While its share of the GPS cycling computer market is still relatively small, Hammerhead, with its Karoo series, is steadily gaining recognition. Originally a software company, Hammerhead came to market with its first Karoo computer in 2017, followed by the Karoo 2 in 2020. The Karoo gained a loyal following thanks to its superior display, precise navigation capabilities and outstanding user experience.
Cycling component powerhouse SRAM acquired Hammerhead at the end of 2021 and earlier this year, they unveiled its latest, and most promising, iteration: the Karoo (yes, a return to its original name).
From ride data and navigation to guided workouts and controlling your electronic components, lights or even your e-bike, the Karoo does it all. And it does it well. The Karoo features a smartphone-quality touch screen with vivid, colourful visuals, best-in-class maps and navigation that inlcudes free global maps, lightning quick route uploading, automatic climb detection with - or without - a route, and super-quick charging. Read our in-depth review of the Karoo, here.
While its features rival any competitor on the market, battery life has long been the Achilles' heel of the Karoo series. The array of processor-intensive features can drain the battery faster than desired, making it less practical for endurance events or bikepacking trips. Earlier models had a battery life of 7–14 hours, and the latest version boasts an increase to 15+ hours. In real-world usage, however, Hammerhead's battery-life claim has not always held up.
For comparison, a Garmin Edge 540 Solar offers 26 hours of heavy use without solar assistance and up to 32 hours with solar. The Coros Dura, meanwhile, lasts an astonishing 120+ hours. While many riders aren’t on their bikes for this length of time, for bikepackers or adventure riders, battery life is as critical as navigation, and things can become tense once the battery begins to deplete.
Hammerhead recognises its device’s battery demands as well as the battery anxiety experienced by its users.
“We know from speaking with riders that "battery anxiety" is a real problem for many athletes, and riders are always trying to maximize their battery life,” states Grayson Pollock, Software Product Manager at Hammerhead.
“To address this, our team has dedicated extensive time testing and optimizing our operating system to give riders more control over their battery. Whether they are logging long hours bikepacking, or simply want to charge their Karoo less, we want to give riders the ability to customize the experience that best suits their needs.”
Available starting today, the new Karoo’s first major software update enables users to select from three distinct battery modes, potentially extending battery life from 15 hours to more than 35 hours.
The battery-saving tactics include screen brightness adjustments, automatic screen-off settings, and slower processing speeds—each customisable to the user’s preferences.
The battery modes are:
Default Ride Mode. Using the unit as it comes out of the box will give you 15+ hours of use time
Battery Save Mode will extend the battery to 30+ hours of use.
In this mode, your screen will automatically turn off but turn back on when triggered by a turn cue, a climb alert or any other notifications. By default, the screen will remain on for 35 seconds after it was triggered but users can customise the timer in their Battery Save settings menu.
With Battery Save Mode turned on, max screen brightness will be capped at 45%, which again can be altered in the settings.
Advanced Battery Savers will yield 35+ hours of battery use.
In addition to the automatic screen turn-off and brightness limits, the Advanced Battery Savers will allow users to enable ‘Slower processing’. This will slow down the CPU and processing speed of the Karoo to save battery.
We’ll be sure to put these battery-saving modes through a thorough test this winter—so check back in a month or two for a review.
