Cycling Computer Advice

lcoh

Good morning, quick question but not necessarily a quick answer! I’m a newish road biker covering about 100 to 150km per week on an old Carrera TdF and enjoy using Strava to keep me motivated. At my age, I’ll never race but I need something up to £200 to assist. I’m looking at a Garmin Edge Touring Plus or a Polar v650. Any advice welcomed.

shirley_basso

What metrics would you like?

I use a Garmin edge 500 and paired with cadence and HRM it gives me everything I need on a very clear screen. Only downside is no Bluetooth/WiFi so everything needs to be connected by cable to upload. You can likely get one very cheap nowadays.

If buying again I'd get a wahoo element bolt which is meant to be excellent for both metrics and routing, very user friendly and is wireless for saving routes etc and uploading rides. May be a smidge more than £200 for the full bundle.

lcoh

The usual metrics and gradient if available but when I go off for three hours on holidays, I need a decent map/routing function.

StillGoing

You can get a Wahoo Elemnt or Elemnt Bolt around that price range that will do everything you need and more. Excellent devices with clear imaging due to the black and white display that makes it easier to read in dull and bright sunlight. Coupled with Wahoo's after sales attention, Wahoo devices don't suffer the scurge that Garmin users do. I say that as someone that has owned and used umpteen Garmin devices and bought the bull that there was nothing out there that could compete. Well, Wahoo does and have kicked Garmin's butt.

yiannism

Shirley Basso wrote:

What metrics would you like?

I use a Garmin edge 500 and paired with cadence and HRM it gives me everything I need on a very clear screen. Only downside is no Bluetooth/WiFi so everything needs to be connected by cable to upload. You can likely get one very cheap nowadays.

If buying again I'd get a wahoo element bolt which is meant to be excellent for both metrics and routing, very user friendly and is wireless for saving routes etc and uploading rides. May be a smidge more than £200 for the full bundle.

Exactly my thoughts.

pulinski

philthy3 wrote:

You can get a Wahoo Elemnt or Elemnt Bolt around that price range that will do everything you need and more. Excellent devices with clear imaging due to the black and white display that makes it easier to read in dull and bright sunlight. Coupled with Wahoo's after sales attention, Wahoo devices don't suffer the scurge that Garmin users do. I say that as someone that has owned and used umpteen Garmin devices and bought the bull that there was nothing out there that could compete. Well, Wahoo does and have kicked Garmin's butt.

+1

dstev55

Elemnt Bolt unless you haven't got grwat eyesight then get the bigger Elemnt.

They're all you'll ever need from a bike computer.

lcoh

Thank you all very much. Having looked at the capabilities, I think it’s an Element Bolt!

pulinski

LCoH wrote:

Thank you all very much. Having looked at the capabilities, I think it’s an Element Bolt!

Also get a Komoot account on your computer/phone, this will then give you the ability to create turn-by-turn routes that sync with your Wahoo Elemnt Bolt.

Andymaxy

I race and I don't own a computer(ya I know), mainly caz they are too expensive and I'm struggling to pay tuition lol. I was a runner before I became a cyclist. I've got a Garmin running watch with gps. It tracks the basics, speed time and cadence too etc.. It doesn't work with power meters but I don't have one anyways. It has gps so you can see where you went after the ride, but not during. I wish I had a computer sometimes, but my trustee watch is really all that I need, and it's quite light(20 grams), sleek, and stylish too(not really lol).

StillGoing

Pulinski wrote:

LCoH wrote:

Thank you all very much. Having looked at the capabilities, I think it’s an Element Bolt!

Also get a Komoot account on your computer/phone, this will then give you the ability to create turn-by-turn routes that sync with your Wahoo Elemnt Bolt.

I'd forget Komoot as you have to pay for additional areas if you venture very far from home. It doesn't even cover my county in full.

Get a free Ride with GPS account that will do turn by turn navigation for you and not restrict you to anywhere.

froze

The Garmin Edge Touring Plus I think is a very good bike computer especially if you're into touring because it has all sorts of markings for places to camp, eat, points of interest for cyclists,etc. It's preloaded with bike specific routes as well. And you can get an optional heart rate monitor for it.

wotnoshoeseh

Get the Wahoo Elemnt!!!
Ot the Elemnt BOLT.

Poppa Wheelie

Firstly, the colour screen of the Garmin is only better when you are looking at them side by side in the shops. In the real world it is far, far easier to read the monochrome screen of the Wahoo in bright sunlight or when you are wearing sunglasses. Using a colour screen sooner or later you'll be asking yourself what colour is an A-road, B-road, route or track and struggling to determine what the line you are looking at actually means.

Secondly, the Wahoo Elemnt and Bolt work exactly the same bar size and one set of LED's across the top.

Where the Wahoo really excels over my old Garmin 800 is actual navigation. The Garmin would actually get you lost, sometimes it would just stop giving you turn instructions half way through a ride. You'd be thinking it hasn't asked me to make a turn for a whilst and then realise you were miles off track. Sometimes it would say you was off-course when you wasn't but the off-course notification meant your pull over and check your phone to see where you actually are only for it to say 'course found' 500 yards later.

Additionally, with the Wahoo you can whip out your phone mid-ride, find somewhere you want to go on Google maps and the Wahoo will take you there. Lets say you have a mechanical issue mid ride, you can google bike shops or coffee shop then the wahoo will take you there. I don't know if the Latest Garmin can do that but that costs £500.

lcoh

Deed is done. Elemnt Bolt arrived yesterday and I’m really pleased with it. Thanks for all your advice.

Max