Trackers

[Bobsiii]

Do you track uphill/downhill info on your rides? What do you use? Most info I want to track can come from the display, but not the incline info. Are there apps or hardware available? Lots of hills around Denver, want to be able to measure progress as well as plan trips.

 

[J.R.]

I use a Garmin activity tracker with it's own on board gps and heartrate monitor. I really like it a lot. I no longer even zero my trip odometer as I have all the information in the app. With it's own gps I don't have to bother with the phone at all. Some trackers must use the gps on a phone. That's what I first purchased and I found that to be an issue. Another convenience is I can read texts on the watch and also get notifications of incoming calls. I tend to leave the phone on silent all the time.

A couple of random screen shots from different off road rides.



There's also maps and health statistic screens. You can auto upload to Strava and other social media which I do not do. It's interesting to look back over a years statistics. It even tallies that up too. A purchase I haven't regretted.

 

[batmick1]

I use the Cyclemeter app on my iPhone. I pay for the full version because it is worth it. It can even integrate data from a power meter and HRM if you need it. I have my phone in a Rokform rugged case with a stem mount. Works great for me.

 

[Bobsiii]

I use a Garmin activity tracker with it's own on board gps and heartrate monitor. I really like it a lot.

J.R. which model Garmin do you have? Their designated "cycling" trackers are way more money than I want to spend.

 

[J.R.]

J.R. which model Garmin do you have? Their designated "cycling" trackers are way more money than I want to spend.

I use the Garmin Vivosmart HR Plus (Plus is the GPS)

I didn't go with the "cycling" specific model due to several reasons: user reviews, other activity tracking and of course price. Real user reviews are what really convinced me. I think I paid ~$159 almost two years ago. Price has come down a lot since 2017.

I've been casually looking at newer models. Wading through all these tracker specs and reviews is tough to find the facts. So many people strap it on straight out of the box and if it doesn't work perfect on the first day or first activity, they'll post a bad review. One needs to program these with personal data and the device somewhat learns from the user's activity.

I never thought I'd like a tracker as much as I do now.