[Closed] Garmin watch for running, biking, fitness in general

235. Can be had for ~£150 at the moment.

I went through this last year

ended up with a 735xt - as a smart watch is shit , but i bought it for training.

Battery lifes good , It shows me whos calling ,emailed or texting and if i push a button it shows me the first few lines so i rarely need to stop and check my phone if out running or cycling. thats all i need a smart watch to do.

I went for the 735 over teh 235 as i wanted the multisport function which makes duathlons and triathlons a synch - just hit lap between sports and the indoor training mode which means i dont have to manually switch off the GPS.

Not deal breakers but it was a no brainer for what was about 40 quid at the time.

- and i wanted the sensor capacity for Cadence and Power so vivo was out for me.

I bought a Forerunner 35. It's relatively small and discrete so I'm therefore more likely to wear it. Stuff like navigation is already handled by other devices anyway. If you plan on using it as a Sleep Tracker then think about how large a device you want strapped to your wrist in bed.

Fenix.

There might be something suitable for sale in the classifieds 😉 Garmin FR 935 for £200?

I bought a Fenix 5 plus in the Autumn, and have been pleasantly surprised at how motivating it can be to try to match the daily/ weekly targets.

I bought the Fenix as a grid ref GPS back up when hill walking with a map & compass + replacement for a knackered Edge bike computer, but I've found myself using it for activity tracking - something I hoped for but did not really expect. Lost 9kg so far.

Fenix 5...though I am now selling mine as not running so gone back to an Edge

Sounds like the instinct is what you need.

235 here it's a bit meh tbh

Doesn't like going slow and the GPS straightlines a lot. Often doesn't automatically restart after pausing. Uses GPS to get the time so if you switch it on and there's no GPS it shows the time when you switched it off *roll eyes*

Peridic updates from Garmin crash it and it loses customisations.

On the plus side it is very light and the display is good in bright sunlight.

After you've used it a while it only tells you what you already know - that was a fast run, that was a slow run, your VO2 has gone up, your VO2 has gone down etc. Useful if you are actually following a training plan with a goal but not much use otherwise.

The Vivoactive feel like a Xmas cracker watch. I have a Fenix5 which is probably OTT for you needs but the watered down Instinct would be a good shout.

The Fenix 5 hasn't crashed/ lost its setting so far (unlike my old Edge bike computer).

If you've had an Edge bike computer it's easy to find your way around the Fenix. similar OS, if still a bit 'unintuitive'.

I have a Vivoactive with heart rate monitor and GPS. I basically just use it to upload rides to Strava. The HR monitor mostly seems ok, but you need to make sure the strap is fairly tight or the watch won't sit properly against your wrist. If I was training seriously, I don't know that a wrist based HR monitor would be my choice.

As far as the calorie thing goes in Garmin Connect, I always assumed it would be wildly inaccurate. The watch will give you a record of how much effort you have made during the day, but turning that into a calorie burn number is most likely just someone's guesswork. I'm sure a bigger number means you have burned more calories, but the numbers themselves probably don't mean much.

Instinct...

Thanks all... Old tennis shoes - thanks for the heads up!

I have a Vivoactive 3 - it is great... although if I could afford it I would probably go for a Fenix. The new Instinct looks pretty good too. The Vivoactive 3 has been great for the last year and a bit though and does prove useful for measuring activity/mapping what I have been up to, although something that tells me where I am would be nice.

Haven't tried the Forerunners myself.

If have bought a fenix 5 if budget allowed but it didn't

but you need to make sure the strap is fairly tight or the watch won’t sit properly against your wrist.

I do not find this the case with the 735. Might be different if your naturally hairy though. I wear it no tighter than any other watch- just tested I can get a finger under it if I try. If your used to having a watch that flaps about (which I've never understood ) then it'll be tighter than. That . My only issue with the hr is that it doesn't respond quick enough during short intervals - but I just stick on an HR strap for those workouts.

I bought a TomTom cardio for £100 on SportsPursuit this time last year for similar reasons, I wanted date to track to try to see what I was actually doing and didn’t want to spend big money for something I might decide later was a fad.

The TomTom has exceeded all expectations. Ease of Bluetooth sync is effortless. I’d actually go so far as to say that except for navigation it’s replaced the bar top Garmin for me. So much easier. (Aware this sounds like an advert and not quite what you asked, but ignoring the question and writing about your own toys is an old STW tradition... 😉)

I have a fenix 5s Plus - works fantastically well for MTB riding.

+1 Instinct, and can be had for £220

I had a Fenix 5 from go outdoors and price matched them with 10% off and it was a reasonable price.

Been excellent so far for months of ownership, being battered about all over the place. Lots of straps available on Amazon as well.

I have a Forerunner 35 that has been great. Think it does everything you need and is relatively cheap.

As has been said already, well pleased with my Fenix 5s plus - ticks all the boxes you have asked for plus a load more....

@vincienup I was also happy with my tomtom however they have largely pulled out of this market. Would be a risky buy now. Have just ordered a suunto Spartan trainer to try. Has more toys than the vivoactive for less £.

I went from a TomTom to a Vivo active music and very happy with it. First choice was a Suunto Spartan trainer as above but they were suffering from GPS problems so went for the Vivo. Don't know if the Suunto have sorted the issues.

Garmin vivoactive hr here. Earlier one so looks like a brick on wrist. Works well, pretty good value for what it does compared to others and has most basic features.

Worth mentioning for those with the vivoactive or similar there is a nice little data field you can install that does basic biscuit trail and direction navigation (well tells you your heading anyway). It's surprisingly useful if you want a quick direction prod to get back on route or head back to start point. No where near as good as dedicated nav but adds a feature that I could not do without now.

This is it :

https://apps.garmin.com/en-AU/apps/d741d7b4-8b26-401c-a5bd-0ac91891575d

I hope so. Apparently they have sorted a lot of issues.

Vivoactive 3 will pair with ANT+ sensors OP, see page 18 of the manual and the product page on the Garmin website.

Thanks again all, that instinct has given me something else to think about!

Another vote for the Instinct. Really like mine.

...and another Instinct vote

And another Instinct vote. Love mine.

How easy is it to navigate the Instinct menus seeing as it isn’t a touch screen device?

Like anything, just takes getting use to...only 5 buttons and, since have one since new year, pretty much know it off by heart. Plus ive customized the widgets & watch face to exactly how i want it...great watch & good value👌

Have you thought about the Instinct? Not sure it's mentioned above enough...

😂😎

Seriously, it's all the fitness watch you need.

Another Instinct owner. I do like it but I don’t find it particularly intuitive to use at first and the display doesn’t lend itself to Smart watchyness, if that’s an issue. The stair counting bit is rubbish, not bothered myself.
It does play well with my phone happily works with my cadence, speed sensor and chest strap. Way more reliable than my old edge 25.
The battery life is good and charges quickly.
It’s quite bulky, I have 21cm wrists (strap is just about long enough) and it still looks quite a large watch to me. Probably mostly due to the thickness of it.

Its the g shock of smar****ches.

Fenix 5 is very nice, but also very expensive - the Forerunner 935 is almost the same - it has a plastic body instead of metal but has wifi as standard - think it is the Fenix 5S you have to spend more on to get the wifi.

The 935 isn't cheap either but it is cheaper than the Fenix 5 (and slightly lighter and not as chunky - but it is a big face).

Very happy with my 235 after 18 months of use. If you don't swim, it does everything you mentioned apart from navigation. Steps, calories, activities, basic performance tracking. And can be had at a pretty good price.

That instinct looks like it has everything I'd need to have to replace my trusty, bombproof vivoactive hr, when it finally dies.

Apart from the fact it looks like something you'd have bought at an 80s indoor market. 🤮

That instinct looks awful! Sure it does lots of good things but I (and being a women probably even more so) wouldn’t wear that all the time.

Had my Fenix 5S since May. Not cheap but absolutely love it. Super impressive.