- 2 weeks ago
GPS or multisport watches are becoming ever more sophisticated. Even the mid-range ones are starting to outperform most cycling computers: not only do they have the same level of functionality and post-ride data analysis but because they’re on your wrist they can be smarter: they track what’s going on with your body when you’re off the bike as well as on it. And also because they’re on your wrist they’ll track pretty much any sport you do, whether that’s running, swimming, hiking, rowing, skiing or even golfing!
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00:00Should your next bike computer be a watch?
00:02GPS watches or multi-sport watches are becoming ever more sophisticated.
00:06Their functionality is as good as or better than most cycling computers now.
00:11And because they're on your wrist, they can be smart, they're not restricted to bike measurements,
00:16they can track your fitness, they can track your sleep, they can track your breathing,
00:20they can track pretty much everything.
00:22So the thing we're going to ask today is, do you really need a bike computer anymore?
00:26Will a watch do?
00:33So most of us use either a computer or a watch, which I have to admit I have been using
00:38recently,
00:39in order to collect data about their predominantly cycling, being cycling weekly,
00:44that's our primary concern, but also other areas of health and fitness.
00:49Can you go through with me the differences in terms of the data that I can collect on a computer
00:54versus the data that I can collect on a wrist-based watch?
00:57Yeah, so first of all, I mean, the watch is going to do the same things that your computer does,
01:03the same basic things. It's going to pair with peripheral sensors,
01:06it's going to pair with your power meter and your heart rate monitor first of all.
01:09GPS watches also have their own heart rate monitor wrist base,
01:14which is the green light that wakes us up in the middle of the night.
01:19So they don't even need a heart rate monitor, a chest strap.
01:23In terms of data collection, you can customize the screens to display the metrics that you want to see.
01:28With the Wahoo Element Rival, you've got perfect zoom, which means you can basically narrow it down to your favorite
01:36metric,
01:36which is like speed if you're on your bike probably, or you can zoom out again to include your heart
01:41rate monitor and your power,
01:43average speed, all that kind of stuff.
01:45Where they're really good is that they can just collect so much more data than a bike computer.
01:50Something like the Garmin 1030 here, it's going to give you a VO2 estimate, VO2 max estimate and an FTP
01:56estimate.
01:56It's quite a clunky kind of thing, really, compared to something like any of these, the Suunto 5,
02:02the Garmin Fenix 6, which we've got there, which, you know, they're on your wrist 24-7,
02:07all the time they're tracking your fitness.
02:09They also do stuff that wearables do, that Fitbits do, Apple Watches do, which is calorie burn, step counting.
02:17It seems to me like the computer normal sort of head unit that we've been using for the last few
02:23years,
02:23they are capable of tracking stress, but it's something that you need to make a distinct effort to do each
02:32day,
02:32whereas the wearable watch is on your wrist all the time and just constantly communicating.
02:37So it makes it more of a background check that's just part of your life without you having to really
02:43kind of make any effort.
02:43Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I mean, there are even really sophisticated things that they can do.
02:48The new Garmin Enduro, I think the Fenix 6 does the same.
02:53It's got an oximeter where it can actually measure the oxygen levels in your blood.
02:57So they can just collect so much data and it's really up to you whether you want to use it
03:01or not.
03:01But basically there's loads of data and it's all there.
03:09Well, GPS used to be a real battery killer for watches because they're small.
03:13They've got smaller batteries, obviously.
03:15But the latest ones are really, especially Wahoo here, Wahoo really up the ante with a battery life in GPS
03:22mode of 24 hours for the element rival.
03:25More recently, we've just seen the Garmin Enduro release, which has, let me just check this, 80 hours claimed in
03:32GPS mode.
03:33And it's helped out by a power glass solar charging lens, which is basically a solar panel via the glass,
03:42which gives you an extra 10 hours of charge if that's enabled.
03:47Whereas head units like the 1030 or the 1030 plus now, 20 or 24 hours, I think it is for
03:55the 1030 plus, which is considerably less, obviously, even though until recently that was considered pretty good.
04:04The Wahoo Element Rome here does 17 hours.
04:09So you can see it's quite a lot less now with computers.
04:13So the watch is really, really, they're really up there with the battery.
04:16It's not anything to worry about anymore.
04:18I mean, that does lead me to the question that the head unit might be 24 hours, but that might
04:23last you several weeks worth of riding.
04:26So does that still mean that the head unit wins out there?
04:29The Enduro and the Phoenix 6, you know, you've got sort of 70 or 80 hours in GPS mode.
04:34In just smartwatch mode, you've got, I think Wahoo said something like two weeks for the element rival.
04:41So no matter, you're going to have to do a lot of riding to really worry about charging it up
04:48again.
04:48Yeah.
04:53All right. So I'm looking for a win for the computer, I have to admit.
04:58What about aerodynamics?
04:59I've got a computer on the front of my bike and in an ideal world, it's paired with a mount
05:05that is more aerodynamic.
05:06That is such a thing.
05:09Versus having this on my wrist.
05:11I have a horrible feeling that the watch is going to win out again.
05:14But go on, let me know.
05:15Yeah, you're right about the aerodynamic mount.
05:17I mean, the Wahoo computers, the original Bolt was designed with Demetrius Katsanis, the designer of the UK sport track
05:25bike.
05:25And they actually concentrated on making the Wahoo more aerodynamic than the other leading computer.
05:31And they succeeded.
05:33But a computer is still going to be less aerodynamic on your bike than no computer at all.
05:39So there are still just a few watts, but watts nonetheless to be saved from wearing a watch on your
05:45wrist.
05:45And there's no aerodynamic penalty, I assume, or no notable aerodynamic penalty for having this on my wrist?
05:51I reckon, they probably, I don't know, how many do you think? A watt?
05:58But I mean, the other thing is that if you're riding a time trial bike, I mean, this was measured
06:04with a road bike, designed for a road bike for an out front mount.
06:06If you're on a time trial bike, quite often there isn't really the place, it doesn't suit an out front
06:11mount.
06:11You can't literally fit one on because of the integrated bar.
06:14I've fashioned some quite interesting kind of contraptions out of zip ties and mounts and positioned it between the extensions.
06:23But no, it's not, it's not naturally easy, is it?
06:26Yeah, and there's always the chance that you're going to hide it anyway from, if your elbows are close together,
06:31you're not going to be able to see it if it's down there anyway.
06:33Or you accidentally knock the button and it's very upsetting.
06:35Absolutely, yeah.
06:37So, yeah, so basically, I mean, wherever it is, it's not going to be more aerodynamic than a watch.
06:43And the next metric we're going to look at is weight.
06:46And I'm pretty sure I know what's going to win here.
06:48But go on, tell me the numbers.
06:50OK, so something like the 1030 or the 1030 plus, that's over 100 grams.
06:55That's about 120, 123 grams, something like that.
06:58Smart watches, you're looking at just 50 grams, around the 50 gram mark.
07:04And I mean, I know it's only a small amount, you know, 50 grams or 70 grams here and there.
07:08But cycling is a weight obsessed sport.
07:10As we know, people always want what's lighter.
07:12Exactly. If you're a hill climber, you're interested in that.
07:15I suppose that you do have to remember that you are going to be carrying that around on your wrist
07:18all the time.
07:18And I would say for I do find that it is a noticeable weight actually on my wrist.
07:24So although it's lighter, it's in a place where you're going to notice it much more than perhaps adding it
07:29to your bike that weighs, say, eight kilos.
07:31Yeah, yeah.
07:37So, so far, the watches is winning out, really.
07:40It's got better battery life, it's more aerodynamic, it's lighter and it collects data constantly and it collects more of
07:47it.
07:48Now, the head unit, the humble head unit that we've been using for many years has to have its positives.
07:54One of those first really obvious positives is potentially navigation.
07:58So how do they perform against each other there?
08:00OK, well, basically, that's going to come down to screen size.
08:04And with a GPS watch, you're lucky if you get a display that's bigger than an inch and a half.
08:09You're not really going to be able to look at a map properly on that, even though the Garmin Fenix
08:136 and the new Enduro, they do actually have proper mapping features.
08:17But you're really going to be squinting to look at them.
08:20And if you're riding your bike, you're going to have to go like this.
08:24You're definitely going to have to take one hand off the bar to look at it properly.
08:27So it's really not ideal.
08:29Something like the 1030 or the 1030 plus, that's got a 3.5 inch screen, which is like home cinema
08:36like compared to that.
08:38So, yeah, you can follow a map.
08:41It's easy.
08:42The map's right there.
08:43You can follow it.
08:44No problem at all.
08:44So, yes, the computer, even the, you know, even the smaller ones, the Roam has a 1.7 inch screen
08:53and that's fine for following mapping as well.
08:56Mm hmm.
08:57And if I were to load a route, this is something I do all the time on my Garmin 1030,
09:01which we have on the table there.
09:02But if I had to load a route onto my computer, obviously I follow it.
09:06It gives me left, right directions.
09:07Can the watch do the same thing?
09:09After a fashion.
09:11Yeah.
09:11Yeah.
09:12It's not really necessarily turn by turn breadcrumb.
09:16The more sophisticated watches like the new Garmin Enduro can actually navigate to a place from the watch without you
09:23having to upload the GPX file.
09:26But it's nowhere near as good.
09:29The watches and the computers both use the same satellite navigation systems.
09:35There's GPS and the Russian GLONASS that they both commonly use.
09:39So accuracy is pretty much the same.
09:42It's all just down to the screen size, just how readable they are.
09:46The computer's position on your stem or in front of your stem is obviously so much better.
09:51If you're cycling, you just look at it.
09:52It's there right under your nose.
09:54You can see where you're going.
09:55You can see all of your metrics, even the Wahoo Element Roam, which has a 1.7 inch screen.
10:02You can easily look at the maximum 11 metrics on it all at once.
10:05No problem at all without squinting.
10:07I mean, there is also mountain biking though.
10:10I have used the watch for mountain biking, gravel riding.
10:14There's pros and cons of that.
10:15Obviously I'm off road, so I'm not so likely to constantly keep checking the map because actually I'm focused on
10:20what's in front of me.
10:22And it's also a little bit safer, I suppose.
10:24But then where are I going off in the wrong direction?
10:28I have no idea because I haven't got a map in front of me.
10:31So I guess it's pros and cons.
10:37It does leave us with one final thing to look at and that is price.
10:42These watches do an awful lot.
10:45Do they come with a price to match?
10:47So yes, they are more expensive.
10:49The top Garmin watch, the Enduro, costs a penny under £700.
10:53Now compared to the top head units, the 1030 Plus is now a penny under £520.
10:59So it's £180 cheaper than the Garmin Enduro watch, which is £180 is quite a lot of money.
11:05One of the cheapest GPS multisport watches that does all the smart stuff is the Sigma ID Tri.
11:12That's around £160 depending on where you look.
11:15So yeah, on average the GPS smart watches are more expensive.
11:19OK, so we began this video with the question, should your next cycling computer be a watch?
11:25What's the answer?
11:26OK, so if you're a pure roadie, you don't want any fitness tracking.
11:30You don't want any adaptive training advice.
11:31You don't want any calorie burn.
11:33You don't want any step count.
11:35All you want is your head unit there on your bike in front of you tracking your cycling.
11:39Then yes, a head unit is all you need and it's going to be cheaper as well.
11:44And what if you're venturing outside of cycling, you're doing a few other sports.
11:49Is that where really the watch starts to become a more inviting option?
11:53Yeah, I mean, if you're doing other sports, I mean, cyclists these days, we go swimming and we go running
11:59as well as our cycling.
12:00We don't do them all one after the other.
12:05But if you're doing other sports, if you're doing activities, if you're interested in your general fitness, your body condition,
12:11your recovery, all those things, then yeah, a watch, absolutely a watch.
12:16And you do. I mean, the honest truth is that my Garmin 1030 down there has a massive chunk missing
12:22out of it.
12:23And that that is from where I did go running, holding my Garmin because I didn't have another option of
12:29recording where I'd gone.
12:30So, you know, there are the case in point.
12:39But can a watch actually replace a cycling computer? Would any of us have a watch as our only device?
12:48I don't think we would really, would we?
12:50At this point, no, I can't imagine. I would never line up to a road race with my trusty watch.
12:56It's not going to happen.
12:57No, no.
12:57I would feel deeply unprepared.
13:00Ideally, if you can afford it, if you're that kind of person who does lots of sports, lots of activities
13:05and is interested in your in fitness tracking, then you do need both.
13:10But as we've seen, it's getting to be an expensive business owning both.
13:16So really, what you've got to do is work out how much you can justify spending on your hobby.
13:21There is a certain issue, though, if you are choosing to use both in that you do have a potentially
13:28a data disconnect unless you're very, very dedicated.
13:31So as an example, I've been using the Garmin Fenix watch and I've been using that when I've been doing
13:37a bit of cross training, a bit of gym, a bit of running.
13:38And that obviously all goes straight to Garmin Connect.
13:42And if I go for a bike ride on my and I'm using the computer, if I'm doing a bike
13:46ride outside, everything goes onto the computer and it also goes to Garmin Connect.
13:51But then if I do an indoor ride on the Sufferfest or Zwift, that app sends the data directly to
13:59Training Peaks, bypasses Garmin Connect.
14:02And that means that all of the body battery and all the incredible things that this watch can do for
14:08me, it's not actually going to be able to do that.
14:11Yeah, it's going to skew your watch's data, really, isn't it?
14:13Exactly, which is entirely user error. It's because I have been too lazy to wear the watch whilst doing my
14:19Zwift session and then upload it.
14:20So it's my problem. It's not Garmin's problem.
14:23But I expect I'm probably not in the minority in being perhaps not that dedicated to making sure that all
14:30of this data is perfectly compiled.
14:32OK, so Simon, you've spent a good amount of time testing all of these.
14:36You've written an entire feature on it. Any final thoughts, things people should consider?
14:39Well, I think if you if you enjoy gadgets and you enjoy data, then you've got as much as you
14:46can really deal with here.
14:48But as we've said, you've got to be thorough with your with your scheduling of wearing these devices or using
14:54these devices.
14:55And you've got to be very thorough with filing your data. Otherwise, it's not as accurate as you'd like.
14:59But if you if you want to do all that, if you enjoy it all, then owning a watch and
15:05the head unit, probably if you can afford this,
15:07if you want to spend that much money on them, then that probably is the best thing for you.
15:12So there is your answer. I hope you liked this video. If you did, please do hit the like button.
15:17Let us know if you've got any comments in the comments section below and subscribe to the channel if you
15:22want to see more of our content.
15:31Please, please.
15:33I'll see you next time.
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