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BUYER'S GUIDE

Best cheap cycling computers 2024 — get GPS on the bike for less and record speed, distance + more on a budget

Want some on-bike data without breaking the bank? There are loads of good quality, affordable bike computers out there nowadays, some even with GPS and Strava-sharing capabilities

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Nowadays, the best cheap cycling computers can record where you've been on your ride, log your speed and other data every second or so, and provide you with a rich and complete log of each bike trip. Some can also guide your ride with on-screen maps and turn directions, which is a far cry from computers of decades gone by that involved lots of wires and simply recorded speed and distance. 


The basic function of any good cycling computer is to track your effort level - whether that's simply using speed as a pointer or connecting up a power meter and/or heart rate monitor to truly gauge how hard you're working - and to measure how far you've ridden. If you do just want to know how far and how fast, budget GPS-equipped computers are now so affordable and accurate that for most of us, it's worth spending a little more for the extra features they often come with. If you literally only want to know your speed and distance then don't worry, we've got you covered in this guide too with basic computer recommendations starting from just 33 quid. 

If you do go for a budget GPS computer, it means you probably won't get maps and full car satnav-style directions like on higher end units, but some have rudimentary breadcrumb navigation that can help you find new routes. Many cheap GPS cycling computers also have a 'back to start' function that'll help get you home if you get lost. If you also want fitness data, pick up a cheap GPS cycling computer that can read heart rate or even power from ANT+ or Bluetooth sensors.

'Cheap' is obviously subjective, but there are options here from £33 up to £122, which arguably all fall into the budget computer category considering top-end units can cost £500+. For a wider selection and to see what you can get with a heftier spend, see our main cycling computer guide, or keep scrolling to see our top budget picks...

The best cheap cycling computers

Bryton Rider 15E Neo GPS cycle computer

Bryton Rider 15E Neo GPS cycle computer

8
Excellent battery life
Buy now for £44.99 from Merlin Cycles
Very well priced
Easy to read screen
Quick Bluetooth upload to Strava etc
No ANT+ connectivity
Buttons can be a bit tricky to push when new

Despite its very modest price, this new base model from Bryton picks up signals from just about every constellation of navigation satellites up there: GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, BDS and QZSS. It has a built-in barometric altimeter and works with Bluetooth LE sensors for speed, cadence and heart rate.

The monochrome 2in screen has five pages of data available and is easy to see in daylight, so you'll only need the backlight at night. We found that the claimed battery life of 16 hours is accurate, though it's less if you use the screen's backlight frequently.

Cateye Quick Computer

Cateye Quick Computer

7
Easy to read
Buy now for £32.99 from Merlin Cycles
Easy to read
Intuitive to use
Well-made

The Cateye Quick computer is sleekly designed with an integrated out-front bracket - it's also the only computer in this guide that isn't equipped with GPS. 

It can measure your speed and distance - offering current, maximum, and average speed, total distance, moving time and clock. Usefully, there's an auto stop/start function and pacer arrows denoting when you're exceeding or dipping below your average speed. It operates using a CR1616 battery and the head unit is said to last a year (based on an hour's daily use). 

While our reviewer said this unit was expensive for what you get at the time, we're including it because you can find it cheaper than the RRP and if you really do just want the basics, it looks great. 

Beeline Velo 2 Cycling Computer

Beeline Velo 2 Cycling Computer

8
Simple to follow
Buy now for £75 from Ebay
Easy to use
Small
Can't connect sensors
App doesn't give elevations – yet

The Beeline Velo 2 cycling computer is simple and easy to use with fundamental computer functions such as speed, distance and turn-by-turn directions.

The head unit is sleek, with a clear display that auto-adjusts the brightness based on the ambient light, and it weighs in at just 28g. 

The battery life is good too, lasting for around 11 hours. 

Bryton Rider 420E GPS computer

Bryton Rider 420E GPS computer

8
Offers loads of data
Buy now for £80.99 from Merlin Cycles
Long battery life
Easy to navigate
Decent value for money
Button positions could be better

The Bryton Rider 420E is a competent and compact GPS computer that packs in a lot of tech for its diminutive size and small price. It has excellent battery life too.

With no colour touchscreen, detailed maps or wi-fi, the Bryton might seem a little bit lacking in this day and age. If you want a computer that is simple to set up, use and that works with all of your ancillary devices, though, you won't really be disappointed.

The Rider 420E is a top-notch unit. It feels well built and is certainly durable – it got dropped a few times just to see how it would cope with a crash and there isn't a single mark on the body or screen. As far as the software goes, that worked flawlessly too. I haven't had the unit crash on me when out riding, and all the uploads have been taken care of without issue.

Coospo BC107 GPS Bike Computer

Coospo BC107 GPS Bike Computer

8
Cheap but by no means nasty
Buy now for £35.1 from Ebay
Easy to use
Inexpensive
Long battery life
Included out-front mount
Calorie algorithm ignores power
Time zone setting requires app

The Coospo BC107 is a very tidy and extremely well-priced GPS bike computer. Coospo have kept things simple which has made it very easy to use.

The interface is straightforward, it gets a location fix quickly and it works with ANT+ sensors, including power, which is unusual for such a cheap GPS.

With Coospo's Android and iPhone app you can have it send your rides straight to Strava, though it's slightly odd that the app is the only way to download your ride data from the device.

Polar M460 GPS Bike Computer with heart rate monitor

Polar M460 GPS Bike Computer with heart rate monitor

7
A nifty little device
Buy now for £121.99 from Trade Inn
Plenty of advanced features
Great integration
Small screen

The Polar M460 is a nifty little device with plenty of advanced features, a very good companion app in Polar Flow, and great Strava integration.

You can get this version with a chest-strap heart rate monitor, or pay a little bit more and grab one with Polar's highly-regarded optical armband for £170

Oddly, it's not ANT+ compatible (though the OH1 is, go figure), but since there's now a vast range of sensors that do both ANT+ and Bluetooth that's not as much of a downside as it once was.

Garmin Edge 130 Plus

Garmin Edge 130 Plus

8
Does the necessary with minimal fuss
Buy now for £120 from Ebay
Small and light
Easy to use
Reliable
Good connectivity and fun features
No maps and basic navigation
Incident Detection is a bit sensitive

Garmin's Edge 130 offers a lot of performance in a small package, with ANT+ and Bluetooth sensor and smartphone connectivity, decent battery life, an easy-to-use button-controlled layout and, perhaps best of all, an absolutely pin-sharp display. You don't get fully fledged navigation like the pricier Garmin models but the basic setup is usable if that's not your top priority.

The Edge 130 Plus harks back to the iconic 500 - it's not only compact, but the stripped-back features focus on offering the core functions and fewer superfluous ones that, in my opinion, have been bloating some of the bigger and pricier Garmins at the expense of solid reliability.

iGPSPORT iGS320 Bike Computer

iGPSPORT iGS320 Bike Computer

7
Budget friendly
Buy now for £79.99 from Amazon UK
Minimalist design
Big screen

If you want a bigger screen that displays more data at any given time, this inexpensive unit could be just what you're looking for.

Any sort of navigation is rare to see at this price point but you can plan and upload a route to the iGS320 and it will offer basic turn-by-turn navigation. 

Also, it has a claimed battery life of 72 hours with a USB Type-C charging port. 

Sigma ROX 4.0 Cycling Computer

Sigma ROX 4.0 Cycling Computer

8
Modern ride-recording GPS with a barometric altimeter
Buy now for £56.99 from Trade Inn

An excellent price for a modern ride-recording GPS with a barometric altimeter and a nice big clear display.

The ROX 4.0 connects to external sensors such as power meters, speed, heart rate and cadence via ANT+ and BLE. 

You can also connect to the Komoot app on your smart phone which enables you to download routes onto the ROX 4.0 for turn-by-turn instructions. 

Best cheap cycling computers: how to choose and everything you need to know

faq-icon
What features will I get on a cheap cycling computer?

Less expensive units that use GPS to replace the sensors of a traditional bike computer offer basic features for tracking essential ride data such as speed, trip distance and time, as well as recording your ride for later analysis.

They are unlikely to have features like turn-by-turn navigation, advanced training metrics, integration with external sensors (heart rate, power, etc.), or detailed mapping capabilities that are found in more expensive models.

If you go very budget and spend less than £40, unless you're buying second-hand or a reduced item it's unlikely your computer will use GPS to record data. These 'traditional' computers use sensors to track speed and distance based off the revolutions of your wheel instead of satellites. 

faq-icon
What's the cheapest GPS bike computer with maps?

GPS bike computers with maps are around the £100 mark such as the Bryton Rider 420E GPS computer. 

The iGPSPORT iGS320 bike computer for £79.99 also has navigation capabilities but it's worth noting that cheaper bike computers like the iGS320 that offer some turn-by-turn navigation, are limited in what they provide and may not show a map or breadcrumb style display, rather instructions on when to next turn.

faq-icon
Is a GPS cycling computer worth it?

If you're someone who values accurate data tracking, navigation, and durability, a GPS cycling computer could be a worthwhile investment. However, if your rides are shorter and less performance-focused, and you're comfortable using your smartphone for navigation and data tracking, a cycling computer might not be as necessary. 

That being said, cycling computer tend to have a longer battery life compared to smartphones, are built to withstand the elements and can connect to sensors like heart rate monitors, cadence sensors, and power meters providing you with more accurate data for your training.

They are also useful for providing turn-by-turn navigation without having to constantly stop and check a map on your phone. 

faq-icon
How much should I pay for a cycling computer?

You can get started with on-bike GPS logging for as little as £50 if you shop around. Mapping GPS units start around £150 because of the larger screen and battery and more sophisticated electronics.

faq-icon
How do GPS cycling computers work?

GPS-enabled bike computers pick up signals from a network of satellites that orbit the earth at an altitude of about 20,000km. These satellites use atomic clocks to transmit time and position very accurately. A GPS receiver uses the signals from several satellites to work out its position to within five metres.

Technically, GPS is the name for the United States' satellite constellation and signalling system. Others includes Russia's GLONASS, the European Union's Galileo and China's BeiDou. The tech industry wants us to call these global navigation satellite systems, GNSS for short, but non-nerds seem unlikely to stop calling them all GPS any time soon.

faq-icon
What are the best cycling computer brands?

US-based company Garmin dominates the field of GPS-enabled cycling computers, partly because it has a wide range of good quality products, partly because it was first to market with the Edge 205 and 305 models in 2006.

As GPS receiver chips have become more widely available in the last few years, more manufacturers have entered the market. GPS-enabled computers are available from traditional bike computer makers such as CatEye and Sigma, as well as new players like Lezyne, Bryton, and Mio.

If you have multiple bikes, a big advantage of GPS computers is that you can swap them from one to another without faffing changing set-up.

faq-icon
Do all cycling GPS computers have maps?

No, only the more expensive ones. There are two types of GPS bike computer. Less expensive units use GPS to replace the sensors of a traditional bike computer and display data such as speed, trip distance and time, as well as recording your ride for later analysis.

More expensive GPS units have full satellite navigation functions, with map display and turn-by-turn navigation of a preset route, or one the computer generates on the fly.

Some GPS units are able to pick up signals from heart rate monitor straps and on-bike sensors to log additional data such as heart rate and cadence.

Emily is our track and road racing specialist, having represented Great Britain at the World and European Track Championships. With a National Title up her sleeve, Emily has just completed her Master’s in Sports Psychology at Loughborough University where she raced for Elite Development Team, Loughborough Lightning.

Emily is our go-to for all things training and when not riding or racing bikes, you can find her online shopping or booking flights…the rest of the office is now considering painting their nails to see if that’s the secret to going fast…

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3 comments

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Secret_squirrel | 6 months ago
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Weird not to have included a Lezyne in this list.

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Jack Sexty replied to Secret_squirrel | 6 months ago
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We did consider adding the Mega XL but the price point probably just counts it out of this guide, it's in the main one though. The cheaper Lezyne units didn't score high enough in the reviews to make it in.

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ROADEAGL | 6 months ago
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Have the Bryton and do not recommend it. Quit uploading data after three months and Bryton HRM I got with it drifts all over the place, like swings of 40-50 bpm within 5-10 seconds. Totally unreliable. Have submitted three or four tickets to Bryton with no response. Otherwise, it is great.