Go ahead: Take a ride through a new city, embark on a multiday bikepacking trip, or get closer to nature on a rural backroad adventure. With the , you can immerse yourself in new and surprising adventures without worrying about your next turn. The latest updates to Hammerhead鈥檚 powerful navigation tool have unlocked exciting possibilities with industry-leading features, connectivity, visualizations, and enhanced customizations. To learn all about the Karoo鈥檚 innovative functions, we talked to the riders who know the tool like few others: Grayson Pollock and Amanda Nauman. Pollock is an avid cyclist and software product manager at Hammerhead, and Nauman is a gravel athlete and one of the founders of Mammoth Tuff, a gravel event in Mammoth Lakes, California. Here鈥檚 what they have to say.

Going the Distance

国产吃瓜黑料: What do you look for in a navigation tool?

Amanda Nauman: It鈥檚 important to have a device that can seamlessly guide me through remote, off-road terrain. As I鈥檓 exploring new areas around Mammoth or finding ways to improve Mammoth Tuff routes, safe navigation is my top priority. That鈥檚 why I use the Karoo. A clear, easy-to-read map display helps me quickly identify turns and route deviations. Additionally, I value the way the Karoo stays ahead of the curve, continuously updating its software and hardware to offer the latest features and improved performance. This ensures I have access to the most accurate and up-to-date maps and navigation capabilities, no matter where my route-scouting adventures take me.

What improvements has Hammerhead released to support long-distance rides and bikepacking expeditions?

Grayson Pollock: In Hammerhead鈥檚 latest software release, new enhancements to Battery Save Mode ensure long-distance and adventure riders get the most out of the Karoo. Plus, our superior maps and navigation features make the Karoo an easy choice for any paved or off-road adventure. Now, riders can take more control over their chosen device settings, lowering the dreaded battery anxiety that often accompanies a long ride.

To avoid charging my Karoo during a recent three-day bikepacking trip, I used Battery Save Mode and thoroughly enjoyed the peace of mind it provided. In addition to our vast planning and on-device routing capabilities, we鈥檝e added more highly requested functionality improvements, including battery support for longer routes, improved live tracking through our new and updated companion apps, the ability to disable rerouting, breadcrumb and reverse-breadcrumb route options, complimentary map updates twice a year, and much more.

Unlocking Exploration

How does the Karoo enhance your rides?

Nauman: The Karoo significantly enhances my rides by providing essential information and navigation tools. Its clear map display allows me to easily follow planned routes, even in remote areas. Those routes are also easy to plan because of Hammerhead鈥檚 integration with third-party apps like MapMyRide, ensuring I have a seamless transition from planning to riding. The CLIMBER feature offers valuable insights into upcoming climbs, helping me pace myself or avoid a climb altogether when exploring new roads. Finally, the Karoo’s automatic rerouting capabilities are invaluable when unexpected obstacles arise, ensuring I can adapt my route and continue my ride without stress. By providing timely information and flexible navigation options, ultimately the Karoo empowers me to explore new territories with confidence and efficiency.

What sets the Karoo apart from other navigation tools?

Pollock: The mapping and navigation experience is the foundation of Hammerhead鈥檚 identity鈥攚e don鈥檛 plan on changing that. By talking with riders, we鈥檝e found a common theme around what draws them to us: trust and confidence. Riders know that whether they are building a route on the Hammerhead dashboard, importing a route from a third party, rerouting when they get off track, or searching for nearby points of interest, the Karoo will work as intended.

Additionally, our profile-based and multiple and options allow riders to customize their experience to match their preferred riding style and bike choice. Cycling-specific map themes on the Karoo, combined with our intuitive Turn-by-Turn and CLIMBER drawers, communicate what鈥檚 ahead so riders can live in the moment.

Planning for 国产吃瓜黑料

Where are you most excited to use your Karoo in the coming year?

Nauman: Mammoth Tuff will be part of the UCI Gravel World Series in 2025, so we have our work cut out for us refining our tried-and-true event routes. There鈥檚 a trove of Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management roads around Mammoth Lakes that we plan to piece together in different ways, and I鈥檓 looking forward to exploring new corners of these remote areas. The Karoo is so reliable鈥擨鈥檓 never worried about getting lost, and that鈥檚 the best feeling to have when you鈥檙e ready for a new adventure!

, a subsidiary of SRAM, is a cycling technology company with a mission to inspire and empower all people to unlock their athletic potential through cycling.

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They say good design is invisible. That鈥檚 especially true in the pared-down world of cycling. The best gear fades into the background because it鈥檚 only there to help the ride take center stage. That pure efficiency is harder to accomplish on a GPS device, which聽 must provide complex information, but that鈥檚 often burdened by complex prompts. So, when Hammerhead designed , it took inspiration from a device that鈥檚 already solved that problem, one that鈥檚 likely lurking in your pocket right now: the ubiquitous smartphone.聽

And when a technology brand tries to pack that experience into a small, durable, bike-specific device, it raises some questions. Fortunately, has answers. The philosophy professor, adventure cyclist, and Karoo 2 user can simplify the cerebral to frame all that Hammerhead (a subsidiary of SRAM) has accomplished.

鈥淲hen you interact with a touch device, any kind of lag plays an outsized role in your experience,鈥� Cruz explains. 鈥淏ut the Karoo 2 is fast. It鈥檚 fast like your phone is fast鈥攊t makes a huge difference when, on this very bright color screen, you run your thumb over it and it moves like you鈥檙e pushing a physical object.鈥� The Karoo 2鈥檚 functions can still be accessed with its physical buttons, but the touchscreen is designed to work even when wet. Bringing that familiar phone-like sensation to your handlebar helps get you in and out of your tasks while keeping you present.

You鈥檒l also notice that speed and ease of use in customizing the sleek head unit鈥檚 screens. Of course, you can choose what metrics you want in your data fields, plus whether you鈥檙e gathering info from , power meter, your e-bike battery, or none of the above. But you can also have multiple profiles on one device, each with its own unique collection of features tailored to a particular bike or riding style. 鈥淚 have a few of these,鈥� Cruz explains. 鈥淥nes for training rides, bikepacking trips, or leisure rides. One just for bikes without power meters.鈥澛� For example, the CLIMBER feature lays out every upcoming climb, giving you its distance, elevation, and gradient breakdown. You don鈥檛 even need to be on a preloaded route for it to work. But maybe you鈥檙e not in the mood for that, anyway. 鈥淲hen I go on a training ride, I have the CLIMBER feature on,鈥� says Cruz. 鈥淏ut on a bikepacking ride? I don鈥檛 want to know.鈥�

Whatever the bike or the goal, what you do want to know is where you鈥檙e going. So, the Karoo 2 ( for the limited-time Summer Sale price of $259) comes with free access to Hammerhead鈥檚 global maps, complete with points of interest like campsites, cafes, and public restrooms. Combined with its smartphone-like interface, that makes it uniquely easy to plan routes natively on the device. It opens the door to impromptu adventures when you don’t have to even reach into your pocket to set a course or modify a plan. 鈥淥n a bikepacking trip in Japan, we popped out of the [bullet-train] station on our return to Tokyo,鈥� remembers Cruz. “Our friend Shuntaro had recommended a noodle place that we had to visit. We put it into our Hammerheads (we had rented a pocket Wi-Fi device), and off we went. Perfect ending to a great trip.” Alternatively, Hammerhead integrates directly with mapping services like Ride With GPS, Komoot, and Strava. The companion app forwards phone notifications to the device, but it鈥檚 not a route-creation gatekeeper. Make a route with any major planner linked to your profile, and it鈥檒l download to the device automatically over Wi-Fi.

A wireless connection is how the Karoo 2 gets its regular software updates. Like, very regular. 鈥�Hammerhead will workshop good ideas that come from their customers and if it鈥檚 persuasive, that thing will be on your head unit in a matter of weeks,鈥� Cruz explains. 鈥淎nd it鈥檚 seamless; one day, I start up the machine, there鈥檚 an update available, I touch the button, and four minutes later, I have whatever new functionality they鈥檝e built into it.鈥�

That rapidly evolving software plus the advanced hardware are why the Karoo 2 is so intuitive. As Cruz puts it, 鈥淕ood product design in this space gets out of the way when you want it to, but is a resource when you need the resource.鈥� In other words, until you need it, it鈥檚 invisible.

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is a cycling technology company with a mission to inspire and empower all people to unlock their athletic potential through cycling.

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