Watch / Bike computer

[Kilbourne]

Evening People,
Really enjoying my cycling and getting in to it however biking home today my damn strava lost signal! Which I know is not nothing major but I am having competitions with some people at work regarding distances etc.

So I have looked at the Garmin watches and fitbits etc but I am after something as simple as recording the run and linking in to strava, is there a basic and cheap watch/computer that has GPS and will connect with strava?

Thank you

 

[KneesUp]

You can get GPS loggers that you get the data off using a computer for £20 to £30. In theory they're great as the battery lasts ages (no screen, and it only has one job) but I've no actual experience of them.

 

[bikeman66]

Although not what you might call cheap (but not ridiculously expensive either) the Garmin Edge 510 is a great unit, which will record every detail about a ride that most cyclists could ever want and will Bluetooth to your phone so you can upload to Strava. I got mine from Wiggle for £195.00. It uses both the American GPS and the Russian GLONASS satellite systems, so positioning data is fantastically reliable, and infinitely more so than Strava.

If you set up a Garmin Connect account you'll be able to take your work colleagues to the cleaners with information about your rides........ Average speed, distance, elevation, ascent, descent, temperature etc, etc.

I've still got Strava on my phone, but haven't used it since I've owned the Garmin.

 

[Milkfloat]

I have a cheap TomTom watch/bike mount combination that came with a cadence/speed sensor. I paid £70 and teamed it up with an HRM from Lidl. This then syncs up via a docking cradle or bluetooth to a variety of sites including Strava and Endomondo. It seems to work very well, but the lack of auto pause is a little annoying when I get in towns.

 

[lee1980sim]

I use my phone it connects to GPS and GLONASS battery last around 7 hours (can be more if I used battery saving on the phone) using endomondo (I then upload to strava) and never had it drop out, sometimes the things you want you already have

 

[contadino]

If you're just getting into riding, I'd recommend holding fire on shelling out for a Garmin and find a cheaper solution for now. I was having problems with my phone holding GPS lock a while back and nearly bought a Garmin 200 on the advice of folks on here. It would have been great at the time I have no doubt, but now I'm on the lookout for a more expensive Garmin that offers sat-nav as well as tracking.

At the time I solved the issue with my phone's GPS and have been using Endomondo reliably since (I suspect that the issue isn't with the Strava app, but more likely with the phone's GPS..?)

 

[contadino]

Although not what you might call cheap (but not ridiculously expensive either) the Garmin Edge 510 is a great unit... I got mine from Wiggle for £195.00.

Yeah, I'd call that ridiculously bloody expensive.

 

[bikeman66]

I use my phone it connects to GPS and GLONASS battery last around 7 hours (can be more if I used battery saving on the phone) using endomondo (I then upload to strava) and never had it drop out, sometimes the things you want you already have

Quite possibly, but after your phone has given up the ghost after seven hours, the Edge 510 will still be good for around another 12-13 hours.......and my phone will still have charge left in it if I need to make an emergency call.

I guess you pays your money, you take your pick! Personally, I have nothing but good things to say about the Garmin, but it would be a strange old world if we didn't have different opinions I suppose.

 

[lee1980sim]

Quite possibly, but after your phone has given up the ghost after seven hours, the Edge 510 will still be good for around another 12-13 hours.......and my phone will still have charge left in it if I need to make an emergency call.

I guess you pays your money, you take your pick! Personally, I have nothing but good things to say about the Garmin, but it would be a strange old world if we didn't have different opinions I suppose.

I currently have the options of an additional 15hrs battery on standard power, 2 days 2hours on battery saving and 7 days 4 hours on ultra power saving, there's only the latter that won't let me use GPS, that being said my phone hasn't been on charge since 7am yesterday so I've already had 32 hours of standard use so I may have underestimated my battery power and I'm sure anyone who's out for longer than that the phone battery is the least of problems

 

[Milkfloat]

I currently have the options of an additional 15hrs battery on standard power, 2 days 2hours on battery saving and 7 days 4 hours on ultra power saving, there's only the latter that won't let me use GPS, that being said my phone hasn't been on charge since 7am yesterday so I've already had 32 hours of standard use so I may have underestimated my battery power and I'm sure anyone who's out for longer than that the phone battery is the least of problems

Now try doing that with your GPS on and tracking the whole time. Best I can get is 5 hours in that situation.

 

[Col5632]

Can't fault the Garmin 200, cheap enough and records most things you would need

 

[PhilDawson8270]

Garmin 200, Halfords have them for £79.99 at the moment.

Plug into PC via USB, and you can upload direct via the strava site with no messing from it

 

[lee1980sim]

Now try doing that with your GPS on and tracking the whole time. Best I can get is 5 hours in that situation.

Best I've got so far is 7 hours on standard mode still had 40% battery left, can't really see me being out much longer than that, at the end of it all my phone is more than capable of doing what I need it for which was the whole point of my original post, a hint to the OP that he may already have what he needs

 

[Colnago Master]

I've never used my phone as I bought a Garmin 800 before I had a smart phone so can't comment on that.
I don't regret buying my Garmin as I've used it to navigate on a lot of long rides.
I had a forerunner 15 for Christmas which is great for running cos it tells me my pace.
This also works well for cycling, except it always classes my rides as a run and I have to select cycling in strava.
The forerunner is really cheap so would serve you well.
In the end, if it's a cycling toy and keeps me happy I buy what I want not what I need.

 

[contadino]

This talk of phone batteries lasting only 7 hours when using GPS is a bit odd to me. I was out for 3 hours on Sunday tracking all the way and it used 10% of my battery. My legs, on the other hand, needed a complete recharge.