cheap alternative to Garmin?

[Tommohawk]

I’m currently debating whether to go with Garmin or Bryton for my first ever GPS cycling computer/radar. Any thoughts? Specifically I’m comparing the Garmin edge 850 and Bryton rider 810 as well as their respective radars.

 

[HLaB]

I’m currently debating whether to go with Garmin or Bryton for my first ever GPS cycling computer/radar. Any thoughts? Specifically I’m comparing the Garmin edge 850 and Bryton rider 810 as well as their respective radars.

No experience my self other than a mate used to use a Bryton and it seemed OK, but before buying a radar I'd check out the DC Rainmaker. Some are great (better battery, better connections. same detection ability) at less than half the price of a garmin but others are a dangerous liability and don't detect right. GP Llama is a good independent review source too.

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2023/03/bryton-gardia-cycling.html

https://gplama.com/tag/radar/

 

[oxoman]

As suggested check with DC Rainmaker as he doesn't pull any punches when he does the reviews. Personally wont touch garmin again after bad experiences and even worse customer service. Currently use bryton rider 750. More than happy with it, very good battery life and reliable. Bit clunky compared to others but a lot cheaper than others.

 

[Tommohawk]

Maybe the best of both worlds would be the Bryton 810 and the new Garmin varia as that is the best radar by all accounts.

 

[HLaB]

Maybe the best of both worlds would be the Bryton 810 and the new Garmin varia as that is the best radar by all accounts.

Hopefully its a one off but this was just posted on the Garmin Farceboke Forum:

 

[Tommohawk]

All reviews have been very positive on the Garmin.

 

[HLaB]

All reviews have been very positive on the Garmin.

Looking at the GP Llama site he was initially scaving as there was some critical issues but he later says they've been patched. The only other review I've saw was DC Rainmaker and IIRC the only thing he brought up was data overload (unless you customise it). The above is the first critical review I've saw, coincidentally I saw it at the same time you posted. Fingers crossed it was just user error and/or a non patched unit 🤞

Edit: Doesn't sound like its just the poster

https://gplama.com/2026/02/27/garmin-varia-rearvue-820-radar-update-critical-issues-patched/

Three weeks after launch, the highly anticipated Garmin Varia RearVUE 820 has had a turbulent start, with firmware 6.34 finally fixing key issues I uncovered – the ANT+ distance overflow and missing speed dat. However many riders are still returning units due to unexpected behaviour. While early hardware faults and pulled firmware versions tell part of the story, the real controversy lies in the new same-speed detection feature, which leaves the radar in a constant alert state during group rides. In this video, I break down what’s been fixed, what still needs work, and why this flagship radar isn’t delivering the seamless experience riders expected.

 

[YellowV2]

I’m going to stick up for Garmin as I’ve only had good experiences with both their units and support when it was required (only once when my 1000 was playing up they offered a replacement 1040 at 30% discount which I thought was good). You only hear bad reports hardly anyone will post anything other than complaints. That’s human nature!

 

[rualexander]

Magene 506?
No idea if any good in practice but looks worth considering.
https://amzn.eu/d/066hPSvB

 

[Sharky]

I think the OP has done a "runner", he hasn't been back since posting the question.

As I said earlier, we need to know which Garmin would satisfy his requirements, then we we would have a target price to beat , that would meet requirements.

 

[Tommohawk]

I currently have a Garmin forerunner watch that I use to track my runs/rides so I guess it would be nice to stay with Garmin to keep everything together. I could even get the varia 515 and edge 840 to save some money.

 

[DCLane]

Why not just a handlebar phone mount with the route on there if you're in a budget? I use one and it's been surprisingly helpful.

 

[runner]

So I now have the Bryton rider 750se and have synced it with the Active Bryton app. On the Bryton app under My Route I open one of the routes, click the three dots on the top right and then click "download to device"......but it does not download nor show on the rider 750se
I hope this does not sound confusing, but what am I doing wrong?, how do I load a route file successfully so that I can follow out cycling

 

[HLaB]

I’m going to stick up for Garmin as I’ve only had good experiences with both their units and support when it was required (only once when my 1000 was playing up they offered a replacement 1040 at 30% discount which I thought was good). You only hear bad reports hardly anyone will post anything other than complaints. That’s human nature!

They've been not bad for me. My first Edge 305 failed out of warranty and they sent me a replacement for free. When my 800 failed after a lot of use I got a discount 1000. When that's power button failed, they gave me another. When that failed with the same issue (power button), no quibble when I asked for the current model at the time 1030. That was the last unit I used untethered, it jumped off my bars on a commute. I searched for ages and eventually found it. It had been crushed into the tarmac by a massive artic and despite its totally destroyed state garmin sold me a replacement 1030. Apart from the sound becoming sporadic (often silent for months), a common problem for 1030s apparently, its been a rock solid unit and despite being at least 8 years old it lasted for my 217miler last year. I had been going to use a powerbank but the cheap unit broke when I tried to plug it in, the Garmin never!

 

[OneCogDown]

Ranger, first step, check before transferring route from App to 750SE device; are the two connected via Bluetooth?