Bryton Rider 40

by Paul Horta-Hopkins · 13/01/2014

While on the turbo the Rider 40 gives visual and audio cues to let you know where you are in your programme. These combined with the information coming from your HRM, optional speed and cadence sensors and your ANT+ power meter (if you have one) mean you can put in some serious training on the turbo. All this data has made me realise that what I had previously been doing on the turbo hadn’t been hard enough! It had felt hard, but all those numbers told a different story; that I could have been trying harder. So as a training aid, the Rider 40 has proved it’s worth to me.

There’s enough data here to keep your inner cycling geek happy

The Rider 40 comes as just the head unit and mounting kit, designated the Bryton Rider 40E, with prices around £149.99. You can also buy the Rider 40T which adds a heart rate strap and cadence sensor for £219.99. A sensor is available for speed and cadence separately as well for £44.99, which is handy if your turbo isn’t connected to a PC and you want to record speed and distance. I like the cadence option on my road bike as it helps to remind me to spin rather than grind. We had a previous Bryton version which used two seperate sensors, but these have now been replaced by a much more practical single sensor.

The Bryton Dual Sensor 2 is a neater option than the original 2 seperate sensors

As well as all that data recording, the Bryton Rider 40 can also display a simple GPS ‘breadcrumb’ trail. The breadcrumb trail is a simple line, with an arrow representing you. As long as you keep on the route then the arrow stays on the trail, drift off and you get an ‘off route’ warning. Without any landmarks on the display getting back to the route can be difficult if you haven’t been paying attention and have drifted off course; dense urban areas present a bit of a challenge, with turns coming thick and fast the Rider 40 doesn’t present enough detail.