Bryton Rider S800 Review: Great Battery, but…

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The Rider S800 stands as Bryton’s top-tier bike computer. Over the last few weeks, I’ve used it extensively to uncover its strengths and weaknesses. I also have rich experience with Garmin, Wahoo, and other bike computers, so I’ll provide insights into whether the S800 is worth it.

My S800 rating at a glance:
Battery Life 5/5 | Ease of Setup 5/5 | Display 3/5 | Ease of Use 3/5 | GPS Accuracy 3/5 | Maps & Navigation 2/5 | Price 3/5 | OVERALL 3.4/5
More about this bike computer scoring.

Bryton Rider S800 Pros and Cons

These are the main pros and cons of the Rider S800 I found during its use.

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Unboxing and Setup

The silicone case and protective glass are worth praising. Together with the tether, they provide several levels of protection.

Pairing the S800 with the Bryton Active smartphone app is not necessary for most features but for navigation.

Similarly, sensors need to be paired as well. Fortunately, the process is smooth and straightforward.

Before using it, I made some adjustments to the data fields. The default ones didn’t quite suit me. More on that below.

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My Experience

Let’s now talk about individual features in more detail.

Display

The Bryton Rider S800’s display is 3.4 inches, with a resolution of 272×451px. It’s similar to the Garmin Edge 1040 (Solar).

As it’s common on bike computers, the bezels are pretty wide. Please, somebody, introduce a bezel-less bike computer!

S800 weighs only 106g, so it’s 20g lighter than the Edge 1040 and 4g lighter than the Sigma ROX 12.1 EVO, which has only a 3-inch display.

Its readability in direct sunlight is good, but the display finish is pretty glossy. From my experience, only Wahoo ELEMNT bike computers have more anti-gloss coating that reduces glares.

Luckily, the ambient sensor ensures that the brightness is adjusted based on the outside light conditions.

The maximum brightness is not on par with Hammerhead Karoo 2. It’s more like Sigma ROX 12.1 EVO level.

The display size allows for showing up to 12 data fields, which are easily readable. You can reduce it if needed, making reading simple for those with poorer eyesight.

Unlike the Sigma ROX 12.1 EVO, you can’t change the color of individual fields. This is unfortunate because it would be possible to develop color-coding systems (like using one color for average values and another for current values, etc.).

Battery Life

The Rider S800 claims a battery life of up to 36 hours, comparable to the non-solar Edge 1040. This made me wonder whether its actual battery life would come close.

I used the S800 paired with an HR monitor, power meter, and cycling radar and connected to a phone.

It lasted me around 27 hours (26:41:56) with automatic brightness settings. This is an excellent result, as I dislike having to recharge bike computers, say, every week. However, it’s much lower than the claimed battery life.

Unfortunately, the S800 lacks a battery saver mode. Its battery life could be even more impressive with it.

The chart below displays the claimed and real battery life of top cycling computers on the market.

Lastly, it’s important to mention that S800 has a USB-C charging port.

Control and User Friendliness

The Rider S800 is a touchscreen bike computer with 4 control buttons. However, those won’t give you full control over all settings (like data fields). The controls are not the same as on the Edge 840, which you can fully control with buttons or touch.

Luckily, the Bryton Active app allows you to adjust the settings for data pages, fields, sensors, etc.

I found the S800 to be quite usable on a daily basis; the system is fairly user-friendly. However, I would change the button placement either lower or to the bottom side.

I was bothered by the customization of data fields directly on the unit. The menu uses “scrolling,” which is not as straightforward as on Garmin or Sigma devices. In other words, finding the desired data fields took me longer.

Unlike Garmin, you can’t swap them easily by tapping one field and then the other.

I am also bothered by the slightly slow system. I’m not sure if it’s the display or a weak processor, but the delay is a few fractions longer than what’s suitable for a flagship computer.

I particularly notice this when I want to scroll through data pages quickly. It’s like an old Android phone.

During testing, I also checked the touchscreen’s reliability in wet conditions and while wearing full-finger gloves.

You can watch an illustrative video below. In summary, the display worked well, but as always with touch-screen devices, not 100%, especially when wet.

Maps and Navigation

During my initial map browsing, something happened that no manufacturer would like to hear about in a review. The entire bike computer restarted. This was the first time this happened during my testing.

Regrettably, the same thing occurred while I was using the smartphone app. When it happened again, I started recording my screen. Naturally, everything worked fine from that point onward.

But back to maps and navigation. Honestly, Bryton’s map experience was the most frustrating I’ve ever encountered.

First, I tried to find map updates directly on the device. I couldn’t find them there, so I thought they would at least be in the smartphone app. However, there was no mention of them there either.

So, I began searching on the internet. I learned that maps can only be downloaded via a USB-C cable on the Bryton website, and the app is available ONLY for Windows. I mean, what?

At this point, I was seriously tempted to just take the S800 and toss it. Seriously. I then dug out my old Windows laptop, downloaded the installation file, and looked forward to how easily I would install the maps. Mistake!

At first, the program wouldn’t install at all. So, I downloaded the installation file again. Finally, a partial success.

But then, it took a very long time to download the maps (despite having a fast internet connection). Just to give you an idea, the map of the Czech Republic (less than 1 GB) took about 15 minutes to download onto the device. And mind you, we are a small country!

Honestly, I don’t understand how, in 2023, it’s even necessary to connect cycling computers to PCs to download maps (the same goes for Garmin).

By the way, the S800 has an internal memory of 16 GB, so it can’t hold many countries, considering the size of the maps. For example, the map of Italy is almost 2 GB.

Anyway, after the successful installation of the Czech map, I went out to see how they looked. I am honestly not the biggest fan of their colors. Too much green, in my opinion.

Syncing and loading routes were also not as straightforward. First, when I sent a .gpx file from my MacBook to my iPhone, the iPhone didn’t offer to open the file using the Bryton Active app despite offering apps from other manufacturers like Garmin, Wahoo, iGPSport, Coospo, etc.

So, I had to save the file first and then open it with the Bryton Active app. Sending the route from the phone to the head unit was fast, but it took almost a minute to load on the device (it was about a 200 km long route). So, in this respect, it is a worse user experience than, e.g., Garmin Edge.

Of course, Rider S800 can guide you to Points of Interest (POIs), a selected point on the map, back home, a preloaded route, and more. That’s pretty much a standard these days.

Climb Challenge

Bryton has its own ClimbPro-like feature. It’s called Climb Challenge, and it only works for planned routes.

That’s unfortunate because Wahoo, Garmin, and Hammerhead also made these features available for free rides. You can check out my comparison here.

Anyway, I tried it, and it showed the important information out of the box. I find the view better than on Garmin’s ClimbPro (that’s very rigid).

Changing the data fields of Bryton’s Climb Challenge is also possible.

Accuracy

The S800 doesn’t support multi-band GNSS. So, how does this translate into GPS accuracy?

It’s not on par with multi-band GNSS bike computers like the Garmin x40 line. See the following pictures from my favorite testing segment in a forest.

S800 recorded the first part of the ride accurately, but on the way up, it didn’t match the recorded data with the actual route. I guess it’s because it struggled to find enough satellites.

Connectivity

Bryton Rider S800 has ANT+, Bluetooth, and WiFi connectivity. It can be paired with additional sensors such as HR monitors, power meters, cadence and speed sensors, cycling radars, etc.

Of course, Rider S800 can automatically upload your activities* to 3rd party apps like Strava or TrainingPeaks or control your smart trainer.

*The upload works once your phone is connected to the internet. It doesn’t feel as fast because, usually, my rides sync before I enter my basement. This is not the case with the S800.

You can also connect it to your electronic shifting, such as SRAM eTap or Shimano Di2, to show your gears and other information.

Unfortunately, it won’t allow you to control cycling radars (not even the Bryton Gardia R300L) or update maps via the smartphone app.

Mount Quality

With the Rider S800, I have unfortunately experienced something you don’t want to experience with a bike computer. Based on my experience, I have started using all my bike computers with safety tethers. And this time, it paid off.

The male mount piece broke on one section where the road is rough and bumpy. So, if I hadn’t secured the computer with a safety tether, it might have been damaged.

The good news is that the male piece can be replaced. The bad news is that it shouldn’t be necessary at all.

Bryton Rider S800 Alternatives

Bryton Rider S800 Technical Specifications

Here is the summary of the main features and the technical specifications of the Bryton Rider S800.

My Verdict

Considering the price of $399 and the overall user experience, I believe there are better alternatives to the S800.

It only excels in long battery life, matching Garmin Edge 1040. The 3.4-inch display is easy to read and accommodates numerous data fields. However, its advantages end there.

I didn’t like that maps needed to be downloaded exclusively through the Windows application. Additionally, the display felt somewhat slow when quickly scrolling through data pages.

The map’s colors lack vibrancy, and the navigation experience was average at best. Furthermore, it’s inaccurate due to the absence of multi-band GNSS.

And finally, its mount quality is questionable, as the male part broke when riding on a bumpy road.

Anyway, I hope this review helps you make your decision. If you decide to purchase the S800, please use the link below. It’s the best way to support Cyclists Hub. Thank you very much in advance.

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Bryton Rider S800 FAQ

The product for this review was kindly provided by the manufacturer. This did not influence my overall verdict or my opinion about the product. You can learn more about how I approach reviews here.