Why did I buy this? HELP!
Long time Garmin user. I have questions:
1) I can only livetrack with a SIM card? Why can't I live track over bluetooth to my phone like Garmin? (In other places in the world SIMs are readily available, in the US, not easy to come by.)
2) I have to do all my settings/setting up on the device? Why can't I use an app or computer?
3) The data screens have no auto scroll functionality? I have to swipe to see a second screen? Why? Garmin's functionality is far superior here. This alone make we want to return the Karoo now.
4) The map doesn't automatically pop up and take over when coming to a turn? I have to swipe or touch the screen to see the detail? Seems very dangerous, especially in unknown areas or where there is traffic.
5) I can't create routes on the dashboard using "freehand"? Why? Honestly the map creator is really terrible compared to Garmin's.
6) Hammerhead's Dashboard map creator changes my .gpx uploads? Why? I was thinking I'll make maps in Garmin and upload them, but when I do Hammerhead changes the route. In some cases significantly.
7) How did I miss all these Garmin features not being present? Kicking my self.
Any idea if any of this will change?
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"In fact, there are basics - and additional features"
Ever notice how the K2 defenders tend to go out of their way to make excuses for Hammerhead? But I'll play. Here are some "basic" feature that K2 lacks:
- a decent mounting system
- buttons that give positive feedback
- efficient use of "screen real estate"
- a stable connection to your phone
- the ability to live track and upload rides without a separate sim card and data plan
- the ability to discard a ride without saving it
- decent battery life
Then, there are lots of "additional" features that are missing on K2, such as:
- smart hydration/nutrition reminders
- weather data
- ability to control bluetooth lights
- training data
- climb detection on routes
- support for third party data fields and widgets
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@James Grosser.
Good playlist, thanks!
The experiences differ, of course. Not everyone has the same set-up, nor the same cycling intensity.My experiences are therefore different.
- a decent mounting system -> Personal, no complaints.
- buttons that give positive feedback -> Buttons work fine for me.
- efficient use of "screen real estate" -> The maximum screen usage is the same as my Nokia 8. Fine.
- a stable connection to your phone -> Works perfect - with my Nokia 8 (Android 9) phone.
- the ability to live track and upload rides without a separate sim card and data plan. With SIM card is a additional feature :) which I'm using:) An alternative can be a hotspot.
- the ability to discard a ride without saving it. -> I agree - this can be a quick win.
- decent battery life. -> High battery drain - when I read the community experiences - occurs with certain configurations. My K2 battery drain is about 8 - 9% per hour. I'm using Ant+ with sensors:
Radar Varia | Di2 | Polar H10 | SIGMA R2 DUO COMBO SPEED & CADENCE.
Their is still work to do for them ; - )
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One has to wonder if certain users of this forum are Hammerhead employees or owners, because all too often they evince the "customer is always wrong" attitude that seems to prevail within Hammerhead. As any reader of this forum will recognize, each of the points I raised in my first set of bullets reflects widespread user sentiment, not merely my "personal" cavils. K2 is a premium device. "Fine" and "works for me" are not good enough for a $400 cycling computer.
Hammerhead can get their act together and develop a high quality, flexible product that meets the needs of detail-oriented cyclists, or they can go the way of the Omata. I, for one, have never seen an Omata cycling computer in the wild. And, except for myself, I've never seen a Hammerhead cycling computer in the wild either.
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I've done a few more rides now, including a 113miler on Friday on a completely new/unknown route.
- Navigation experience is excellent. Being able to follow the map easily while pedaling, the beeper, the next turn distance countdown, rerouting, pin-point accuracy, speed (no constant "calculating") etc. All far superior to Garmin and Wahoo. I will keep the device simply for this.
- The battery life is superior to my Garmin. On a 7.5 hour gravel ride (no sensors) I ended with 51% battery remaining.
- There are still some very basic functionality that is missing, as I've listed before, that seem to be easy implementations to improve the user experience. I'm not sure the two positives I've listed warrant $400, since so many basic features are still missing.
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@Davide - Thanks. Using the phone hotspot for a shorter/daily ride is a good option. Although I don't really need family to be able to live-track those rides. A longer tour, gravel adventure ride (100+ miles), riding in an unknown area - those are times when I need the live-track to work so my family can follow and ensure my safety, and unfortunately in those situation running your phone as a hotspot is not a viable option. (Hotspot can drop, kills phone battery, etc).
I think the best solution is for Hammerhead to do what Garmin does and allow for bluetooth tethering so that the Karoo 2 can use the phones data connection via bluetooth. This is the standard protocol for Hammerhead's competitors as well as hundreds of other devices/apps out there.
It's also worth noting that if Hammerhead implemented this industry standard tethering option with would allow for incident/crash detection and alerting. Which is a major safety feature.
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It's also worth noting that if Hammerhead implemented this industry standard tethering option with would allow for incident/crash detection and alerting. Which is a major safety feature.
Totally agree. And it's not like there is no Bluetooth available on the Karoo...
On the other hand, I find that a genuinely nearfield WiFi connection (saddle bag/rear pocket to front-of-bike) is very stable and more kind to my phone's battery life than BLE.
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@hchap12
13.8 per hour is quite high.
I'm using 4 profile pages (incl map) and my display brightness 🔆 while biking is 30%.
# Support is aware that if you pause, the battery consumption will not be paused.
✓ Create a new profile (4 pages). Perhaps the current profile is buggy - can lead to higher battery consumption.
✓ There is a manual about Battery Life Expectations -> https://support.hammerhead.io/hc/en-us/articles/360056878514-Karoo-2-Battery-Life-Expectations× If your settings are 'normal' and battery consumption is still high, my advice is to create a support ticket.
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