TESTED: Hammerhead Karoo2

Words: Anna Beck
Photos: Mike Blewitt

I’ve have had the Hammerhead Karoo 2 unit for testing for the past few months, a high end bike GPS with lots of functions. The unit weighs 132g and measures 60.8w x 100.6L x19.3h, with a 82mm display. the proprietary mount comes in at 33g. This is a little beefier than the Wahoo Roam or the Garmin Edge 830.

The Karoo 2 software is built on Android 8, and compared to the Karoo 1, Hammerhead have upgraded the memory, processor and bluetooth chipsets. With a 12-hour battery life, and the ability for the Karoo 2 to seemingly grab routes from anywhere (more on that later), the unit has been designed for and marketed towards the exploding ‘adventure cyclist’ market. Obviously there is GPS recording and they have used ‘DragonTrail’ glass to reduce glare on the glove-friendly, colour touchscreen. 

The Karoo 2 found every bluetooth and ANT+ sensor that I had in the shed to throw at it and has dual bluetooth smart chipsets and a new quad core processor, 32GB storage  bulk maps!), as well as 3G/4G/Wifi coverage.

The unit itself can support a sim card for instant upload and for using live track without hot spotting your phone, but can easily be used without. For the duration of this review, the unit was used without the sim. 

The buttons are large and easy to use on the go, and the luxurious touchscreen was effective in most conditions, with the only issue being the screen was slightly temperamental in the wet. Similarly, the Karoo 2 was compatible with long fingered/mountain bike gloves almost all the time. And though connecting to Wi-Fi through the unit required typing passwords on the unit itself, it wasn’t  problematic as it has been for other tech products I’ve used. 

One small concern I had with the unit was the plastic grommit that covered and plugged the USB – C charging port. A couple of back up plugs would be worthwhile.

The Karoo 2 comes with a proprietary mount that the unit slides and locks with a distinctive ‘click’. The benefits of this set-up is that it requires less of an angle ‘twist’ to remove, thereby allowing the unit to be closer to the stem/bar and sit more flush. The mount is compatible with standard 31.8 bars, and can be shimmed for 25.4mm. 

Features and Connectivity

Turning on the unit takes you straight to the ride profile page where you can swipe to select multiple profiles that are pre-loaded. There is power and HR, HR only, Got Hills (Climb feature requiring a loaded route), No sensors and some indoor options: select the profile and go. If you swipe back it takes you to the main menu with that features; rides, routes, workouts, profile, sensors and settings. This is the main navigational page for selecting routes and workouts you have pre-loaded through the hammerhead.io dashboard, as well as pairing sensors, changing settings and looking at ride history.

You can customise your data fields here, but I did find the selection that was pre-loaded onto the unit to be more than adequate. 

Ride Profiles

For those who love a customised data field, the unit seems endlessly customisable. This is a bonus for racing where some data is irrelevant at the time but essential for analysis. Whatever training modality and data metrics you rely on, the Karoo 2 probably supports it.

Routes and Workouts

The climb feature requires a route to be pre-loaded onto the unit. Unlike other units that are operated via a mobile app, the Karoo 2 requires download onto its website before syncing via wifi. The good news? You can upload from file, URL or link up with third-party sites and Hammerhead will make it happen. It’s one of its best features. While having to use a desktop site to upload routes is a shift from other players in the market space, it isn’t a negative for the Karoo 2 – but it may be a change to your pre-ride ritual.

Don’t get caught out with more internet meaning you can’t load a route or maps. You must download region maps prior to riding or you’ll be staring at an arrow lost in space the whole ride. Ergo you, too, may end up lost in space.

Structured workouts uploaded from TrainingPeaks (the only supported platform so far) were visually represented well on the screen in colourised zones, and I couldn’t fault the display and the workout chimes. A greater level of connectivity with other big names in training software (like Today’s Plan) would be a boon for endurance coaches and athletes alike. The unit chime is definitely quieter compared to the Wahoo Element Bolt, but more than adequate.

The route feature was aesthetically pleasing and effective in the less dense urban and regional/semi-rural environment. At times the cue signal could be a little tardy, and I was pin-balling down the wrong trail in the forest, followed by a subsequent reroute from the unit. For obvious turns, streets, and main fire road diversions, the unit was great. The only issue of this latency was in those rare times when multiple trail heads are close together.

Uploading and Battery Life

Uploading is easy with the Karoo 2 supporting direct upload to Strava, XERT, TrainingPeaks, Koomoot and RideWithGPS. Hammerhead assured me that they’re looking at supporting more platforms. Your ride upload does need a wifi connection, so bear that in mind.

Hammerhead reports ‘between 7–14 hours battery life’, which seems wildly unspecific, but as Hammerhead explain, this depends on the features used. I found around 12 hours to be pretty consistent, with slightly less if using workouts or routes. Hammerhead has listed a few ways to get more battery life out of your Karoo 2 including reducing backlight, disconnecting from phone app (The Hammerhead app’s only function is to push messages to the unit), turning off route mode, and using less data fields. It does have a battery saver mode which can be employed at any time, but automatically starts when battery life is <20%. To compare to other units, the Wahoo Elemnt Bolt, my other main computer, has performed in excess of 16 hours, the Wahoo Roam reports 17+, the Garmin Edge 530 and 830 both reportedly performing for 20+ hours. 

While I would reach for the Karoo 2 for long multi-day adventures, I would definitely be bringing a back up power bank in case of extra-long days, or for recharging overnight on bike packing adventures. 

Climb Feature

The climb feature is one of the best I have experienced. It exceeds Garmin’s ‘Climb Pro’ in visual representation, user experience and displayed data. There are many applications where this feature could come in handy: think a mountain bike marathon with sustained climbs looking for a lesser gradient to refuel, or if you thrive at 15+% pinches, being aware of when these are approaching could give you great insight into where to make your moves. It chunks the climb into more digestible colourised gradient blocks that allows you to break up the ascent into smaller segments. More cognisance of gradient variations throughout climbs allows for better identification of race-day strengths and limiters when used in conjunction with training software and keen analysis.

A caveat? It’s not always 100% accurate, relying on the quality of the map data. While most of the time it’s pretty spot on, for some reason a local rail trail has a sudden spike of 10% on the unit, which in actuality doesn’t hit upwards of 2-3%. I would expect that as mapping technology evolves, and with regular updates to the unit, that accuracy will likely increase with pushed software upgrades. 

So who is it for?

The features of the Hammerhead Karoo 2 indicate this unit is for the serious adventurer. The routes and climb feature paired with a large, bright display, make it great for adventure loops and training alike. The unit is a highly customisable and versatile  with many features that leave the other market heavyweights in the dust, like their proprietary mount, display, climb feature and endless profile customisation. However, for those looking for an ecosystem like Garmin Connect or app-based controls like the Wahoo range, it may take some getting used to the Karoo 2’s remote dashboard management. 

Hammerhead don’t yet feature all the physiology and ecosystems that other players have developed, however for the athlete using TrainingPeaks, Strava or XERT for analysis, the high-quality user experience on-bike makes it a premium option with endless customisation.

The Karoo 2 is a great unit for routes and climbs, however would be best paired with a power bank if your adventure time exceeds ~12 hours. Likewise, for those of us less fussed about a few grams the climb feature is super useful for seeing upcoming climbs in road, gravel or mountain bike races, allowing you to ‘pick your time’ in a race situation with a bit more precision.

RRP: $639

From: hammerhead.io

Hits:

• Climb feature!
• Great clarity and touchscreen
• So much customisation
• Good navigation 

Misses:

• A little hefty
• Must be used with a computer, not a phone
• Could use more support with training platforms
• Needs more battery life for the big jobs

Want more tech? 

Read our Wahoo Element Bolt Review

Read our Coros Vertix GPS Watch Review