Cycle GPS or Watch GPS?

[jjr1]

Is there any benefit to either that I have not considered. I am only looking at the cheap ones like the Garmin 200 etc and I just want to plot my route and record av speed. I am not bothered about heart rate or cadence etc.

[E38Ross]

I use a garmin forerunner 205,its brilliant. I bought it for running initially but use it cycling too.

You can plot a route on garmin connect, send it to the watch and you can follow it using a breadcrumb type map. It works very well and beeps if you go off course.

Last week I did 87 miles using it on a route I plotted online and had no idea where I was lol.

[Mr Will]

Cycling ones are better for cycling. Watch ones are much better for anything that isn't cycling.

Do you intend to use it for anything except cycling?

[jjr1]

No this is just for cycling. I guessed that a bespoke cycling one might be better suited but wanted to see if there was anything I was missing.

[Jayfish]

Having it right under your nose can be great inspiration to keep the pace up, grinding up a climb staring at it saying to yourself don't drop below 10 MPH or whatever can really focus you I find.
Also pressing a button on something in the center of your bars rather than over on your other wrist seems less wobble inducing?

Edited by Jayfish on Tuesday 25th June 22:24

[anonymous-user]

Garmin 200. I love mine, I dont need anything more complicated with cadence etc and it is better at following gpx routes than the size of the screen suggests

[BOBTEE]

I have an edge 500,works just as well in my pocket on a walk as it does on a ride :-)

[Viperzs]

If you only want a basic unit I would suggest a Bryton Rider 20. The problem with a Garmin 200 is that it doesn't support any ANT+ accessories where the Bryton does. For example cadence sensors or heart rate monitors.

[dave_s13]

E38Ross said:

I use a garmin forerunner 205,its brilliant. I bought it for running initially but use it cycling too.

You can plot a route on garmin connect, send it to the watch and you can follow it using a breadcrumb type map. It works very well and beeps if you go off course.

Last week I did 87 miles using it on a route I plotted online and had no idea where I was lol.

I've got a forerunner too but never used the course plotting function, I'll give that a look.

Only trouble with it being a watch it looking at the thing when going at speed over rough terrain can be a little precarious. Quick google suggests you can get a bike mount for your watch though.



The pie-key in me feels that could be replicated with some pipe lagging foam and a couple of tie wraps.

[sjg]

Have a Forerunner 305 that I used mostly as a bike computer until a cheap Edge 200 replaced it for that stuff. I just used an old bar grip cut along it's length then into three and taped together. Worked fine.

Mostly functionality is similar, although the Edge 200 seems better for following a breadcrumb trail, and it will keep zooming out if you go off course to see where you should be going. It's ideal if you're using someone else's course, but cutting off a corner or following an interesting-looking diversion. Edge 200 will also mount as a USB drive and let you copy a .gpx file over, the Forerunner has to be done via software or Garmin Connect.

Garmin apparently have a an "Edge Touring" model coming out soon, which looks like an 800/810 but without the HRM, cadence, power meter, etc stuff - just a nice colour screen, proper mapping and navigation, plus a much lower price. I'd be very tempted over a 200 if the price is substantially lower than a 800.

http://www.bikerumor.com/2013/06/14/garmin-edge-to...

[tuffer]

My wife insisted she wanted a watch instead of a bike mounted Garmin, I bought her the watch. She now nearly crashes every time she tries to check her heart rate........I am going to have to buy her a Garmin.