The Omata One launched on Kickstarter just over 12 hours ago and has already progressed $116,891 towards the goal of $150,000. The Omata One is a GPS cycling computer with a difference, it’s an analog design with looks similar to Swiss sport watches or old style automotive gauges.
Omata is a Finnish startup founded by three engineers and bike riders, they also have team support from another five team members including Trek pro-cyclist, Fabian Cancellara.
OMATA One: Tech Specs and Marketing
First the marketing, the Omata One is available right now on Kickstarter (link at the bottom of the article) and estimated shipping is scheduled for February next year. The 200 limited edition models are all gone so your only option is the classic edition at USD499, or the Founders and Fabian Cancellara Fondo for USD3,000.
Specifications
| Movements | Speed/Distance/Ascent/Time | Speed Accuracy | 0.18 KPH/0.11 MPH |
|---|---|---|---|
| Units | Metric or Imperial | Distance Accuracy | 2.5 meters/8 feet |
| Head Unit Weight | 72 grams | Bluetooth | BTLE 4.0/ANT+ |
| Mount Weight | 25 grams | Serial Port & Charging | USB-C |
| Battery | LiPo 3.7V 800mAh 2,96Wh | Data Export Format | GPX |
| Active Battery Life | ~24 Hours | Material | PEEK/Plancast PLUS 5083 |
| Ingress Protection | IPX5 | Mechanism | Seiko Precision Inc |
| GPS Engine | 72 Channel GPS/SBAS?QZSS/GLONASS/BeiDou | Assembled | Oulu, Finland |
The Omata One displays the four metrics Omata say are most relevant to you on a ride: speed, distance, ascent and time while the unit using GPS records metrics to a GPX file that you can upload to Garmin Connect, Strava, Ride with GPS, etc.
The Omata One has both BTLE and Ant+ but at the moment there is no mention of whether you can pair a power meter, heart rate monitor, cadence sensor, etc. Keep an eye on the questions and answers on kickstarter for answers to these and whether an app will be available at a later date.
The Omata One uses it’s own out front mount with unique attachment and the unit with mount weighs 97 grams. Battery life is up to 24 hours and it has IPX5 waterproofing.
Our Thoughts
When I first saw the unit I immediately thought that’s a really nice looking unit and will appeal to buyers of classic type bikes, and riders who don’t spend all ride staring at their data. When I first read that all data records in the background for uploading after your ride I thought that would mean ‘everything’ records and that you would be able to use cadence sensors, heart rate, power, etc. That appears not to be the case in the first run but may be with a later version or by firmware upgrade.
With visible metrics limited to four it would have been nice to have a cadence dial instead of ascent but each rider will have their own opinion on that.
It’s not a GPS cycling computer that will compete against units like the Garmin Edge 520 or Wahoo Elemnt but it will appeal to a lot of buyers who like the analog dials and different look.
Link to the Omata One Kickstarter campaign here.
All images in this article are via Omata.com
