Requirements:

Navigation with turn notifications. Breadcrumb acceptable but maps would be nice.
Strava upload, don’t mind if it’s manual process
Pace indication
Inexpensive

Garmin Instinct.
No maps, but you can upload a track or waypoints etc to follow.
It syncs with Garmin Connect, and can set that to automatically upload to Strava.
Can tell you pace, speed, distance, time, heart rate etc.
Available for about £200.

I got a Lezyne Micro GPS when they were on offer about £60.

Does bread crumb, turns, Ant +, Bluetooth upload, change the screens from your phone.

In fact it’s a bargain compared to Garmin and puts them to shame.

Downside, it’s a bit bulky and the USB port rubber bung closure is very poor.

To be honest though for route finding/new routes I always end up using viewranger on my phone

In fact it’s a bargain compared to Garmin and puts them to shame.

Naw it’s just cheap. We had a few in the group bought them because they were cheap. All have got rid and bought Garmin’s as the lezynes were all glitchy buggy and shit.

All have got rid and bought Garmin’s as the lezynes were all glitchy buggy and shit.

Mine has worked perfectly since new.

The Suunto Ambit3 run does that. Well under budget with trail of bread crumbs. Currently £125 on wiggle

It lacks sensor integration (other than pulse) and pool swim metrics. You’ll need the sport for that. Still under budget I think

It’s great working from a pc. But I wouldn’t buy for use with blue tooth. The app can’t transfer routes to the watch and is buggy for connection

Dcrainmaker is the site for this stuff. Polar have options as does Tom Tom. From memory the Tom Tom lacks a compass which seems crucial

Hadn’t thought about swimming but that would be useful too.

I bought the Instinct largely for the breadcrumb nav, knowing it would be crap but would perhaps save me getting the phone/map out so often. It works better than expected but it still frustrating (same as on other Garmin bike devices I’ve had) when you run 200m up the right fork until the arrow starts pointing towards the left so back down the hill you go.
Transferring courses onto it is easy, if you’ve owned an Edge it’s the same process. Draw out your route on the Connect site, or import a gpx, then use the phone app to send it to the watch. You can use the Express software to do it all from the PC, but it doesn’t do Linux so I need the app.

Molly I have a Suunto Ambit Run if you want it. Very good watch but I replaced it with a Garmin 235 because the Suunto is a bit bulky. Sitting in a drawer at the moment, let me know if you are interested and I will get the bits together and send details.

Do you really need the mapping? I can see the point biking, where you can miss a turn off, and be at the bottom of a big **** off hill in seconds, but running is different.

I like my Garmin Fenix. Currently on a Fenix 5S, previously on a 3, both have a nice follow-the-green-line for navigation. The 5S suits my girly little wrists better than the 3. Unless you get one of the new Fenix 5+ then you won’t get pure mapping like a car GPS, but the line has been sufficient for me. Certainly cheaper options around, but you can probably pick up a 2nd hand Fenix 3 for not much. Although you can’t create routes in the Garmin Connect App, once you’ve made them on a browser you can upload them to the phone with the App. I only take mine off to charge it every few days.

Without going to the Plus, the Fenix 5X has proper mapping which has proven useful to me on the few occasions where I’ve used it. Really doesn’t fit the bill for “affordable” though. Has been great for finding routes when I’m away from home, or just run randomly for a bit and then get it to guide me back.

<opportunistic stealth-ad> I have a Garmin Fenix 3 going spare as I’ve just upgraded. Boxed with HRM, charger, USB etc. It’ll do breadcrumb routes with turn notification, battery lasts all day running GPS/navigation, it has wifi and bluetooth so it’ll upload straight to strava via phone or as soon as you walk in the front door. Let me know if interested and I’ll round up the bits and take some pics.

Do you really need the mapping? I can see the point biking, where you can miss a turn off, and be at the bottom of a big **** off hill in seconds, but running is different.

indeed sometimes i do wonder how people find their way to the fridge in the morning 😀

The Suunto Ambit3 run does that. Well under budget with trail of bread crumbs. Currently £125 on wiggle

The Ambit’s going cheap as it’ll stop working in 2020.

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2019/01/suunto-announces-decommission-plans-for-movescount-platform-impacting-some-watches.html

I use dwMap with my Garmin 235, both for cycling and running long distance trail routes.

Useful to plan a long run then have turn by turn directions or alerts when I veer off route. Saves me from running circles around fields if I can’t make out the path or style in the distance.

Link about Suunto isn’t great. But I linked to an Ambit3 these do sync to the new App. But currently that App doesn’t allow route transfer. I assume that will be added because they are still selling loads of Ambit3s

I still run a Garmin 800 ( cheap enough on evilbay) and Talkie Toaster maps .just upload the gpx and follow.

Prat here ..
didnt see running !

I need mapping and/or maps because I am often running in places I’ve never been before so I do it know my way around. And using a phone is rubbish because you have to hold it.

using a phone is rubbish because you have to hold it.

I find that I don’t look at the watch as often as I should do end up going off route, then getting the phone out to re route.

Basically now I just use my phone which is handy enough in back pocket of shorts

And using a phone is rubbish because you have to hold it

Well it seems to be the done thing now, along with a water bottle and a bag…. WTF is all that about.

handy enough in back pocket of shorts

Bloody hell Dunc, how big are your shorts? The litle pockets in shorts hold a house key or maybe a car key, even larger car keys with the fobs are a squeeze. I have a Samsung phone I could never get that in the pocket of my shorts.

Decathlon running shorts pocket fits a Samsung s7 perfectly, tight fitting so don’t feel it moving. I like a running instabanger, don’t use it for mapping as I have a decent sense of direction.