# Pi Zero Bikecomputer is a bike computer you assemble from maker store modules > Pi Zero Bikecomputer is a GPS and ANT+ bike computer built on a Raspberry Pi Zero or a Compute Module Zero, with offline maps, navigation, and.fit logging, installed with a single curl command. The project is moving fast on the display side, with a new DRM driver for memory LCDs and the older MIP path marked for deprecation, and official custom hardware is being prototyped for release under CERN-OHL-S-2.0. **hishizuka/pizero_bikecomputer** — An open-source bike computer with GPS and ANT+ capabilities, based on the Raspberry Pi Zero (W, WH, 2 W) or the Compute Module Zero (CM0). It also includes offline maps and navigation. - Repository: https://github.com/hishizuka/pizero_bikecomputer - Website: https://qiita.com/hishi/items/46619b271daaa9ad41b3 - Stars: 1,283 · Forks: 100 - Language: Python - License: GPL-3.0 - Published: 2026-10-19 · Updated: 2026-10-19 · Language: en - Canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/hishizuka-pizero-bikecomputer ## The pitch is a computer you assemble, not one you buy Pi Zero Bikecomputer is an open-source bike computer with GPS and ANT+ capabilities, based on the Raspberry Pi Zero in its W, WH and 2 W variants, or the Compute Module Zero. The README calls it the first DIY project in the world integrating the necessary hardware and software for a modern bike computer, and the practical feature list is what a bike computer is expected to do. It measures and records position with GPS, reads ANT+ sensors for speed, cadence and power, and reads I2C sensors for pressure, temperature and accelerometer data. It displays those values, maps and courses in real time, and it writes logs in .fit format, which is the standard format used by services such as Strava and Garmin Connect, with .csv output also supported. The intended audience is a maker who rides, and the positioning sentence is that the project already has the basic functions of a bike computer and the next target is to add functions that existing products do not have. ## Installation is one command, and the OS floor is moving Since June 2025 the major packages can be installed with a one line command, which is run as: ```bash /bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hishizuka/pizero_bikecomputer/refs/heads/master/install.sh)" ``` The document behind that command is the software installation guide in the doc/ directory, and the project also documents the hardware installation separately. The platform requirement is the part to note. From October 2025 the project supports Raspberry Pi OS Trixie, and for new installations it is highly recommended to install Trixie because of compatibility with asyncio and asynqt. Two things are no longer supported going forward, Raspberry Pi OS Bookworm and earlier, and PyQt5. That is a significant shift for anyone with an existing Bookworm installation, and it is a good illustration of the project's dependency on the moving edge of the upstream distribution. The application code itself is written in Python with PyQt6, PySide6 and PyQtGraph for the interface, gpsd for GPS modules, and CircuitPython libraries for some of the I2C sensors, and because of that it runs in cross-platform environments such as Raspberry Pi OS, Linux, macOS and Windows. ## The display stack is mid-migration, and it shows The most recent news entry, dated October 2026, is about the display. A separate Memory LCD DRM Driver project is now public, and install.sh can install the MIP driver and the optional DMA-BUF presenter for PyQt GPU maps, with a display setup guide and a GPU map presenter guide in the documentation. Earlier entries set the direction. In January 2026 the project noted that the MIP LCD methods will be fully deprecated, with a switch to a newly released DRM driver planned, and that support for a dual-screen display was in progress. This is the part of the project most likely to bite you. A bike computer lives on a handlebar in direct sunlight, so a reflective MIP panel is close to mandatory for outdoor use, and the project is moving to a kernel DRM driver to render to those panels, which means the display path now depends on a kernel interface, a presenter and the graphics stack rather than on a framebuffer. The optional DMA-BUF presenter exists so that PyQt can hand map tiles to the GPU rather than copying them, which is how a map stays smooth on a Pi Zero. ## Sensors, and the hardware buttons and controls The specifications table is honest about what depends on your parts. Maps and navigation require a GPS module, or the Android app GadgetBridge acting as a bridge, and the display, control and power section covers multiple displays, hardware buttons, remote controls and battery modules. On the sensor side, ANT+ covers speed, cadence and power, and I2C covers pressure, temperature and accelerometer data, with the code detecting which modules you actually fitted, so you only buy what you use. The customisation claim in the feature list is that Pi Zero Bikecomputer detects your modules, and the practical effect is that a build with a heart rate strap and a power meter is the same software as one without. The GUI story is broader than the PyQt one, because the table notes that PyQt is the primary interface but Kivy and headless modes are also available, which matters if you are running the software on a machine you do not want to stare at, or in a test harness. ## The recording rules are the part riders argue about The logging specification is detailed enough to be a contract with the rider, and it is where the design decisions show. The recording interval is 1 second, and smart recording is not supported, which is a deliberate trade of battery life for simplicity. Auto stop is supported, with an automatic stop at speeds below 4 km/h, configurable, or in the state of the acceleration sensor when the speed is being calculated by GPS alone, which is the detail that makes the feature work on a bike rather than in a car. Resume is supported, meaning recording continues even if the power is suddenly turned off and restored, which matters because a bike computer loses power when you stop. The averages cover total, lap and pre-lap for heart rate, speed, cadence and power, and the cumulative values cover distance, works, ascent and descent, with a gross elapsed time, a gross average speed and gained time from an average of 15 km/h for brevet riding. Upload targets include Strava, Garmin and Ride with GPS. ## Eighteen hours on a 3100 mAh pack, and the hardware is still a prototype The reference battery life is 18 hours with a 3100 mAh mobile battery and a MIP reflective colour LCD, and the feature list calls that a good balance between battery life and performance. The hardware story is where the project is most open about its limits. In May 2026 the author said that official hardware is being designed and prototyped for Pi Zero Bikecomputer, and that the official hardware design files will be released under CERN-OHL-S-2.0, a hardware licence that keeps the design open while addressing the patent and attribution questions that apply to physical products. Until those files exist, the hardware instructions are the practical route, using modules available at famous maker stores and assembling in the Raspberry Pi ecosystem, with installation using basic commands such as apt-get install, pip and git. The code repository itself is GPL 3.0, with a LICENSE file, a LICENSES/ directory and a NOTICE file, and the last push was on 2026-10-10 with no GitHub releases published. ## Where this is the wrong project Three honest limits. The first is that a stack of modules on a Pi Zero is not a sealed device, so rain, vibration and a crash are your problem, and a commercial bike computer is a different class of object. The second is that the software follows the upstream distribution closely, which is what makes it buildable from ordinary tools and also what makes it break when Raspberry Pi OS moves, and the Bookworm and PyQt5 retirement is a concrete example of that cost. The third is the display path, which is mid-migration between a deprecated MIP method and a newer DRM driver, so an installation today may need a different setup than one you read about six months ago. The project is a good fit for the maker it is aimed at, and the honest comparison with a commercial bike computer is not on features, which are largely covered, but on the cost of your own attention. ## Conclusion Pi Zero Bikecomputer is the right project if you want a bike computer built from parts you can choose, with sensors and display you pick yourself, and if you are the kind of rider who is happy to open the case and reflash an image. It is the wrong project if you need a sealed, waterproof, pocketable device, because this one is a stack of modules bolted to a Pi Zero, and the software side carries the same friction, with a Pi OS version floor and a display stack that is mid migration. Before you start, read the display setup guide and the GPU map presenter guide, check that your display is one of the supported kinds, since the MIP path is being deprecated in favour of the DRM driver, and plan for the hardware side too, since official hardware is still a prototype whose design files are not yet published. ## FAQ ### What hardware does Pi Zero Bikecomputer run on? The Raspberry Pi Zero in its W, WH and 2 W variants, or the Compute Module Zero. Official custom hardware is being designed and prototyped, with the design files to be released under CERN-OHL-S-2.0. ### How do I install the software? With the one line command in the README, /bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/hishizuka/pizero_bikecomputer/refs/heads/master/install.sh)", or by following the step by step software installation guide in the doc/ directory along with the separate hardware installation documentation. ### Which Raspberry Pi OS version does the project support? Since October 2025 it supports Raspberry Pi OS Trixie, which is highly recommended for new installations for compatibility with asyncio and asynqt. Bookworm and earlier, and PyQt5, are no longer supported going forward. ### What sensors and logging formats are supported? ANT+ sensors for speed, cadence and power, I2C sensors for pressure, temperature and accelerometer data, and GPS for position, with maps and navigation needing a GPS module or GadgetBridge on Android. Recording runs at a 1 second interval with auto stop and resume, and logs are written as .fit files, the format used by Strava and Garmin Connect, with .csv output also supported. ## Sources - [hishizuka/pizero_bikecomputer on GitHub](https://github.com/hishizuka/pizero_bikecomputer) - [Issues](https://github.com/hishizuka/pizero_bikecomputer/issues) - [License: GPL-3.0](https://github.com/hishizuka/pizero_bikecomputer/blob/master/LICENSE) - [Project website](https://qiita.com/hishi/items/46619b271daaa9ad41b3) - [README](https://github.com/hishizuka/pizero_bikecomputer/blob/master/README.md) --- Hysen Labs editorial analysis, written from the project's own repository and release notes. Cite the canonical page: https://hysenlabs.com/projects/hishizuka-pizero-bikecomputer