Looking for something to record basic stats for Strava on the mountainbike and roadie. I had a Garmin Edge Explore which was hopeless with height gain and became increasingly problematic…now ceases to exist! I want it to be accurate so a barometric sensor ideally, and work equally well whatever bike I’m on. It won’t be connected to heart rate monitors, power meters etc etc - just record height, speed, average speed, maybe occasionally nav from it. Don’t want to pay a fortune either - both Garmin 540 and Wahoo Element Bolt V2 have been mentioned. Anyway have any first hand experience of either or can recommend anything else? There’s a couple of cheaper brands like Bryton but not sure how good these are…
My experience of the barometric sensor on our two Edge Explore 2's (my younger son and I both have them) is that it regularly gives an over read Vs the map plot. I'm pretty sure older son's Edge 530 or 540 is similarly "off" on a regular basis. I am assuming the map is the more accurate of course.
You can correct elevation to the Garmin map topographic data but for some utterly incomprehensible reason not in the Garmin App only in the browser version.
You cannot make it default to map elevation either, which is also mildly annoying.
All that said I actually like the devices a lot. I can navigate easily and track progress/distance easily and because I always use the same device I just treat the elevation as a relative measure between my own rides and if I want a solid number for any other reason I just plot a route in OS Maps.
I use it both on road and off.
Just to add I over researched the living daylights out of this and then bought on my best assessment of value for money with the Explore 2s. I'm naturally a bit tight with tech stuff though. 🙂
There’s a couple of cheaper brands like Bryton but not sure how good these are…
I've got a couple of mates that use these (having had Garmins) and rate them.
Height data appears to be fairly inconsistent in my experience on most devices. For example I rode yesterday with a friend, both of us using Garmin Edge Explore 2's. Ride time was identical, distance was 63.00km vs 63.01km, but elevation was 520m vs 600m. Using Strava you can get it to use it's own elevation data and ignore the recorded data if you want consistency.
Edit - what Gribs said.
The Garmin Edge Explore 2 is a good basic GPS focused on navigation rather than power and training stats and it was a significant step up from the flaky original Explore.
Does all the usual sync to / from Strava.
Elevation on most GPS is a bit temperamental. It's not really an accurate tool for that, it can be off by tens of metres. Most units now will run a calibration when you turn them on to correct themselves for elevation based off what the map says but it can still drift over the course of a day-long ride. Strava and Garmin can both correct it in "post-production" on their websites.
For those requirements, the cheapest GPS bike computer or even a smart watch would work. Something like the old Garmin 25, although they don't make anything so basic anymore. All the current Garmins have big screens, maps and extra ££££ for navigation which you don't seem to want.
I'd be looking for something that has direct upload capabilities to Strava without a middle-man app. Not even sure if such a thing exists these days.
Edit - what Gribs said.
+1
I'd be looking for something that has direct upload capabilities to Strava without a middle-man app.
Smartphone and Strava app?
I have an old Polar M460 which works fine for recording but no navigation (though I have an even older V650 which does that).
Thanks for the replies.
The Garmin Edge Explore was the previous device. It would, for example, say I’d done 1400’ of climbing when others I was with would be on 4000’ on the same ride. A reset did nothing.
Of late, I’d use that on the roadie as I like to have something on the bars to gauge my effort in terms of speed, but always record rides on my phone direct to Strava stashed away in pocket or pack. Don’t really want a big cumbersome phone on my bike and even that has only been part recording some recent rides.
Using Strava you can get it to use it's own elevation data and ignore the recorded data if you want consistency.
This works fairly well if you're somewhere that's not too extreme in terms of terrain, but is hopeless if you're riding along near a cliff edge or something. Small inaccuracies in your GPS position and in the map elevation data will mean it thinks you've gone up and down the cliff multiple times when you were actually walking along the top.
I've just gone into the Strava mobile app and clicked on 'adjust elevation' for my last two rides that were recorded on my Garmin watch.
The elevation didn't change
So - either Strava altered it when I uploaded, the adjust feature isn't working, or the Garmin was accurate. Pretty sure that Strava recording on my phone as a backup (which I delete when the Garmin data has successfully uploaded) shows a higher elevation total though - the Garmin records a slightly longer distance though
Don’t really want a big cumbersome phone on my bike and even that has only been part recording some recent rides.
Check the battery optimization settings on your phone. I had a similar problem last year - here y'go. I use RidewithGPS on my phone for exactly what you want but appreciate that may not meet your criteria.
Edge 130 might suit, although I don't know if it has a barometer. Certainly a cheaper option though.
Lezyne do a load of computers that would also work. I used to have a lezyne micro which was fine for what you're describing, I ditched it as I wanted better mapping and it only did turn prompts
I find Strava height data pretty consistent with plotting on an os map. If you are too then you don’t need a barometric sensor you just need a basic watch like the Forerunner 35. I bought one for my daughter. She stoped running and my son mow uses it. Clear monochrome display and really pretty small.
OK looks like they stopped making that too. Lots of used bargains though…
You must of had a dodgy original Explore. Mine is still going strong and elevation is very close to what friends various devices have said, but I do use elevation correcting as we all know, changing barometric pressure can affect the readings if there is no pressure device in the unit. TBH, I use an old Edge 200 for work that's nearly 18 years old, and the Explore for navigation and longer rides. It doesn't have the best battery life though, so I usually have a small backup battery pack for it on the long all day rides.
Elevation gain hasn't been a metric I that interested in, more interested in where I'd been.
Years ago you needed sync the barometric pressure against a known height before you started your tracking to get any sort of accurate reading i.e. sync at home or in the campsite referring to a map for the height.
Then I'm sure a chunk of the errors came from the change in pressure as the weather changes.
For a basic cheap device without mapping I've used a Xoss G+ in the past that cost about £20. It was generally fine for distance but would very occasionally lose signal and then re acquire it but with an obvious offset. It wasn't much of a problem for seeing where I'd been but meant Strava segments were missed.
Use a Garmin instinct for all my riding and then just correct the elevation in Strava. Just checked and my first Instinct is from 2018; still working and recording rides (and i lost it for 6 months when i left it in a coat pocket that got put away for summer!). Refurb Instincts can be had cheap regularly on Amazon and eBay.
Instincts last a good length of time between charges and, when route recording, will happily do a hundred+ miler or multiday.
Correct me if I'm wrong but using elevation correct doesn't capture all the ups and downs between contour lines, of which there can be many.
And from experience between me and the Mrs, elevation correct will give different amounts for different users who have done exactly the same ride. So not convinced that's accurate either.
There's other aspects I've not been terribly impressed with over the last year (heart rate monitoring, sleep etc.), but the standalone GPS lock on my Xiaomi Redmi Watch 5 Lite for £40 has been excellent when used to literally track a ride instead of using my usual Lezyne GPS device. No bells or whistles, simply shows where I have ridden.
Coros Dura.
Spectacularly fast start-up and connection, and goes months between charges.
I last charged mine 36 days ago and have done 30+ rides since then.
My Edge is glacial in comparison.
A watch is a lot more versatile and has better day to day useful features, if you're not bothered about particularly bike specific features or navigation.
I have a Garmin edge 530 (old device now) that only ever gets used if I need to navigate. Otherwise I record everything on my Garmin instinct. Works well and never misses a beat.
Elevation gain hasn't been a metric I that interested in, more interested in where I'd been.
Years ago you needed sync the barometric pressure against a known height before you started your tracking to get any sort of accurate reading i.e. sync at home or in the campsite referring to a map for the height.
Then I'm sure a chunk of the errors came from the change in pressure as the weather changes.
The storm alert is quite nuts on my Garmin instinct 2 watch. If I jump into my pool it invariably goes off.
That said it was spot on this morning*. I was running through the woods in the dark - the storm alert went off exactly in sync with a big rumble of thunder!
*Well I suppose it's not much use at that point...
I gave up on the altimeter in my instinct ages ago, it’s only real failing (IMO), easiest solution is to just apply Strava’s elevation data.
Correct me if I'm wrong but using elevation correct doesn't capture all the ups and downs between contour lines, of which there can be many.
They say it’s from their “base map” so I would assume it’s as accurate as any other map and has a number for ground level wherever you go.
My garmin edge 530 can be wildly different or the same route depending on the weather. I use strava elevation correction for all of my rides as it's much more comparable. for example, I was out on monday, garmin recorded elevation gain of 1300ft, strava corrected to 2100. sometimes I get 300ft gain on a route that I know is more like 1000ft. Now I think I could correct it, but I've not ventured that far into it and correcting is just a couple of cicks
Stealth ad! I’ve just received an edge540 for my birthday so have my Edge 130plus for sale if you’d be interested. Basic data, but quite accurate I think, it has ClimbPro and the flow score things and basic navigation. I got the 540 really for the bigger screen and recent Bosch e-bike interface.
rockhopper70 - have messaged you
From earlier in the thread ' I am assuming the map is the more accurate of course.' I wouldn't assume this as the map will by need/design have to smooth out small bumps that may sum up to be significant
From earlier in the thread ' I am assuming the map is the more accurate of course.' I wouldn't assume this as the map will by need/design have to smooth out small bumps that may sum up to be significant
Not sure I’d agree with that, having seen huge inaccuracy from barometric pressure sensors in measuring altitude (+/- several hundred meters) Vs simply overlaying GPS position data on a topographic map (probably created from OS data?).
Some GPS use the satellites for altitude I believe (I have an edge 25 as mentioned earlier) these would be more accurate, except I don’t think they fully account for shifting satellites during a ride so that altitude value can be subject to drift.
I disabled the barometer in my instinct, so the recordings always show 0m elevation change, making it nice and obvious where I need to apply the elevation correction to an activity. I trust my Edge 540 (barometric) more, but calibrating elevation on it regularly is a must.
I've just gone into the Strava mobile app and clicked on 'adjust elevation' for my last two rides that were recorded on my Garmin watch.
The elevation didn't change
So - either Strava altered it when I uploaded, the adjust feature isn't working, or the Garmin was accurate. Pretty sure that Strava recording on my phone as a backup (which I delete when the Garmin data has successfully uploaded) shows a higher elevation total though - the Garmin records a slightly longer distance though
come out of the activity, yhe old elevation value will still show on your feed, go back into the activity, bet it’s changed now. Not sure why this bug persists, but it does…
