Sigma Rox 10.0 GPS

Sigma's Rox 10.0 is the company's first GPS-enabled computer. It's simple to use, comes with several ANT+ sensors and works well on the bike, but post-ride it's less appealing. The lack of Bluetooth connectivity is annoying and Sigma's Data Center software seems overly complicated, which makes it less good value as a package.

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In the box it comes with ANT+ sensors for cadence, speed and a heart rate monitor. Each one attaches easily and securely with zip ties, and I never had a problem with them shifting around, even on rough surfaces. Unlike many, the cadence and speed sensors are two separate units, both looking like a regular speed/cadence sensor without the arm. They all work effectively and are easy to pair to the computer. I also managed to pair the Rox with both a regular speed/cadence sensor and accelerometer based versions.

The computer is simple to use. It picked up all the ANT+ sensors well and recorded accurately enough according to the Garmin Edge 810 I was using alongside it. One of the nice things Sigma has included in the Rox is a predicted power based on several different metrics; although it is not particularly accurate compared with my actual power meter, it is still good enough to give a basic idea of output.

The GPS element is fairly useful, although unlike my Garmin, which lets you input an address and navigate to it having never ridden it before, the Rox requires pre-set routing or following a route you've previously used. It is relatively easy to follow despite the lack of map and the simple screen, helped by the 'distance to point', and 'time to point' (although I found that the 'time to point' wasn't totally accurate as it didn't factor in hills).

The screen isn't huge, measuring 30 x 36mm, but Sigma has managed to fit in everything that needs to be there, and it's customisable. There's also a bottom section where you can easily scroll through a selection of some of the most common stats you may not have set on the main screen. I found this really useful, as I like to be able to see things like my average speed, but don't need to see it constantly while I'm riding.

That said, a bigger screen would be good given that the unit itself is 75 x 48mm. It feels like there is space wasted around the edges that would be better used as screen space. The smaller screen does keep the weight down to 140g, though.

Navigation around the device is through six buttons, two on each side and two on the bottom, covering everything from settings through to extras (stopwatch, compass and countdown). These make it easy to scroll and select, even when going at a good pace. The only gripe I had was that there were little things like turning on the backlight and accessing certain menus that weren't obvious and required multiple button presses (and Google searches).

Attaching the computer to the bike is simple. It comes with a bracket similar to a Garmin version, but slightly larger. It has the same quarter-turn lock and unlock, which is easy to engage and disengage. The way the bracket attaches to the bike is one aspect I didn't like, though, simply because in order to make it fit without slipping it has an adhesive backing, which means you cannot take it off and put it on other bikes. I own several bikes and like to be able to record my rides whether I am on a trail on a mountain bike, riding a long road circuit, or just on my daily commute. I can't do that with the Rox unless I buy more brackets.

The unit has a nice curve across it both front-back and left-right, but at 25mm deep and with the bracket being fairly thick it stands quite high on the bar. Although my Garmin is around the same depth and has a larger body, it sits more comfortably. An out-front mount would probably allow it to sit more comfortably on the bike; they are available, but must be bought separately.

Once you've finished your ride, you want to be able to see it and assess it, and it's here where I think Sigma could improve things.

Getting the data from the Rox requires a wired connection to a PC or Mac, and you also have to download specific software, 'Data Center'. This is fiddly to use and although it gives a good amount of information, including changes over time and weekly/monthly/yearly totals, it is quite difficult to export and upload to another platform.

Sharing to Strava is okay: there's a 'share' option in the menu which you can use for that. Getting it into another plaftorm involves downloading a .fit file and uploading it to Garmin Connect, or TrainingPeaks, or whatever else you might use. That's a bit less intuitive.

Having some kind of Bluetooth connectivity would help, as I simply don't like having to plug into a computer. If I have done something, I want to see it on a legible screen as soon as I can, not when I get home to a laptop, and we all have our phones with us these days.

>> Check out our guide to the best cheap GPS-enabled cycling computers 

Overall, the Sigma Rox 10.0 is a decent GPS cycle computer but it could be improved with a few tweaks. The GPS side works well and everything records effectively, but I found getting the data from the computer to a PC overly complicated. The bracket's adhesive backing is also annoying as it stopped me using the same bracket on multiple bikes. At £190 with sensors it's £100 less than an Edge 520, but you're getting a lot more for your money there too.

just one final niggle: when you reset a journey it says 'journey and stats resetted'. Grrr.

Verdict

A good computer on the bike, but could do with better data uploading off it