Hammerhead Karoo 2

Like strapping a phone to your bars, Hammerhead’s new bike computer has a hi-res screen and powerful software hoping to push it to the front of the pack

A bike computer with a brain

£359 / stuff.tv/karoo2

■ Powering up the Karoo 2 for the first time left us shocked: video on a bike computer? Crisp animations? A responsive touchscreen? The 3.2in display was a delight, helping us spot new trails branching off from routes, all with the nostalgic feel of an early smartphone.

■ The software running the unit gets constantly updated with helpful little nips and tucks. It keeps things consistent and improves the overall experience subtly, adding stuff like enhanced map elements or a better UI. If only our legs could be upgraded so easily.

■ Navigating with swipes and taps is intuitive and works with gloves too, even if it occasionally takes a couple of attempts. Swiping up on a notification to read the full message or pinching to zoom into a map is so much easier than having to remember which button does what all the time.

■ Missing a turn doesn’t always mean immediately turning around: the Karoo 2 reroutes you on the fly and does a fine job, even when you’re on a twisty singletrack.

Mind you, with the clear map and overlaid route, plus big notifications and loud beeps, this rarely happens.

■ A 12-hour runtime might not be the most generous going, but with USB-C charging you can grab a top-up in half an hour while sorting out your kit and route. That’s easily enough juice for a few hours out on the road or getting muddy.

Tech specs

Screen 3.2in 800x400 Dragontrail glass Connectivity Bluetooth 4, ANT+, Wi-fi, 4G (with sim), GNSS Battery 2500mah Waterproofing IP67 Dimensions 100x61x19mm, 131g (167g with mount)

■ Paws: the revenge

Having a tiny keyboard for putting in place names, searching for routes or naming your ride before uploading is really useful. No more renaming in Strava and accidentally comparing yourself with much better riders.

■ Deep blue see

Unlike Garmin and Wahoo, Karoo brings through notifications from all of your phone’s messaging apps. Keeping an eye on how the magazine was progressing via Slack while out riding felt like the best kind of ‘working from home’.