Magene C606 Smart GPS Bike Computer

With a touchscreen, mapping, and the ability to sync to Strava and TrainingPeaks – and to fit onto a Garmin mount – the Magene C606 Smart GPS Bike Computer does everything you'd look for in a basic computer. It lacks some of the performance-orientated features of higher-end options from the likes of Garmin and Wahoo, but it's half the price.

For more options, check out our guide to the best cycling computers, and for GPS on a budget, our best cheap cycling computers buyer’s guide.

> Buy now: Magene C606 Smart GPS Bike Computer for £129.99 from Magene

Magene's very reasonably priced bike computer covers most of the features I'd imagine everyday users look for. As well as being able to sync rides to Strava, it has the ability to connect to ANT+ and Bluetooth sensors, and to follow routes on downloadable maps.

It doesn't ship with maps installed, which makes sense as worldwide maps would take up lots of internal storage, but it's pretty straightforward to download those you want. This requires Wi-Fi to do so, and takes a while – about 30 minutes on my average Wi-Fi – but it gets there eventually.

I downloaded the UK maps (eventually!), but then had a bit of an issue initially, as they didn't show up for a few rides. Then, randomly, one day the maps loaded, and since then have been great, showing all the roads I've wanted to navigate. It feels like a bit of a small bug somewhere, which hopefully could be fixed with firmware updates.

It's possible to sync routes to the Magene from your smartphone using the OnelapFit app. This requires importing a GPX file into the app, then syncing it. There's currently no support for syncing routes straight from Strava, for example, which is a bit of a shame, but Magene has said it's hoping to change this at some point.

Initially I found it a bit hit or miss getting routes onto the unit. The first route I tried worked a treat and synced across straight away, but then I struggled to sync any until I worked out that you have to press the 'import' button when you're looking at the route in the app – it won't automatically sync new routes across, which is a little annoying.

There also doesn't seem to be any support for syncing files across to a computer using a data cable, meaning there isn't a backup way to get things synced across, which seems a little odd. In fact, I haven't been able to access the Magene from my computer at all, so it seems that the USB port isn't for data transfer. The only way to get things on or off the device is through Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.

On the unit itself there isn't any support for routing on the go, so you can't ask it to take you home, for example, which is also a bit of a shame.

> How to plan the perfect cycle route and follow it on your bike computer

When I've finished a ride, they've uploaded quickly and easily to Strava, although they're labelled by date, which isn't the easiest to read – like 2024-04-27Ride, for example, rather than the 'Morning Ride' you might see from a Wahoo or Garmin device.

In use

Using the C606 is a pleasant experience, with its 2.8in touchscreen and Garmin-compatible base – you also get a mount you can use on your stem or bar, with some o-rings.

The device itself feels nice and solid, and mounted well to my existing Garmin mounts without rattling or feeling loose.

There are two physical buttons at the bottom, and one at the top. Powering it on requires a press and hold of the top button, while the bottom right button is used to start and stop rides, and the left cycles through screens; the power button doubles up as a lap button when riding.

For someone used to a Garmin, the button layout feels a little odd – I'd prefer that the bottom left one was the lap button, for example, and not the top button – but you get used to it.

It takes a few seconds to power up, but once it's on you can then choose which riding mode you want for that ride. In a similar manner to a Garmin, it's possible to create different profiles for different activities, such as 'Race' and 'Off Road', which allows you to customise the data screens shown for each.

From the first power on there was a serious amount of beeping coming from the device every time I touched the screen, so much so that I had to go into the settings and turn off the beeps, because they were just so annoying! Thankfully that was an easy fix and now it's silent. You can set it to beep when you press a button if you want, but for me, all the tones are off.

Sensor pairing

Pairing up any sensors is easy – just wake up the sensor and then pair it on the home screen. This worked really well. I've even been able to connect my Shimano Di2 so it can tell me the gear I'm in and the amount of battery I have left.

I did have some issues when connecting to Bluetooth sensors, like my heart rate monitor and power meter, so I've stuck with ANT+. Hopefully a future update will solve this.

Workouts

You can then start an activity by pressing on the desired profile from the home screen, and it will automatically start. A slight annoyance is that once you are going you can't change any of the settings or add a new sensor without pausing the workout. It automatically connects to previously paired sensors, though.

You can scroll though the screens you've set up, whenever you like, and these can display almost any metric you want – except for temperature for some reason. Otherwise, all of the usual metrics are there such as power, average and normalised power, heart rate and even GPS heading direction. These can be changed around using the app but not on the computer itself.

It's even possible to pair this with a rear radar, though it's not something I was able to try as I don't have one. Magene sells a bundle including its own radar light.

The C606 can also be an indoor trainer partner, able to control your smart turbo for specific powers, or to simulate rides with gradients.

Through the app you can set up connections with Strava, TrainingPeaks or Decathlon, but that's it, just those three platforms – there's no support for anything else, such as TrainerRoad, Cycling Analytics, Today's Plan.

Battery life & charging

Battery life is decent. Magene says it can last up to 28 hours in long endurance mode, but I was getting around 15-20 hours, depending on the screen brightness and whether it was following a route or not.

The device charges very quickly through its USB-C port, and I've even plugged it into my 45W fast charging brick, and it's charged really quickly, allowing for a quick top-up if needed.

Magene has a video that runs through all of the features in depth.

Value

The big selling point of the C606 is the price. At £129.99 for a smart touchscreen GPS bike computer, that's super impressive.

Comparable offerings from the big brands, with maps, routes, and the ability to connect to sensors as well as upload rides, are around twice the price: Wahoo's Elemnt Bolt V2 is £249.99, and Garmin's Edge 530 is £260.

Okay, it's not an exact like-for-like comparison – it lacks on-the-fly routing and route syncing from any third party, and you can only upload to three options – but for about half the price the Magene does most of the same things.

There are cheaper devices, such as the Coospo BC107 for £49.99, but that has GPS and ANT+ and not much else, with no maps, and no routing options.

Conclusion

I think the C606 is a decent entry-level bike computer. Generally, it performs well, with the software running smoothly and no freezes while in use. It shows all the metrics I want, without anything that feels gimmicky. The screen is bright enough for use in the sun, and the maps are clear and easy to read.

The software does feel like it's still in some form of infancy, though, and I'd hope things like route syncing, Bluetooth sensors, and not being able to change settings on the go could be improved in the next update or so. The lack of on-the-go routing is a bit of a sticking point for me, though none of the rest are deal-breakers.

I wouldn't currently recommend the C606 if you rely a lot on routes from Strava, at least until Magene make it possible to sync directly. But if you're after a cheap GPS unit for your weekend riding which can connect with sensors, upload your rides automatically and display any and all information that you could want on the go, this is a pretty good option, at an almost unbeatable price.

> Buy now: Magene C606 Smart GPS Bike Computer for £129.99 from Magene

Verdict

Decent option that does the basics pretty well, for a good price