Advice on first GPS cycle computer

[Paradiddle]

Hi, new here and first post on the forum.

I got a road bike a couple of years ago and been mainly using it to commute or for short cardio sessions. Since my gym has closed in the lockdown I've been riding more for exercise and enjoyed finding new routes around London.

I'm now considering getting a cheap GPS cycle computer with these criteria:
- GPS (or equivalent) connection
- £100 or under - I feel like my phone already does most of what I need except for displaying information while riding
- has a good app which connects to Strava - segment alert is a bonus
- good compatibility to sensors - which I might get later down the line
- basic navigation - might encourage me to do longer rides in the future
- not a watch as I'd rather have something bike-mounted

I've been looking mostly at the Garmin Edge 130 or even a second-hand Edge 25 as they seem to tick all the boxes.

So my main question is what cycling computer should I get?
A) Garmin 130 or 25 - if so, what are your thoughts on them?
B) Other models or brands - for example is Bryton any good? The Wahoo bolt looks great but too expensive for my budget
C) Stick to my phone, maybe spend the money on cadence and HR sensors instead

Apologies if this is not the right sub-forum or if has been discussed before but I've done a search and couldn't find anything on the Garmin models mentioned.

[MIB2020]

Hi, I am in a somewhat similar position and have had quite a few good ideas from my post of a couple of days ago. I think if you look at my profile you can see the post and replies, hope this helps.

[Paradiddle]

Hi, I am in a somewhat similar position and have had quite a few good ideas from my post of a couple of days ago. I think if you look at my profile you can see the post and replies, hope this helps.

Cheers, I've had a read through your thread as well and there are some good inputs.

I guess I'm looking for people's thoughts on the cheaper Garmins or alternatives with the criteria I listed.

The Edge 130 is also going for £99 on Amazon at the moment.

I'm a trendy consumer. Just look at my HD1903 using hovercraft full of eels.

[ike2112]

The Garmin 130 navigation is pretty rubbish really, its just a black line to follow on a blank screen, there's no actual map around it so you have no context. You have to pre-determine a route, and upload it, so I'm not sure it would encourage longer rides.

It is however £99 brand new at Halfords right now, that's damn cheap.

I was given a Garmin 500 as a gift in 2013 and other than the lap/reset button giving up a couple years ago, never had any issues with it. It doesn't do Live Strava, but then I don't know how useful I'd find that anyway. Personally I'd weight up what you'll actually use and consider a 2nd hand 500 because you'll get that even cheaper.

[Paradiddle]

The Garmin 130 navigation is pretty rubbish really, its just a black line to follow on a blank screen, there's no actual map around it so you have no context. You have to pre-determine a route, and upload it, so I'm not sure it would encourage longer rides.

It is however £99 brand new at Halfords right now, that's damn cheap.

I was given a Garmin 500 as a gift in 2013 and other than the lap/reset button giving up a couple years ago, never had any issues with it. It doesn't do Live Strava, but then I don't know how useful I'd find that anyway. Personally I'd weight up what you'll actually use and consider a 2nd hand 500 because you'll get that even cheaper.

Thanks for the heads up on the Halfords deal! That's one more place I could get it at.

Yeah I thought the navigation looked really basic. I suppose it one thing I could live with as I don't mind stopping to check my phone once in a while. Point taken nonetheless.

I'll have a look at some of the older Garmins. Any thoughts on the app? Especially on additional data recorded compared to Strava and the route upload feature.

[freeflow]

Stick to your phone. Get a mapping app which does online mapping and allows ride statistics to be displayed. E.g locus maps, ismand. Etc. Get a power bank or external battery pack for your phone. Good phone mounts for stem/handlebars can be had for around a tenner.

[Paradiddle]

Stick to your phone. Get a mapping app which does online mapping and allows ride statistics to be displayed. E.g locus maps, ismand. Etc. Get a power bank or external battery pack for your phone. Good phone mounts for stem/handlebars can be had for around a tenner.

That's an option I'm seriously considering too. I do have a decent phone mount but I tend to keep my phone in my jersey/jacket pocket while riding in London to make sure it doesn't get swiped. I don't really mind mounting my phone to the stem when I'm out of the city.

Will look up those apps. Thanks.

[ike2112]

Before I got my Garmin, I had a spare phone that I used for the GPS only and strapped that on the bars. Used the 'Map My Run' app (does cycling too) before it got bought out by Underarmour. It was a pretty decent setup, but wet days were a nightmare and realistically I had to stop to switch between map and ride app - or even to see the time properly.

I'm not sure I'd put my actual phone on front of the bike, for numerous reasons.

Personally I found the Garmin 500 gave the info I needed on screen, synced to the sensors on bike and HR monitor, and I'd keep a set of headphones so if I was lost I could put on maps for direction and put the left earpiece in for verbal directions.
When I get home I plug the garmin into a short cable attached to my PC, it uploads/sync's in seconds, and I get a notification from Strava on my phone that it's all ready to review.

Frankly for all the tech invented since then, this still seems to work best for me, as much as I'm weighing up a plunge on the Garmin 520 plus or 530, I'm just not convinced I'll get much more out of it.

[Paradiddle]

Thanks again for sharing your experience with the Garmin ike2112

Yeah I suppose if I don't need navigation, which is most of the time, then I could stick with a phone in my pocket or a GPS unit to track my rides. I've seen a couple of my friends do the single earbud trick with their maps app as well. With the newer Garmin I believe you can link to the phone via bluetooth so no need for a cable link anymore.

I was pretty set on just sticking to my phone but then I've also just realised that Strava removed bluetooth sensor support which is pretty disappointing as I've been thinking of getting a cadence sensor as well.
[url]https://support.strava.com/hc/en-us/articles/360032979131-Removing-Direct-Sensor-Pairing-from-the-Strava-Mobile-App
[/url]

I guess I'll stick to my phone for now as it's good enough. If I want more stats then I might get the Edge 130 or look for a used 520/530.

[Rilkal47]

I am looking for one of these and from what I can tell your phone will do most of what a computer does just at the expense of your battery life and risk of damage.

Especially as Wahoo sell the Speed, Cadence and Heart monitor which connect via Bluetooth to your phone.

I’m planning on getting the sensors when they come back in to stock and the Wahoo Elemnt Bolt if I feel the need.

[Paradiddle]

I am looking for one of these and from what I can tell your phone will do most of what a computer does just at the expense of your battery life and risk of damage.

Especially as Wahoo sell the Speed, Cadence and Heart monitor which connect via Bluetooth to your phone.

What app do you use on your phone? I'm quite addicted to logging on Strava but as I mentioned in my last post it looks like they've removed sensor connectivity completely.

I've got a OnePlus 7t and so far Strava hasn't impacted my battery life much and feels pretty safe in my jersey pocket. I usually bring my phone anyway in case of emergencies.

[Rilkal47]

I am looking for one of these and from what I can tell your phone will do most of what a computer does just at the expense of your battery life and risk of damage.

Especially as Wahoo sell the Speed, Cadence and Heart monitor which connect via Bluetooth to your phone.

What app do you use on your phone? I'm quite addicted to logging on Strava but as I mentioned in my last post it looks like they've removed sensor connectivity completely.

I've got a OnePlus 7t and so far Strava hasn't impacted my battery life much and feels pretty safe in my jersey pocket. I usually bring my phone anyway in case of emergencies.

I have just moved over to Strava from Map My Ride but I am missing the calorie counter from MMR even if it was ridiculous (1200 calories on a 2 hour ride) I also watched the GCN video on Kamoot yesterday so I downloaded that and will try it out next time.

It works a little differently on iPhone I think because the sensors connect to the Wahoo app. That, Kamoot and Strava then connect to the health app and are able to all talk to one another through that. Maybe they can talk to one another directly on Android?

Wahoo also has its own health tracking app in addtion to the sensor app. But like all of them any sort of good functionality is behind a paywall and i'll be buggered if im paying for 4 different apps.