Smartwatch vs Cycling Computer
GPS or multisport watches are becoming ever more sophisticated. Even the mid-range ones are starting to outperform most cycling computers: not only do they have the same level of functionality and post-ride data analysis but because they’re on your wrist they can be smarter: they track what’s going on with your body when you’re off the bike as well as on it. And also because they’re on your wrist they’ll track pretty much any sport you do, whether that’s running, swimming, hiking, rowing, skiing or even golfing!
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00:00 Should your next bike computer be a watch?
00:02 GPS watches or multi-sport watches
00:04 are becoming ever more sophisticated.
00:06 Their functionality is as good as or better
00:08 than most cycling computers now.
00:10 And because they're on your wrist, they can be smart.
00:13 They're not restricted to bike measurements.
00:15 They can track your fitness, they can track your sleep,
00:18 they can track your breathing,
00:20 they can track pretty much everything.
00:22 So the thing we're gonna ask today is,
00:24 do you really need a bike computer anymore?
00:25 Will a watch do?
00:26 (upbeat music)
00:29 So most of us use either a computer or a watch,
00:36 which I have to admit I have been using recently,
00:39 in order to collect data about their predominantly cycling,
00:43 being cycling weekly, that's our primary concern,
00:46 but also other areas of health and fitness.
00:49 Can you go through with me the differences
00:52 in terms of the data that I can collect on a computer
00:54 versus the data that I can collect on a wrist-based watch?
00:58 Yeah, so first of all, I mean,
01:00 the watch is gonna do the same things
01:02 that your computer does, the same basic things.
01:04 It's gonna pair with peripheral sensors,
01:06 it's gonna pair with your power meter
01:08 and your heart rate monitor, first of all.
01:09 GPS watches also have their own heart rate monitor
01:13 wrist-based, which is the green light
01:16 that wakes us up in the middle of the night.
01:18 So they don't even need a heart rate monitor or chest strap.
01:23 In terms of data collection,
01:24 you can customize the screens to display the metrics
01:27 that you want to see.
01:29 With the Wahoo Element Rival, you've got perfect zoom,
01:31 which means you can basically narrow it down
01:35 to your favorite metric, which is like speed,
01:38 if you're on your bike probably,
01:39 or you can zoom out again to include
01:41 your heart rate monitor and your power,
01:43 average speed, all that kind of stuff.
01:45 Where they're really good is that they can just collect
01:47 so much more data than a bike computer.
01:50 Something like the Garmin 1030 here,
01:52 it's gonna give you a VO2 estimate,
01:54 VO2 max estimate, and an FTP estimate.
01:56 It's quite a clunky kind of thing, really,
01:58 compared to something like any of these,
02:01 the Suunto 5, the Garmin Fenix 6, which we've got there,
02:05 which, you know, they're on your wrist 24/7,
02:07 all the time they're tracking your fitness.
02:09 They also do stuff that wearables do,
02:12 that Fitbits do, Apple Watches do,
02:14 which is calorie burn, step counting.
02:17 - It seems to me like the computer normal sort of head unit
02:21 that we've been using for the last few years,
02:23 they are capable of tracking stress,
02:27 but it's something that you need to make
02:28 a distinct effort to do each day,
02:32 whereas with a wearable watch,
02:34 it's on your wrist all the time
02:35 and just constantly communicating.
02:37 So it makes it more of a background check
02:39 that's just part of your life,
02:41 without you having to really kind of make any effort.
02:44 - Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
02:45 I mean, they're even really sophisticated things
02:47 that they can do.
02:48 The new Garmin Enduro,
02:49 I think the Fenix 6 does the same.
02:52 It's got an oximeter where it can actually measure
02:55 the oxygen levels in your blood.
02:57 So they can just collect so much data
02:59 and it's really up to you whether you want to use it or not,
03:01 but basically there's loads of data and it's all there.
03:04 Well, GPS used to be a real battery killer for watches
03:11 because they're small,
03:12 they've only got smaller batteries, obviously,
03:15 but the latest ones are really, especially Wahoo here,
03:18 Wahoo really upped the ante
03:20 with a battery life in GPS mode of 24 hours
03:23 for the Element rival.
03:26 More recently, we've just seen the Garmin Enduro released,
03:28 which has, let me just check this,
03:30 80 hours claimed in GPS mode.
03:33 And it's helped out by a power glass solar charging lens,
03:38 which is basically a solar panel via the glass,
03:42 which gives you an extra 10 hours of charge
03:45 if that's enabled.
03:47 Whereas head units like the 1030 or the 1030+ now,
03:52 20 or 24 hours, I think it is for the 1030+,
03:56 which is considerably less, obviously,
03:59 even though until recently that was considered pretty good.
04:03 The Wahoo Element Roam here does 17 hours.
04:09 So you can see it's quite a lot less now with computers.
04:13 So the watch is really, really,
04:15 they're really up there with the battery.
04:17 It's not anything to worry about anymore.
04:18 - Okay, I mean, that does lead me to the question
04:20 that the head unit might be 24 hours,
04:23 but that might last you several weeks worth of riding.
04:26 So does that still mean that the head unit wins out there?
04:29 - The Enduro and the Phoenix 6,
04:31 you've got sort of 70 or 80 hours in GPS mode.
04:34 In just smartwatch mode, you've got,
04:36 I think Wahoo says something like two weeks
04:40 for the Element rival.
04:41 So no matter, you're gonna have to do a lot of riding
04:46 to really worry about charging it up again.
04:48 - Yeah.
04:49 (upbeat music)
04:51 All right, so I'm looking for a win for the computer,
04:56 I have to admit.
04:58 What about aerodynamics?
04:59 I've got a computer on the front of my bike
05:02 and in an ideal world, it's paired with a mount
05:05 that is more aerodynamic, that is such a thing,
05:08 versus having this on my wrist.
05:11 I have a horrible feeling
05:13 that the watch is gonna win out again,
05:14 but go on, let me know.
05:15 - Yeah, you're right about the aerodynamic mount.
05:17 I mean, the Wahoo computers,
05:19 the original Bolt was designed with Demetrius Katsanis,
05:22 the designer of the UK sport track bike.
05:25 And they actually concentrated on making the Wahoo
05:27 more aerodynamic than the other leading computer
05:31 and they succeeded.
05:32 But a computer is still gonna be less aerodynamic
05:36 on your bike than no computer at all.
05:39 So there are still just a few watts,
05:42 but watts nonetheless to be saved
05:44 from wearing a watch on your wrist.
05:45 - And there's no aerodynamic penalty, I assume,
05:48 or no notable aerodynamic penalty
05:49 for having this on my wrist?
05:51 - I reckon, they probably, I don't know,
05:54 how many do you think a watt?
05:57 - Yeah.
05:58 - But I mean, the other thing is that
06:00 if you're riding a time trial bike,
06:01 I mean, this was measured with a road bike,
06:04 designed for a road bike for an out front mount.
06:06 If you're on a time trial bike,
06:07 quite often there isn't really the place,
06:10 it doesn't suit an out front mount.
06:11 You can't literally fit one on
06:12 because of the integrated bar.
06:14 - I've fashioned some quite interesting
06:17 kind of contraptions out of zip ties and mounts
06:20 and positioned it between the extensions,
06:23 but no, it's not naturally easy, is it?
06:25 - Yeah, and there's always the chance
06:27 that you're gonna hide it anyway,
06:28 from whether, if your elbows are close together,
06:30 you're not gonna be able to see it
06:31 if it's down there anyway.
06:32 - Or you accidentally knock the button
06:34 and it's very upsetting.
06:35 - Absolutely, yeah, yeah, yeah.
06:36 So yeah, so basically, I mean, wherever it is,
06:41 it's not gonna be more aerodynamic than a watch.
06:43 - And the next metric we're gonna look at is weight.
06:46 And I'm pretty sure I know what's gonna win here,
06:48 but go on, tell me the numbers.
06:50 - Okay, so something like the 1030 or the 1030 plus,
06:53 that's over 100 grams, that's about 120, 123 grams,
06:57 something like that.
06:58 Smart watches, you're looking at just 50 grams,
07:01 around the 50 gram mark.
07:04 And I mean, I know it's only a small amount,
07:05 50 grams or 70 grams here and there,
07:07 but cycling's a weight obsessed sport, as we know.
07:11 People always want what's lighter.
07:12 - Exactly, if you're a hill climber,
07:13 you're interested in that.
07:15 I suppose that you do have to remember
07:16 that you are gonna be carrying that around
07:17 on your wrist all the time.
07:19 And I would say, I do find that it is a noticeable weight,
07:23 actually, on my wrist.
07:24 So although it's lighter, it's in a place
07:27 where you're gonna notice it much more
07:28 than perhaps adding it to your bike
07:29 that weighs, say, eight kilos.
07:31 - Yeah, yeah.
07:32 (upbeat music)
07:34 - So, so far, the watch is winning out, really.
07:40 It's got better battery life,
07:41 it's more aerodynamic, it's lighter,
07:44 and it collects data constantly,
07:46 and it collects more of it.
07:48 Now, the head unit, the humble head unit
07:51 that we've been using for many years
07:52 has to have its positives.
07:54 One of those first really obvious positives
07:56 is potentially navigation.
07:58 So how do they perform against each other there?
08:00 - Okay, well, basically,
08:01 that's gonna come down to screen size.
08:03 And with a GPS watch, you're lucky if you get a display
08:07 that's bigger than an inch and a half.
08:08 You're not really gonna be able
08:09 to look at a map properly on that,
08:11 even though the Garmin Fenix 6 and the new Enduro,
08:14 they do actually have proper mapping features.
08:16 But you're really gonna be squinting to look at them.
08:20 And if you're riding your bike,
08:21 you're gonna have to go like this.
08:24 You're definitely gonna have to take one hand off the bar
08:26 to look at it properly.
08:27 So it's really not ideal.
08:29 Something like the 1030 or the 1030 Plus,
08:32 that's got a 3.5-inch screen,
08:34 which is like home cinema-like compared to that.
08:38 So yeah, you can follow a map.
08:41 It's easy.
08:42 The map's right there.
08:43 You can follow it, no problem at all.
08:44 So yes, the computer, even the smaller ones,
08:49 the Roam has a 1.7-inch screen,
08:53 and that's fine for following mapping as well.
08:56 - And if I were to load a route,
08:58 this is something I do all the time on my Garmin 1030,
09:00 which we have on the table there,
09:01 but if I were to load a route onto my computer,
09:04 obviously I follow it.
09:06 It gives me left, right directions.
09:07 Can the watch do the same thing?
09:09 - After a fashion, yeah.
09:11 Yeah, it's not really necessarily turn-by-turn breadcrumb.
09:15 The more sophisticated watches, like the new Garmin Enduro,
09:20 can actually navigate to a place from the watch
09:23 without you having to upload the GPX file,
09:26 but it's nowhere near as good.
09:29 The watches and the computers
09:30 both use the same satellite navigation systems.
09:34 There's GPS and the Russian GLONASS
09:37 that they both commonly use.
09:39 So accuracy is pretty much the same.
09:41 It's all just down to the screen size,
09:44 just how readable they are.
09:46 The computer's position on your stem
09:47 or in front of your stem
09:49 is obviously so much better if you're cycling.
09:51 You just look at it.
09:52 It's there right under your nose.
09:54 You can see where you're going.
09:55 You can see all of your metrics,
09:57 even the Wahoo Element Roam, which has a 1.7-inch screen.
10:02 You can easily look at the maximum 11 metrics
10:04 on it all at once, no problem at all without squinting.
10:07 I mean, there is also mountain biking, though.
10:10 I have used the watch for mountain biking, gravel riding.
10:13 There's pros and cons of that.
10:15 Obviously, I'm off-road,
10:16 so I'm not so likely to constantly keep checking the map
10:19 because actually I'm focused on what's in front of me,
10:21 and it's also a little bit safer, I suppose,
10:24 but then where I'm going off in the wrong direction,
10:28 I have no idea because I haven't got a map in front of me.
10:30 So I guess there's pros and cons.
10:32 (upbeat music)
10:37 - It does leave us with one final thing to look at,
10:41 and that is price.
10:42 These watches do an awful lot.
10:44 Do they come with a price to match?
10:47 - So yes, they are more expensive.
10:48 The top Garmin watch, the Enduro,
10:51 costs a penny under 700 pounds.
10:53 Now, compared to the top head units,
10:55 the 1030 Plus is now a penny under 520 pounds,
10:59 so it's 180 pounds cheaper than the Garmin Enduro watch,
11:02 which is 180 pounds is quite a lot of money.
11:05 Well, one of the cheapest GPS multi-sport watches
11:08 that does all the smart stuff is the Sigma iD Tri.
11:12 That's around 160 pounds, depending on where you look.
11:15 So yeah, on average,
11:16 the GPS smart watches are more expensive.
11:19 - Okay, so we began this video with the question,
11:22 should your next cycling computer be a watch?
11:25 What's the answer?
11:26 - Okay, so if you're a pure roadie,
11:28 you don't want any fitness tracking,
11:29 you don't want any adaptive training advice,
11:31 you don't want any calorie burn,
11:33 you don't want any step count,
11:35 all you want is your head unit there
11:36 on your bike in front of you, tracking your cycling,
11:39 then yes, a head unit's all you need,
11:41 and it's gonna be cheaper as well.
11:44 - And what if you're venturing outside of cycling,
11:46 you're doing a few other sports,
11:48 is that where really the watch starts
11:50 to become a more inviting option?
11:53 - Yeah, I mean, if you're doing other sports,
11:55 I mean, cyclists these days,
11:56 we go swimming and we go running, as well as our cycling,
12:00 we don't do them all one after the other.
12:04 But if you're doing other sports,
12:07 if you're doing activities,
12:07 if you're interested in your general fitness,
12:09 your body condition, your recovery, all those things,
12:12 then yeah, a watch, absolutely a watch.
12:16 - And you do, I mean, the honest truth is
12:18 that my Garmin 1030 down there
12:20 has a massive chunk missing out of it,
12:22 and that is from where I did go running,
12:25 holding my Garmin,
12:27 because I didn't have another option
12:29 of recording where I'd gone,
12:30 so there are...
12:33 - There are benefits. - Your case in point.
12:35 - Yes, exactly.
12:37 - Okay, yeah, but can a watch
12:41 actually replace a cycling computer?
12:43 Would any of us have a watch as our only device?
12:47 I don't think we would, really, would we?
12:50 - At this point, no, I can't imagine.
12:52 I would never line up to a road race with my trusty watch.
12:56 It's not gonna happen. - No, no.
12:58 - I would feel deeply unprepared.
13:00 - Ideally, if you can afford it,
13:02 if you're that kind of person who does lots of sports,
13:04 lots of activities, and is interested in fitness tracking,
13:08 then you do need both, but as we've seen,
13:11 it's getting to be an expensive business owning both,
13:16 so really what you've gotta do is work out
13:18 how much you can justify spending on your hobby.
13:21 - There is a certain issue, though,
13:23 if you are choosing to use both,
13:25 in that you do have, potentially, a data disconnect,
13:29 unless you're very, very dedicated,
13:31 so as an example, I've been using the Garmin Fenix watch,
13:35 and I've been using that when I've been doing
13:36 a bit of cross training, a bit of gym, a bit of running,
13:39 and that, obviously, all goes straight to Garmin Connect,
13:42 and if I go for a bike ride, and I'm using the computer,
13:45 if I'm doing a bike ride outside,
13:47 everything goes onto the computer,
13:49 and it also goes to Garmin Connect,
13:51 but then if I do an indoor ride on the Sufferfest or Zwift,
13:56 that app sends the data directly to TrainingPeaks,
13:59 bypasses Garmin Connect, and that means
14:02 that all of the body battery and all the incredible things
14:06 that this watch can do for me,
14:09 it's not actually gonna be able to do that.
14:11 - Yeah, it's gonna skew your watch's data, really,
14:13 isn't it? - Exactly,
14:14 which is entirely user error.
14:15 It's because I have been too lazy to wear the watch
14:18 whilst doing my Zwift session and then upload it,
14:20 so it's my problem, it's not Garmin's problem,
14:23 but I expect I'm probably not in the minority
14:26 in being, perhaps, not that dedicated
14:29 to making sure that all of this data is perfectly compiled.
14:32 - Okay, so Simon, you've spent a good amount of time
14:34 testing all of these, you've written an entire feature
14:37 on it, any final thoughts, things people should consider?
14:40 - Well, I think if you enjoy gadgets and you enjoy data,
14:44 then you've got as much as you can really deal with here,
14:48 but as we've said, you've got to be thorough
14:50 with your scheduling of wearing these devices
14:53 or using these devices, and you've got to be very thorough
14:55 with filing your data, otherwise,
14:58 it's not as accurate as you'd like,
14:59 but if you want to do all that, if you enjoy it all,
15:03 then owning a watch and a head unit, probably,
15:06 if you can afford it, if you want to spend
15:08 that much money on them, then that probably
15:10 is the best thing for you.
15:12 - So there is your answer.
15:13 I hope you liked this video.
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15:23 (whooshing)
15:26 (whooshing)
15:28 Thanks for watching!
15:30 (whooshing)