Hammerhead Karoo 2

Anyone else thinking about pre-ordering the new Karoo 2?

I’m currently using a garmin 530. I’m not really unhappy with my 530, but I’m just tired of what looks like an electronic device from the 1990’s. Garmin auto created routes are awful in my experiences.

The wahoo head units look like they’re even older, The screen quality looks like it is from the 1980’s?

I’ve been waiting for a nice, clean looking computer with an interface that looks like it’s post 2000’s. And this really seems to fit the bill.

Any pros or cons that you see?

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I’m curious about what they are like too. It sounds like they are sold out of the first build/orders, so they must be popular. I am curious what sort of functionality is possible with a device that can have a SIM card and WiFi connection. Would potentially save taking a cellphone…?

In case you haven’t read DCR’s review yet.

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it could be very interesting, but think not yet, but i will have an eye on it!

anyway, i created a Account, to look arround how their Dahsboard works, seems, they haven’t a Android App and things like TR Oudoor workouts aren’t supported yet.

The Hardware looks fine for me, more or less a Mobile Phone style with Qualcom processors!

Seems, there is no import function for old rides!

There are actually some reasoning to why they do look “old” and don’t have the screens of modern mobile phones.

  1. Battery life - faster processors, higher resolution screens requiring GPU power, etc. all impact battery a lot. Especially for a device where the screen is always on. A regular “phone screen” or the likes also needs backlight for things to actually be visible, huge drainer.

  2. Information - what do we use the bike computer for? Browsing the web or looking at cycling data? Hopefully the latter, therefore the use of crazy graphics isn’t needed. I do agree that it does look good with better graphics, but the second the sun is out and there is glare etc. I rather see the screen data than be lost with the fancy graphics.

  3. From a UX perspective, it makes total sense to go the route that Wahoo has. Usability where it counts, intuitive and built for context (ride bikes fast and be able to quickly see data)

A colleague of mine had the first Karoo, and sure, while it looked good off the bike. It felt like it was more of a gimmick than something I would like to use and fiddle with on the bike.

I really love Wahoo’s approach to this - use the bike computer for what its for, start, stop, pick a route, and view data. And then use the phone app for everything else, like setup, settings, creating custom pages, entering addresses for it to guide to etc.

I would just love a bike computer from Wahoo with a much larger screen too it more data, easier to read maps, a few more colors, and a SIM-card!

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sure, larger display, but it depends on the pixel density and on this point, i think the Karoo 2 could be a winner, especially when you wear eyeglasses (far&near-sighted)

Pre-ordered, with delivery looking like early December.

Household has an Edge 820 and an Edge 530. The 820 is borderline unusable for things like navigation and routing, with it routinely taking 5-6 times longer to map a complicated Strava route and be ready for a ride, as compared to the 530.

I want a computer to navigate well and clearly. I want it to reliably track my efforts via various sensors, and I want it to have a solid screen. Additionally, being able to charge while recording is a must; I wouldn’t go on a 6+ hour ride without having a battery pack with me.

For that, the Karoo 2 seems to check all the boxes. We’ll see if one of us prefers the Karoo2 and the other prefers the Edge 530 and go that way, or both end up fighting over one of the computers. Should be fun :joy:

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I was an early adopter of the original Karoo - but it never lived up to its promise and now is a $500 brick sitting in a drawer. Also, water gets trapped under the glass if it rains, I sweat, etc. Taught me a lesson to not be an early adopter of cycling computers. It demos well, but didn’t actually work well.

I replaced it with a Wahoo ELMNT Roam and it works flawlessly. I’d wait for the first wave of consumer feedback to hit after about +/- 6 months of the pre-order consumers using it, and if this device lives up to its hype, you’ll know by then.

My 2c. Good luck.

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Just out of curiosity, which of these did you feel the 530 wasn’t able to do? As far as I know it is able to do all of those. Though the charging one requires Garmin’s own battery pack.

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If you haven’t looked at Wahoo I would take a serious look at their offering :slight_smile: especially since you do all the annoying stuff on your phone with their app, and their computer pretty much does the stuff that is related to riding.

The ROAM is fantastic for navigation, been on 5-6 hour long rides, all with active navigation on, and coming home with more than 50% battery, and that’s after almost one year of usage.

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The 530 is great. As a replacement to the 820, the three computers I had been considering were a second 530, the Wahoo Elemnt Roam, and now this.

A buddy has a Roam and I really like it. I have the 530 and I really like it. And I like that Hammerhead is bringing another viable option into the market with some features I like (heck, being able to sideload Android apps is pretty cool, and I get data SIMs for free with my mobile account), so I’m going to try it out.

And by the way, @mwglow15, the 530 doesn’t /need/ the Garmin Charge pack to charge while traveling. I plug it into a normal USB charger all the time. :slightly_smiling_face:

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Ahh okay! Thanks for the clarification. I don’t ever really do a ride that would require me to charge while I’m riding so I guess I just assumed that the garmins couldn’t record and charge when using the USB.

I guess the deciding factor for me would be, can I upload workouts from the trainerroad app and complete my workouts accordingly?

I have an original Karoo and my experience has been excellent.

I bought mine “new” 2nd hand from an early adopter and have had it now for almost 2 full seasons of riding. The experience over this past year has been better than my experience in year one. This is because Hammerhead has slowly and steadily improved the software, improving stability and then adding features. The Karoo of 2020 is far and away a more reliable, stable, feature-rich device than the Karoo of 2018/19. Where I used to have frequent sensor drop-outs and mystery freezes, I haven’t had any squirrelly behavior this entire year. It’s been rock solid reliable.

I haven’t plucked down a deposit yet for a K2, not because I don’t covet one, but in rare gesture of fiscal restraint I’m holding off until spring 2021 to make the spend. But, I do plan to get one, primarily because it addresses a few shortcomings of the K1 — it’s lighter, has a beeper, and has a more secure mount. (Mount failures in the K1 were such a problem that Hammerhead offered a free replacement made with stronger materials. I upgraded my mount with a 3D printed synthetic mount and it’s going strong 18 months later.)

I don’t miss the beeper in the K1, but folks with Varia radars or Strava segment junkies really, really, really want one. The beeper in the K2 is a popular move for sure.

Trainer Road outside workouts are not currently supported, but screenshots of TR workouts were part of the original Karoo 2 tease, so presumably, they are on their way. DC Rainmaker seems to think so too.

Battery life has been an issue for some, but not for me. I estimate I could get about 8 hours based on how it’s performed when I’ve gone 5-6 hours and had 40% or so left. When I’m planning more than a six hour ride, I use a USB backup battery the size of a pack of lifesavers that fits perfectly taped to the underside of my stem.

I’ve used Bluetooth and Ant+ sensors with it no problem. Currently, I use the built-in GPS for navigation/tracking, a Bluetooth Suunto Smart HR sensor, and Ant+ SRM power/cadence. All work like a charm.

The screen is brilliant and I love the space and flexibility of field layouts. I have 4 pages setup that I scroll between as I like (a data page, a map/data page, an upcoming-elevation-graph/data page, and a summary data page where I can have things such as TSS, avg & max HR, avg. & max power, temperature, etc…

I don’t have Varia radar, but those who do say the Karoo’s implementation is the best, even better than Garmin’s.

Strava segment implementation is pretty slick too.

And I’ve been very pleased with its navigation and maps. I build routes in RidewithGPS and more recently with Strava after their routes upgrade. Both sync with my Hammerhead account, which in turn syncs with the Karoo. No files to export/import.

Oh, and their support team is awesome. Super responsive and helpful.

Anyway, I could go on.

Consider me a fan of the Hammerhead Karoo.

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I had the k2 on my radar, but according to “influencers” (=paid promoters) the battery life has increased from the k1 to… about 10 h. That’s a no for me. I don’t do many 8h+ rides, but when I do, i don’t want to worry about my head unit dying on me.

Hi @Pasque - I’m not sure what you use now for long rides, but I’ve had great success with a mini charger made by Ravpower that weighs in at 2.6 oz. I’m sure there are others out there like it too. I use a voile strap or electrical tape to attach the mini-charger to the underside of my stem and then connect it via a 90-degree usb cable off the back of the Karoo. I can go for 6+ hours and still be at 100% on the head-unit. That works great for one-offs, regardless of head-unit, but I can see that might not be ideal for touring or ultra-endurance rides.

I have a Wahoo Elemnt and I can imagine that a color screen with great graphics would look nice… but with the easy to read interface of the Elemnt, an awesome smartphone app, TR outside workout support, and 14-15hr battery life (while using navigation the entire time) I can’t fathom anything being better for me than that.

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Wahoo Elemnt user here, too. I can basically echo what @bluescatjm said: easy to read, outside workouts and syncing with TR is great, and battery life is good, too. Sometimes wish the map was nicer, navigation is fine though. I still put in my pre-order at the end of August for the Karoo 2. It’s a bit like having an old, well-maintained bike that works just fine, but you get that new bike itch…

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Yeah that seems like a good workaround. Also useful for weekend camping trips I guess. But honestly, I prefer things to just work, without workaround. That being said, I realise that you have to compromise and go for the ‘bigger picture’, so to speak.
I’m still riding around with an old Sigma Rox 11. It looks like an old tamagotchi (if anyone remembers those :stuck_out_tongue: ) and it has the graphics to match it. So any head unit would be an upgrade for sure. I just struggle to find “the one”.

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I’ve been wondering if the ability to sideload Android apps might include the ability to load (and run workouts from) TR. (Not that I’m in the market for a new head unit, but seemed like an interesting angle.)