Fitness trackers vs dedicated cycling computers vs phone app?

[Rockn Robin]

Yes, the Garmin units are super reliable, better than phone aps like strava etc.
I have plenty of mates who use strava but generally once they've been at it for a while they get a standalone unit for a variety of reasons, mainly accuracy but also due to mysteriously 'lost rides' which is infuriating. You'll always get discrepancies between different kit, especially elevation so don't get too hung up on that as I think the biggest issue there is the GPS accuracy. I swapped to a wahoo elemnt bolt from a vivoactive watch & a lezyne macro GPS purely due to battery life on long rides, so consider that before you take the plunge on anything.
I personally would recommend all 3 I've used - Garmin, Lezyne & Wahoo - they all do a great job at a range of prices. I bought an ANT/bluetooth chest strap from Decathlon for £30 and that's been great, not a fan of wrist monitors (my old one was hopeless) and bought speed & cadence sensors.
The latest Lezyne units look to be stunning value.

I just finished looking at the Lexyne models. Very reasonably priced.

 

[Rockn Robin]

like @nickAKA say's standalone uint is going to be the best best. Using Apps ect is ok too all depends what you want. Buying a good bike computer give's you flexibly for you too add stuff too in the future. i can only really comment on the elemnt I love mine work's out the box so simple to set up and away you go. Upload's all the data instantly and battery life is great too.

I was reading up on a comparison between the Elemnt and the Edge. What I like about the Elemnt is that you can do a Google search and use the device to guide you there. I think that feature is great.

 

[nickAKA]

I just finished looking at the Lexyne models. Very reasonably priced.

They have there idiosyncrasies, certainly not as user friendly us the wahoo bolt or the garmin edge, but for the money they're really good value. Once you're used to the (pretty awful) app they work really well but with a couple of caveats: the only speed & cadence sensor I could get mine to work with consistently was the lezyne one which isn't a biggie if you buy the unit with everything included, and I've never tried using the mapping/route planner but from reviews it isn't great.
If you just want to track your effort though it's perfect, auto upload your data to strava, job done.

 

[nickAKA]

like @nickAKA say's standalone uint is going to be the best best. Using Apps ect is ok too all depends what you want. Buying a good bike computer give's you flexibly for you too add stuff too in the future. i can only really comment on the elemnt I love mine work's out the box so simple to set up and away you go. Upload's all the data instantly and battery life is great too.

Does pretty much everything, I wouldn't go back to a Garmin as they cut simple features on lower end models (like support for powermeters, haven't got one yet but y'know...) which I find annoying - a petty policy designed to get you spending more if you want to upgrade to EXISTING tech. Why do that? I know it's not exactly mass-market but it's a simple enough feature to include.

 

[Rockn Robin]

They have there idiosyncrasies, certainly not as user friendly us the wahoo bolt or the garmin edge, but for the money they're really good value. Once you're used to the (pretty awful) app they work really well but with a couple of caveats: the only speed & cadence sensor I could get mine to work with consistently was the lezyne one which isn't a biggie if you buy the unit with everything included, and I've never tried using the mapping/route planner but from reviews it isn't great.
If you just want to track your effort though it's perfect, auto upload your data to strava, job done.

They are significantly less expensive, but like all other devices , they all have their own idiosyncrasies. It’s just a matter of learning how to deal with then.

 

[nickAKA]

They are significantly less expensive, but like all other devices , they all have their own idiosyncrasies. It’s just a matter of learning how to deal with then.

Exactly, and it's not unusable - it's just a bit funky in operation. Once i'd got used to mine, no problems whatsoever. The reason I got a bolt was because the v2 lezynes didn't support ANT and I got sick of swapping sensors on bikes. I could have easily bought another lezyne but the reviews for the bolt were so good I couldn't resist.

 

[Tin Pot]

I have been using an app on my smartphone called BikeBrain. It has done, well I think it's done, a decent job for me over the past few years. I'm just a doodler on the road, nothing competitive, but I want to track how I'm doing, especially in monitoring the old ticker. Well, just recently my wife and I got Fitbit Ionic watches. I find it great for monitoring my heart rate during the day, steps, and sleep mode.

For the first time this morning, I used the Fitbit in the bike exercise mode along with the phone app. For the phone app I use a heart rate chest strap. During the first few minutes into the ride, the HR on the Fitbit was way off from what the BikeBrain app indicated, but not long after it sort of leveled off. But there were times when the HR was quite a bit different from the app. I have been told that a chest strap monitoring device is more accurate. But in regards to accuracy. Up until now, I haven't had anything to compare with the BikeBrain app. What would you consider the most accurate means of monitoring a ride? Is the BikeBrain app a good reliable source, or would you suggest a bike computer from say Garmin, as an example?

I want to make sure my heart is properly monitored. You see, I have had heart issues in the past and I am dealing with hypertension.

Thank you for you help.

When it come to HR monitoring, no device is extremely reliable, but it’s generally accepted that chest straps are the better device. They monitor the electrical signals that fire your heart beat, but even these can be interefered with it they slip, sweat and even the static from a sports top can mix them up.

In short, they’re fine for leisure use, but don’t get too worked up about bizarre readings. Sometimes I get readings when running over 200bpm, or below 60bpm, but a quick manual check should be enough to assure you that you’re not in the verge of collapse.

A chest strap paired to your phone will be fine - the app won’t matter much.

Bike computers won’t be necessary.

 

[Rockn Robin]

When it come to HR monitoring, no device is extremely reliable, but it’s generally accepted that chest straps are the better device. They monitor the electrical signals that fire your heart beat, but even these can be interefered with it they slip, sweat and even the static from a sports top can mix them up.

In short, they’re fine for leisure use, but don’t get too worked up about bizarre readings. Sometimes I get readings when running over 200bpm, or below 60bpm, but a quick manual check should be enough to assure you that you’re not in the verge of collapse.

A chest strap paired to your phone will be fine - the app won’t matter much.

Bike computers won’t be necessary.

Thank you for that interesting information. That’s nice to know that I don’t have to concern about the phone app. Perhaps I will just go along as I always have.

 

[PaulSB]

Rightly or wrongly I've always been of the view amateur HR monitoring is about relative values rather than precise ones. I'd expect a medical situation to be accurate, something I wear on a bike less so.

Following a heart attack in October 2015 I've taken more interest in my HR. I know the value I expect my Vivoactive to show under most circumstances and would only worry if there was regular variation from this norm.

For example on a flat group ride at 16avg I expect an HR of 115. Add a headwind and it will increase to 130. If this altered significantly and frequently then I would be concerned.

These devices are always going to give bizarre readings on occasion. Last week I hit 190 - never been above 170 before. A few months ago the device was showing 145-150 under circumstances I expect to be 120. This lasted for more than two hours. I mentioned it to the CCU nurse I was riding with. She responded "you don't look like you're dieing!"

Use these devices for comparison, don't get hung up on it and certainly don't worry about wild fluctuations.

Garmin are good but in my experience the more features one turns on the more likely the device is to throw a wobbly. The software menus lack logic. I only use mine for navigation these days, this it does superbly. Battery life is chronically awful. I have an 810.

I bought a Wahoo Elemnt recently but not enough experience to comment. First impressions are positive. I'll be upset with my cycling buddies if it's not as good as they all say!!!

In my view a device designed to do a job will always be superior to one which tries to cover all bases or simply is an add on. As an example a friend I walk with always goes further using her step counter mobile app than I do using a GPS device tracking our actual route. I know which one I trust.

 

[Spoons47]

Yes, the Garmin units are super reliable, better than phone aps like strava etc.
I have plenty of mates who use strava but generally once they've been at it for a while they get a standalone unit for a variety of reasons, mainly accuracy but also due to mysteriously 'lost rides' which is infuriating. You'll always get discrepancies between different kit, especially elevation so don't get too hung up on that as I think the biggest issue there is the GPS accuracy. I swapped to a wahoo elemnt bolt from a vivoactive watch & a lezyne macro GPS purely due to battery life on long rides, so consider that before you take the plunge on anything.
I personally would recommend all 3 I've used - Garmin, Lezyne & Wahoo - they all do a great job at a range of prices. I bought an ANT/bluetooth chest strap from Decathlon for £30 and that's been great, not a fan of wrist monitors (my old one was hopeless) and bought speed & cadence sensors.
The latest Lezyne units look to be stunning value.

Another vote for the Decathlon chest strap monitor. It works seamlessly with the Apple Watch and updates in real time. Once you pair it, it connects automatically within seconds.

 

[nickAKA]

Another vote for the Decathlon chest strap monitor. It works seamlessly with the Apple Watch and updates in real time. Once you pair it, it connects automatically within seconds.

I've been through a couple of batteries in the last 12 months so I always keep a couple of spares handy, but that aside, it's been flawless.

 

[iancity]

Have a read of any of DC Rainmakers reviews of wearables. He goes into great detail why wearables are great at measuring heart rate, just not when cycling. Loads of graphs and data he presents show the measurements way off, and recommends a chest strap if you want the numbers to be anywhere near reliable.

having said that, he also seems quite impressed with the Ionic https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2017/08/fitbit-ionic-gps-smartwatch-all-the-details.html

 

[cyberknight]

I am in the market for a newer gps unit at x mas maybe.
Currently run a garmin edge 200 + 500
Now a lot of the new units offer stuff i dont really have a need for so can anyone recommend anyunits please?
I need .
cadence
breadcrumb trail
bigger screen than the 200/500

not interested in
live segments
linking phone

Would be nice to be able to use my current ant+ sensors but willing to change if necessary ,

 

[avsd]

@cyberknight - the old Garmin 520 which are on clear-out offers around £190 might suit your needs. No sure if the screen will be big enough but I have found my 520 to have great battery life 8+ hours and very reliable.

 

[PaulSB]

@cyberknight I would recommend the Wahoo Elemnt. It does more than you are asking for but those functions can be ignored/turned off. It does also connect to your phone and I've found this extremely good for transferring routes from Ride With GPS. It has other functions which work with a mobile but again can be ignored/turned off.

To date my Wahoo has been faultless, great battery life, chevron trail easy to follow, simple to use and allows me to view the data I want, when I want. Everything my Garmin 810 is not.

As a company Garmin must be very concerned they now have serious, quality competition at a competitive price.