Cycling UK Forum

It's new bike day, Ribble Endurance SLR Shimano 105 DI2 and I was looking for opinions.on the above. Is it really worth getting either a Garmin or Wahoo or is it simply more sense just to use phone and my current health band watch? Their not cheap and I could get some other stuff for the price I'll pay for even the basic model of each of these.

Are they a waste of money given the amount of stuff your phone/watch can do. Im only into stats, don't use GPS or maps part of the fun is to discover a new route just by exploring.

ForwardGhoul wrote: ↑24 Aug 2024, 5:45pm It's new bike day, Ribble Endurance SLR Shimano 105 DI2 and I was looking for opinions.on the above. Is it really worth getting either a Garmin or Wahoo or is it simply more sense just to use phone and my current health band watch? Their not cheap and I could get some other stuff for the price I'll pay for even the basic model of each of these.

Are they a waste of money given the amount of stuff your phone/watch can do. Im only into stats, don't use GPS or maps part of the fun is to discover a new route just by exploring.

If you really are concerned primarily with the pleasures of cycling rather than the "pleasures" of being mentally whipped by data-generating gizmos telling you that you're not good enough then clear any and all gizmos from your bars, wrists and pockets. It leaves room for a good bell and a flashing light to warn the near-blind car "drivers" that you're having the cycling pleasures and don't care for a detour to the hospital.

Personally I have no phone, GPS, watch or any of those dang data devils (on the bike or off it). Long ago I had an olde fashioned bike computer but put that away in a dark drawer too as even those will sneer at your lack of performance. These days the electronic gizmos are also spying on you so that businesses and governments can discover your mental buttons then press them. Soon one becomes a bio-robot, good only for shopping or voting for greedy neolib money-grubbers.

*************
I began cycling 65 years ago, when no such gizmos were available. One could get a tick-tick mileage counter that used a protuberance on a spoke to mechanically click a small gizmo with teeny cogs in it but even those were an annoyance - ticking and also telling you that the miles were not enough. I preferred to listen to my body purring with the endorphins whilst gazing at the fine scenery of Northern Ingurland. (I gaze at the poetry of West Wales landscapes these days).

A lack of data gizmo reports on your bars or wrist to constantly check will also mean that you're less likely to ride into the back of that parked car!

And yes - you'll save hundreds or perhaps thousands of pound notes, which you can spend on a new merino jersey; or even two!

If you are into numbers a very cheap Garmin type thing will work well and thus you don't have to cart the phone around on the bars (if at all). Even a basic one will allow you to down load data.

ForwardGhoul wrote: ↑24 Aug 2024, 5:45pm It's new bike day, Ribble Endurance SLR Shimano 105 DI2 and I was looking for opinions.on the above. Is it really worth getting either a Garmin or Wahoo or is it simply more sense just to use phone and my current health band watch? Their not cheap and I could get some other stuff for the price I'll pay for even the basic model of each of these.

Are they a waste of money given the amount of stuff your phone/watch can do. Im only into stats, don't use GPS or maps part of the fun is to discover a new route just by exploring.

Please could you list what you want the devices to do.

Thanks

Jonathan

ForwardGhoul wrote: ↑24 Aug 2024, 5:45pm It's new bike day, Ribble Endurance SLR Shimano 105 DI2 and I was looking for opinions.on the above. Is it really worth getting either a Garmin or Wahoo or is it simply more sense just to use phone and my current health band watch? Their not cheap and I could get some other stuff for the price I'll pay for even the basic model of each of these.

Are they a waste of money given the amount of stuff your phone/watch can do. Im only into stats, don't use GPS or maps part of the fun is to discover a new route just by exploring.

As Jdsk asks - what do you want (or expect) a dedicated GPS unit to do over and above what a phone does?

You say you want stats - is that the basics like average speed and distance or is it more in depth stuff like power, cadence and so on?

Just to add, you can pair your Di2 with a Garmin or Wahoo as well, it gives you an extra screen of gear info, battery life and so on.

Also it's much tidier having a GPS unit on the bars than attaching a phone.

So you’ve bought a pretty much top of the range bike with all the bells and whistles, and you’re going to stick a big, fugly phone on the handlebars?

You can get a Garmin Edge 130, Mk1 Wahoo Bolt or Bryton for not too much money. Even cheaper if you go secondhand.

Up until now I have relied on just my phone for navigation (Komoot for planned routes and OS maps app for random follow your nose type stuff), but I am starting to reconsider…

The main issues are battery life (I could probably mitigate this with Komoot - the main culprit) and the rain playing havoc with the screen. I’m also getting fed up with having to unclip it each time I want to take a photo (which can be quite often).

I do have an old Garmin watch to record stats and update Strava, but I could also return to wearing my nice watches, if I had a bar-mounted GPS device

I use a GPS for navigation when touring in unfamiliar areas. A phone can do the same, but you need to have it on the handlebars, which it is not designed for, whereas a bike GPS is. I still carry a phone for plotting routes during overnight stops or when things go pear-shaped during a days ride.

It's almost 20 years since I used paper maps while touring.

Dedicated devices will always be better than a phone for this:
Much more compact.
Much better battery life.
Much more weather resistance.
Better, more secure mount.
Much better GPS accuracy.

I would always recommend a GPS device over non GPS for the ease. Attach to the bike, power on and go. You may have wait a few seconds to get a lock, I habitually turn my GPS on first.
You may not want to upload data or use things like mapping at first, but they are useful functions. Computers that'll do that can be easily bought for less than £100.
I bought a IGPSport BSC 300 for just over £100 and it has a colour screen, full offline maps and connects to things like cadence and heart sensors for less than half the cost of something like a Garmin or a wahoo.

Thanks to everyone for their replies, looking at these it seems that getting a Garmin or Wahoo is the way to go. I bought a bike that has an aero pedigree (but it's roots are for distance) it would be ridiculous to mount a phone on Level 5 Carbon bars. To answer Jonathan I'm only really interested in Heart, Cadence, AVG Speed and more importantly miles cycled however if this unit gives me all that plus GPS then what's the harm. And no I don't really want to spoil the look of a bike that has internal cabling and a wireless group set. I know that seems childish and petty but a big phone mount on an aero bike would be ridiculous. Ribble sell a front mount designed to attach to the bars and I will have a scout around for a cheap Garmin. Even secondhand.

TrevA wrote: ↑24 Aug 2024, 8:13pm So you’ve bought a pretty much top of the range bike with all the bells and whistles, and you’re going to stick a big, fugly phone on the handlebars?

You can get a Garmin Edge 130, Mk1 Wahoo Bolt or Bryton for not too much money. Even cheaper if you go secondhand.

That's an excellent point and we cyclists do like things to be tidy and neat. Yeah it looks like given the opinions here I'll go with a basic Garmin with a front mount.

ForwardGhoul wrote: ↑25 Aug 2024, 8:08am Ribble sell a front mount designed to attach to the bars and I will have a scout around for a cheap Garmin. Even secondhand.

It's worth future proofing yourself and getting something decent that can be paired wirelessly with the shifters. When Garmin release a new model, you can usually find the previous model available on significant discounts.

rareposter wrote: ↑24 Aug 2024, 7:15pm You say you want stats - is that the basics like average speed and distance or is it more in depth stuff like power, cadence and so on?

Just to add, you can pair your Di2 with a Garmin or Wahoo as well, it gives you an extra screen of gear info, battery life and so on.

ForwardGhoul wrote: ↑25 Aug 2024, 8:08am ...I'm only really interested in Heart, Cadence, AVG Speed and more importantly miles cycled however if this unit gives me all that plus GPS then what's the harm. And no I don't really want to spoil the look of a bike that has internal cabling and a wireless group set. I know that seems childish and petty but a big phone mount on an aero bike would be ridiculous. Ribble sell a front mount designed to attach to the bars and I will have a scout around for a cheap Garmin. Even secondhand.

Thanks

On the physiological side: have you decided what sensors you'd like, and do you favour a particular brand?

And what record system for your performance over time, and whether you want to compare it to other cyclists'?

On the navigation side: do you want moving map and turn-by-turn navigation, and have you decided which maps you'd like to use and how many you'd like the device to carry?

Jonathan

It's also probably worth thinking about the screen quality size and battery life, whichever type of device you choose.

The screen is best assessed in the real device, but you can mock it up with screen dumps printed out and held in place on the bike. This is especially important if you wear corrective glasses or lenses.

Jonathan

As said a basic GPS will cover your requirements. A compass feature can be v useful in letting you know whether you're heading in the planned direction.
A GPS with mapping will have all the features you want in addition. Mapping can be useful if you're following a route on the device, or if you sort of know where you're going but need a map view to avoid missing a tricky turn.
Unless you get a device bigger than the Garmin 500 series the screens aren't that good for working out a route or seeing where a road goes. It's much easier to do that on the phone. I expect you'll still carry a phone anyway for emergencies/ photos etc.