Review: Magellan Switch Up GPS Sports Watch

Many riders at one point or another will find themselves using a cycle computer. The ability to see how fast you are going is a major ego booster, or major ego buster in some cases. Realising how slow you are going can provide the motivation to push that bit harder up that pinch climb which has troubled you for weeks on end. The same can be said for heart rate monitors. A simple glance can shatter any illusions of physical prowess, despite what the pounding in your ears and lack of breath might suggest. However, few devices successfully offer these two together, and that’s where the Magellan Switch Up GPS sports watch comes in to play. Speed, distance, time, Barometric altitude, temperature, cadence, heart rate, power… just waiting at your finger-tips thanks to ANT+ compatibility, all features supported by incredibly accurate GPS satellites hovering in space miles above your head. Hope you like being followed…

First impressions of the Switch Up had me excited. Looking at the small watch that appeared to be coloured by different shades of grey (not 50 I assure you) there was that feeling of nervous excitement knowing from here on out, I held the power to crush my mates Personal Bests, sprint long hills in a single effort and what’s more, have undeniable proof of my achievements. In this the Magellan Switch Up certainly excels.

First thing worth noting was the screen. At 32mm, many smart phone users would think it was designed for ants, but in practise this was not the case. The screen provided good definition and was easy to read in all conditions, even night time thanks to a built in back light. This light can be turned on and off while you ride, and the time it stays on for can be adjusted from 15 seconds to indefinitely. Bear in mind it does affect the battery life though. I liked how the Switch Up had 10 pre-set “profiles” for different activities, each that could be customised and tinkered with as you please. This is a great feature in my opinion as let’s be honest, there isn’t much use for hill gradient when swimming. For multi-sport Athletes I can see this feature being invaluable, along with the two different mounts on offer: wrist and bicycle. It’s worth noting you only get the different mounts, Thermometer and Barometer if you purchase the Switch Up model. The lower price Switch model is wrist mount only and does not contain those upgrades.     

Using the buttons on the device, all five of them, was pretty easy while out riding. Their solid feel was useful when wearing gloves, a feature that allows operation without looking such as when starting a race, and I believe that makes it superior to touch screen designs offered by other big name GPS companies. Many riders use their phones as GPS devices, however the Switch Up is significantly tougher than your average smart phone, with 50m water resistance to its name and no scratches on the screen despite a pine tree’s best efforts to do so.

The more I rode with the Switch Up the more I liked it. There were lots of clever features utilising the GPS function that I wouldn't have even thought of throughout the device. My favourite was activated when beginning a ride; if you had forgotten to start recording the device would beep and vibrate to remind you, just in case this was the start of your race and not a warm up. It would also vibrate and let me know when it lost signal in bad conditions and also when it reconnected to a satellite; at first I was slightly nervous each time it beeped thinking I had lost connection but soon learnt to recognise the various tones for their various functions. Again, this makes it easier to operate without looking.

However, the best features were yet to come. When you arrive home you are able to download your ride up to the Magellan Active website which gives enough graphs, facts and figures about your ride to keep the Geekiest grinders out there satisfied. If Magellan Active isn’t your cup of tea, then you are easily able to convert your ride to a .GPX or .FIT file and upload to Strava. This, I believe, is the real advantage of a GPS over a standard computer. Being able to see how fast you are compared to other riders over the same piece of track, set goals and see how you achieve them, then brag about it all over the internet makes your weekend training ride even more FUN! There is great satisfaction seeing your name sitting at King of The Mountain on a particularly hard hill.

So, if you are someone who wants to have something a bit more special than the run of the mill cycle computer, wants the added competition that GPS enables, and likes tinkering around to make a device that is set just for you, then The Magellan Switch Up is definitely a good option to get you there. 

(note: I had intended to publish this review a while ago but due to publishers constraints I have only been able to post now. Enjoy!)