Hammerhead now shows upcoming climb elevation without a pre-loaded route

GPS cycle computer brand Hammerhead, the brand behind the highly-rated Karoo 2, has launched what it’s calling Predictive Path Technology, making the Karoo 2 the first and only cycling GPS, as far as we know, that anticipates and identifies upcoming climbs on a ride. 

> 10 best cycling GPS units 

Today’s update to Hammerhead’s existing Climber feature provides riders with a detailed look at upcoming elevation to help see the climbing ahead on a ride, but now without pre-loading a route. 

“Our research indicates that 78% of Hammerhead riders don’t use pre-loaded routes for their local rides, but still want the motivation, upcoming elevation, and data-tracking capabilities that the Climber feature offers,” Hammerhead notes.

Hammerhead’s Climber feature gives you a colour-coded view of the elevation profile of each climb, segmented to 100 metres. The colour coded segments clearly show which sections are steeper or shallower, and this can really help with your pacing. Distance and elevation to the top of the climb are also displayed by default.

We recently reported that SRAM acquired Hammerhead. With the announcement, SRAM was keen to point out that though Hammerhead – which is one of the companies that Chris Froome recently bought into – will carry on operating as a standalone brand and developing its Karoo product line. 

SRAM said that it saw tremendous potential in Hammerhead with the launch of the Karoo 2 in late 2020 and that Hammerhead's revenue grew by 700% over the past year. 

The Karoo 2 has made a huge impact since hitting the market, and we gave it the Editor's Choice award in Tech Innovation of the Year 2021/22 and this update looks to further cement its position as an excellent option for exploring purposes,  alongside meeting training needs. 

> Read the full review of the Hammerhead Karoo 2 here

Hammerhead is not the only brand to provide climb-specific data screens or overlays with colour-coded elevation profiles though. Garmin and Bryton both have their versions. We explore what’s offered and how they compare over here. 

I also went on a pre-launch ride with the new Predictive Path Technology update and have shared my first impressions - scroll down to 'When are climbs detected?' towards the bottom of the feature.

uk.hammerhead.io