hydrobum Posted March 30, 2015 Posted March 30, 2015 Rookie here...I see there's some nice apps out for iOS & andriod. Would these be better then buying a dedicated garmin 810 or 920xt? Since most people will still have a phone with them when riding, I thought one less gadget would help lessen the bank balance too
Fisan Posted March 30, 2015 Posted March 30, 2015 I used my phone & Strava for quite a while - and it did do most of the stuff I wanted it to do. I got rid of my basic cycling computer but still used my (basic) HRM just to keep time (and heart rate) of my exercise. If realtime metrics isn't that important, going the phone-route is a sensible choice. If you were planning on mounting your phone to the handlebar, I'd consider a dedicated device though.
intern Posted March 30, 2015 Posted March 30, 2015 Dedicated without question. Mind you, I never take a phone with me as I prefer being left the hell alone when I am out training...but I can't see a phone being as useful/practical as a Garmin 810 is.
hydrobum Posted March 30, 2015 Author Posted March 30, 2015 Just starting out so need to get feel for this new sport. Already went over budget on bike and gear now so need to let my money tree grow abit more. Thanks for input!
Migueloliv Posted March 30, 2015 Posted March 30, 2015 Dedicated without question. Mind you, I never take a phone with me as I prefer being left the hell alone when I am out training...but I can't see a phone being as useful/practical as a Garmin 810 is. I agree with you that the phone isn't as practical as the Garmin 810, although you should always take your phone with you in case of an emergency. Nasty crash, Horrible mechanical, etc. Or else you will more or less be left stranded.
intern Posted March 31, 2015 Posted March 31, 2015 I agree with you that the phone isn't as practical as the Garmin 810, although you should always take your phone with you in case of an emergency. Nasty crash, Horrible mechanical, etc. Or else you will more or less be left stranded.Risk I am prepared to take. Most people have a phone so if I do get creamed, someone will find the pieces and ring my Mrs. And if I have a mechanical or whatever, I treat that as part of the outing with a challenge to get home using ingenuity (I'd rather walk or run on my cleats or ride the rim on a flat. Not having a phone makes you more resourceful.)
intern Posted March 31, 2015 Posted March 31, 2015 Just starting out so need to get feel for this new sport. Already went over budget on bike and gear now so need to let my money tree grow abit more. Thanks for input!Welcome to a sport that will eat your wallet ;-)
Milosh Posted March 31, 2015 Posted March 31, 2015 Basic speed distance on bar and smartphone with app in pocket , camelpak or pouch will take you a long way . Tried iPhone on bar and it works , but a distraction for a tech and gadget addict like me
Ampandy Posted March 31, 2015 Posted March 31, 2015 Nothing wrong with a phone and using an app like map my ride, endomondo and the likes of. After all you have the phone with you do make use of it.
Blackadder Posted March 31, 2015 Posted March 31, 2015 In terms of the Garmin 920xt, that's a good option too. Not quite as convenient as a bar-mounted GPS like the Garmin Edge 810, but does everything just as well. And you don't need to be shopping in this range. The Edge 500 is around half the price, and an especially good deal at the moment. Offers much the same as the 510, but without live tracking (which is a nice safety feature for sure) and the same as the 810, but without the maps. If you only need maps occasionally, your cellphone will do the trick.
Starvin' Marvin Posted March 31, 2015 Posted March 31, 2015 Just starting out so need to get feel for this new sport. Already went over budget on bike and gear now so need to let my money tree grow abit more. Thanks for input!Welcome to the world of cycling, it's going to happen a lot. Garmin EDGE 500 is a brilliant piece of kit and well priced.
hydrobum Posted March 31, 2015 Author Posted March 31, 2015 In terms of the Garmin 920xt, that's a good option too. Not quite as convenient as a bar-mounted GPS like the Garmin Edge 810, but does everything just as well.[/size] And you don't need to be shopping in this range. The Edge 500 is around half the price, and an especially good deal at the moment. Offers much the same as the 510, but without live tracking (which is a nice safety feature for sure) and the same as the 810, but without the maps.[/size] If you only need maps occasionally, your cellphone will do the trick.[/size]Yip, the 920xt would be overkill for now but nice to have Since giving up golf in the short term, seems to have spent more! Lol
Scott2luvit Posted March 31, 2015 Posted March 31, 2015 used the phone for a couple of years, but went dedicated route, phone software specially strava, makes people feel good about themselves if they check the meters climbed, then you go and check your garmin or sigma and see you only did half of that...... using the Rox 10 now, very happy with it, would have loved the ghost race the 9 had,
Captain Fastbastard Mayhem Posted March 31, 2015 Posted March 31, 2015 personally, I use Strava and endomondo together with my old Garmin premium HR strap, after my 310xt gave up the ghost a while back. It gives me most of what I need, running off a Note 3 so ANT+ is enabled, but I have been toying with getting a dedicated item like the fenix 2 or the suunto, just so that it's not ONLY on the bike. Helps if you're cross training (which I'm doing more of lately) Nothing wrong with starting off on the phone and then migrating ot a dedicated gps HR device later on. Also saves bucks in the short term, and allows you to take advantage of developments in tech...
RocknRolla Posted March 31, 2015 Posted March 31, 2015 Had a dedicated gps. Misplaced it. Used nothing for a long time. Started using endomondo at the end of last year, and it does great for speed and distance. I dont take elevation readings on a phone as accurate as it does not have a barometric sensor. Lately i have forgotten to start the bloody phone before setting off riding. So i have to manually input rides if i remember. In my opinion dedicated is more usefull for my needs. Edge 500 is more than enough. 510 is a great little unit and in my opinion the best valye for money. Edit: using phone for gps tracking seriously depletes your battery. From fully charged, on a 5hour ride, my phone becomes dead weight at the end of the ride, meaning its useless for both emergency calls and tracking the rest of the ride.
shaper Posted March 31, 2015 Posted March 31, 2015 Garmin Edge 500 is all you need, does everything and easily syncs with most 3rd party software like strava if you start to over analyse your rides!
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