GPS Watch

[TheBikePilot]

Hi All,

My Garmin Edge 2000 keeps falling off the bar mount on my bike and I don't really use it for most rides. I would like to get a Garmin GPS watch where I can see my Specialized Mode and/or Heart Rate but looking at the prices of them they are around 450 which doesn't seem worth it. Just use it to upload Strava as well. My phone has been dumping info recently..

Do any of the cheaper models or running ones work on the Specialized system or is any one using anything different that's not going to break the bank? I think I would happily spend about 150-200..

Cheers guys. J

 

[R120]

Interested in this too, I want a watch that can do good gps of trail routes

 

[Tucker]

I use to run a garmin 235, it had GPS/Glonass and worked well under tree cover, battery was good, I charged it once a week when using it for rides, without riding I could make it last 3weeks, it has heart rate so you can track your zones you are training in. lots of different apps and watch faces can be downloaded for it. really good option and can be picked up for around £160, I had mine for 2years+ never missed a bit, fully waterproof never took it off unless charging.

I now have the Garmin Fenix 5, which is excellent, battery life is improved even more so, can get a week more out it! it has GPS+Galieo and is incredibly accurate I have found, The maps are excellent on it and very clear and easy to read.

i never planned to upgrade from the 235, as it did everything i wanted well, the Fenix 5 is very expensive I think and I wouldn't of changed from the 235...but my misses got me it for my birthday so it was a win win for me.

if you got any questions about either of them hit me up and I will help if I can

 

[Mcharza]

Using Suunto 9, also expensive, but life sometimes is.
You can download track, but without topo map. So I have always phone as a backup with topo maps

 

[mark.ai]

If I was looking for a Garmin watch now I would seriously be considering one of the Garmin Vivoactive 3 watches (particularly the Music edition looks nice!) as they are one of the cheapest Garmin wearables that looks like a watch and have almost all the features of the higher end ones (like the Fenix 5 plus series which are double the price).

The Vivoactive 3 only has one physical button and uses a touch screen for most actions - so no idea what that is actually like to use.

The main differences I've spotted between say the Vivoactive 3 Music and Fenix 5x plus are: touchscreen/buttons, gorilla glass screen (instead of sapphire), no maps, shorter battery life

DC Rainmaker has the best reviews for checking out details. And also a good comparison page: Product Comparison Calculator (e.g. Vivo 3 vs Fenix 5+)

And TobyDeals - All Your Electronics Need at Market Beat Price! - Toby Deals Offers seems to have good prices (Vivo 3 music £196) - I've bought one watch from there. But be aware they are international versions shipped to the UK, so if you get one with maps it will come with say US maps instead of UK.

 

[TheBikePilot]

Cheers @Tucker It was actually a previous post of yours which made me think of getting one, but then I looked at the price and thought it was a bit too steep!

The 235 seems perfect for me. Does it show the Specialized screens. i.e. battery life & Assist Mode? Is it the Garmin Forerunner 235..?

I wouldnt get a watch with maps on it personally. I find the Garmin I have difficult enough to navigate on at the best of times and if I needed to navigate a ride I would get that out and cable tie it to the bike. For e a watch would be too fiddly to navigate on but that's personal preference. It's just for the weekend where I am somewhere I know etc and I want an at a glance view of the battery/assist as well as my Strava (I'm using my phone for that but it's dropped the ride twice now as I mentioned.) I also actually never know what the bloody time is and rarely get my phone out but then that's the joy of being out on your bike isn't it, the disconnection from life's crap!!

Thanks again for the help guys. As always appreciated..

 

[xcentric]

235 is a great watch. In the end I went for the 935 but it was to encourage me to get out and run/cycle/walk/exercise and so the slighter fuller feature set was worth it for me- but my wife has a 235 and it's great. AFAIK it does the fake channel to show Specialized data, and Garmin Connect ties up with Strava simply. A great multifunction watch.

The only issue I have is that heart rate is transmitted to other devices by ANT+ only, not bluetooth, but that's a minor consideration unless you really need that.

 

[TheBikePilot]

That’s great. Thanks for the info. I’ll give it a go. Heart rate would have been good for Blevo via Bluetooth but that’s too much faff I think..!

 

[xcentric]

That’s great. Thanks for the info. I’ll give it a go. Heart rate would have been good for Blevo via Bluetooth but that’s too much faff I think..!

so you can get a cheap Mio Link or heart rate monitor, or a chip that does ANT-bluetooth conversion. heart rate monitor or chip were about £60 - I got a wrist Mio off eBay for £18, for exactly that purpose.....

 

[Andy A]

I got a new Garmin Forerunner 935 which is amazing it records all the ride details and is as light as a feather

 

[OldBean]

I'm looking for a phone that will do good GPS maps......Considering Moto G7 Power.with OS maps.....anybody got one .?..its new to the UK..

 

[xcentric]

Blackview BV6000 for the bike. Cheapish, tough, weather resistant, dual sim. Free OSM Maps etc,. and/or OS etc with other apps.

 

[Cisco]

Got a Fenix 5S + bar mount recently. Pretty good.

It's a lot smarter than me.

 

[Tucker]

Cheers @Tucker It was actually a previous post of yours which made me think of getting one, but then I looked at the price and thought it was a bit too steep!

The 235 seems perfect for me. Does it show the Specialized screens. i.e. battery life & Assist Mode? Is it the Garmin Forerunner 235..?

I wouldnt get a watch with maps on it personally. I find the Garmin I have difficult enough to navigate on at the best of times and if I needed to navigate a ride I would get that out and cable tie it to the bike. For e a watch would be too fiddly to navigate on but that's personal preference. It's just for the weekend where I am somewhere I know etc and I want an at a glance view of the battery/assist as well as my Strava (I'm using my phone for that but it's dropped the ride twice now as I mentioned.) I also actually never know what the bloody time is and rarely get my phone out but then that's the joy of being out on your bike isn't it, the disconnection from life's crap!!

Thanks again for the help guys. As always appreciated..

I couldn't say about the specialized app on the watch as I never downloaded that, I was always in the frame of mind less things the spesh battery and watch both had to record/do and transmit, would translate into more valuable battery power being saved on both devices lol

I know in the real world it prob wouldn't make a single bit of difference, but I'm a bit mental like that.

but yer the 235 is a top watch that can do all sorts, it took some big hits, being caked in mud several times, used it for snorkeling etc. never let me down, apart from snapping a strap after a big crash. but they are £10 and easy to replace

 

[outerlimits]

Got a Garmin Vivoactive 3 and love it.
Looks like a watch and way cheaper than a Garmin Fenix. I considered the 235 but it was like comparing anolog to digital feature wise.

 

[xcentric]

Got a Garmin Vivoactive 3 and love it.
Looks like a watch and way cheaper than a Garmin Fenix. I considered the 235 but it was like comparing anolog to digital feature wise.

Glad you love the Vivoactive, but not sure what the quote means. Vivoactive is more a lifestyle watch and 235 a sport/tech one, for sure - both are good at tracking and basic activity stats etc.

 

[outerlimits]

Glad you love the Vivoactive, but not sure what the quote means. Vivoactive is more a lifestyle watch and 235 a sport/tech one, for sure - both are good at tracking and basic activity stats etc.

Maybe the 235 was not marketed to me as well as the Vivoactive 3 ?‍

 

[albort1]

I had a garmin fenix 3 (non heart rate) and then upgraded to a vivoactive 3 with heart rate. They both ran an app from Garmin Connect(free) and would show your battery percentage and which mode you were in on my 2018 Levo.