There are plenty of accessories available for cyclists when it comes to improving rides, including sports watches, fitness trackers, and dedicated sensors. But just because you are passionate about cycling doesn’t mean you are able to spend too much money on just a watch. Whether you want a wristwatch to track your distance, speed, or heart rate, this article contains a list of best watches for cycling that can help you compare and choose the best match for you.
Before spending your hard-earned money, here are some things that you should look for in a cycling watch:
Water Resistance
This is indeed one of the most important things to consider if you are riding in the rain. You would want to invest in a watch that won’t get damaged by rain or water. This feature is commonly seen in many smartwatches but still, only a few manufacturers are making real water-resistant watches that can withstand the harsh weather conditions. So, if you come up with a waterproof or water-resistant cycling watch for a budget price, snatch it up!
GPS
For long rides, GPS in a watch will help you reroute or find best routes easily without taking out your smartphone every time.
Notifications
During cycling, it isn’t a good practice to take out and check your phone for texts/calls notifications. It isn’t just a safety hazard but also inconvenient to juggle with your phone while cycling or having to stop to check for notifications. A smartwatch with Bluetooth will come in handy as it can be connected with your smartphone and you can receive all your important notifications right on your wrist without even interacting with the phone.
Value for Money
“Price is what you pay and value is what you get”. Make sure you are investing your money into the right watch instead of overpaying for a flashy watch with features that you won’t even use. ‘Value’ here means to find the right features according to your requirements at a price you can justify. For instance, if you want to track your health or distance covered, you won’t need GPS but if you plan to go on long rides and want to navigate through different unknown locations then features like heart rate monitor or distance covered won’t be of much value to you.
Style
If you are a person who cares more about his overall appearance then you should go for a watch that suits your personal style and has the ability to blend in into your everyday life. If you are looking for a watch for cycling, chances are you will end up wearing it the entire day, so make sure whatever watch you get is well aligned to your personality. But if you want to use it during cycling only and don’t care about how it looks, you should skip this point.
Here is the list of best watches for cycling:
1. Garmin Forerunner 645
With onboard music, over 1600 apps, GPS reception, text/email notifications, versatile fitness tracking, and much more, Garmin Forerunner 645 is indeed one of the best smartwatches available in the market. It packs a variety of features that are useful and great for cycling, and even for everyday use. It is stylish, customizable, sleek, and has access to tons of amazing apps. With this watch on your wrist, you won’t be disappointed at all while cycling due to its intuitive overall design and easy control.
It features a built-in NFC chip that means you don’t have to carry cash and cards with you as you can make instant payments with your watch. You can expect up to 7 days of battery life in smartwatch mode and 5 hours in GPS mode with music. It can withstand 5 times the pressure at sea level without allowing water in.
2. Garmin Forerunner 920XT
Garmin Forerunner is considered as one of the best and trusted GPS tracker watches money can buy. It is equipped with several smart features that can help make cycling convenient for you. It is bundled with a heart rate monitor that when used with a power meter, can estimate VO2 max by cycling as well. With this watch, you can record speed, distance, ascent/descent, grade, and much more.
Connect it with your smartphone and receive notifications of calls, texts, emails, calendar reminders, and more. It also has another interesting feature that is ‘live tracking’ – you can let your friends and family know and follow your races and training activities in real time.
3. Fitbit Blaze Smart Fitness Watch
Fitbit Blaze is an excellent, all-around watch that comes at a decent price. It is capable of accurately tracking your heart rate data. You can connect it with your smartphone to track GPS and cycling data from an app called ‘Strava’. This smart fitness watch is lightweight and stylish enough to be worn every day without worrying about your personal style. It might lack some smartwatch features but it still is a solid choice for cycling.
To receive notifications from social apps like Facebook, Instagram or Gmail right on your wrist, you can connect this watch with your smartphone. A great accessory for cyclists who want to track their fitness while cycling.
4. Polar V800 GPS Sports Watch
Want a watch that has a variety of interesting and smart features? Polar V800 is an excellent choice to consider. It is a multi-purpose watch for athletes that offers many features including GPS, speed and distance tracking, etc. Equipped with Bluetooth and smart running and cycling sensors, it provides more details about your training. If you are looking for a watch that can directly compete with top-notch watches like Suunto Ambit3 and Garmin Forerunner models, then this is the watch you should opt for.
It has a massive battery life, depending on how you use it. While in GPS low-power mode, it can provide up to 50 hours of battery life and up to 30 days in GPS-less mode. It offers amazing display in almost all lighting conditions and the strength of Gorilla Glass gives it an extra edge. However, its bulky design and proprietary charger location (under the watch) might not be liked by everyone.
5. SUUNTO Spartan Ultra HR
Looking for a high-end sports watch for cycling? Suunto Spartan Ultra is a great choice to go for. It is equipped with premium features including GPS, altimeter, compass, and barometer that are best for both normal cycling and mountain biking. Just like other smartwatches, you can receive your important notifications on this watch as well by connecting it with your smartphone. Once fully charged, you can easily use it for up to 26 hours in training mode.
Whether you want to use it for action or normally, Suunto Spartan Ultra smartwatch won’t disappoint you at all. So, ready for your next cycling adventure with this great watch?
6. Fitbit Versa 3 Health & Fitness Smartwatch
Fitbit Versa 3 Health & Fitness Smartwatch is highly adored by health and fitness enthusiasts due to the quality and features it provides. If you have finally decided to get into shape by tracking your fitness while cycling, you will certainly like Fitbit Versa 3 Health & Fitness Smartwatch. This comes with GPS, 24/7 heart rate monitoring, and Alexa built-in features.
7. Apple Watch Series 4
All the Apple fans would surely love this premium accessory on their wrist for the amazing features and performance it offers. If you are a cyclist and an Apple fan as well, you should end your research here and go buy this one without having any second thoughts! Whether it is about the screen, touch, or quality, Apple Watch series 4 amazes us in every single department. It is equipped with both GPS and cellular connections, and electrical and optical sensors.
Another amazing thing about it is its safety feature that automatically notifies emergency services when it detects a crash – a great thing for cyclists and action lovers. This is the watch that you would love to wear to parties, sports, and everywhere else without hurting your personal style.
8. Garmin Fenix 5
Garmin Fenix 5 is a great fusion of style and quality. If you have a high budget and looking for a complete biking bundle, you can consider this one. It is a premium multi-sport watch that is equipped with elevate wrist heart rate technology. From its body and design to its performance, it is a wonderful smartwatch by Garmin. As it is a cycling bundle, you will get cadence sensors, sensor straps, and bicycle mount as well along with the Garmin Fenix 5 smartwatch. The sensors are extremely easy to install, all you have to do is attach the sensors and ride.
It also includes GPS and GLONASS satellite reception for more efficient tracking while cycling.
9. Garmin Forerunner 235
This one’s not an ordinary package, it is a complete biking bundle that includes Garmin Forerunner 235 smartwatch, cadence sensor. It offers heart-rate monitoring, fitness, and sleep tracking, accurate GPS data, audio prompts, smart notifications, and of course a cycling-specific setting. The screen is 44% bigger than the 225, yet the phone is the same size. Watch mode for 12 weeks and training mode for 12 hours AUDIO PROMPTS – Get laps and lap timings via audio prompts from your connected smartphone.
Final Verdict
Cycling and other sports keep you fit and healthy, and in order to track your fitness, there is probably nothing more convenient than a smartwatch with cycling-specific settings and features. Having the right accessory to measure your fitness goals would not just keep you in shape t but also motivated to do more hard work. The list contains a variety of best watches for cycling, there is surely one that will perfectly align with your needs. Happy Cycling!