button again to resume a recording. Otherwise Bryton has done a good job with the labeling and page layout.
In terms of configuration, the Bryton Rider 15 neo offers an easy to use menu. A short press on the rear button opens the menu and the bottom left button cycles through the modes. Configuration options are limited to some basic options: syncing sensors, bike profile, calibrating altitude, deleting data, display units, odometer and factory reset. For the most part the configuration menu is easy to navigate with well defined labels and separation. Some of the icons are a bit confusing, but with the limited space they work well enough. The computer even supports two bike profiles which is a rare feature to see at this price point and makes it easy to swap the computer between two bikes.
BRYTON ACTIVE APP
Despite the budget price point, the Rider 15 neo can connect wireless to the Bryton Active app (free on both Android/Apple stores). The app primarily consists of four tabs: review previous rides, setup workouts/plan trips, setup profile and connect devices. With the more simple nature of the Rider 15 neo the main features of the app are syncing rides, analyzing rides and configuring the display and settings. Using the app it’s easy to manually set up the number of pages (upto a maximum of 5) with upto 4 data fields per page. It’s a nice feature that typically is missing from budget GPS computers and makes customizing the Rider 15 neo easy. We’d recommend using the app to setup an automatic data sync to Strava or other platforms and setting up the computer though.
THE VERDICT
Overall, we found the Bryton Rider 15 neo to be a budget friendly and well designed computer. Even though it has an affordable price point, Bryton kept many of the software features such as email/call alerts and customization via the Bryton App from their more expensive models. The three button interface is also straightforward to use with well labeled configuration options which mean you don’t need an instruction manual to get started. As with other Bryton computers, the Rider 15 neo is ready to ride right out of the box and offers great GPS accuracy and stable bluetooth connectivity with speed, cadence and heart rate monitors. The most obvious indication that this is the lower cost GPS computer is the segmented LCD screen which uses a predefined layout. That means the 2” screen is a bit cramped and lacks the ability to do larger screen popups or notifications. The low price point and well designed features mean the $70 Rider neo is tough to beat though and an excellent option for new cyclists or riders looking for a simple and easy to use GPS computer.
Disclaimer: The product for this review was provided by Bryton. The views expressed on this website are solely those of the authors and are here to help people make an informed choice before a purchase. The authors or the blog itself does not get any monetary compensation from the product manufacturer or third-party websites/vendor links that are posted here.