Mio Cyclo 315HC Bike Navigation System (with front bike mount)

Updated 1/6/16 – See the bottom of the page for all updates. 

As the title says – I’ve been asked to test and review a Mio Cylco 315 GPS/ Sat Nav by my local bike shop – High Peak Cycles in Glossop. (Website:http://highpeakcycles.co.uk/ and Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/37040599968/ )

I use a Garmin Edge 200 and a TomTom Cardio Runner watch. My intention is to run all three devices together and compare them as they are all different price points with different pro’s and con’s. This will hopefully give a reasonable insight into what the Mio is capable of and whether or not that is worth considering.

I picked the unit up on Saturday afternoon. On Sunday I unpacked everything and hooked the Mio upto my laptop. It runs full mapping, so I knew if it needed an update it may want a while to download. It did (o/s and mapping) so I left it to it. Just so you get an idea of the size of the Mio unit, this is the small Garmin, a standard train ticket and the Mio. The Mio is a good size. Not too big, but large enough for the Sat Nav element to work very well.

Whilst the maps were being downloaded I went to the Mioshare website and created an account. It only took a couple of minutes. There is a feature here where you can click to link to online accounts like Strava. I clicked this and authorised linking to Strava, so future rides would be uploaded automatically. Nice.

There is also a help section where you can find a FULL and very detailed USER MANUAL*. Take a few seconds to look at this as it covers EVERYTHING and you will be amazed with features the Mio has which you would never find otherwise!
*To get to the manual – When looking at the MioShare webpage click on your username. From the Drop Down Menu choose ‘HELP’ and then Click on the picture of your Cyclo 310/315. A very detailed PDF User Manual will now load for you to read.

Once the mio had updated I was ready to go.

I registered the maps/unit and linked it to my Mioshare Account.

The software works just like Garmin software.
It has ‘CycloAgent’ which is the same as ‘Garmin Express’. That is what links to the Mio unit when you plug in via USB.
It then syncs and uploads data immediatelly to Mioshare and with a small delay to Strava. (Just as Garmin Express does to Garmin Connect and Strava).
So, if you have used other GPS units you will be familiar with the set up. If not, it’s simple and much of a muchness.

So, all of ^^ that done and I was left to play with the unit itself and set up a user profile. It is quite intuitive and easy to navigate. I set up my ‘Kingy’ profile and altered units from metric to imperial and other little changes just by pressing buttons which bodes well.

The Mio unit feels solid in hand. The USB connection (on the back) is strong and well fitting with a very good cover that it easy to open close (and not fiddly like the Garmin Edge 200). I also had a play with the cadence equipment. Unfortunately the bike I want to use this with (Canondale Synapse Carbon 105) has recessed pedal cranks and multi surface spokes – so won’t suit any off the shelf cadence kit. I did get everything but the spoke magnet fitted though, so if I get chance I’ll pop into the bike shop and see if they have one to suit as I’d like to try that if I get chance.

There is also a chest strap for heart rate. I will try that at one point just to see how it fits and the recorded stats. My TomTom Cardio watch uses a laser system to measure heart rate without a strap so if I get chance I can see if they both agree. I fitted the extended bracket to my bars (one allen key bolt) and locked the Mio inplace. I’d recommend the extended bracket as it puts the Mio at an ideal viewing point when following its directions.

Playtime over and come Tuesday I got to use the Mio for the first time. First run was a standard ride into work. The unit got GPS lock quickly and I just hit record before I set off and stop when I was at work. Simple. It recorded the route perfectly and stats were almost identical to the Garmin once uploaded (side by side) to Strava to compare. So, no problem just recording rides and uploading.
You can also choose to hold your activities on the unit if you want to look over them. These are details from our ‘High Peak Cycles Mio Wednesday night ride’ over  The Woodhead Pass /Strines Road and Snake Pass which was a good challenge.

*Apologies for the photos linking sideways. I’ll get that sorted*

Tuesday night and I decided to try out a very cool feature on the Mio. I often decide to go for a ride but then deliberate about where to ride as I’m fed up with the same old routes. The Mio has a ‘Surprise me’ option. You can use it based on time or distance and within loops, using points of interest, points on the map, addresses or favourites. I kept it simple and chose to do a ‘Workout’ of 22 miles with an average speed of 14 mph. Yes, a very steady one after a long day at work! The Mio calculated two routes (18 miles or 36 miles) and asked if I wanted to do either one. I chose the 18 mile route which it gave an estimated time of 1 hour 34 mins.

I hit ‘GO’ and we were off.

… I was going for a bike ride my Mio Sat Nav had arranged and was now guiding me! Madness!  It took a couple of miles to get used to the big, clear display and then it was very easy to follow. It gave countdown to turns so you could see the distance reducing and also backlit and zoomed out for junctions so you were fully aware of where you needed to go. I found that as I had no idea (other than the next mile or so) where I was going I relaxed more than normal and just enjoyed the ride. A definite benefit!

 

The route it chose ended up being a nice little challenge and used some great quiet country roads. Final stats were:
20.3 miles (longer as I rode home and not back to my start point)
1 hour 20 mins (Shorter as I averaged 15.3 mph)
2,060 feet of elevation – So some nice climbs on route.

I got back, fired up the laptop, connected the Mio (no delay now as its all set up). It uploaded to Mioshare and showed me routes and stats, then a few minutes later it had auto uploaded to Strava. Nice and simple.  You also have lot’s of data on the Mio unit itself. You can see stats for the day/ week/ month etc.

This is the MioShare page with some basic route details:

 

Thoughts so far …

Cons

(May as well get them out of the way as there is nothing significant to complain about)

The set up information with the unit is poor. There is a quick start guide, but Mio would have been better served to just put an ‘idiot proof’ thick piece of glossy card in telling you the detailed user manual is online and to just go straight there.

First time you connect the Mio to register the maps and unit it will need to download a lot of data to bring the unit uptodate. I’m on 70mb Fibre broadband and it took about 45/50 minutes. I don’t personally see this as a ‘con’ as it’s necessary and good the unit mapping and o/s are updated, but it’s worth mentioning as it has been moaned about in other reviews.

Whilst this is likely the same with any unit you buy, so maybe a harsh critisism, I was a little disappointed that the Cadence kit wasn’t a simple ‘fit and go’. I accept that manufacturers have to aim their kit at the general market and my bike (Canondale Synapse Carbon) with recessed pedal cranks and edged spokes (not flat or round) mean it is outside that general market, but it was a little disappointing all the same. That said, I did get everything but the ‘spoke sensor’ fitted with some velcro inplace of zip ties for the pedal sensor so with a little bit of thought and ingenuety it can be fitted to the more ‘awkward’ bike designs like mine.

Pro’s

The ‘Surprise Me’ Feature. Very simple and works well. Great for local rides when you can’t decide where to go, but can see it being invaluable if in an area you don’t know and you want to go for a ride. Just input distance or time, approx mph (Eg 14 or 15) and it will sort you a few routes to choose from with approx. times required and elevation.

You can go onto the MioShare website and click on ‘Explore’. This allows you to create routes for your Mio easily, but, more importantly lets you zoom in on areas and see what routes are available. Find one you like, click on it, choose ‘Save to Tracks’ and use it.

Comprehensive display and stats on the Mio unit. You don’t have to wait until you get home to see detailed stats. The unit holds plenty to keep you upto speed during your ride or at a cafe stop – including elevation graphs. Along with the size and feel, this gives the Mio the feel of a premium unit which is as it should be at this price point.

Simple link to external sites like Strava for auto sync. Lets face it – as good as the MioShare site and software are most people have a favourite site to upload activities. In the UK that site is generally Strava. From your ‘account’ in the MioShare site you just click on the Strava widget and authorise connection. That’s it. Job done. So far it’s been a solid sync, uploading automatically within about three minutes. My Garmin which has been flakey at times by comparison which is why I’m pleased that the Mio seems reliably solid.

Battery life. I do charge the unit after each use, so it goes into a ride with a full battery. That said, I did a 49 mile ride after work which had the unit ‘on’ for 3 hours 14 minutes with a moving time of 3 hours. The battery was showing over half full so I don’t think my rides/ training will encounter any battery issues.

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Update 7/12/15 … I’m now midway through my winter commuting. Dark mornings and dark nights – often cold and wet – Which is good for beer, crap for riding! The Mio has turned out to be a much better commute companion than either the Garmin or the TomTom Cardio watch. The main reason for this is that a touch of the screen lights the nice big display up. Quick, easy (when riding) and very useful to confirm where I’m upto time and mileage wise. I altered the display so that instead of calories being shown (like I’m bothered about calories burnt) it now shows a clock / current time. You cannot do this on the Garmin Edge 200 and it’s a crucial element when getting a cheeky hours riding in before work. Over the months of use I’ve also had both Garmin Edge and TomTom fail to get a GPS fix quickly, where the Mio has been rock solid. This may not sound too important, but when you are just wanting to set off but you are hanging around in the dark, cold rain for a couple of minutes waiting for your GPS to ping, then the fact the Mio fixes quickly is a very good thing. Here is my ‘main display’ screen set up with the info I specifically want…

Update 29/4/16. … The Mio has proved to be a cracking GPS system. One thing I hadn’t tried was using someone elses route. I fancied doing a longer ride a couple of weeks ago, so had a quick look on the internet and found a good route on Strava. I edited the start/ finish point to suit me and downloaded the .GPX file. I copied and pasted that to the Mio and it sat waiting for me in the ‘Tracks’ menu. Pressing on the route confirmed it was all there …

The Mio had a little blip in Holmefirth where it initially indicated a right turn ahead, then changed to a left turn. My phone was ringing so I stopped and took a couple of calls, then got on my way again. From there on in the Mio was perfect. I went through areas I’ve never ridden. Some cracking views and belting climbs – and the Mio was faultless. Unfortunately the weather turned and there was fairly heavy rain so it was tough going for over half of the ride. By now I’m well aware of how waterproof the Mio is, but given it had a few hours of being constantly wet through I was impressed with how clear reading directions was. The Mio was running for a total time of 6 hours and eight minutes and I had a moving time of five hours and fifty minutes. Other than stopping to sort the phone calls out I just kept moving to keep warm. This was the longest I’ve used the Mio for and it still had charge left when I got home, so battery life is good.

If you would like to use the route, this is it: Strava GPX route from Glossop with lots of climbing!

The final mileage was 82.6 miles and climbing was 8,949 feet. A good, tough ride and one that I will re-visit again in the future.

29/5/15 … I loaded another .GPX file from Strava. This time it is a local Sportive called ‘GKV Half Hog’. It’s just over 50 miles riding around the Peak District with 5,300 feet of climbing. I had some spare time on bank holiday weekend so activated the ride from home. The Mio guided me to the start and then through the ride. It was incredibly easy to follow and was faultless for the whole ride. The only time I went wrong was when I missed a left turn daydreaming and the Mio bleeped to let me know! The navigational side to this unit is very very impressive. This is the route … GKV Half Hog route through the Peak District.

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Update 1/6/16. … If you use Strava then you will know all about ‘Segments’ and ‘KOM’s (King of the Mountains). A new feature that has been activated with the May software and o/s updates is ‘Live Segements’. Whilst this has been available to some Garmin units, it has only just been enabled (by Strava) for the Mio. You need to have a ‘Premium’ Strava account linked to your Mioshare account to enable this feature – so you either need to get a free trial or pay. Once you have that set up go into Strava and bring up one of your recent rides. You will see a grey star at the left side of each segment. Click on the star and it will turn orange. The segment is now a ‘live segment’. Do this with any segments you want to ‘attack’. (You can also search segments local to you).   

You now need to sync your Mio unit. Connect the Mio to your computer and launch CycloAgent. Open Mioshare. In Mioshare click on your name (top right of the screen in orange) > ACCOUNT > Synchronisation settings. You can now enable ‘Starred Segment Option’ and/or ‘Popular Local Segment’. Once you have done this nip back to CycloAgent (with the Mio still connected) and click on ‘Sync Again’. That’s it. If you wish to disable either or both just use the same routine, but choose ‘Disable’. 

In Use. 

If you want to go in search of KOM’s, find more local segments or improve on one specific segment then this is a very useful feature. Hats off to the Mio guys for updating ‘older’ units rather than just making it available to newer ones. 

Once you are near a ‘live segment’ the Mio alters the display from your normal information screen to a Grey screen with the segment details on it (giving you the option to dismiss) and then a ‘GPS direction screen’ giving you directions to the segment with a distance countdown as you approach. You see a start flag on the screen and as you start the segment the screen flashes to ‘GO‘. If it is a long segment the screen will auto toggle between the segment info and your normal information screen. If a short segment it will stay on the segment information. You have a timer on screen which shows (in green) if you are ahead of the KOM time, or (in red) if you are behind. It will also tell you if your rival (who holds the KOM) has finished if you are still working hard. Once you have finished the segment it displays your time, your personal best and the KOM before switching back to your normal information screen. 

It all works very well, is very clear and adds an element of fun if you want that. If you choose to ignore a live segment the Mio will try to re-route you for as long as it can, but will then acknowledge that you have left the segment route with a quick on screen message.

Tips when setting up.

Just try adding some (not a lot) of your own segments first. Don’t enable ‘popular local segments’ straight away. Too many segments means the Mio is trying to re-direct you for a lot of your ride. If you are commuting or trying to follow a specific route, but want to add in a  few ‘live segments’ it can grow frustrating when the Mio screen is constantly trying to re-route. Go for quality rather than quantity then add more segements (or enable ‘popular local segments’ once you have a feel for it. 

From a personal perspective I like the feature and have had some fun with it. The on screen ‘GO’ at the start of a segment certainly encourages you – as does trying to keep the counter in the green whilst chasing that fast time. It’s not something I leave enabled permanently though, as for normal commutes (where I know the area) and longer rides I find it a little too distracting. That said, it’s a very good feature provided to the Mio units at no charge and it will definitely be something a lot of Strava fans will welcome with open arms.