Just months after fitness-tech brand Coros brought its first bike computer to the market as a competitor to the big three of Garmin, Wahoo and Hammerhead, there’s another new cycling computer in town, which aims to offer a different user experience to the established players.
It’s from a brand called Jespr, and it’s designed and assembled in Switzerland and priced at €570. It looks to go head to head with the best cycling computers by offering a large 4-inch touchscreen with the same high 480 x 800 pixel resolution as the Hammerhead Karoo and the new Garmin Edge 1050.
In addition, it incorporates a SIM card slot, so that users can access mobile data as they ride without needing a smartphone or Wi-Fi connection. Jespr uses this to provide extra data on the device, including wind speed and direction, and for software updates.
The latest update of the Hammerhead Karoo removed the SIM card slot that was present in the previous Karoo 2, meaning the Jespr computer is the only current cycling computer to offer this feature. Jespr is offering its early purchasers a free data plan until end-2025. It says that the monthly cost after that will be around €5 per month.
Jespr computer display modes
Jespr offers pared down display modes and its mobile data connectivity allows it to display wind speed and direction (Image credit: Jespr)
The Jespr computer offers a range of different display modes, which the brand says are tailored specifically to different ride styles and can be used with multiple bike profiles.
They include a race mode with pared-down data screens, which include a screen with key race milestones displayed in a linear style that mimics the pros’ race guides which they stick to their stems. This can be used to show feed zones, key climbs, changes in direction and when to take a gel, for example.
The training display provides metrics focused on power output. Although you can hook up a power meter, if you don’t use one, the Jespr computer will estimate your power output in real-time based on other metrics, functionality not offered by the major competitors.
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Other functionality is similar to the competition, including gradient profiles for climbs, comprehensive navigation and turn alerts and re-routing if you go off course. You can display the topology of a chosen route too and connect your Jespr account to Strava, Komoot and other third-party cycling apps.
Jespr computer dimensions and stats
The hi-res 4-inch display and three case-front buttons make for easy use, although at the expense of a larger size and weight than the competitors (Image credit: Jespr)
The Jespr computer’s 4-inch touchscreen is larger than the competition; even the Garmin Edge 1040 and the latest Edge 1050 only have a 3.5-inch screen. The large screen, plus an array of three buttons on the bottom of the front face mean that the Jespr computer is a little chunky, as it’s around 4mm longer, 10mm wider and 5mm deeper than the Garmin Edge 1040.
But Jespr says that the 25mm unit depth matches that of many handlebars, making the unit more aero when mounted ahead of the bars. This is, of course, unconfirmed beyond the brand’s claims. It uses a standard Garmin-style quarter-turn mount.
The Jespr computer weighs 180g, which is again a little heavier than the competitors. Its battery life is shorter too at a claimed seven hours. Recharging uses a micro-USB cable.
GPS constellations used are the four main ones: GPS, Glonass, Galileo and BeiDou and there’s ANT+ and BLE connectivity and Wi-Fi built in. At present, the only languages supported are English and German.
