UKH

Which watch do people use for tracking running / swimming and cycling type exercises?

Up to now I have been using strava via my phone, which is a bit of a pain when I want to look at splits / times / distances when running or cycling, and useless when swimming so wondering which watch people use for these type things?

A link to the watch would be beneficial if you are feeling very helpfull

In reply to Pids:

For running and cycling, I use a Garmin 230:
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/garmin-forerunner-230-gps-running-watch/

It does pretty much everything I need and lots more - splits, lap times, distances, pace/speed, cadence. The Garmin Connect app lets you plan workouts (intervals/reps and the like). I have a chest heart-rate strap which works with it, so I can see heart rate and a supposed VO2max, although how accurate that is questionable.

It wouldn't work for swimming - as far as I can tell, GPS watches which work for swimming are considerably more expensive, although I never look for that functionality, so I'm happy to be corrected.

In reply to Pids:

I have a Fenix 5 which really is all-singing all-dancing. It does everything and I love it . Wasn't cheap though - but I suspect the price has dropped on the Fenix 3 so you could have a look at that.

Some of the Garmin Forerunner watches also have swim functionality so that could be an alternative for a little less cash. I suspect Polar/Suunto et al also have similar but I didn't look when I bought mine partially because I liked the small form factor version of the Fenix and partially because I have a lot of history saved in Garmin's app from older watches and I wanted to stick with it.

In reply to kathrync:

I think the Forerunner -xt variants is or used to be Garmin's swimming/triathlon models, might have been replaced by the Fenix though. I recently bought the forerunner 910xt used for 70 pounds. Only used it for running but it's good.

In reply:

I can only speak about the Garmin options. On a cost-saving note. I have the Fenix 3 and have had for some time. This works well and is compatible with your needs. As some people upgrade their watches every couple of years there may be some second-hand ones around. My wife has one of the older XT forerunners and although less attractive it works fine.

If I had the money I would get a Fenix 5 in the Garmin range. It looks like a fairly normal watch and does most things

My walking buddy has a Vivoactive and records all these activities, although the concept of activity/normal behaviour on this watch is a little different, causing some debate between us after a day out!

https://buy.garmin.com/en-GB/GB/cIntoSports-cMultisport-p1.html

In reply to Pids:

I only know about Garmins, other brands are available
How fancy do you want it to be, and how much do you want to spend ?

All the new Garmins do stuff like step counting, smartwatch features ( emails, texts, FB notifications, etc on the watch ), bluetooth connectivity, etc. You'd pay anything from about £170 to over £500 depending on what features you want. Check out Vivoactive HR, 735XT, Forerunner 935, Fenix 5.
Note that I think the Vivoactive only works for swimming in a pool, but the others will work for open water swimming, which may be important if you do triathlons.

Older models that you could pick up second hand, eg 310XT, 910XT, 920XT won't have some or all of the above fancy stuff.

Also, some of the new watches are smart enough to wear as a day to day watch, whereas the older ones I mentioned above are not designed to really be worn all day, just for exercise ( ie the minute you switch them on they go into GPS mode which starts draining the battery ).

if after investigation you're interested in a 910XT, I've got one I've been meaning to put on eBay, would be looking for £80 delivered.

In reply to Pids:

I have a Suunto Ambit 3 vertical as it was the cheapest sensible option (was 220 from Wiggle)
Is not as good as the fenix range in terms of options, but it's reliable.

There are some people who seem to have horror stories with different brands, some with garmin, some with suunto and some with other brands.

I'd be tempted by the fenix 5 if I could a) afford it and b) hasn't had every single garmin product I've bought fail on me. unlucky for me, but for 500 I'm not that tempted.

My friends has the Garmin 735xt. He is very happy.

Look at dcrainmaker.com...

In reply to Pids:
I'm on my third Garmin and I've also had a TomTom, all used almost exclusively for running. I have a bike specific Garmin. The earlier Garmin running models (205 and 610 in my case) were not fully waterproof, I've currently got a mid range model, a 235, which is.

I look for a few things from a GPS watch:
- Fast location of satellites;
- Buttons rather than touch screen (the 610 was a nightmare for freezing);
- Ease of uploading to Strava (my TomTom and the 235 both Bluetooth to an app on my phone, which then pushed to Strava, although I found the TomTom app glitchy).
- An adaptable display setup with at least 3 data fields (I prefer Garmin to TomTom for this).

My other half has the entry level Garmin Forerunner 10, which does the basic functions of time, speed, pace, distance and plotting a route, but is a bit of a pain to upload and isn't fully waterproof.

I don't swim with my watch, but here is some information on using none swim specific watch for swimming, possibly saving you buying a higher end model.

http://runreporter.com/running-gear-reviews/forerunner-235-swimming/

You may ask why I am on my 4th watch, it is over 7 years and I've only recently got the latest. The original 205 was pretty bulky, I had problems with the touchscreen on the 610 and then I dropped it on a tile floor and chipped the corner of the screen off, I just didn't like the TomTom much and after two years decided I could justify something new. So mainly just wanting shiny new things. I do know someone who still uses an old 305.

In reply to The New NickB:
Like Nick I am primarily a runner and my requirements are exactly the same. I have a Garmin 230 and love it. I'd say it's the perfect running watch.

GPS lock is almost instantaneous and upload to Strava is almost completely reliable. The screen layout is perfect as Nick mentioned.

I didn't think I'd be bothered about the notifications but I love them too - like getting instagram likes while running, seeing texts and WhatsApp messages, and Strava kudos when in the shower (yes I'm that vain!)

It does cleverish stuff like cadence, step count and HR zones; VO2 max etc but they're not that important. I run by pace.

Works really well for the bike as well as it has a bike profile (main difference is it displays speed instead of pace). Though I have a G 520 for the bike which I am equally fond of.

In reply to Pids:

I've just spent £165 on a Garmin 230 for running and a bit of pootle cycling. It will replace my Garmin 410 that cost about the same and has just died after 5 years and 1200 or so activities. I only really use the basic functions, but thought that was a good return so went with Garmin again.

In reply to Stig:

Relieved to read that

In reply to Pids:

One thing I've noticed with phones, is that their GPS sucks. It's not as precise as on watches, and you can end up with a jagged route, which adds up to extra distance, skewing your result.
I've seen it on both my phone (Sony Xperia) and my girlfriend's (Samsung S5 active). I also see Strava full of sketchy activities from other users who have used phones.

I have the TomTom Spark watch, which I find easy to use. It's also one of the smaller full GPS watch out there. However, the "Pace" feature which displays current pace is flakey - it can be very slow to react, especially when changing pace dramatically. On the track I've seen it take more than a lap to register the new pace.

The bluetooth connectivity to the phone has gotten better, but is still unreliable. And MySports is a terrible app. I auto export direct to Strava. However, at the moment MySports is taking many hours before it displays the activity after I upload it - it used to be instant.

In summary, a good watch mainly let down by connectivity to the phone and the app, which means I recommend against purchasing a TomTom watch if you want to avoid frustration.

In reply to Pids:

I've on my 2nd TomTom watch. One called a Multisport (think it was the first gen of TomTom watches) and now I have a Runner 2 Cardio & Music (it has a wrist HRM sensor and bluetooth MP3 playback).
Prior to having both these I used to use my phone in a Neoprene thing (nasty and sweaty).
I have also used a Garmin 110 Forerunner that was supposed to be my wife's but she never really ran after buying it so never used it. The Garmin 110 was shite- don't buy one. Horrible user interface, ridiculous charging lead/ USB upload and it just felt clunky and old skool in a bad way. I've no experience of any of the other modern Garmin watches but that watch did put me off trying them.
I don't have anything negative to say about my current watch. I use it for the bike most of the time as well as running. The controls are easy to use on the move. The displayed info is large and clear so you're not having to squint to see what it's showing. The size is really neat too. They're doing the one I've got on a clearance deal via TomTom for £90.

In reply to JuneBob:

That's strange, I've not had any connectivity problems uploading via the TomTom app on my old watch or the new one.

In reply to Niblet:


Yes, before the Fenix I had a 310XT which was sold as a triathlon model and was brilliant. I used it almost daily for about 6 years until it finally stopped charging. Garmin still do XT multisport models. The latest is the 735XT, and the Forerunner 935 is also supposed to be a good multisport option. My impression is that the functionality of these three is more or less the same, but there are some differences as to how the different functions are laid out based the watch's intended use.

In reply to Pids:
I went through this a while back. I think the cheapest watch with outdoor swimming is still the Suunto Ambit3 run from Wiggle £120

But you don't get indoor swimming or multiport

But it does do bread crumb navigation

Its been great

PS the Sport is down to £150. I think that was more when I bought mine. I think that does it all except a pressure gauge for altitude

Oh and can we get over the idea that phones have poor gps. An iPhone 5s is better than a Fenix 3

http://fellrnr.com/wiki/GPS_Accuracy

In reply to Wee Davie:

I don't know what it is, I'm waiting for TomTom support to reply. However, I did find quite a few other people complaining about similar problems online.

In reply to Dave B:

The OP really needs to pick a price range and go from there.


Welcome to the internet - the horror stories are disproportionately visible compared to the 99.9% of people just getting on with life every day. These watches are also now complex computers and so user error can be a big issue.


I just upgrade to the Fenix5 and stuck with Garmin for the opposite reason - in 10 years of using Forerunner 405, then Fenix 2, they've always been pretty solid.

I think the Fenix 5 is great. Not perfect, but very very good. It does however cost silly money which is why I raised the first point in my post. I could easily make do with a much cheaper watch without any hardship.


Seconded. You might not agree with his recommendations but you can't fault the thoroughness of his reviews.

In reply to all:

Wow, a veritable can of worms then - lots to choose from, and no one "ideal" watch.

Thanks to all for taking time to respond, some research required from me then I think.