What computer do you recommend?

[Crispin]

Since having increasing problems using my phone to run my Strava on my rides I am beginning to seriously consider having to buy a computer.

Initially it seems a choice between Wahoo and Garmin. The main factor for me is that it syncs easily with my Strava account. Having had a long chat yesterday at a shop selling only Garmin it strikes me there is a lot of phaffing around to sync with Garmin. Is this true?

Wahoo claims to do a full sync properly, is this true?

Finally with any of these do you need to have Strava running on your phone while using the computer? If this is the case it kind of makes the computer pointless.

Maybe Strava should develop their own brand of cycle computer, now I would buy that.

[cycleruk]

My Garmin (810) sync's to Strava through my mobile or through the PC.
I don't know if you have to have the Garmin Connect app' for this to happen but I have.
My 810 will bluetooth to my phone and Strava comes through shortly after.

[Crispin]

Thanks for that.

Does it do the heart monitor too?

[Psamathe]

What do you use your GPS for? i.e. for navigation places your don't know following routes previously loaded or for training on routes you know well and use GPS for connecting to heart rate, cadence, etc. so you can later analyse your training.

I suspect the answer to your question will depend on how you want to use the device.

Ian

[jfagan]

Wahoo all day every day. 1 its a lot cheaper than the equivelant Garmin so you can then spend more on bike upgrades, the battery life is significantly better so it will last up to 18 hours like Wahoo says as opposed to Garmin who only claim it but then lasts only 6hours. Ease of use and connectivity puts it way above the Garmin aswell.

No way would i move back to a Garmin.

[Paulatic]

Don’t rule out a Lezyne. Great battery life , easy to read even with my poor eyesight. Will automatically sync to Strava at end of ride. Gives you Strava live segments too if you’re into that sort of thing.

[Psamathe]

Wahoo all day every day. 1 its a lot cheaper than the equivelant Garmin so you can then spend more on bike upgrades, the battery life is significantly better so it will last up to 18 hours like Wahoo says as opposed to Garmin who only claim it but then lasts only 6hours. Ease of use and connectivity puts it way above the Garmin aswell.

No way would i move back to a Garmin.

Depends on your Garmin and what you are doing with it. I've had my Wahoo down to 5% after a day's ride and I've never had my Garmin below around 75% battery left. Both new (so battery "fatigue" not an issue).

People talk about Garmins as though there is only one "Garmin" device but there are actually several, each with different target uses and different characteristics.

(I have had both Garmin and Wahoo so not 2nd hand "experience" of others)

Ian

[Psamathe]

Don’t rule out a Lezyne. Great battery life , easy to read even with my poor eyesight. Will automatically sync to Strava at end of ride. Gives you Strava live segments too if you’re into that sort of thing.

I have no experience of Lezyne GPS units (I'd ruled them out because of a feature I needed I thought they didn't have and then discovered here that they do include a unit with the feature I needed!).

But I have always been very impressed with their other kit - well made and well designed and keeps working.

Ian

[cycleruk]

Thanks for that.

Does it do the heart monitor too?

Yes - Heart monitor and cadence if you want.

[jfagan]

Wahoo all day every day. 1 its a lot cheaper than the equivelant Garmin so you can then spend more on bike upgrades, the battery life is significantly better so it will last up to 18 hours like Wahoo says as opposed to Garmin who only claim it but then lasts only 6hours. Ease of use and connectivity puts it way above the Garmin aswell.

No way would i move back to a Garmin.

Depends on your Garmin and what you are doing with it. I've had my Wahoo down to 5% after a day's ride and I've never had my Garmin below around 75% battery left. Both new (so battery "fatigue" not an issue).

People talk about Garmins as though there is only one "Garmin" device but there are actually several, each with different target uses and different characteristics.

(I have had both Garmin and Wahoo so not 2nd hand "experience" of others)

Ian

Regardless of the countless Garmins that have been made, they still cant compete with how easy and simple the Wahoo units are to use. And the fact that there have been countless re makes of garmin models just proves that the previous generation. They tried to fix their problems with a 'new and different' model but at the end of the day when the wahoo is giving you all the data that you need on one organised page, while connected to all your moniters and devices with battery to spare and the Garmin battery had died a good few hours ago, i know which unit served me best.

[robing]

Wahoo all day every day. 1 its a lot cheaper than the equivelant Garmin so you can then spend more on bike upgrades, the battery life is significantly better so it will last up to 18 hours like Wahoo says as opposed to Garmin who only claim it but then lasts only 6hours. Ease of use and connectivity puts it way above the Garmin aswell.

No way would i move back to a Garmin.

Depends on your Garmin and what you are doing with it. I've had my Wahoo down to 5% after a day's ride and I've never had my Garmin below around 75% battery left. Both new (so battery "fatigue" not an issue).

People talk about Garmins as though there is only one "Garmin" device but there are actually several, each with different target uses and different characteristics.

(I have had both Garmin and Wahoo so not 2nd hand "experience" of others)

Ian

Regardless of the countless Garmins that have been made, they still cant compete with how easy and simple the Wahoo units are to use. And the fact that there have been countless re makes of garmin models just proves that the previous generation. They tried to fix their problems with a 'new and different' model but at the end of the day when the wahoo is giving you all the data that you need on one organised page, while connected to all your moniters and devices with battery to spare and the Garmin battery had died a good few hours ago, i know which unit served me best.

+1. As a long term Garmin user I switched to Wahoo 6 months ago. It's been a revelation. It will do a century plus with loads battery left. The display is much clearer on the Wahoo in sunlight. It's much easier to customise screens and zoom in and out than the Garmin. It really comes in to its own on navigation. It's so clear and the big advantage over Garmin is you can use your phone to navigate to somewhere new and then send the route to the Wahoo. I used it for UK and France end to ends this year. It made the navigation a doddle.

In regards to Strava, they both synch with it. Wahoo has WiFi, not all Garmin's do. Also you can copy routes from Strava on to the Wahoo.

[Mick F]

It depends on which Garmin you have.
Mine takes a Li battery, or AA batteries both rechargeable and off-the-shelf alkaline.

[Psamathe]

It depends on which Garmin you have.
Mine takes a Li battery, or AA batteries both rechargeable and off-the-shelf alkaline.

I think people seem to be overlooking that there is more than one model of “Garmin”.

All manufactures bring out new models over time using new technology, new features, etc. To criticise a company for this seems daft.

And so much depends on what the user wants to use the unit for and OP still has not clarified this!

Ian

[robing]

What Wahoo have done, rather than a plethora of confusing models have designed a simple unit with brilliant functionality - excellent battery life, clear display, flawless navigation. And much better smartphone integration.

[gazza_d]

I used a Garmin Edge 200 for about 6 years.

I switched to a Lezyne Macro GPS in the summer and it's great. The Macro is big enough to read. It doesn;t some of the stuff such as Glonass, barometric altimeter or ant+, but I don't need them anyway for just touring and commuting. The computer was just over £74 from Rose in Germany,

It uploads quickly and automatically to Strava at the end of the rides. One really nice feature is the "satnav" where you can use the phone app to plan a route and you then get turn-by-turn on the computer display. It's really good and far better then just following a line.

Battery life on it is excellent and it connects via a standard micro-USB cable for data and charging. I particularly didn't want a proprietary cradle or cable, micro-usb cables seem to be 10 a penny and available anywhere.

I even wrote a few words here about it http://cyclingsouthtyne.blogspot.com/2018/07/lezyne-macro-gps-review.html