Because its the season of giving; we're giving away THREE C606 GPS bike computers. Head on over to our instagram (@pandapodium.official) and check out the giveaway post for details on how to enter! Entries end December 23rd. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, TH-cam or Meta.
Great and very balanced appraisel of this head unit against your Garmin. Always very refreshing to watch comparison videos where the presenter, although affiliated, or not, of a certain manufacturer, give seemingly non biased reviews.👍
I love my Coospo unit. It was very cheap and it helped me a lot for training. I think unless you're a pro, something like that will be more than enough. Everyone has a phone anyways.
I've used the first Magene C406 unit since its introduction a few years ago. I've used it on my commuter bike with Magene's speed/cadence sensors and heart rate monitor. I was very satisfied with it, considering the features for its price. But 2 years ago, due to a *major* crash, I've stopped ridding. I was planning for a comeback last fall but had to postpone to upcoming spring. Unfortunately, even though I've stored the head unit at approximately 75% charge and recharged it a couple of times (every 6 months) when I have attempted to use the unit last fall, the battery was completely dead and wouldn't recharged. I'm not pretending it's a Magene issue. I should have kept a closer eye on it but to be frank, I had other things on my mind 🤕. So, a C606 unit would be a welcome addition. In conclusion, to whoever gets one of these C606 and have long winters or, like me, who have to stop for a long period of time, I would recommend to monitor your battery charge more regularly to be on the safe side. Unfortunately, I no longer have training buddies. Your only as good as your performance and apparently some people don't like to see a reminder of what a severe accident involving a car can do. So good luck eveyone.
Screen brightness is completely irrelevant on a bicycle headunit. I appreciate that Garmin isn't wasting money on a bright backlight (it's actually still too much), since backlight only makes real sense at night or in tunnels with those transflective LCDs.
Yes, it's obviously for people who previously used to mount a smartphone on their bike, so the shortcomings (like the screen that isn't properly usable in bright daylight, without using up a lot of battery) wouldn't be as noticeable.
I have been using the C606 for many months without issues. Recently, the computer lost connection to my phone in the middle of uploading. The ride failed to upload and despite numerous troubleshooting attempts the ride data can't be uploaded. Even with Magene Support they just kept me going in circles with no end solution. After this terrible experience, decided to save up a bit and go back to Garmin.
I got one. It is really goode and I think it would be perfect if it was easier to make cycling workouts ( via the app ) and the GPS would zoom out more and the GPS would redirect via roads and not in a straight line. It would also be nice if there was a climb viewer and a route planner where you can enter the distance you want to do and it would generate a route.
I have the IGS630s, if you don't care about live segments or the more polished appearance of the Garmin it is great. For most riders it will be more than good enough and the battery life is really great, I can go weeks without charging.
Took my C606 to Tenerife. Was disappointed to realise that downloading Spanish maps didn't download the maps for Tenerife and it turns out there isn't a map available for the Canary islands. Had to use a phone mount instead 😩
Thanks it’s nice to know about it, but like you I’m locked into the Garmin Eco. I agree the latest iteration of the Garmin 1050 at the current asking price of top range mobile phone is a wicked joke. Garmin is good, but with what you get out of Apple and Android mobiles, we all know and should expect a way better product out of Garmin. Maybe in the end, Apple might make the move of just producing a model of its phone stylised more like a head-unit.
Does the magene have a proper transflective screen (that you can use in daylight without the backlight)? It looks to me like it doesn't (they never mention it, and it seems very unlikely given the high resolution), so that would make it basically unusable in bright daylight for longer rides (it's either still going to be too dark, or it would drain the battery very quickly). Good Transflective (has a backlight but also reflects daylight from the back) LCDs add a significant cost, because they are unfortunately used very little in consumer electronics. The display is really one part that Garmin gets absolutely right, reflects light well, resolution high enough but not too high. they only fail by using a nowadays "typical" capacitive touchscreen, instead of a "classic" resistive touchscreen that would work in the wet with zero issues. If it rains the Garmins are basically unusable, Also Garmin's powersaving mode wastes power by forcing the backlight to be on at least at its minimal brightness.
I want someone to bring out a head unit that just uses your phone as processing/GPS/accelerometer, etc. Just a head unit that has buttons and a screen that link to your phone app essentially.
The big companies in the cycling industry have had no competition for so long any thing that challenges them is a very good thing in my view. I am sick of having to pay a premium for very average equipment.
Im with Garmin. I was tempted by Magene and IGPsport but both seem buggy and poor with updates, where as Garmin gives updates with new features or years
Hey Joe, l guess you know and heard about the Taiwanese brand Bryton! I tested and reviewed the Bryton rider 750 for an mag!? The function/menu/interface/download maps true the app, sound similar to the Magene you reviewed. Price is realy interesting, this model you reviewed is even cheaper.... Wow!
I agree 100%. How it could be justified, 300-700 USD bike computer which has very slow processor, just GPS, and few reading.in comparison to mobile phone price and functionalities?
Mobile phones are completely unusable in bright daylight in summer. So that comparison is invalid. Also smartphones will quickly overheat in full daylight at 40°C. Almost all smartphones are nowadays designed to be used indoors in climatized rooms, not outdoors.
incredibly poor experience from me. the app on androis is really really shit, constantly logs you out, some things need 10 retries to go through. the maps layout was also pretty trash, and there's no climbpro or similar. it's also really heavy at like 160g BUT the screen was awesome. it COULD be awesome, i haven't used it in months but until they fire the shit out of the android app dev and redo it from scratch, maybe. until then my IGS630 does pretty much everything better
You're best to save and just get a well known brand. Yes you can buy this but you use it, don't like it, can't sell it and end up spending more to buy a proper one. I'm speaking from experience. But i started with Garmin 510, then 1000, 520, 530 now 840 Solar. Solar is a gimmick, not worth the extra money
@@ChinaCycling very true lol. i love my wahoo elmnt bolt that i paid 180 euro for brand new. still works just fine. has the same features as garmin. u dont need 90% of the garmin features. at this point a cheap phone is cheaper to use as a bike computer
Yeah, the 830 was still ok-ish on price when I bought it, but the current 840 is almost as expensive as the 1030 was, I think. Even the 540 seems too expensive now...
Smartphones have unusable screens though, unless you only ride at night. I wish there were any good smartphones with a transflective LCD, but I have never heard about any :(
Yes, GPS headunits are crap compared to smartphones. But then again, they are also engineerd to last over 40 hours on a single charge. I think the Karoo 3 missed an opportunity by putting in a too small battery. But hey, maybe v4 will be better.
Because its the season of giving; we're giving away THREE C606 GPS bike computers. Head on over to our instagram (@pandapodium.official) and check out the giveaway post for details on how to enter! Entries end December 23rd. This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, TH-cam or Meta.
Great and very balanced appraisel of this head unit against your Garmin. Always very refreshing to watch comparison videos where the presenter, although affiliated, or not, of a certain manufacturer, give seemingly non biased reviews.👍
I love my Coospo unit. It was very cheap and it helped me a lot for training. I think unless you're a pro, something like that will be more than enough. Everyone has a phone anyways.
I've used the first Magene C406 unit since its introduction a few years ago. I've used it on my commuter bike with Magene's speed/cadence sensors and heart rate monitor. I was very satisfied with it, considering the features for its price.
But 2 years ago, due to a *major* crash, I've stopped ridding. I was planning for a comeback last fall but had to postpone to upcoming spring.
Unfortunately, even though I've stored the head unit at approximately 75% charge and recharged it a couple of times (every 6 months) when I have attempted to use the unit last fall, the battery was completely dead and wouldn't recharged. I'm not pretending it's a Magene issue. I should have kept a closer eye on it but to be frank, I had other things on my mind 🤕.
So, a C606 unit would be a welcome addition.
In conclusion, to whoever gets one of these C606 and have long winters or, like me, who have to stop for a long period of time, I would recommend to monitor your battery charge more regularly to be on the safe side.
Unfortunately, I no longer have training buddies. Your only as good as your performance and apparently some people don't like to see a reminder of what a severe accident involving a car can do.
So good luck eveyone.
Checking out this video for the Caad10
Screen brightness is completely irrelevant on a bicycle headunit. I appreciate that Garmin isn't wasting money on a bright backlight (it's actually still too much), since backlight only makes real sense at night or in tunnels with those transflective LCDs.
Good golly that Caad10 is beautiful!
It’s just a basic computer with a color screen. You’re better off with a Garmin or Wahoo for climbing features, Strava integration, etc.
Yes, it's obviously for people who previously used to mount a smartphone on their bike, so the shortcomings (like the screen that isn't properly usable in bright daylight, without using up a lot of battery) wouldn't be as noticeable.
You can get a used Wahoo Bolt v2 for cheaper or even new on some occasions. It's still a better option in my opinion
Love how many videos theres been recently!
I'm in a groove! Also, having my editor Barry on board makes getting videos done much easier. :)
I have been using the C606 for many months without issues. Recently, the computer lost connection to my phone in the middle of uploading. The ride failed to upload and despite numerous troubleshooting attempts the ride data can't be uploaded. Even with Magene Support they just kept me going in circles with no end solution.
After this terrible experience, decided to save up a bit and go back to Garmin.
I got one. It is really goode and I think it would be perfect if it was easier to make cycling workouts ( via the app ) and the GPS would zoom out more and the GPS would redirect via roads and not in a straight line. It would also be nice if there was a climb viewer and a route planner where you can enter the distance you want to do and it would generate a route.
Can you review the igpsport igs630? I am planning to buy the igs630 because i do not really need the touch screen funtion.
I have the IGS630s, if you don't care about live segments or the more polished appearance of the Garmin it is great. For most riders it will be more than good enough and the battery life is really great, I can go weeks without charging.
Love mine
@@lbgstzockt8493 Thank you for your advices.
Took my C606 to Tenerife. Was disappointed to realise that downloading Spanish maps didn't download the maps for Tenerife and it turns out there isn't a map available for the Canary islands. Had to use a phone mount instead 😩
Thanks it’s nice to know about it, but like you I’m locked into the Garmin Eco. I agree the latest iteration of the Garmin 1050 at the current asking price of top range mobile phone is a wicked joke. Garmin is good, but with what you get out of Apple and Android mobiles, we all know and should expect a way better product out of Garmin. Maybe in the end, Apple might make the move of just producing a model of its phone stylised more like a head-unit.
Does the magene have a proper transflective screen (that you can use in daylight without the backlight)?
It looks to me like it doesn't (they never mention it, and it seems very unlikely given the high resolution), so that would make it basically unusable in bright daylight for longer rides (it's either still going to be too dark, or it would drain the battery very quickly). Good Transflective (has a backlight but also reflects daylight from the back) LCDs add a significant cost, because they are unfortunately used very little in consumer electronics.
The display is really one part that Garmin gets absolutely right, reflects light well, resolution high enough but not too high. they only fail by using a nowadays "typical" capacitive touchscreen, instead of a "classic" resistive touchscreen that would work in the wet with zero issues. If it rains the Garmins are basically unusable, Also Garmin's powersaving mode wastes power by forcing the backlight to be on at least at its minimal brightness.
I want someone to bring out a head unit that just uses your phone as processing/GPS/accelerometer, etc. Just a head unit that has buttons and a screen that link to your phone app essentially.
The big companies in the cycling industry have had no competition for so long any thing that challenges them is a very good thing in my view. I am sick of having to pay a premium for very average equipment.
Im with Garmin. I was tempted by Magene and IGPsport but both seem buggy and poor with updates, where as Garmin gives updates with new features or years
How about the 4gb of storage? That's not a lot of maps. It was the thing that stopped me from buying it back when the firmware was still absolute crap
I have the Magene computer and the trainer
It is the best value and feature rich
I also got the radar and it’s equally fantastic
as someoone that doesn't really use the route feature already, this could be good replacement when my wahoo bolt finally dies
How about Hammerhead Karoo?
I'm still rocking a basic bryton rider 100.
Hey Joe, l guess you know and heard about the Taiwanese brand Bryton! I tested and reviewed the Bryton rider 750 for an mag!? The function/menu/interface/download maps true the app, sound similar to the Magene you reviewed. Price is realy interesting, this model you reviewed is even cheaper.... Wow!
Hey Santa Joe, I've been a good boy all year can I have a new Magene head unit for Xmas?
I agree 100%. How it could be justified, 300-700 USD bike computer which has very slow processor, just GPS, and few reading.in comparison to mobile phone price and functionalities?
Mobile phones are completely unusable in bright daylight in summer. So that comparison is invalid. Also smartphones will quickly overheat in full daylight at 40°C. Almost all smartphones are nowadays designed to be used indoors in climatized rooms, not outdoors.
Well done, Joe. China Cycling... out👏. Happy New Year & Merry Christmas my friend.
Does Magene or another Chinese brand have a smart bike indoor trainer with an integrated power meter?
magene and thinkrider both have several smart trainers
Magenta yes if I remember correctly
@@Carftymk Thanks, I mean a complete smart bike
@@rickmancini772 nope
I'm actually good with a 130 except for the fact that you can't do workouts on the 130.
It doean't need to be a garmin killer or wahoo killer. If it is close to as good and cheaper it's a winner 😅
I would like to see something like Magene 806 with navigation inside, rerouting and climb pro for like 199 USD
Waiting for pedal power meter from magene p707
Hace 1 mes lo compré por 97€......va estupendo 😂😂
Map direction must be address. Bugs is everywhere.
It very good and I think will be better
incredibly poor experience from me. the app on androis is really really shit, constantly logs you out, some things need 10 retries to go through. the maps layout was also pretty trash, and there's no climbpro or similar. it's also really heavy at like 160g BUT the screen was awesome. it COULD be awesome, i haven't used it in months but until they fire the shit out of the android app dev and redo it from scratch, maybe. until then my IGS630 does pretty much everything better
wait..... magene groupset?!
I wanted to enter the giveaway but I dont have 3 friends that ride bike. 😔
Love it!
You're best to save and just get a well known brand. Yes you can buy this but you use it, don't like it, can't sell it and end up spending more to buy a proper one. I'm speaking from experience.
But i started with Garmin 510, then 1000, 520, 530 now 840 Solar. Solar is a gimmick, not worth the extra money
its cheaper to bring 3 cheap android phones on a ride than 1 new garmin.
The prices honestly amaze me. I mean, I paid for one, so I'm a sucker too... but... wow, us cyclists just have "gullible" written on our foreheads.
@@ChinaCycling very true lol. i love my wahoo elmnt bolt that i paid 180 euro for brand new. still works just fine. has the same features as garmin. u dont need 90% of the garmin features. at this point a cheap phone is cheaper to use as a bike computer
@@SyLens1 I tried to use a phone. Bought edge 530 the next day.
Yeah, the 830 was still ok-ish on price when I bought it, but the current 840 is almost as expensive as the 1030 was, I think. Even the 540 seems too expensive now...
Smartphones have unusable screens though, unless you only ride at night. I wish there were any good smartphones with a transflective LCD, but I have never heard about any :(
Yes, GPS headunits are crap compared to smartphones. But then again, they are also engineerd to last over 40 hours on a single charge. I think the Karoo 3 missed an opportunity by putting in a too small battery. But hey, maybe v4 will be better.
👍👍👍
love your CAAD 10
It's such a nice bike. I've taken it apart for some upgrades. :)