So, this just happened…
Yes, it can make sounds 
Anyone else going for it?
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I was about to buy a Waho Roam but now I’m tempted by this. Time to go reasearch!
It’s your choice, but I would vote against the Roam and go for the Bolt instead. But yes, the Karoo 2 looks promising and I hope it lives up to the expectations.
Ray has already had his hands on it: https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2020/08/hammerhead-karoo-2-hands-on-details-first-rides.html
For anyone in the market for a head unit, I’d definitely give the Karoo 2 a look. I have a K1 and am super pleased with its performance: excellent routing and navigation, solid performance (this last year as software updates have sorted out old bugs), fantastic large and brilliant screen, decent battery (8+ hours), and reliable connections to Bluetooth and Ant+ sensors. Word is TR outdoor workouts will be coming to the Karoo, in which case I plan on upgrading to the Karoo 2. The K2 has a beeper which hope will be helpful for interval audio cues.
So I’ve been with Hammerhead since early on, I’m part of the K1 Advanced Test Group. It’s been a great journey, I have 2 K1 units. One is my back up in case the other is bricked with a new update issue, so far the spare is carrying dust. The back up is not registered to use the ATG updates so it only receives “finished” updates that are bug free while my there unit get the ATG updates and we test the hell out of them, we try trip up the system and overall we give feedback on things we see that could be improved. It’s been amazing watching this unit improve and become the best unit on the market. The K2 is coming, and I can’t wait to test that one. My feedback has been well received with HH and their engineers, I have to say that their communication is just on another level compared to say Garmin, Wahoo is not too bad. I am fortunate enough to own a Suunto, Garmin Karoo and a Polar unit (all of which I use and make constant use of, basically to test their systems and rate their performance accuracy and user friendliness. I also test their communication channels and…so far none of these companies come close to the promptness, professionalism and willingness to help as HH) Polar is damn good, their staff and knowledge is great (but lightly tested as the Gritx has given me zero issues, but website support and software issues I’ve requested help with have been unsolved but answered). Garmin…lets just say that Garmin local in RSA is lower than pond scum excrement. My 520 unit is a new unit stopped charging (still in warranty) and not only did it take weeks to get to Garmin for replacement but also arguing it’s age and not wanting to do a warranty. To replace my unit they want R4000. and for that they will upgrade. I think this is a great deal…if my unit was old, my unit is roughly 10 rides old, 6months in age and you can’t see any scratches or marks from where you turn into the bar mount). The unit just doesn’t charge, it’s a known battery issue. Lets’ say Garmin and I are no friends at this stage. Suunto is great, no frills and closed source so it works and they are great at fixing issues. Wahoo, like to replace stuff fast…maily because their product is good but does have hardware failure. But they stand by their product and get it sorted.
HammerHead is a great company Couple of Saffers own part of the business, they are not interested in making a product SO SO. I’m proud of being a part of the evolution of this product. I can recommend to anyone buying this or interested to buy one. They are outstanding in service and produce a more unique product on the market. The K2 has features more useful in day to day riding than all the other brands which pack their units full of features (which most of us will never find useful or use ) just to say they have X amount of features.
If anyone is interested in asking some questions they are welcome to DM me.
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Yeah, I like to use my phone on my bike, but that Karoo 2 looks quite interesting for my rides. Too expensive to make the move for now, but I’ll keep an eye on the product, so if some opportunity appears…
About Garmin: since they bought Tacx, the Neo 2 has been removed from my wish list ! I don’t want to have to deal with that brand.
I just got my new 2T - love it even more than the mark 1 I sold within 10 minutes for €500.
It may turn for the worse yet with Tacx now being a Garmin subsidiary, but for now, I don’t notice a difference.
Still unable to link the Tacx app with Garmin Connect though
I used to follow some FB Tacx users group page, and it’s scary to see the lot of negative comments about the technical support (bugs and mechanical problems: no help). But as a Saris user, I also noticed the deterioration with their own support. So I just sold my H3 
and got an Elite Direto XR 
Not sure if they will be any better… but I guess that they can’t be worse.
Perhaps I’m prejudiced, b/c the one time I needed them, I got a replacement within a week. They were still a Dutch company at the time.
The consensus seemed to be that Tacx was the better choice for Europe and Wahoo for the US/Canada…
That’s just those two (big) players, but the are several others, which may be the better choice for anyone, depending on their needs.
My first HT was a Tacx Vortex, they sent me an alternative “engine” after the roller started to make noises. It was quick and they didn’t even ask me for a proof of my order ! That was before…
I agree with the choice to buy local, that’s also why I decided so sell my H3: it was perfectly working but when I noticed that the technical support was now out of wack, I came back to the local market, with Elite.
My first was a Flow, then I got a Genius, which was upgraded - not for free - with a smart module, but I switched to a direct drive with the Neo. Got my wife a Flux, which was piece of crap, so I traded it for another Neo. No problem there either, but obviously, I was upgrading, not downgrading 
However, I was surprised when they decided to drop Ant+ support for their new desktop/PC app and switched to Bluetooth only, as I had bought several of their sturdy Ant+ antennas. And I got TTE for free with my Genius and I liked that a lot better - still prefer to use that, but it’s not really being maintained anymore.
Last time I checked, they were working on Ant+ support, but it was unstable and I lost cadence, amongst other things…
Anyway, this thread started as a query into the Hammerhead Karoo 2 - we are drifting off topic
With Garmin current cyber hack threats and so on, HH is a company to follow and watch. Their team of engineers and software developers are at the cutting edge. Keep an eye on this space man…Garmin is dead
Sorry, what was your question hahahahahahah
I just pre-ordered mine (Karoo 2 I mean)
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And Garmin is definitely not dead.
I am still using an ancient Garmin Edge 500. Will take a look at the Karoo 2 when that eventually dies One thing that makes me nervous is riding with a device with a big screen. What happens when you crash? When I do a MTB race I have at least a 33% chance of a good wipeout (I am a roadie) and the small compact Edge has survived many of those + road race crashes.
I have mailed Hammerhead to ask about API integration for uploading workouts. Not sure if they have one.
I would definitely advise to get some good protection for it. Otterbox like stuff, and a PantzerGlass screen protector
BTW, I had a 500 - reliable, but not very advanced (probably just as well). It bounced off my bike when I got hit by a car and we never found it back. The bike was a total loss too…
David, the screen on both mine is still in tact. I don’t crash often but when I do, it’s a big one. The new unit is smaller and has a smarter screen protection build with this in mind. It also sits closer to the bar so it’s not out front as far.
I am going to give you the email address of the K2 product manager via WhatsApp and maybe you can sort out API with him. I have spoken to him about intervals.icu and voiced my “want” for training ability on the units…SO this is a good step forward and it’s not a cold call for you.
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Look, Garmin is not dead. I agree, but what I mean is that their product is evolving so slightly at long intervals. The HH crew evolve all their features with consumer feedback of 'bugs" and of feature wants. This is keeping the product fresh and upto date all the time. The ability to “move with the times” is key feature to their success. Building a unit that the consumer wants with features the will use and care for. Garmin produce so many units, and they all do pretty much the same boring things in the same boring way. They work when they work, but I have had poor luck with every Garmin I’ve owned and have had LESS than Piss Poor service and back up from them. HH base their unit on Android, being open source as a system, it’s far more user friendly. The system is dam intuitive and every detail or option in setting you want is a screen tap and swipe away. Garmin do have very few shortcuts that make sense in my eyes… for this reason, I say Garmin is dead. Unless they change their thinking.
But, @Cyclopaat, HH is not perfect, and it’s always developing which why I see success for them. Garmin have features that I wish the HH had, which they are coding to put forward. So HH is not perfect. Context wise, Garmin in RSA have dealt with me poorly over the years as a Shop owner and Garmin dealer and have done poor warranty and back up in a very slow manner. I’m currently still waiting for a call back RE a 520 I sent back for a battery issue…months ago. I don’t get return calls, or emails. HH, as a normal client (using a different email address) I get replies with useful “fixes” when I have issues within hours. As a Firmware tester on a separate email (think of me as test dummy for the co) I get the same response time, it’s not more favorable because I’m working for them. It’s the same. Garmin maybe that good to US or Eu with response, but I haven’t had a good experience!
I would like to have your feedback and experience with Garmin, what they do well and what they could improve on, if you wish to weigh in?
Awesome, Do you know when Yours is arriving?