Best cheap cycling computers 2026 — get GPS on the bike for less and record speed, distance + more on a budget

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. 

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.