Bike computer alternatives – the Coospo CS600

Pedalnorth Website — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 21:12:28 +0000

Half a Season on My Handlebars

The Story of the Coospo CS600

Madeira. The first road and MTB races back home in Romania. The Salzkammergut Trophy. Over the past six months, the Coospo CS600 has been there for every important kilometer of my season. This isn’t a review written after just a couple of rides, nor is it a list of technical specifications. It’s the story of a cycling computer that earned its place on my handlebars through consistency, reliability, and one simple fact: at some point, I completely forgot I was testing it. As far as I’m concerned, that’s a real product recommendation.

There are seasons you quickly forget, and there are seasons that shape the entire year. For me, everything started in Madeira, with endless climbs, spectacular roads, and countless hours in the saddle. I knew a busy season lay ahead, filled with road races, MTB events, training camps, and long training rides. Among the new pieces of equipment I packed was the Coospo CS600.

Earning a place on my handlebars

To be honest, I initially saw it as just another bike computer device to test. I wanted to find out whether it deserved a permanent place on my handlebars or if it would be replaced after a few races. What I didn’t expect was that six months later it would still be there, becoming one of those pieces of equipment you simply stop thinking about because it just works. More often than not, riders talk about and then choose Garmin. However, we like to think differently; and that means taking a look around at developing brands that deserve a place in the conversation – brands like Coospo.

Madeira – The First Real Test Madeira is the kind of place where every piece of equipment is put to the test. Unfamiliar roads, long climbs, fast descents, and constantly changing weather mean you need gear you can trust. Thankfully, the CS600 locked onto GPS quickly, the navigation was clear and easy to follow, and the bright color display remained perfectly readable even under the island’s strong sunlight. After just a few days, I had stopped checking the battery level altogether—a good sign that battery life was never something I needed to worry about. It performed perfectly throughout the event and was easy to use on the go. The battery life was also good, and it stood up to the rigours of the terrain.

A bike computer that functions week after week

Back home, the race season got underway. Weekend after weekend, whether on the road or on mountain bike trails, the Coospo was always there. It paired instantly with my heart rate monitor, power meter, and cadence sensor, recorded every training session and every race without issue, and—perhaps most importantly—never demanded my attention. That’s exactly what I want from a cycling computer: to let me focus on riding instead of the device itself.

The biggest compliment I can give it is this: at some point, I stopped saying, “I’ll grab the Coospo.” I simply said, “I’ll grab my bike.” It had become part of the bike. I never worried about charging it before every ride or wondered whether the battery would last. I simply trusted it to do its job.

Then came the Salzkammergut Trophy. Endless hours in the saddle, thousands of meters of climbing, and one of Europe’s toughest mountain bike marathons. In races like these, you don’t need flashy gadgets—you need equipment you can rely on. The CS600 performed exactly as it had in Madeira and throughout the Romanian race season: quietly, consistently, and without a single surprise. Beyond the real-world experience, the Coospo CS600 delivers everything you’d expect from a modern cycling computer.

Function, features and form, delivering performance

It features a bright 2.4-inch color display, up to 36 hours of battery life, onboard navigation, ANT+ and Bluetooth connectivity for heart rate monitors, cadence and speed sensors, power meters, cycling radar, and electronic shifting systems, plus seamless synchronization with Strava and other training platforms through the CoospoRide app. The maps are clear and easy to see, easy to set up and easy to use on the go. While riding, the CS600 shows your real-time location, alerts you if you go off course, and notifies you when you reach your destination. This way, you can ride confidently even on unfamiliar routes.

It doesn’t try to impress with unnecessary gimmicks—it simply delivers the features that cyclists actually use, and does so reliably.

Final thoughts

When I left for Madeira, I thought I was taking a cycling computer to review. To see how this quietly growing brand would stand up against more established tech such as Garmin. Six months later, I see it differently. It has been with me through every important training session, road race, mountain bike event, and finally the arduous Salzkammergut Trophy. It recorded every climb, every descent, and every finish line without ever getting in the way. And that’s probably the most honest review I can write. At some point, I simply forgot I was testing it.

Ultimately, how does it perform against the more established Garmin option? Who cares. It does as you’d expect from any leading tech brand, and it does it extremely well on the toughest of terrain and at a better price point. If you’re looking for a bike computer for your own adventures, then all I can say is fit this one to your own handlebars and enjoy the ride!

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Cycling Industry Technology and Innovation

Pedalnorth Website — Sun, 21 Jul 2024 14:33:24 +0000

Riding into the technological revolution

How science and technology is challenging cycling, and bringing in a whole new era of participation

Photography by Ben Thorpe & Nadezhda Pavlova

It was about 1994 I’d say. In the parking area to the rear of Thirsk Court House and Police Station – yes Thirsk. Home to the famous vet – James Herriot – of ‘All creatures great and small’ fame. A colleague of mine had turned an old steel butchers bike into an E-Bike, by using a washing machine spin drive and a car battery perched on the rear pannier. Yes, he was renowned amongst our group as a mad inventor!

Speeding around the small car park, he invited me to take a go, saying “with your light weight, we’ll get 20 miles an hour out of it!” The invitation was too good to miss! Needless to say, Perkins – his name – didn’t take the bike much further. He did however convert a Hillman Imp, and then a Nissan van to run on electric. The van even had a small wind turbine that came out the side, and which powered the stereo! I’ve always been a fan of tech, and working alongside my old friend and colleague, Perky, I was never short of new technology to take a look at.

The cycling industry caught up and overtook my friend though. Whilst Perky moved his attention to designing a small submarine, cycling was developing suspension forks, smoother gearing and lighter alloys to make bikes faster and more comfortable. The nature of our sport means that innovation and technology is always on the move and striving to improve the quality, reliability and efficiency of cycling.

Marginal gains in cycling became a buzzword for Team Sky. However, I’m sorry to burst Sir Dave Brailsford’s bubble, but it had in truth been going on long before those heady days of Brit Pop road cycling success. The living legend that is Graeme Obree had tinkered with tech and challenged the UCI years before. And, right across the industry, cycling brands were historically consistent in their drive to innovate. FSA have always been a leading light, introducing ceramic hub bearings in 2004, with one rider using them in the Olympics – and yet with them being used across the whole peloton only a few years later.

Yes, technology and cycling go hand in hand – like coffee and croissants.

Technology and innovation for the masses

Cycling is hard work – especially as we get older. I live in the Yorkshire Dales, where they don’t even sign a gradient below 16%! There’s too many of them and they’d run out of signage! Whilst the hills aren’t as long as those in mainland Europe, they test you mentally, by frequently offering an amazing descent, then spitting in your eye as they suddenly produce another chain-busting climb. The mountain biking trails are even harsher. There’s a climb on the Nidderdale loop that looks almost vertical. Over the years, this landscape has kept cycling away from a large percentage of the population, too wise to suffer the pain that we cyclists take to like masochists.

Thankfully though, especially here in the U.K., the development of the E-Bike – both on the road cycling and the E-Mountain bike front – has turned the dial upwards, bringing more and more people into cycling. Both from a commuting perspective and a lifestyle and leisure point of view, the technology behind the modern E-Bike has done more for future cycling participation than our countries woeful and frankly pathetic attempts at a green transport infrastructure or half-baked policies ever could. Yes, you’re able now to easily ride your E-Bike into town, or into the hills – just expect to get a close shave from a car or lorry along the way! It’s sad that the U.K. establishment is literally quite pathetic at creating any form of cycling infrastructure and at the development of a joined up transport policy for the future.

We seem to be too drunk on tarmac still, and bikes are too frequently seen as an offensive sight to U.K. drivers. Elsewhere in Europe, it’s a joy to cycle; which is why Euro Bike is always such a great reflection of a cycling and technology future that we should all embrace.

And, in the heart of European cycling, Ekoi are continuously working with engineers and pro teams to develop new and exciting products to take cycling further and faster – and at a price point that allows more and more people to afford the best products. Yes, innovation is exciting and it has meaning – whether it’s in Italian, Swiss,German, or French, it’s a universal language that says ‘get ready to ride!

It’s always time to ride…

Health, wealth and the pursuit of happiness

Attending Euro Bike at Frankfurt this summer was enlightening. E-Cargo Bikes were in abundance. Our own Nadezhda took one for a spin, and did doughnuts in an E-Bike designed like a 2-seater space-age car. It was wonderful to see how Europe in particular is embracing cycling technology and innovation to change how we live and move in our towns and cities. Go to any mountain biking event these days, such as ‘Ard Rock, here in the Dales, or to Triada and the Trilogy in magical Transylvania, and you’ll see a huge rise in E-MTB numbers, allowing a new wave of riders to enjoy a sport that not long ago seemed out of reach to their fitness levels and aspirations. Add to this that places such as Transylvania are ahead of the game in cycling lanes for commuters, as they redefine their infrastructure for the new age.

Better still, the latest E-Bikes, such as the Orbea Rise, or the all-new DJI AMFlow are designed to work with you and not for you. In effect, the more that you put in yourself, the more fun and greater distance you’ll get out of the bikes! It can be a good physical workout now; but one that enables you to go further and for longer. Yes, seeing the latest lightweight and super powerful E-Bikes at Frankfurt was exciting – and testing the new technologies was doubly so. It took me back to 1994 and that butchers bike with a car battery strapped to it, at Thirsk! Perkins, you were ahead of your time, my friend!

Brands such as FSA continue to lead the way and to drive innovation Full Speed Ahead, with their Vison wheels arm showing what can be achieved with minor developments to make a big impact to the top riders, and indeed to any cyclist that wants to perform at their best. The latest Vision wheels have laser-etched micro-dot brake rim surface texture on the Vision wheelsets, dramatically improving braking performance for safe, sure and predictable stopping power in all weather conditions.

One area that has changed even further however, is price-point – and it will need to, as cycling technology and engineering costs hopefully fall, through further innovation and increased sales. As it stands, an E-Bike can be very costly; which during a global economic crises is not necessarily good for the cycling industry. We’re in danger of limiting access to cycling once more, when we need to allow the exciting technological advancements and innovation to put even more people onto bikes. Ekoi are thankfully leading the way in challenging pricepoint, and continue to innovate within the highest levels of cycle sport, whilst ensuring that products remain affordable for club riders too.

The humble wheel however, still stands in first place as the best upgrade that any rider can make to their bike; and along with global brands, this is an area that we want to explore more,as we take a close look at cycle tech into the future! Ekoi are about to bring out a fully carbon road wheelset that changes the pricing structure globally, and is filled with French technological expertise. We will be visiting their French HQ this spring (2026) and finding out more, before testing the new wheels ourselves.

Balancing lifestyle, health and wellness

To some degree, when we look at the overall health and economic benefits for a society where science and technology put more people onto bikes, there has to be an argument for more Government funding and support for the cycling industry – in several areas. After all, more people cycling means less obesity, better mental health and a more positive outlook on life. It means less pollution in our towns and cities, and less costs for road building. Travelling abroad is always enlightening; and in Switzerland and Germany this year, I’ve seen trams and trains with large areas set aside for cyclists. Yes, a truly integrated transport system, that’s embracing the new cycling technologies that Euro Bike continues to showcase so brilliantly.

Science and innovation in cycling isn’t simply about making it easier for the pro peloton to go faster. No, cycling innovation is all about giving cycling back to the masses. It’s about a renewal of the cycling revolution of the 1950s, when mass produced bikes gave people a cheap mode of transport for commuting. It’s about cycling technology allowing more people to find their own adventure and to relax on Bikepacking trips to far flung places, or simply taking a cycle touring trip into the hills, to escape the rat race for a few days.Yes, cycling is about the freedom to explore, and the E-Bike technology and innovation on show at Euro Bike typified this new drive – and it was amazing to see.

What does your vision of the future look like…

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