I’m after a GPS watch (I think) for general fitness including mountain and road cycling, plus fell walking, but I’m completely ignorant of the current options and hoping the STW collective can help me choose something in line with my wishlist.
I was hoping for something with a built-in HRM (without chest strap), that’s somewhat weatherproof and with the possibility of actually being able to display an actual grid ref of my position, as well as displaying it on a map. (The option to switch between coordinate systems would be ace, although I’m probably pushing it now.)
I’m not not too in love with any particular brand as mostly I’ll be logging to Strava, although the possibility to extract coordinates on something like Garmin Base camp would be a boost.
Any help much appreciated!
Sounds like a garmin fenix .
Yup, fenix will do all that and looks like an actual watch rather than a Star Trek wrist communicator. I wear mine all day every day without looking like a fitness obsessive. They can be quite spendy though, depending on which version & strap you choose.
Garmin all the way. The Forerunner and Vicoactive are cheaper than the Fenix, but can’t do everything you want. Aren’t the wrist based HR monitors supposed to be a bit naff for mountain biking?
Ox, how big is the Fenix on? Sportspursuit have it on offer just now and it is very tempting. How is the battery life and is the face pretty tough?
The fenix titanium on Sport pursuit is a good offer for the top of the range previous model (titanium and Sapphire glass).
I resisted however!
I bought a couple of weeks ago the fairly new Garmin Vivosport. As an activity tracker this is great. Has heart rate, steps, GPS, calories etc and modes for running, cycling etc. It does not do any of the mapping stuff that the Fenix will do, but as an everyday wear it it a lot of tech in a small package for £130.
Just to buck the garmin trend, I have a friend who is a pretty serious endurance runner, and he is very pleased with his Tom Tom...
Now sold out...which is annoying as it wasn't last night, but that'll be my fault for not buying then!
The Fenix 3 does all you want, it's a bit big and clunky but it certainly works and is durable.
I swapped mine out for a Fenix 5, the mid sized one which is smaller than the 3 & also still looks like a proper watch so very wearable daily.
Looked at the Vivo range but having come from a Fenix they look and feel like they come out of a Christmas cracker.
I love my Apple Watch series 3. Works well with Strava, waterproof, etc. Great battery life.
Recently bought an FR35 for biking/running etc. Been brilliant for the money.
I've got TomTom cardio job. Does everything apart from the map. Think there is a version that will give you a breadcrumb type map. Much less spendy than a Garmin or Fenix but doesn't look as smart/nice.
They have their own website selling older models and regularly have discount codes that can be used.
forerunner 935 is a cheaper, smaller, lighter fenix 5 FWIW.
great battery life on apple watch? pfft!
For the mapping you need the Fenix, if you can do without that then the Forerunner 35 does what you want But for mapping, there is nothing better than the Fenix in my eyes.
Are any of these any good for navigation? Been thinking about one for a while as a backup to paper maps for those times where you end up in and out of your pack constantly because you're not sure if you've missed a turn or not!
Now decided I want a new watch, what is similar size to Garmin Vivoactive 3 but has features like the Fenix? Not needing the mapping stuff...wrist hr required.
Will check the Forerunner watches, but anything else?
Aren’t the wrist based HR monitors supposed to be a bit naff for mountain biking?
Mine works better than any chest strap ever did so it might not be as accurate but it's actually picking up the entire time. They save battery by doing less readings when your HRM is stable so they don't pick up the spikes as effectively.
Thanks for the input.
By the sounds of it, a Fenix is what ideally I could do with, but not sure if it’s worth the bank statement-related wrath when Mrs Bonni reviews our monthly outgoings.
Might be able to sneak the FR 235 past her however.
dcrainmaker has reviewed all of them pretty thoroughly
In the STW of recommend what you've got, I've got a tomtom Adventurer, it records & connects via bluetooth, the software & app has got loads better over the past year or so.
It records steps, calories, heart rate, syncs with strava, you can upload routes & follow a breadcrumb trail as well...
Oh it even tells the time....
Sorry DickBarton. I'm on nights so couldn't reply in time.
I've got the fenix 5 and it looks like a normal watch. Smaller than a G-Shock anyway.
That's how it sits on my average-size wrist anyway. Battery life is as advertised: 20-21 days just used as a watch, I've not managed to run the battery flat while using GPS yet but on some recent 5 hour+ tracked rides it used about 25-30% battery.
Wrist HRM is pretty good, recorded HR is very closely in line with the chest strap I got with it but maybe just a bit slower to respond. Doesn't work particularly well under water so you need a strap for that, but if you were deadly serious about HRM you'd be using a strap anyway I would have thought.
Can't comment on the sapphire versions because I couldn't justify the extra cost. No need for WiFi cos you can do everything through your phone, and I just use some screen protectors off Amazon, £5 for 3. They've saved it from some nasty impacts so far so well worth the money. Coating on the case is holding up extremely well too, only a tiny mark at the top where I clattered it off a rock while swimming. Watch straps are easily changed with the clever quickfit clasp but better to buy third party. The metal one I have was £14 off ebay rather than £170(!) direct from Garmin, and I have a nice brown leather one that was less than a tenner.
All in all it's been well worth the money. I shopped around and got the non-sapphire version with triathlon HR band for about £430 iirc.
Ta, Forerunner 935 appears to be the same but plastic and cheaper...as much as I want all the toys I'll never use them all, however, all useful to know and size look OK from your pic, thanks.