In our Tech Q&A series, we tackle cycling queries – no matter how trivial – with insights from the BikeRadar team and some trusted industry experts. This time, a reader asks if there are any GPS watches that will do a similar job to a GPS computer.
Can you recommend a good alternative to a GPS computer? Having crashed and destroyed my last Garmin and had the previous one stolen, are there any GPS watches that’ll do a similar job?
Wes Turner
GPS watches are incredible these days: they’re lightweight, look good, and are easy to wear and control. They're generally less prone to crash damage, too.
However, they’re not a direct replacement on all fronts, which means it’s something worth considering before jumping over.
As you’d expect, the market leaders in cycling watches are the same names you find making the best bike computers: Garmin, Wahoo, Coros and Polar are the main players.
Each has a range of watches that offer route and activity tracking (often for a variety of sports, unlike bike computers that are generally cycling-specific); they will monitor your heart rate directly and interact with external monitors for heart rate and power.
They offer connectivity with your smartphone and some include navigation.
It’s worth looking closely to see how they connect with your existing bike sensors, Strava and route-planning platforms to double-check specifics, but on the whole, they are a simplified bike computer on your wrist.
The accompanying apps enable you to tailor the settings on your smartwatch in the same way they do on a bike computer.
The differences come when you want to start navigating from your watch rather than a bike computer.
Mounted on your wrist, it’s not always preferable or safe to lift your hand off the bar and check the watch for directions.
The benefit of a GPS bike computer is you can position it directly in your line of sight, so you only have to glance down at it and can then concentrate on the road again.
In the depths of winter, your smartwatch is liable to be buried under layers of waterproof clothing (certainly in the UK), which increases the inconvenience.
Equally, because navigation isn’t their primary function, not all smartwatches offer navigation and certainly not in as user-friendly a format as a handlebar-mounted device.
Ultimately, it depends what your primary use of the device will be. If it’s for navigation, we’d recommend sticking with a GPS bike computer for ease and safety while in use.
However, if you’re looking for something that tracks and records your route, your activity and general stats (a heart-rate monitor chest strap will always give a more accurate reading), a smartwatch could be a great option.
Do you have a cycling question you want answered? Every month, we’ll select the most interesting questions and bring you an expert-level response from our unparalleled access to the greatest minds in cycling, both on the BikeRadar staff and across the industry. Send your questions through to podcast@bikeradar.com
