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Lezyne Super Pro GPS cycling computer

7
£135.00

VERDICT:

7
10
Excellent at the core functions, but navigation is poor – and it's only fractionally better than older models
Weight: 
67g

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Lezyne's Super Pro GPS is stuffed with functions and connects easily to other sensors/apps, plus it's light, securely mounted and stays charged for potentially weeks. The navigation is poor, though, and it's not a huge step on from the older Super Navigate GPS.

  • Pros: Highly customisable and clear display, reliable, long battery life
  • Cons: Rather unintuitive controls, stiff buttons, clunky website, poor navigation

First things first: out of the box, the Super Pro didn't work. Attempting to record a ride led rapidly (in just 0.08 miles, I can accurately report) to a frozen screen and a completely unresponsive unit. Repeated hard resets saw it fare no better. Happily, a free quick and easy firmware update via the Lezyne site fixed the problem entirely, although it was only made available a few days after I received this unit. It's good that the solution was so rapidly available, but it's not impressive that a £130 device can ship in a non-functional state in the first place.

> Find your nearest dealer here

The firmware update doesn't disrupt existing settings, so I recommend navigating to the Support section of Lezyne's site as a matter of course. Here you'll get a taste of the company's awkward labelling, as the updates are listed by corporate jargon (Year 10, Year 9 devices and so on) and even the afterthought model year info doesn't include 2019. At least there are pictures so you can remind yourself if you have a Mega, Super, Micro, Macro or Mini...

Figuring this out might be a one-off, but the Super Pro's four physical buttons are more regularly awkward. They're stiffer than before (though a good size for gloved use), and while the waterproof rubber covers still have function icons embossed in them, they're still out of sight when riding. Worse, the written prompts on the case have moved to the side as well.

Lezyne Super Pro GPS cycling computer - buttons side 2.jpg

Choosing between buttons (and long and short presses) is a memory test in itself, even without the on-screen options looking like prompts to use the wrong button, which they sometimes do.

Lezyne Super Pro GPS cycling computer - buttons side 1.jpg

Hang on, this is all really negative! Truth is the Super Pro is excellent at measuring, displaying and recording the basic parameters of your rides, with a clear screen, a very secure X-Lock mount, barely-there weight and a battery that a) never seems to self-discharge and b) lasts for weeks at a time.

The black and white screen is easy to read even in the brightest sun, and there's a backlight for night use. Lezyne says contrast and resolution is improved... I honestly couldn't see a difference (bar the lack of a greenish tinge to the background), but the new one's backlight is a bit brighter.

Lezyne Super Pro GPS cycling computer - on bars 2.jpg

Oooh, I'm veering towards the negative again. Having used the near-identical Super GPS on every ride for perhaps a year, I'm niggled that few – if any – of its existing niggles have gone. Bar the new landscape display option, a smoother case and better waterproofing for the micro USB port (which was clumsy but never a problem unless you dropped it in a deep puddle), little has really changed.

Routing

Creating maps for the turn-by-turn navigation remains clunky on the dedicated GPS Root site, for instance, and while you can import gpx and tcx files, they won't necessarily include the turn prompts. Whichever way you plan your route, uploading it from the app to the unit (your phone needs to be connected via Bluetooth) is disappointingly slow. It's also a given that the Super GPS's battery will outlast your phone by orders of magnitude.

On the bike the turning prompts are very good, with clear pop-up icons, useful audible warnings and distance countdown to each junction. Unfortunately – at least during testing in the hills of mid-Wales – they're as likely to be wrong as right. I encountered phantom junctions, wildly inaccurate countdowns and occasionally silence when the correct turning did arrive. If it was an issue with satellite reception the unit certainly never warned me, and as it sees both GPS and Glonass networks, it really shouldn't struggle. Even in Wales. I mean, we've had electricity ten years now.

Lezyne Super Pro GPS cycling computer - on bars 6.jpg

While connected to your phone, the Super Pro also clearly displays new messages (do you want that?) and Strava Live Segments, and supports Lezyne's own live tracking function (Lezyne Track). The unit also gains FE-C Trainer and Smart Connect compatibility, and is friendly with TrainingPeaks and Today's Plan.

The ANT+ connection, meanwhile, remains for power meters, cadence sensors, drivetrain displays, heart rate monitors and indeed the whole array of beeping quasi-medical diagnostics we know and, if not love, then intensively care about.

Lezyne Super Pro GPS cycling computer - on bars 5.jpg

These metrics are the Super Pro's strengths. Configure the five pages with up to eight parameters each (four or five is the optimum for clarity), turn it on at the start of the ride and off at the end, and the Super Pro is fantastic. It shows you anything from time and temperature to speed and altitude or power and cadence, at a glance, regardless of weather or light. It also shows all kinds of average, maximum or current values for extra insight (or confusion).

The results (up to 400 hours of them) can be saved and/or uploaded to the clunky GPS Root site, should you have run out of things to do on Strava.

> Buyer's Guide: 14 of the best cycling GPS units

The fly in everyone's GPS ointment is, of course, Garmin. In this bracket it has the simple but effective Edge 25 (£140), and while it doesn't quite match the Lezyne's feature set, it's not hard to find the more advanced Edge 130 (£170) discounted to a similar price.

Alternatively, Giant's NeosTrack GPS is a pretty good match for the Lezyne, right down to the clunky route creation and iffy route-finding, and while it's a little more expensive (£150) it's been out longer and is also easy to find discounted.

Verdict

Excellent at the core functions, but navigation is poor – and it's only fractionally better than older models

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Lezyne Super Pro GPS cycling computer

Size tested: 70.6mm (W) x 48.16mm (L) x 26.0mm (H) *Screen: 32.6mm (W) x 39.8mm (L)

Tell us what the product is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Lezyne says: "The completely redesigned Super Pro GPS cycling computer is an excellent choice for all riders looking for a full-featured, mid-sized device. New styling gives the device an enhanced look and feel, and it can be rotated horizontally for those that prefer a landscape view. Its screen has improved resolution and contrast and it now features a map page for a much better navigation experience. The device's firmware has been updated to show more data fields and it can now pair with our 'Smart Connect' LED system. And its charging USB port has been upgraded to be much more water resistant. The Super Pro GPS is both Bluetooth and Ant+ compatible and can connect with power meters, heart rate sensors, speed and/or cadence sensors, smart trainers and wireless drivetrains. When paired with our Lezyne Ally phone app, the following features can be activated: full navigation capabilities, phone notifications, Lezyne Track (live tracking), Strava Live Segments, training integration and device customization. It features a GPS/Glonass chipset, in addition to an integrated barometer and accelerometer, for superior data recording and elevation readings. And it offers up to 28-hours of battery runtime."

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Among its many features, Lezyne lists:

Durable, composite construction

Super accurate, advanced data recording system combines GPS plus Glonass satellites

Simultaneous ANT+ and Bluetooth® Smart connectivity

Multiple real-time features when paired to the Lezyne Ally app

Barometer and accelerometer

Simple setup through Lezyne Ally phone app

Import .tcx and gpx. Files

Trainer Mode

Multiple bike profiles

Full navigation

Custom route building

Intuitive four button operation

Lithium polymer battery provides up to 28 hours of runtime

Micro USB rechargeable

Stores up to 400 hours of ride data

Customizable fields and page count (up to 8 fields)

On screen preloaded maps

Custom alerts and auto presets

Extremely weather resistant

Includes X-Lock Standard Mount

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10

Tough, compact and neat.

Rate the product for performance:
 
6/10

It's very good at the simple things: measuring, displaying and recording information about your riding. It's less good at more complex things like navigation, however, or offering intuitive controls.

Rate the product for durability:
 
9/10

Survives rain, vibration, cold and accidental drops with the same aplomb as its predecessor.

Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
8/10

It's lighter than two bags of crisps, if not as tasty.

Rate the product for value:
 
6/10

High if you want a quality computer; poor if you want navigation or you already own an older Super GPS.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Once set up it's excellent for real-time feedback and reliable recording. But the navigation is poor, the stiff controls no easier to remember than on the last model, and while the app and website are OK, they're both pretty limited.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Clear screen, low weight, landscape mode, highly customisable display.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Rubbish route-finding, occasionally unintuitive controls, didn't work without a firmware update.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

It's in the upper mid-range for units without mapping, but the lower end for GPS units overall.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes, mostly.

Would you consider buying the product? Maybe

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

If you just want to measure and record your metrics then this is an excellent choice, but it's hard to score it higher than 'good' overall when route-finding, the app/site, and the control layout are flawed. If you're looking to upgrade from an older model, subtract about four...

Overall rating: 7/10

About the tester

Age: 47  Height: 183cm  Weight: 78kg

I usually ride: Vitus Zenium SL VR Disc  My best bike is:

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: A few times a week  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: general fitness riding, mountain biking

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5 comments

Avatar
huntswheelers | 4 years ago
0 likes

I posted on the Mega XL thread 11 months ago singing it's praises, well it was good then, nice units and nice graphics & fonts....but all was well ( other than re routing and notifications) with routing, maps etc until April this year...I'd been and successfully cycled across Belgium then they updated the firmware & app and it went downhill from there. Over many months of support from Lezyne, replacement unit sent from California...it went from flaky to awful...I narrowed the issue of transfer to unit from phone to phone type ( iPhone biased and early , up to Android 6) whereas I'm on an Android 9.... Anyway...July this year I bit the bullet and went for a Bryton Rider 450 as used by Quick Step for a comparator. The result was that the Bryton works every time, it's never failed to link, upload rides, display maps/routes etc... I even compared the units side by side, clearly the difference to upload the same route to each unit was unbelievable, the Bryton would be loaded and ready to ride before the Lezyne would( if it did) accept the route. Long and the short is.....if you've an iPhone these are great... But for me the Rider 450 from Bryton is a brilliant and yet never reviewed GPS unit in the UK.... No wonder the pro's are using it....and No wonder ag2r pro Cyclists opted to go back to the G*rm!n units .....

Avatar
Prosper0 | 4 years ago
1 like

The screen looks rubbish. Totally 1990s scientific calculator standard.

If they wanted to go for a cheap black and white screen they should have used eink. 

Avatar
Geraldaut | 4 years ago
0 likes

I have the Super GPS since it came out. This summer I did a 11 day riding trip, uploading GPX files every morning directly from the iPhone (I built routes on the go with cycle.travel). It worked well, except one day when the route just would not start (or transfer from phone to device). Otherwise the tracking itself always works reliably.

Navigating means following a breadcrumb line, which is fine for me when touring. Battery life is good for 2 full days riding with navigation. I really so absolutely no reason to upgrade to this new version.

Avatar
ericf | 4 years ago
1 like

The thing about the Lezyne GPS units is how how utterly flaky they are, particularly regarding navigation. Sometimes a route will start, sometimes it won't, and there are also myriad other intermitent problems. 

The battery life is great, as it the price, but the unit is just not reliable over time -- you always wonder whether it's going to work today or not -- especially around navigation-related features.

Avatar
Panslanepaul | 4 years ago
0 likes

Your review perfectly sums up my love/hate relationship with my SuperGPS. Glad it is not just me, but disappointed to learn that things at Lezyne aren't moving on.

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