As a longtime anti-data cyclist, releases of new GPS-type products barely registers with me. Garmin, Strava and Zwift are as foreign a concept as Trump in the White House should be, and just as difficult to comprehend. So it was a surprise to me that a simple analog-face cycle computer would get me wanting to find out what a Kickstarter is (it was always something I started my motos with back in the day). The Omata may do all the things I don’t need or want, but the way it looks is enough for me to want one on the front of my Jaegher. Time will tell.

After the success of its 2016 Kickstarter campaign, OMATA has refined and perfected the OMATA One and has shipment of the first devices in sight. The OMATA One is a thoroughly modern GPS-enabled bike computer that fuses the emotional engagement of analog with the precision of the world’s most precise digital devices. The units will retail for $550. Customers who missed out on the OMATA crowdfunding campaign can pre-order a unit on the OMATA website starting August 22, 2017.

“We live in an age of constant pings: emails, text messages, live Strava segments and more. When this continual flow of data migrated to cycling computers it became evident to us that riding no longer felt like an escape. The OMATA One changes that. Offering only the most important information in an legible, glanceable dial-gauge format, OMATA One allows the rider to fully immerse themselves in the experience of riding,” says co-founder Julian Bleecker.  

“That’s also why the graphic design was so fundamental to OMATA. Using contrasting colors and a custom typeface, we’ve made the experience of using OMATA natural and intuitive. The display can be read at a glance without interrupting your ride,” continues co-founder Rhys Newman.

OMATA bike computers present data beautifully and simply on an analog face. The four hands refer to speed, distance, elapsed time, and total climb; the computers are available in both metric and imperial data format. OMATA utilizes an analog face to bring your focus to what matters most: the ride.

OMATA launched a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2016, with all pre-sale units sold in under a week. After raising $230,000 (over 150% of their original goal), Rhys and Julian set to the task of refining, perfecting, and building the OMATA. The pair sweated every detail, from a custom typeface for increased legibility, to choosing lightweight materials for the housing that withstand over 200 drops.

The idea for OMATA started to form while both Bleecker and Newman were working at Nokia. Coming from outside the bicycle industry allowed the design-centric pair to think outside the box. Combining their knowledge of design, building durable products, and a passion for riding, they developed OMATA.

OMATA developed from there with a team of tech industry executives, world class engineers, artists, designers and avid cyclists. Utilizing their disparate backgrounds, the team created OMATA One to not only accurately record and report ride data, but also to enhance the pleasure of riding a bicycle. The initial models were extensively tested by a test group of mountain and road bike racers throughout the US, Australia and Canada — including Fabian Cancellara. After further refinement, OMATA One was ready for market.

“Ensuring that OMATA One actually improved the quality of riding a bike was imperative to us,” says Marketing Director Ezra Shaffer. “You’ll see evidence of this in a lot of ways, like how the speed arm rises and falls in tandem with your riding so the relationship between effort and speed is evident. Or how the 12 o’clock position on the dial starts at 18 mph/30 kph. Studies of movement show that the world is most comfortably perceived at 18 mph, and we wanted to bring attention to that ideal. The OMATA One will change the way you ride.Because what’s riding if not seeing the world in a great new way?” he continues.

For those who value the pure and simple pleasure of riding, pre-order the OMATA One on www.omata.com. Kickstarter backers will receive their limited edition and numbered units first.

Join OMATA’s online community on Instagram @omata and Facebook.