MTB GPS - Help me navigate the tech...

[Benna]

Morning Guys

I am new to the sport of MTB. I am currently using Strava to log my rides...My question is how accurate is Strava and do I need to invest in a dedicated GPS. 

I do not intend to ride competitively but it is always nice to see your stats after the ride. 

Which GPS devices are the best value for money, I really don't want to know what my cadence is ect...or is it important information?

Looking forward to your advice

[bullet77]

Get a Garmin, but that's my opinion and my preference. There are quite a few GPS cycling devices threads on the Hub. Have a look at them. 

[Shebeen]

Morning Guys

I am new to the sport of MTB. I am currently using Strava to log my rides...My question is how accurate is Strava and do I need to invest in a dedicated GPS. 

I do not intend to ride competitively but it is always nice to see your stats after the ride. 

Which GPS devices are the best value for money, I really don't want to know what my cadence is ect...or is it important information?

Looking forward to your advice

 

 

Nothing to do with strava itself, that just uploads the data and represents it. 

 

phone gps - the hardware here varies in accuracy and you can set settings for higher polling but will chow battery. You use an app (can be strava app) to upload this to strava. You might be able to play around with your current setup to improve accuracy.

 

watch GPS - a dedicated device that measures your track, varying degrees of accuracy and battery life.

 

on bike GPS. The best in terms of accuracy and battery life, because that is it's only job. 

 

ps. welcome to the hub, great pun in your title!

Edited November 6, 2020 by Shebeen

[Quagga]

Garmin has the best support in my opinion

 

Seeing your cadence is very good, ovet time you will learn when to up or lower the cadence. Couple that with a power meter you will see how HR can go down and power up just by adjusting your cadence.

 

Very good to use strava for your tracking as it also gives you fitness/freshness and you can see progress on certain climbs and compare cadence and HR

 

Garmin also has a VERY good repair/ replacement policy 

[Darko]

Hey man, I'm going to give you my learnings over the past year that I've been riding, and will also pose a question for someone else as I'm also wondering about getting a dedicated unit just for the bike so that I can follow and navigate strava segments - something I can't do right now unless I mount my phone to the bike. 

 

First point is that you don't need to use strava in order for the ride to be saved to strava. You can use any fitness device data that then automatically imports into your strava profile. 

 

To measure your vitals along with distance and time over routes you'll need a device that measures those vitals. Like a chest strap or a smart watch. Chest straps need to be paired with another device to save those stats and to provide gps. Since a smart watch already has gps, it doesn't need to pair with anything, it just needs to sync to the server to save your data. 

 

The problem with only having a watch is that as I mentioned earlier, you can't follow live segments and routes as you're riding them. If that's not an issue for you, then just get a good watch and be done with it. 

 

If it is an issue, then it's a question I also need an answer to. Do the guys that use garmin have the bike gps in their cockpit as well as the watch that's paired to it? Or is the gps it's own unit that syncs on its own? 

 

Not to waft on, but essentially: 

• Strava only via phone - No vitals like heart rate. Will log GPS + Time + Distance. You can view segments if phone is mounted.
• Smartwatch - Willl log vitals + GPS + Time + Distance - You will need to sync this data to strava afterwards. Can't view segments.

This is what I assume: 

• Garmin bike GPS + Garmin smart watch - Logs vitals, gps + time + distance and you can view segments via the gps screen. You will need to sync this data to strava afterwards. This seems to be the best solution if you're looking for the complete picture.

 

This is what I use: 

• Polar H10 chest strap + polar beat app on the phone. I have quite a bit of body hair and I find the strap to be the most accurate vital tracking for me. 
• The phone ensures I have gps, and the strap monitors heart rate, oxygen etc. 
• When the workout is done, the polar app syncs to my health app and strava. I then get a full picture on strava of time + distance + gps as well as heart rate, calories and effort. 
• Since it syncs to health as well, I get the discovery points updated too. 

I can't view live segments as I'm riding though, so I might need to rethink my entire setup as I'd like to be able to. 

 

 

Morning Guys

I am new to the sport of MTB. I am currently using Strava to log my rides...My question is how accurate is Strava and do I need to invest in a dedicated GPS. 

I do not intend to ride competitively but it is always nice to see your stats after the ride. 

Which GPS devices are the best value for money, I really don't want to know what my cadence is ect...or is it important information?

Looking forward to your advice

[PieterJvR]

 

Snip

 

If it is an issue, then it's a question I also need an answer to. Do the guys that use garmin have the bike gps in their cockpit as well as the watch that's paired to it? Or is the gps it's own unit that syncs on its own? 

 

Snip 

 

Even though I have a Garmin watch and a dedicated Garmin Bike Unit, I only use the Garmin Bike Unit (Edge 820) while on the bike.  I use the watch when running, hiking, etc (or when I am holiday and rent a bike but didn't bring bike gps along).

 

The bike gps tracks heart rate via chest strap, and cadence via sensor, speed via GPS (or sensor if you want) and all other metrics I want/need (including power meter if you had one), no need for another unit.  

 

I don't have premium version of Strava, but if you do and you want to view live segments you can do that on the bike gps as well on another screen.

[PieterJvR]

Morning Guys

I am new to the sport of MTB. I am currently using Strava to log my rides...My question is how accurate is Strava and do I need to invest in a dedicated GPS. 

I do not intend to ride competitively but it is always nice to see your stats after the ride. 

Which GPS devices are the best value for money, I really don't want to know what my cadence is ect...or is it important information?

Looking forward to your advice

 

Dedicated GPS is better than tracking on a phone in my opinion.  Don't need to get a Garmin, I know Lezyne have good quality GPS units that is real value for money.  Have a look in the Tech Q&A and Buyers Guide section you will find lots of information on different units.  I know Frosty did a good review on Lezyne GPS a short while ago

[dave303e]

The day you need to call for a rescue or a medic and your phone battery is pap from recording your ride. That is the day you will realise even a basic garmin bike gps or a fitness tracking watch is a good idea.

[PSYCHOsmurfZA]

Just get a fitness watch that has GPS, pack your phone out of sight for safety sake. I dont like anything mounted on my bike that can catch the eye of someone. I have a Garmin vivoactiv and a cheap R400 pep phone i ride around with so if anything happens take my bike and phone, insurance can cover bike and phone is cheap enough to replace at R400.

Edited November 6, 2020 by PSYCHOsmurfZA

[Darko]

Thank you! Which strap do you use? 

 

Even though I have a Garmin watch and a dedicated Garmin Bike Unit, I only use the Garmin Bike Unit (Edge 820) while on the bike.  I use the watch when running, hiking, etc (or when I am holiday and rent a bike but didn't bring bike gps along).

The bike gps tracks heart rate via chest strap, and cadence via sensor, speed via GPS (or sensor if you want) and all other metrics I want/need (including power meter if you had one), no need for another unit.  

 

I don't have premium version of Strava, but if you do and you want to view live segments you can do that on the bike gps as well on another screen.

[The Ghost]

The Garmin edge series are great. I like the bundles for first timers.

Personally I would avoid the touch screens though, the 520 plus is good value and I suspect the 530 will get an upgrade in 2021.

[Red Robin]

I use a Garmin watch and Premium Strava. I have a cheapish stand alone bike computer from before I had the watch which has cadence, speed, etc.  but the watch has all that too. 

Garmin watch was more useful to me personally  than a bike Garmin and in an ideal world  it would be nice to have both,  but having lost 2 bike computers (don't ask)  I figured I am better off not having a bike Garmin. 

Edited November 6, 2020 by Red Robin

[porqui]

Just stay as you are.

 

There is a black hole ahead.

[PieterJvR]

Thank you! Which strap do you use? 

 

The normal soft strap that comes as part of the Garmin bundles, it looks like this - https://buy.garmin.com/en-ZA/ZA/p/38069

 

I think I read somewhere on the hub that people pair their Garmins with different heart rate straps, can't find the thread now, but if I recall correctly the Wahoo strap was one of them.

[ChrisF]

I use a Garmin watch and Premium Strava. I have a cheapish stand alone bike computer from before I had the watch which has cadence, speed, etc. but the watch has all that too.

Garmin watch was more useful to me personally than a bike Garmin and in an ideal world it would be nice to have both, but having lost 2 bike computers (don't ask) I figured I am better off not having a bike Garmin.

JIP

 

If you get a bike computer, DO use the strap ....

 

 

Lyzene currently has the best value for money options.

 

 

The Garmin 130 certainly is a very powerful option.

 

For using the routing functions the 530 and larger units are better ... at a cost ....

 

 

If I had to buy today .... decent watch, with a hary rate strap.

 

YES ... I will lose out on the upfront display while riding .... but, gaining a lot of other benefits that comes with a modern smart-sports-watch .....

 

 

Seriously impressed with the Garmin Vivoactive 4.

[LazyTrailRider]

Just stay as you are.

 

There is a black hole ahead.

Agreed.

 

Unless you’re fairly competitive, you’ll just be heading down a road of unnecessary cost (most of what’s been mentioned will entail costs upwards of R5k) and complexity.

 

Strava (with a premium subscription) on a phone is more than fine in most scenarios.