Cycling computers have often been broken up into entry-level, mid-range and high-end buckets where navigation and map view features have been limited to mid-range or above computers. COOSPO’s new CS500 breaks this trend by offering navigation and map views at an impressive $90 price point. Although the navigation is limited to a breadcrumb style view, it’s one of the cheapest computers we’ve seen with the feature. Along with that theme, the CS500 has a number of features such as radar and electronic shifter support that are typically reserved for more expensive computers. The CS500 uses a non-touch 2.5” black and white display and also has a standard Garmin quarter turn mount molded into the body.
The COOSPO CS500 GPS combines an impressive $90 price with premium features such as navigation and bike radar support.
| Retail Price | $89.90 |
| Rating | 9.2/10 |
| Measured Weight (in g) | 73 (computer), 10 (mount) |
| Likes | + Long battery life + Highly customizable with support for sensors including radar + Navigation at a surprisingly low price point |
| Dislikes | – Lacks radial data display option – Data field labels can be hard to read |
| Where to Buy (US) | COOSPO |
UNBOXING
The COOSPO CS500 comes in a slim cardboard box with white and black graphics printed onto it. Inside the box you’ll find:
- CS500 GPS computer
- Handlebar mount + o-rings
- Screen protector
- Safety tether
- USB-C charging cable
- Instruction manual
We’re surprised to see COOSPO include a screen protector, particularly at this low price point.
MOUNTING
On the base of the computer you’ll find a standard quarter-turn Garmin mount molded into the body. The mount uses two protruding tabs which allows you to do a quarter turn lock to install or remove the computer from a mount. It’s a popular mounting design that offers security and quick installation and removal. COOSPO includes a simple handlebar mount which uses two rubber o-rings to secure it to handlebars. We’d highly recommend using an out-front mount instead of this mount though as an out-front mount lets you place the computer directly in front of your stem and even mount lights or cameras underneath it such as the Topeak UTF out-front mount for a sleeker installation.
FIT & FINISH
Visually, the COOSPO CS500 has a compact rectangular profile with rounded corners. The computer has a well sized 2.5” black and white screen with standard sized bezels around it. This is a non-touch screen design which means there are six physical buttons to operate the user interface with clear labels printed next to them. COOSPO branding can be found above the screen and along the front face of the computer. This is a fairly compact computer as well with a thickness of only 14.5mm and slightly angled edges that help break up the otherwise black plastic body. A USB-C port is located on the bottom of the computer with a flush rubber cover to protect it from the elements.
As you’d expect with this budget price, the CS500 has a black and white non-touch screen design which relies on six buttons. With so many buttons each one is clearly labeled and has an obvious role. There are standard power buttons and lap buttons as well as clearly marked up and down arrows to navigate between elements in a menu or change the display page. The display on the CS500 is well sized at 2.5” the screen and offers a low-resolution but decent black and white screen. While it lacks the vivid colors or sharpness of higher-end computers, it’s a big upgrade from other budget computers which use predefined layouts. With this screen COOSPO is able to customize each page and create adaptive layouts and support the map view.
NAVIGATION
One of the big features of the COOSPO CS500 is the fact that it features navigation with turn-by-turn instructions. It’s one of the cheapest computers we’ve tested with the feature and supports the creation of routes from previous activities or GPX file importing. Once you have a route downloaded to the device, you can start a ride with that route or load the route anytime during a ride. The map page is a basic breadcrumb view with an overlay of the route that tracks to your GPS location. There are no street names or additional detail which means all the turn prompts are simply a direction and remaining distance to the turn. As with other iGPSPORT computers we’ve reviewed, the navigation can create artificial turns if the route has sharp corners but is otherwise pretty robust. Although we’d still recommend a higher-end computer like the Bryton S800 for complicated routes or when riding somewhere new it’s still impressive to have the basic navigation feature on the CS500 at such a low price point.
COOSPO RIDE APP
The COOSPO CS500 can be connected to the free COOSPO Ride app to configure the device and upload and analyze ride data. Despite the small size of COOSPO, the app has a simple design with a four tab layout. The main tabs are: activities, cycling, devices and more which let you access all the functions. Under activities you can view previous ride data with metrics and an interactive map view of the GPS data. The charts and data are easy to read but lack the detail of third-party software like Strava. With the cycling tab you can use the app directly as a cycling computer with a map view and basic data fields. The more useful tab is the device tab which lets you connect to the CS500 and download activity data. From the app you can also access all the device settings from power settings to unit preferences.
The most useful feature of the app is the ability to customize the page order and data fields. Each data field can be customized to display standard metrics such as speed and time along with power data and shifting data. We were impressed with the number of customization options the computer offers as it feels more like a higher-end Bryton S800 computer than a $90 budget computer. The one missing feature is a radial data display which is our preferred way to view speed data and a common feature on higher-end computers. Aside from that, the app is easy to use and even allows you to sync activities with popular apps like Strava and Training Peaks.
RIDING IMPRESSIONS
Having recently reviewed the COOSPO CS300 with it’s predefined layout, we were eager to see how the CS500 would perform. For only a $20 premium, the CS500 offers significant upgrades with it’s adjustable black and white screen and navigation support. While the 2.5″ screen is on the smaller side, it’s legible and has nice contrast with an automatic backlight that activates based on the ambient light sensor. COOSPO has done a great job with the user interface by incorporating simple one button shortcuts to start rides and to access the home screen to check the time and battery status. We found it easy to setup the computer and connect to radars like the iGPSPORT SR30. Even the radar specific screen with it’s large black region works well and makes it easy to see when cars are approaching.
It’s also easy to customize the displays with multiple options for all the common data fields such as speed, distance, power, and lap metrics. Even with the fairly basic design of the app, we were able to re-arrange the pages and customize the layout to our preferred speed / cadence primary field displays. On the road, the black and white screen offers great contrast in the sun but can be slightly harder to see in overcast conditions. The only other issue we had was that the data field label font size can also be small which means you may have to lean in closer to read values to verify the label. Otherwise, the computer offered an intuitive user interface and reliable data transfer to track our training rides and longer weekend rides.
THE VERDICT
Overall, we found the COOSPO CS500 to be a budget friendly and full featured cycling computer. Unlike most sub-hundred dollar GPS computers, the CS500 offers a fully customizable screen, navigation and wide range of sensor connectivity. The 2.5” black and white non-touch screen is intuitive to use with well labeled buttons that allow you to quickly switch between pages or fields. COOSPO has incorporated simple one button shortcuts to start rides, view the home page and see time / battery status as well switch pages. Even though the simple breadcrumb style navigation lacks street names and map details, it’s impressive to see at this price point and can help you stay on route. As far as negatives, the CS500 lacks radial data field displays and some of the data field labels can be hard to read. That said, if you’re looking for a budget friendly computer with basic navigation and full sensor connectivity it’s hard to beat the COOSPO CS500.
Disclaimer: The product for this review was provided by Coospo. 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.