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I discovered my Garmin VivioActive, althouygh great in so many ways, runs out of battery before I do now I am riding 'gravel' and country roads (Sorry, shoot me).
I need something that I can either download a route onto and follow or ride at random and record where I have been. Ideally this should link up to Strava so I can record progress and miles over time. I don't want to use my phone as I managed to lose one once and the risk or loss or damage isn't worth the hassle.
I thought a cheap Garmin device would be fine as they have longer battery life but they are £180+ compared to <£50 for a smart phone running Strava,
What does the Garmin offer that I might actually need that a cheap smartphone doesn't?
I couldn’t get a garmin to work for the life of me.
Smart phones just work. I’ve got some sort of Motorola with a huge screen. The routes magically upload from my os maps whenever I turn it on.
If it’s simple for me anyone can do it.
You’ll need a quad lock, anything else is a waste of money.
I've used an old smartphone for all my rides and other outdoor stuff for years, and I really don't understand why people spend £100s on a Garmin that does less and seems considerably less reliable.
What does the Garmin offer that I might actually need that a cheap smartphone doesn’t?
Durability. Accuracy. Battery life. It's built for purpose.
They're not really expensive if you're not fussed about having the latest tech either. I have Garmins nearly 15 years old. At the price they cost at the time that's less than £10 per year.
Didn't we just have This thread?...
Anyway Garmins are great, but also just as shit as mobile phones in that using them to follow routes uses more leccy juice and they age and their batteries become less able to hold charge over time...
The phone does most things a high end Garmin does. You can run loads of different apps. Big screen at a low cost. OS maps or many free ones.
The Garmin should be more robust and some have buttons which are easier to use with gloves or in the rain.
Battery life is an interesting one. You'll easily get a full day, and more, from a phone but the screen will default to off. So you need to wake it or leave it on and drop the battery life, fine for shorter rides.
Accuracy tends to better on a Garmin. Phone accuracy is usually good enough but not super precise.
Its hard to get past that price difference though. I'd say buy a cheap phone (or use an old one from that drawer) and see how it goes. If you find any short comings then you can make a more informed purchase.
I.have a Garmin. It was expensive but worth every penny after the stress of having phones run out.of juice. Garmin lasts forever.
Remote control buttons also very nice, can wake up the display from the hoods, don't need to move my hands.
Didn’t we just have This thread?…
I think we've had it a few times...
Wahoo. All wireless, waterproof, multi-ride battery life and no annoying touch screen (even touchscreen gloves are a pain unless they are very slim fingered)
Plot a route on Strava on Friday evening, turn the wahoo on in the garage the next morning (or away from home with the phone app linked up) and it syncs your route onto the device wirelessly. Finish your ride and again the ride pops up on Strava before you've taken your helmet off.
Main thing you're missing with a Garmin is a nice way to mount it and the pissiest, most awkward, "I'M NOT TRAINING or RACING ANYONE I'M TRYING TO FOLLOW A ****ING MAP!" piece of cock, operating system ever invented. One time I took it out and after a mile of fooling me it was going to show me the way, it just said "unable to find satellites" . Turned out it needed an update, otherwise it just didn't have a clue where it was! Well you won't get that with a smart phone. Smart phone also has lots of mapping app options (not just Strava).
It's all down to what compromises your happy with, a phone has a bigger screen, more apps, better for browsing OS maps etc. But battery life is going to be bad with the screen on 100%, in the rain it'll get wet and the touchscreen won't work/it'll need a horrible waterproof cover, in heat it'll overheat and stop working. Strava isn't as reliable and will probably crash at least once, plus the GPS accuracy is likely to be crap.
Garmin - waterproof, great battery, small and works all day in rain/sun/snow. Mapping is sufficient for MTB especially when you have a route loaded.
I really don’t understand why people spend £100s on a Garmin that does less and seems considerably less reliable.
As has been said- it's a specific tool.
Like you COULD wear Asics trainers on a bike, but cycling shoes are simply better.
I look at it from the other direction...a mobile phone is far too much a compromise, doesn't show the right dayta, doesn't connect with ANT+ devices (well, some do), and is overly complicated.
Anyway, Nick, i'd just get a decent garmin. they fit nicely in teh holder, have screens that are tough, and just work.
DrP