Got the update on the 8th, but the device hadn't been powered on for a week or so before that. I only got the C706, so no clue regarding C606 updates, sorry.

New firmware for the C706 (1.970 > 2.110), adding relevant notes as I try stuff:

- Added BDE button customization
  Refers to the up/down (E/D) and bell (B) buttons, customizable actions (short/long press) in ride mode: previous/next page, zoom in/out, screen off/lock, lap, bell, none
- Added Core body temperature sensor integration
- Added mobile music playback control via bike computer
- Optimized cycling dashboard style and data display
  Seems like there's a few new data field layouts for power/HR/speed featuring avg/max/zone info and a statusbar-style top row with time/battery/etc. for a few of them
- Added DJI Action 6 and Insta360 X6 camera support
- Added bike computer control via SRAM electronic shifting
- Added support for connecting to trainers via standard BT protocol
- Added Komoot route sync
- Added GPX waypoint display
- Added map autozoom toggle
- Added GNSS positioning mode switch
  This is not a single/dual band switch, just offers to disable GPS in favour of BeiDou/GLONASS/Galileo to avoid jamming issues
- Added real-time W/kg and Lap NP data fields
- Added pause support for outdoor cycling workouts
- Added in-ride dashboard customization via App
- Added Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian language support
- Added system time anomaly detection and alert
- Added online voice pack updates
  Presumably update functionality only, there are no voice packs to choose from or anything
- Optimized sensor connection and reconnection performance
- Optimized navigation experience (road name display, intersection turn prompts, distance accuracy, offline navigation)
- Optimized data recovery for ride resuming after interruption
- Optimized mute and volume adjustment experience
- Optimized Smart Assistant default commands and response speed
- Optimized radar taillight display
- Optimized battery percentage display for BT sensors
- Fixed several known issues

A bunch of those already were active via app updates alone (Komoot, road names) but looks like a promising update overall. Hopefully I'll get a ride in this weekend (sick right now, and had been focussing on running these past few weeks) to test a thing or two.

Quote from: DavidG on September 22, 2026, 02:18:42 AM
How has the climbpro been since your last post? And the free ride? Would you recommend this unit over anything else around this price range?

No changes since as there haven't been any more firmware updates. However, street names have begun popping up, which I assume is due to an update to the app and/or map data, so that was a nice surprise.

While I'm happy using it right now(awaiting the Coros Dura 2 launch to see if I will keep on doing so), I feel like it's a tad too expensive for what it is and also given its competition. For example, the iGPSport BSC500 (I compared them here) generally is a bit rougher around the edges in terms of software and has annoying power data lag/stickiness, but for those without PMs, it's the better deal by far in my opinion.

Yep, albeit not for longer rides than ~6h, unfortunately. I think on longer rides in particular, it might be ever so slightly more comfortable than the EVA version but in my butt's opinion, there's not much in it.

Magene's released a small firmware update (1.967 > 1.97) in the meantime, albeit with very basic patchnotes (something along the lines of better offline routing and navigation improvements).

Went for a quick ride yesterday to see whether there's any noteworthy changes, and.. kinda? At least for me, ClimbPro feels improved as it now seems to pull elevation/climb data from the route if you're on one, resulting in better accuracy depending on your gpx source*.
It also doesn't start "nearby climbs" in the middle if you happen to join one on your route, though it still puts you in the middle of your route's climbs if you (re)load the route but that seems fair.
So while i haven't re-tried freeride climbing, it seems that their ClimbPro database now lives a separate life from routed climbing which is a good thing IMHO.

Also noticed that during rerouting, distance to finish remains accurate instead of switching to "distance to rerouting end" as it did before.

*very niche background info on this: I live in an area with a lot of (big) active and former open-pit coal mines, so elevation data is all over the place. This often results in komoot displaying massive ramps while planning as it's still working with old data from former mining days while the pit has long since been closed and leveled.
One instance of this lead to two "ghost climbs" on my ride yesterday, prompting me to notice the change. When I unloaded the route, the climbs also weren't visible on the "nearby climbs" page, so they must've come from the GPX data.

EDIT: Forgot to mention, there's a few changes to the app as well: It now doesn't double-export fit files anymore, and komoot can be connected.

Sorry, took me a while to test a few scenarios due to some mechanical work on one of the bikes.

Yeah, there's definitely sticky/ghosts watts, along with some general lag regarding power data - going by my fit files, there's about a 1s general delay, e.g. when rolling up to a hill and then putting the power down.
Presumably on top of that, there's sticky/ghosts watts when dropping to zero/coasting, resulting in about a total of ~3s it takes to actually drop to 0W (again, in the fit files).
Both behaviours look worse on the device as well as the displayed numbers ironically both update more regularly than the 1s fit file interval, but also seem to suffer from the device's (presumed) low processing power, so it's easily 5s on there while riding.

Those numbers are all based on a SRAM Rival PM - I've also tested with a Leoseek spider PM but that already comes with its own small lag so the numbers are slightly higher still.

There's also the issue that the "power gauge" widget (which is well-designed in theory) seemingly updates the gauge and the number bit separately from another, sometimes resulting in some weird changes (think power zone dropping to a lower colour while power value increases).

So yeah, maybe not the best device if you want to dive into power metrics - I think the overall averages, NP, etc. will still be okay, but it's still annoying especially mid-ride.

EDIT: Oh yeah, I also tried to connect the Leoseek PM via Bluetooth, but that just wouldn't work at all, so the suggested workaround might not be available depending on your PM hardware.

There's a nasty surprise at checkout, isn't there? For me, a 6-item cart of about 18€ (12€ with coins, probably 10€ with a discount code) gets hit with an estimated ~21€ in customs, so right now, AliExpress seems dead for stuff like that.
They've also done away with the "you'll be reimbursed if it's actually less than that", so either their calculations are better or they're happily pocketing the change if the package isn't pulled/taxed lower.

Quote from: Serge_K on June 30, 2026, 09:26:39 AMAm i the only one minding the ghost watts? I'd have thought it'd almost be a deal breaker for anyone using a power meter? I sure AF wouldn't have bought mine had i known that would be a problem, let alone one that would never get fixed because igpsport clearly gives 0 F about it.

I assume you mean power not dropping to zero when coasting or something along the lines? Seems like you deleted your post on this, so I'm guessing a bit 😅 I'll keep an eye on that during the next ride!

Quote from: jeffrey on June 30, 2026, 02:44:45 PMWhat's the comparison on the apps side?
Before my current BCS300 I had a fairly simple Magene C406, so I can't really make a apples-to-apples comparison, but when switching over I liked the iGPSport app much better than OneLapFit.

While not perfect either, the app itself seems more coherent on Magene's side in my opinion, iGPSport's one feels a bit chaotic without a uniform design/UX philosophy (for example, the device and profile pages use completely different menu styles).

Quick update after a few longer rides this past weekend:

- there were a few instances of compass confusion during very low speeds, similar to the Magene C706 but nowhere near as much. It also automatically resumed the climbing mode when it readjusted whilst the Magene would've cancelled out.
- there's a (rare) scenario in which the map view can fully freeze. I haven't quite found out what sequence causes it, but some combination of changing screens and/or touch screen interaction seems to be the culprit. It's easily fixed by swiping back and forth a screen, but can be annoying.

Quote from: jeffrey on June 24, 2026, 02:17:53 PMI currently have a BSC300 and it often starts announcing every single turn of the route, even though it's just a bend with no other ways to go.
When it does it I'm under the urge to throw it into the trees, is the 500 the same?

Yeah, that sure sounds familiar - it's not every single bend, but there's definitely plenty of alerts when there's no alternative anyway. My guess is that they're really only analyzing the bends without cross-referencing map data or anything.

Quote from: gplama on June 23, 2026, 06:37:20 PM
Has anyone used the C706 with polarized sunglasses?

The unit I have appears to have the screen polarization offset by 90 degrees. With polarized sunglasses on, the screen is only visible if I rotate my head or view the unit sideways. In normal riding orientation, it's effectively unreadable.

Curious if this is normal for the C706, or if my unit has the display/polarizer installed incorrectly.

Oh whoops!😅

I don't have polarized glasses at hand, but this is through a CPL so yeah, seems to be the case for the Magene.

Sure thing! Bolt v1 on there as well, and a AAA battery for scale 😅

Edit: Added a powered-on one for easier screen size comparison.

Quote from: Unknownftp on June 18, 2026, 05:13:51 PM
If you end up selling the c706 I may be interested in taking it off your hands, seems to be a step up from the 606

Might be happening as I feel slightly better about the BSC500 I think - will give it a few more days and let you know though

FWIW, I put my thoughts on the BSC here, along with notes on how it compares to the C706.

Some more testing done, a bit more due, but here's my impressions so far

Hardware
Look & Feel is fairly cheap, but sturdy. A lot of plastic, and comes with very limited accessories (stem/rubber band mount and a security cord, so no cable/case/screen protection). Depending on the mount used it seems somewhat prone to no/limited stoppage at a quarter turn as well, but it hasn't come loose yet.

vs. C706: Charging port is easier to open and seems slightly more trustworthy regarding water ingress. The bell is slightly louder and more distinct ("ding ding ding ding" vs "Rrrrring Rrrrring" 😅) than Magene's one. C706 comes with more accessories and feels a bit more premium in general. Size is about the same.

Screen
Somewhat prone to glare but so far I haven't had trouble reading it at all. Auto brightness works well too, and the touch screen feels responsive enough. You can set up a screen flash on navigation prompts but I haven't found it all that useful.

vs. C706: the BSC500 comes with a touch screen lock which might be handy in rainy conditions, glare is worse on the C706 but no massive issue either.

GPS and data quality
Perfect - that said, it's using dual band GPS by default, so you'd expect that. Haven't tried single band or its automatic mode yet. File exports (.fit) look decent and import into intervals.icu fine.

vs. C706: Very similar deal really, no notes.

Maps and Routing
I haven't managed to get road names to show up in navigation prompts, but other than that the routing has been pretty great. The track's visuals could be better (or adjustable) but maybe that'll come later (I think it's a thing on the BiNavi Air?). I've used GPX and Komoot imports thus far and both worked fine - similarly to the C706, you first add the route to the app before transferring it over to the device.
Navigation prompts can be displayed on all pages (overlay) or included as a data field. Alongside the prompt sound and/or voice instructions (either on the device or your phone), it's hard to miss a turn. If you still do, rerouting works but is a bit slow to calculate the new route initially.

Maps are mostly preloaded - and thankfully so, because there is no user frontend to update them. Instead, you have to download new versions from the website, connect the device to a PC (only works at full battery it seems) and transfer the files over. The USB transfer speeds are abysmal - like half an hour for about 1GB of data. Some countries seem to be missing from the initial setup but are available on the website, e.g. Austria.

it does have some quirks regarding the GPS track rendering: For example, rerouting looks like it's overshooting the re-join point, but then disappears when you're back on route. Tracks are simplified (less geo points/more straight lines) in certain scenarios - this happened both when selecting/viewing a route and when coming back past a bit that I had already ridden in the same sessions (did two laps of the same track, basically). It doesn't happen with the active track once you are navigating though, so it's far from a big issue in my opinion.

vs. C706: Slightly better map rendering on the BSC500 in my opinion (street names are fewer, don't interfere as much and can be disabled), better initial map package but more cumbersome with updates.

Climbing
It comes with iClimb 2.0 which means it only starts the climbing mode while routing a track - which is completely fine with me, but if you are looking for "free ride iClimb", you might have to keep your fingers crossed for an update, or look at the BiNavi Air or the Magene.
It also seems like it's pulling the climb data from the route file, which feels superior and more accurate to whatever database Magene is using. I have only done some very mild local climbs though, so maybe more on that after the weekend as I'm planning do to a bit more then.

vs. C706: Better accuracy on the BSC500 (depending on your GPX source of course), but no free ride climbing mode.

Battery
Battery usage has been swinging around 5-7% per hour with 2 connected sensors, making it trend towards the lower end of their claims. I'll probably end up using this in an ultra in three weeks time, so we'll have some proper data then 😅

vs. C706: Similar capacity, similar usage and estimated life.

Data Fields
Plenty of customization, if a bit cumbersome as pointed out by Stormy - there's a limited number of layouts, and they are also limited to certain pages, all of which feels like a bit of an odd choice. But with some trial and error you should be able to get a decent layout for your needs going. The zone graph fields are really nice.
Unfortunately, there's no 5min/20min average field for power or HR data.

vs. C706: More/full layout flexibility on the Magene, but similar choice of fields overall (and similar missing fields). The device has to be connected to make changes while the Magene's screens can be edited "offline" too.

Ecosystem and account data
iGPSport seemingly wants to have a bit of a "Strava at home", leading to some noteworthy stuff IMHO.
During account setup, you are asked for your city/region of residence as they have a local leaderboard thing going. You can't opt out of providing this info, but at least only activities set to "public" are counted towards the stats so you can stay "invisible/inactive".
A bit more of an issue in my book is the fact that if you connect your komoot account and then import a planned route, it's automatically set to public and thus added to the public library of routes. You can not change this in the app at all (you can via the web interface but that's super basic and most users won't even know about it I reckon), so if you don't want that you'll have to export the GPX from komoot and then import it as that gives you the option to have it stay private. I assume it'll be similar for Strava.
If you want to share a picture with some ride stats after your workout, you'll have to set it to public as well as sharing is completely disabled otherwise, even if "sharing" in that case would only be image generation 🙄

vs. C706: No similar functionality (and thus issues) on Magene's side.


Overall, I think the BSC500 is better value for money if you can look past the basic look & feel, don't need/want a freeride climb mode and either don't care about map updates (or Austria 😬) or the hassle they come with.
Magene's C706 feels more premium and while it's still a bit rough around the edges as well, it feels like a more streamlined experience in total.

If anyone has specific questions, particularly regarding the comparison to the Magene, let me know

First two rides in for me as well now, will get another one done tomorrow to test rerouting and some other bits, then do a little writeup and comparison to the Magene C706 too.

Quote from: Stormyshadows on June 20, 2026, 12:08:20 PM
When navigating, almost every turn is announced with a turn-by-turn direction. It didn't really bother me, though. But it feels a bit unnecessary...

Is the "Lau 5" in one of your photos a street name? Did you do anything specific to make them show up in navigation prompts? Is that route a gpx track, or a route from iGPSport's own route builder or sth? Asking as I'm not getting any road names in directions.