New Magene C606 smart GPS cycling computer gives you a high spec at an affordable price

The new Magene C606 smart GPS bike computer is designed to offer a high spec at an affordable price, with Magene saying that it provides much of the functionality of a higher priced computer at the cost of a mid-range device. Although prices do vary a little by country, the base European price for the C606 is €159. 

Magene is one of the most influential cycling brands in its native market of China, and has a large market share in other countries in Asia. Its brand awareness in the UK, US and Europe has also been growing in recent years. 

In China, Magene holds a market share of over 75% in some product lines. In addition to its own brand, Magene also collaborates with globally renowned bicycle and cycling equipment companies to engage in OEM business and is probably Asia's largest manufacturer of bike trainers, power meters and bike computers.

Magene C606 bike computer empowers smart riding

The new Magene C606 adds to the brand's range with new functionality, to provide comprehensive ride tracking, navigation, indoor training support and a smart riding assistant. It’s a sleek, compact cycling computer with a modern look, a large screen, support for 11 languages and a weight of 105g. 

At its heart is a 2.8 inch diagonal scratch and fingerprint resistant colour touchscreen. For comparison, that’s a little larger than the 2.6 inch screen on the Garmin Edge 540/840 series and the 2.7 inch screen on the Wahoo Elemnt Roam computers. Magene also provides three physical control buttons.

As you’d expect from a modern cycling computer, the Magene C606 provides a wide range of data – 103 data items across 13 categories – as well as complete configurability, with support for 12 riding modes. You can add and parameterise up to 10 screens of data for each mode, with options including graphs and speedometer-style dials as well as more typical numeric data screens.

There’s also comprehensive navigation support, with base maps and turn-by-turn directions when following any route worldwide. The GPX file import function makes it easy to download and import your favourite routes directly.

Wide connectivity options

The Magene C606 supports both ANT+ and BLE connections to third party peripheral devices such as speed and cadence sensors, heart rate monitors, radar tail lights, smart trainers and more, all of which Magene also produces itself. You can connect to Shimano Di2 and SRAM AXS drivetrains, to provide gear usage data on-screen. 

WiFi connectivity allows fast upload of ride data and download of base maps and firmware updates. Magene has its own OnelapFit supporting smartphone app for the C606, allowing you to configure the device, analyse your ride data and connect to Strava, TrainingPeaks and other apps to share your ride and for further analysis.

The C606 comes with a smart riding assistant, which allows the bike computer to interact intelligently with other peripheral devices. This lets you set up a range of different commands and triggering conditions on the OnelapFit App to meet your needs.

For instance, when the speed exceeds 10km/h, it can trigger Magene’s smart tail light to turn on so that you don’t need to turn the light on manually every time; or if your heart rate surpasses 180bpm, it can initiate a vibration reminder on Magene’s own heart rate armband. The smart assistant also lets you set up alerts, for example to keep hydrated or when you should return home. 

As with other high spec cycling computers, there’s the option to import a course to the Magene C606 and use your device to control a smart trainer for an indoor workout. You can re-ride a course you’ve covered outdoors on your trainer or import one from a training app or other source.

Fast start-up

The Magene C606 supports the full range of GPS satellite constellations for a quick, accurate position fix. It also automatically uses the AGNSS standard, which allows it to start much more quickly, as it doesn’t have to wait to lock onto a GPS satellite constellation. This means that, unlike some other cycling computers, you’re not waiting around before you can start riding.

Battery life isn’t an issue with the Magene C606 cycling computer. Even with a full range of linked sensors, Magene says that you can expect a run time of 17-25 hours, depending on your custom settings. Select extended battery life mode and this can extend up to 28 hours.

When you do need to recharge the C606, a full charge using USB-C takes around three hours.

The Magene C606 is a quality cycling computer that provides a compelling range of functionality to support all your cycling needs, matching that provided by many other high performance cycling computers, but at a more affordable price of around €159.

You can learn more about the new Magene C606 on Magene’s site.