Bryton’s new Rider 650 combines many of Bryton’s premium S series of computer features and design details at a more affordable price point. The Rider 650 uses Bryton’s modern sleeker design along with some new features we haven’t seen with other Bryton computers. Bryton’s retail price for the Rider 650 is $169.95 which is competitive given the 2.8” color touch screen. The Rider 650 features Bryton’s group ride feature as well as climb challenge for preloaded routes. The Rider 650 even has a replaceable mount with both the Bryton and Garmin quarter turn adapters included. One of the new features of the computer is the programmable info button which is a convenient way to quickly jump to a specific display screen.
The Bryton Rider 650 combines some of the premium features like replaceable mount and Group Ride into an affordable price point
| Rating | 9.2 / 10 |
| Retail Price | $169.95 |
| Measured Weight (in g) | 86 |
| Likes | + Modern design that matches the S510 appearance + Replaceable mount with Garmin adapter included right in the box + Large and bright 2.8” color touch screen that feels like it’s just the right size |
| Dislikes | – Lacks Climb Challenge 2.0 which you’ll miss if you are used to having it – Info button programmability is limited – Lock screen is too easy trigger with a short press of the power button |
| Where to Buy (US) | Bryton |
UNBOXING
The Bryton Rider 650 comes in a compact cardboard box with a glossy graphic of the GPS computer right on the front. Branding and specs are printed directly on the box along with an eye-catching grid pattern. Inside the box you’ll find:
- Rider 650 GPS w/ Bryton adapter installed
- Garmin adapter
- Plastic Handlebar mount + rubber straps
- USB-C charging cable
- Safety tether
- Instruction manual
Bryton’s packaging is clean and simple with minimal use of plastics or unnecessary packaging materials.
MOUNTING
The Bryton Rider 650 features a removable mount design that was introduced with the Rider S series of computers. From the factory the computer has the Bryton puck attached to it with exposed screws holding it in place. Bryton’s mount is essentially a slightly thicker Garmin quarter turn mount with an easy twist-on design. With the thicker height Bryon has made their mount incompatible with Garmin mounts which is why we are happy to see Bryton include a Garmin mount with the computer. Unless you have a Bryton Sport Mount or an out-front mount with Bryton adapters, we suspect most people will swap in the Garmin mount. Removing the mount is as simple as removing four screws and orientating the mount properly. The computer comes with a basic plastic strap style handlebar mount, but we’d recommend using an out-front mount like the Topeak UTF mount.
FIT & FINISH
Visually, the Bryton Rider 650 uses Bryton’s updated S series design with smooth corners and an all-black design. With a 2.8” color touch screen the Rider 650 is almost identical to the Rider S510 with minimal bezels and a glossy screen. The computer has a plastic body with rounded corners and a flat screen, unlike the higher-end Bryton S810 which has a rounded glass screen. In addition to the touch screen interactions, the computer has six dedicated buttons with three on the left side and two on the right. The labels for each button are printed on the sides of the screen to make them easy to identify. Each button also has a raised profile that makes it easy to feel even with gloves on. Bryton branding is limited to the Bryton logo below the screen and a large white logo on the front face. There is a USB-C on the front edge which is hidden under a large rubber cover and accommodations for a safety tether next to it.
USER INTERFACE
The user interface of the Rider 650 uses the same menu and controls as the other Bryton computers with an intuitive combination of touch or physical buttons. A long hold on the top left power button turns the computer on and off while a short press will toggle the lock screen mode. The main menu of the computer shows the current ride profile with a colored tile with matching label and graphic. Swiping left or right switches between the available modes, which can all be customized on the Bryton Active App. The 2.8” color touch screen has bright colors and large touch targets with three home screen buttons for settings, courses and ride log. As a more affordable computer, the Rider 650 retains the Group Ride feature and the explore feature that can create routes on the fly but lacks Strava Live Segments or Climb Challenge 2.0 for real-time climb info.
Otherwise you have all the other features you would expect like: smart trainer control, workouts and full sensor connectivity including e-bike systems. Once you start a ride the computer switches to the ride screens which show data fields, maps or other metrics that can be set on the Bryton Active App. You can even swap data fields directly on the computer by doing a long hold to activate the edit button and then select a different metric. A quick tap on the screen shows the customizable quick-status popup which is a convenient way to get show notifications, time or other features.
One of the new features of the Rider 650 is the addition of a new programmable info button. By default the info button just shows the quick-status popup but you can program it to do other things like show the map view, first page or last notification. It’s a nice feature that can be used to personalize the computer and streamline interactions. Bryton has designed the Rider 650 to have nearly all the features accessible directly on the computer itself using a combination of touch interactions and the physical buttons.
BRYTON ACTIVE APP
To fully customize the Bryton Rider 650 and access ride info you’ll need to download the Bryton Active app. Once you’ve gone through the mandatory Bryton registration and logged into your account, you’ll see a simple black / green skinned interface with four buttons on the bottom. The bottom navigation buttons allow you to review and analyze previous activities, set up workouts or routes, adjust your user profile, and configure any connected Bryton computers. The app is fairly straightforward and has many of the features you’d expect to find on a cycling app such as calendar activity views and the ability to link third-party apps such as Strava, Komoot and Ride With GPS to upload ride information.
The app also has route importing / creation (something that is a bit clunky when creating routes directly on the app), group ride / chat and workout creation. Aside from that, the app is great for configuring the screen display. You can enable/disable pages, reorder them and reconfigure each data field. Even though the Rider 650 is not an S series computer, you have all the radial and bar graph display options for data fields such as radial speed and cadence. The Rider 650 also supports electronic groupsets and just about every variation of power data displays which lets you view current gears and battery status. The overall design of the app and graphics feel polished without the translation or other issues you’ll find on other budget computers.
RIDING IMPRESSIONS
We’ve been lucky enough to review a wide range of Bryton’s computers from their budget friendly Rider 17 to the most recent top-of-the-line S810 so we were excited to see how the Rider 650 would stack up. Out of the box, the Rider 650 is almost identical to the S510 with only minor changes to the user interface and reduced features. It should not be a surprise then that the Rider 650 felt just like the S510 with the same intuitive user interface and bright screen. At 2.8” the screen is just almost the perfect size with enough room to fit all important data on one screen without feeling too big like the 3.5” screen on the S810. Bryton has also made the screen bright with an automatic backlight and adjustable settings to conserve battery or increase visibility.
While the GPS is not bug free with the current software, it’s reliable and easy to use with well thought out menus and great navigation. The user prompts on the Bryton computer are one of our favorites with illustrations of the intersections on the turn prompts. The navigation is also robust enough to handle loading routes mid-ride without getting confused. We did miss the Climb Challenge 2.0 though which would show climb profiles without a route loaded as it’s something we’ve gotten used to with the S series of computers. Aside from that, we were able to easily customize the display, connect our cadence sensor and radar all while maintaining long battery runtimes.
THE VERDICT
Overall, we found the Bryton Rider 650 to be a competitive and well priced computer. Bryton has taken all the updates and modern features of the S510 and removed a few key features to create the more budget friendly Rider 650. That results in a competitively priced GPS computer that has full sensor connectivity and a bright 2.8” display and responsive touch screen. We were impressed with the reliable navigation and intuitive user interface. The addition of the info button is also a nice option even though the customization options are limited. We liked it for the quick status widget as the normal touch shortcut could be a bit hit-or-miss. As far as negatives, we missed the Climb Challenge 2.0 feature and hope Bryton moves the screen lock feature to a different button than the power button as it is easy to accidentally activate. That said, the Bryton Rider 650 is a great mid-level option for cyclists looking for an intuitive 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.