Bryton’s new Rider 17 is one of their latest entry level GPS cycling computers that offers accurate GPS tracking at an affordable price point. The Rider 17 is a replacement for the previous Rider 15 neo with the most obvious upgrades being the larger display and additional sensor connectivity. Retail price on the Rider 17 is an affordable $69.95 which is impressive given the 3” screen and support for standard sensors including bike radars. The Rider 17 also features a 25 hr runtime with modern USB-C charging. An integrated GNSS chip ensures the Rider 17 works worldwide on various GPS networks.
The Bryton Rider 17 GPS computer combines a budget friendly price point with a large 3.0” easy-to-read screen.
| Rating | 9.3/10 |
| Retail Price | $69.95 |
| Measured Weight (in g) | 62 |
| Likes | + Budget friendly + Large screen with bike radar support + Wide range of customization options despite pre-defined grid display |
| Dislikes | – Bryton-specific mount that is molded into body – Manual backlight instead of using an ambient light sensor |
| Where to Buy (US) | Bryton |
UNBOXING
The Bryton Rider 17 comes in a compact cardboard box with white and green coloring that matches the Bryton branding. There is a large graphic of the computer on the front and specs printed on it. Inside the box you’ll find:
- Bryton Rider 17 computer
- Plastic handlebar mount + origins
- Safety tether
- Instruction manual
It’s a bit surprising to see a safety tether included for such a lightweight computer.
MOUNTING
As with all Bryton computers, the Rider 17 uses the brand’s proprietary Bryton mount that is molded into the base of the computer. It is a very similar design to Garmin quarter turn mounts with protruding tabs that lock into a matching base. Bryton’s design uses slightly thicker mounts which means you can force them into a Garmin mount but it will damage the Bryton mount and the Garmin mount over time. The Rider 17 comes with a basic handlebar mount with two o-rings and a plastic base that can be mounted on a stem or handlebars. Unlike the more expensive Bryton S series computers, the mount can not be replaced with a Garmin mount. We’d highly recommend buying the Bryton Sport Mount or purchasing a KOM Cycling out-front mount with a Bryton adapter for a cleaner installation.
FIT & FINISH
Visually, the Rider 17 mimics the smooth corner design of the Bryton’s premium S series of GPS computers. Despite the $70 price, the Rider 17 boasts a large 3.0” LCD display with a thin profile that is only 12.8 mm thick. The combination of the smooth curves and small bezels give the computer a premium appearance that you don’t typically see at this price point. Branding is limited to Bryton on the front and bottom of the screen in white lettering which is the only contrast to the otherwise black plastic construction. There is a USB-C port on the bottom of the computer with a nice rubber cover as well as a cutout for the included lanyard. This is a non-touch screen computer which is why there are three physical buttons, a power button on the left and two buttons on the right side.
The Bryton Rider 17 uses a segmented LCD display which uses a predefined grid to layout all the items. It’s a common feature for sub $100 GPS computers and highly restricts the flexibility of the user interface. With this large 3” display Bryton has chosen to divide the screen into four main rows: the top notification bar, upper main display and two lower rows. The black dividers are visible on the screen even with the computer off as well as a vertical divider on the second row from the bottom. The other distinctive feature of this computer is the compass on the top left corner with an arrow indicator. It’s an interesting concept that ensures you always know which direction you’re riding and could help with navigation as there is no map view.
Bryton has incorporated a 5 page display with some basic customization available for each display field. Customization is done through the Bryton active app with support for 23 display metrics. We also wanted to point out that the Rider 17 supports bike radars which is why there is a gap on the right side of the screen to display approaching cars. Despite how limiting the segmented LCD screen is, Bryton has done a nice job with the layout of the display and their use of intuitive icons and large font sizes. The screen also has a 5×16 pixel grid near the top of the screen that displays variable text that allows the Bryton Rider 17 to display notifications and alerts.
USER INTERFACE
As a non-touch screen computer, the Rider 17 is controlled through the three labeled buttons. There is a power button on the left side and two buttons on the right side. The power button has a bit of an awkward design as there is space for two buttons but only one button on the bottom. However, each button has clear labels next to the screen and serves multiple functions. A long hold on the power button turns the computer on and off while a short press increments the lap counter during a recording. Doing a short press outside of a recording accesses the seven level configuration menu which lets you do some basic changes on the device: bike profile, altitude calibration, sensor pairing, unit display, time zone, odometer, and an option to do a factory reset.
The configuration screens have simple labeling and provide basic customization of the computer to adjust units and connect sensors to start riding. However, we’d recommend using the Bryton Active app to configure the computer as it’s more intuitive and faster to do. Bryton also makes some options like the key tone or auto features only adjustable on the app. The computer also only has a manual backlight which is activated by holding the bottom right button while a short press cycles through the available pages. The top right button controls starting, pausing, and saving recordings with a nice info panel on the top of the display showing short messages to indicate status.
BRYTON ACTIVE APP
To do any data field customization or access more advanced options like key tone settings the Bryton Rider 17 needs to be synced to the Bryton Active App. It’s a well designed app with four basic tabs on the bottom: activity view, a “course”, profile and device. The activity page shows a summary of synced data and has graphical views and data metrics to review ride data. On the “course” page has the advanced features like routes, training plans, live tracking and group ride. For this budget computer, the only relevant option is the “live track” which lets you send a link to your contacts to view your position in real-time. The profile page lets you set units, fitness metrics and 3rd party linking to popular platforms like Strava, Relive, Ride with GPS, Komoot and even TrainingPeaks.
The device page lets you connect to the computer and access most of the configuration settings. There are standard options like keytone, firmware update and then individual settings for the two bike profiles. For each profile you can customize the data display with quite a few options per field. Customizing the layout is fairly straightforward and you can enable/disable pages entirely which is a nice feature. We’d highly recommend updating the firmware on a regular basis as Bryton fixes bugs and adds in new features. The device page even supports more advanced options like altitude calibration and enabling phone notifications which are surprising to see at this price point.
RIDING IMPRESSIONS
With new GPS computers offering an every increasing amount of features and functionality, it can be refreshing to switch back to a simple and affordable computer like the Bryton Rider 17. Although we missed our map navigation and climb challenge features, the Bryton Rider supports standard sensors and even bike radars. We were able to sync up our Bryton Gardia radar and cadence sensor quickly and easily. The large 3″ screen offers high-contrast with a very bright manual backlight for early morning ride. The Rider 17 offers an impressive amount of customization for the screen design with multiple data options per field which let us fine tune it to display what we wanted on one page. We were impressed with the variable text field at the top which displayed radar alerts and clear messages. Even though we didn’t really use the compass, we prefer it over other GPS computers that place lap counters like the Coospo CS300 in the same spot.
The user interface on the computer is also easy to use with nicely labeled buttons and separate functions. Saving a ride requires a few extra button presses but was reliable. Using the Bryton App we were also able to quickly sync the ride data to Strava and other platforms to track our progress and performance. It’s one of the more intuitive apps we’ve used as Bryton has spent time to refine and improve the app over the years. The biggest complaint we have about the computer is the Bryton specific mount which is molded into the base and limits what mounts you can use the computer with. Although we were able to use a Garmin out-front mount with the computer, from past experience, we know that it can deform the mounts over time so we would not recommend it.
THE VERDICT
Overall, we found the Bryton Rider 17 to be a well priced and full-featured budget GPS computer. Bryton has combined a large 3″ screen with high-contrast predefined grid layout to create an affordable cycling computer. The Rider 17 even supports rear radars and a decent amount of data customization per field which are typically reserved for more expensive cycling computers. The user interface of the computer is straight forward with basic on-device configuration and more options available through the Bryton Active app. As far as negatives, the Rider 17 has a molded in proprietary Bryton mount and has a manual back light instead of an automatic sensor-based one. That said, if you’re looking for a large GPS computer on a budget then the Rider 17 offers a lot of features.
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.