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