Bryton Review

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to receive a Bryton Rider 50T from Next Destination and now that I have had sufficient time to play with it I thought I’d share my thoughts with all of you.  Before I get into that I’d firstly like to take this opportunity to thank Next Destination (www.nextdestination.com.au), the Australian distributor of Bryton GPS bike computers and secondly Bryton (www.brytonsport.com) for their support and assistance.  Bryton will be my official GPS Bike Computer for the year and I am very much looking forward to working with them to improve my performance and reach my triathlon goals.

Bryton make two main types of GPS bike computers.  Firstly is the Rider 30 GPS Cycling Computer, available as the 30T that retails for $299 and includes heart rate monitor, cadence sensor and the ability to wirelessly link with power meters or the 30E that retails for $199 and doesn’t come with the above features but they can be purchased at a later date.  Secondly is the Rider 50 GPS Cycling Computer also available in the 50T with heart rate, cadence and power meter capability and 50E models retailing $499 and $399 respectively.  The Rider 30 models are smaller and lighter than the Rider 50 models and don’t have the colour maps or mapping capabilities of the Rider 50 and would perhaps be more suited to those looking to save a bit of weight and don’t require the mapping features.  There is also a feature on the Rider 30 in the latest Triathlon Multisport Magazine on page 119 so be sure to check that out for some more information but for the remainder of this review I’ll be focusing on the Rider 50T that I’ve been using.

I wasn’t able to find much information on the internet about the Rider 50T in terms of reviews but from what I was able to research I was happy in knowing that I was getting one of the very best products available.  Hopefully this review will allow people to have a better understanding of the computer and even influence people that it is the right product for them.

The box contains everything you need to get started and includes heart rate monitor, cadence sensor, instruction manual, USB cable and two different mounting brackets with plenty of zip ties and rubber bands to attach them.  To go with the instruction manual included in the box there is also a more detailed manual available in the software that has helped me out on several occasions.  Not being the most technology savvy person and with so many features to navigate through this has been a necessity! 

Once charged and mounted on your bike the computer is very simple to get started and with every ride I have been discovering more that I can do with the computer.  There is the option of displaying up to six different information values on the one screen and three different screens that can be customized as well as a GPS map of where you are.  I am yet to explore the full extent of the mapping features but the maps have been very useful in finding my way home on a few unfamiliar training routes already.  Rather than going through every piece of information that is available literally at the touch of a button I’ll share some of my favourites so far: 

• The sheer amount of information that can be displayed; being able to display six values per screen on three screens is sure to please even the most scientific athlete.
• The clarity and accuracy of the maps is amazing and being able to pre-plan a ride then follow the on-screen instructions is very cool and something I can’t wait to use!
• Being able to check out the slope and altitude of some of our regular training loops has been very useful.
• And perhaps my favourite feature is the ability to pair the computer with most wireless power meters, although I am yet to be able to test this out because I don’t have a power meter readily available but am always looking J

If you haven’t already figured I am extremely impressed with what the Bryton Rider 50T can do and as if that wasn’t enough I was opened up to a whole new world once I plugged it in to my computer after a few rides.  The Rider 50T is loaded with the Bryton Bridge software that not only uploads your rides to your computer once it is connected but also uploads selected files straight onto the internet on the Bryton Sport website where they are stored in an online community with other Bryton user’s.  This is easily the most useful idea in terms of monitoring training because no matter where I am I can upload rides in a matter of minutes for anyone who has access to the internet to view.  As well as providing a map of the ride and graphs displaying the values it also gives you a summary of all the information gathered during the ride in a very simple to understand way.  Between myself and my coach there is a solid amount of travelling involved and with this software he can view every ride I do no matter where each of us are and plan training accordingly.

It is suffice to say that the Bryton Rider 50T is hard to fault.  When paired with the heart rate monitor and the speed/cadence sensor there is a plethora of training information available.  And that is just from what I have discovered so far, from reading the manuals I still have a lot to learn!  Sharing this information through the Bryton Bridge software and the online Bryton Sport community is simply awesome and something you cannot put a price on in terms of monitoring training.  I have no hesitation in recommending the Bryton Rider 50T for anyone looking at taking their training performances to the next level and I am excited to be working with Bryton this year and looking forward to seeing how they can help me work towards my triathlon goals.

 

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Recent Happenings

With the recent events in Queensland of late I have been somewhat short of time to update this blog but have had several notable stories to share so rather than posting several blogs in quick succession I’ve decided to shorten them in to one blog of all the recent happenings.

Not only did last Sunday signify the end of the torturous ‘Hell Week’ of training that we have been enduring for the past month, it was also the first race for 2011.  With this being the case it wasn’t a case of tapering off to any extent and the day began at the very early time of 4:00am in the northern suburbs of Brisbane.  The reason for this ungodly hour was so we could ride up to Kawana on Queensland’s sunshine coast for Race 1 of the Stroke and Stride Aquathlon Series.  We were supposed to be joined by several DAT athletes but because of the continual rain we were experiencing the numbers were somewhat lower than expected.  However for those willing the 95km that following only produced approximately 5min worth of rain at a very respectable 30km/hr average. 

And if you want to check out the map from the ride click here

The rain might have held off the ride but the race was a different matter.  The race was over the somewhat unconventional distance of a 750m swim and a 4km run.  Following the opening swim I exited the water in third position and with the leaders in sight and with a quick transition I found myself up to second.  Even with the fastest run split of the day I couldn’t close the gap to Tim George, who I have come second to in the last three races I’ve competed in now!  Following this there was no better way to end the day than an afternoon of drinks to see off fellow club members Mark Skilton and his fiance Ali who are moving down to Melbourne, however there were some very tired looking athletes after such a long day!

And now on to the main reason for being short of time and not updating this blog at all last week.  As everyone is well aware the flood tragedy has dominated the headlines around the country for over a week now and the devastation is truly astounding.  Fortunately I live in one of the higher suburbs in Brisbane and our house wasn’t affected but just a short drive down the road and there were houses being flooded out and evacuated.  It is difficult to understand the amount of water that inundated the city and surrounding suburbs and even watching the footage on tv I still struggled to believe it until I saw some of it for myself.  Due to this disaster little training actually got done during the week but it did allow for some much deserved rest before the Devonport ITU Sprint Triathlon coming up.  Even now with the water residing the cleanup is only just beginning.  Driving around Brisbane there are several spots along the river where boats, pontoons, water tanks and various other bits of debris have washed up and there are houses and businesses with the majority of their contents sitting on the sidewalk ready to be destroyed.

The Centenary Highway in Jindalee completely cut off

Just some of the dangers floating down the river and you could even hear the gas coming out as it went under the bridge

The bridge become somewhat of a tourist attraction during the floods

“Queenslanders never give up” is the sign I saw hanging outside The Regatta (one of Brisbane’s well known bars that was also completely underwater during the height of the floods) and even brought a smile to my face as I drove past it.  Hearing the amount of businesses and individuals donating and volunteering their services in the cleanup process accentuated this and showed that in time Queenslanders everywhere will bounce back from this natural disaster stronger than ever.

It’s difficult to escape the flood tragedy in Brisbane at the moment and even a trip to Tasmania is fraught with danger as news of widespread flooding came through.  Fortunately my flight to Launceston and drive to Devonport went without any problems and I arrived in Devonport last Friday evening for the ITU Sprint Triathlon the following evening.  Unfortunately due to the flooding and the dangers of sewerage and debris in the water the event had to be changed to a duathlon.  However as I warmed up on Saturday afternoon all signs were pointing to a good result in a relatively small field full of talent.  The opening 5km run didn’t go exactly as planned and I found myself just off the back of the lead group as we came in to transition.  Fortunately I was close enough to be able to bridge the gap to this group but as I did a breakaway group of 4 athletes made the move off the front that I couldn’t get on to.  As we made our way towards the end of the 20km cycle I went off the front of the group with two fellow athletes and entered the final transition only 20 seconds down on the lead group of four.  This gap proved decisive as they went on to fill the top four spots.  I finished in 6^th place and was very pleased with this result and points to more positive things to come.  Finally, I’d like to give a quick shout out to Ryan Fisher who initiated the breakaway and finished 2^nd overall in a very strong performance and also to Brayden Tucker who finished 5^th in the ITU Junior Elite race earlier in the afternoon.

It has been a busy couple of weeks but as everything starts to get back to normal I will be sure to keep everyone updated on a more regular basis and am already working on more blogs and even more importantly preparing for the next race which will be another ITU Continental Cup in Kinloch, New Zealand in the coming weeks.

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New Year's Resolutions

The beginning of any new year is always an opportunity for people to make changes or have a fresh start but all too often these resolutions never eventuate.  So to avoid falling in to the same trap again I've decided to get the ball rolling straight away.

Triathlon website, Triathlon Tribe (http://www.triathlontribe.com/) introduced me to the world of blogging some months ago and I have really enjoyed the opportunity to share some of my training and racing stories through their site.  While I plan to continue blogging for them because any amount of exposure you can get in this sport is sure to be of benefit at some point down the track I also thought I'd start my own blog to give me a bit more freedom in what and when I can post.

I won't bore anyone by going into autobiography mode and giving you my life story thus far but if anyone is interested head to http://www.triathlontribe.com/blog/post/show/id/8-Nic-Hull-Triathlete-Tribe-Blog because I did start my Triathlon Tribe blogs with a bit of a story about myself.  But I will finish by saying that I hope you will all find the time to return regularly to read about my journey through triathlon and all the exciting adventures that are sure to accompany it.

Nic

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