Approximately 3.43 million people in Australia use their bikes for recreation and transport every week. You can find many cycling trails in Brisbane, Sydney, and the Victorian countryside, making Australia an ideal place for recreational cycling. Many cyclists are curious to know about their metrics. Even if it’s something as simple as the length of their ride. With the recent technological innovation, riders can get much feedback related to their ride, navigation and data. You can find an effective cycling GPS in Australia, having online navigation and preloaded maps and advanced training. With such a GPS, the rider can instantly know about the location and comprehensive direction data. Here are the key aspects of a cycling computer that you should take note of.
Who Needs a Cycling Computer?
A bike computer is a helpful accessory for those serious about the cycling sport and involved in it at a competitive level. If you ride over two to three hours a week, you can make use of this accessory. A cycling GPS is also a good choice for bikers who desire to use the cycling data outside of time, speed, and distance. It’s because the GPS is explicitly made for cycling and to track all your data related to it. They also do not use your cell phone battery as against other popular cycling apps.
Features to Lookout in a Cycling Computer
- Smartphone connectivity – Most GPS cycling computers synchronize to the rider’s smartphone through Bluetooth. This functionality can also work with a companion app, which makes way for easy setup and customization. Some GPS cycling computers also display alerts of push messages, calls, and other notifications on the cycling computer of the rider. It prevents the need for them to take out their phone while riding to check who’s calling.
- Maps and navigation – Many GPS come with in-screen maps and turn-by-turn directions. It is similar to the navigation systems of your car. If you wish to try new routes, look for a GPS computer device with full-featured navigation that fully supports importing routes from another application.
- Sensor support – Presently, ANT+ is a prevalent connectivity protocol for cycling sensors. However, Bluetooth is increasingly rising in popularity. Some GPS computers link to only ANT+ or Bluetooth, while some link to both. It’s wise to purchase a computer that connects to both. It provides you with greater options as you replace or add sensors.
- Display – Affordable GPS units consist of black and white displays. Those that are more high-end have crisp colour touch-screen displays. Many GPS devices also permit the rider to customize the display. A good cycling GPS in Australia has an intuitive graphical interface with dynamic colours and easy-to-understand icons. It includes both a cycling page mode and a visual mode so that the rider can view the cycling data in a vivid multi-coloured graphical setup.
Points to Note about Navigation and Battery Life
The GPS computers display and track basic ride information. Many of them can also provide you with simple turn guidance and full-featured navigation. It includes comprehensive turn-by-turn directions, points of interest, street names, maps, and elevation data. These are found in high-end GPS computers. If you only use your bike for average rides near your residence, you don’t require such features.
A lot of factors impact the battery life, like screen brightness, sensors, recording interval, and temperature. A colour map that constantly refreshes consumes more power than a black-and-white one. The GPS computer you choose should have a battery life that should last for a few days.
Cycling computers provide more features than GPS apps installed on a smartphone. They are valuable feedback devices. You can use them to gain highly detailed knowledge of your ride.
