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.