Smartwatches have positioned themselves strongly in the market. Whether you want a sports watch that can track your rides and heart rate, or something more modern and ready for everyday life, there is a smart watch for you.

 

Until now it was only possible to monitor the training on the bicycle using speedometers that, apart from measuring speed, offered few functionalities. Fortunately, there are already a multitude of activity monitors for cycling that are a better alternative.

 

If you want to improve your performance on the bike or need to keep track of the progress in your training, choosing the right smartwatch will be of great help.

 

 

5 Smartwatches ideal for cycling

 

1. Apple Watch

There are many who believe that, if there is a smartwatch to beat is this. But can you really beat the Apple Watch when it comes to smartwatches?

 

The Apple Watch is one of the best smartwatches in the market right now. What separates the Apple Watch from other training devices and smart watches is the element that takes the longest to appreciate: its ability to merge different parts of your life into a single tiny device.

 

It makes our lives a lot more convenient that, after using one for a while, you feel you simply could not be without it. Apple’s smart watch offers you the usual notifications, texts, social updates, emails and also the option to use the watch to respond to all of them. It also has an impeccable design, works very well, and the battery life is quite good considering everything this smart watch can do. Moreover, one can style their Apple watch with hundreds of different types of iwatch bands.

 

The Apple Watch also allows you to track your trip (although the first generation lacks built-in GPS), as well as steps, calories, daily activity and sleep tracking.

Obviously this wonderful smartwatch is not free from defects: the notification of the wrist can become too weak to feel during the walks, the small display can be difficult to read in the sunlight, plus the heart rate monitor eats up battery power. In addition, one of its biggest disadvantages in terms of sport is that without an iPhone you will not be able to enjoy many of its functionalities.

 

2. Fitbit Surge

This impressive smartwatch has 3G connectivity, GPS location and heart rate monitor, which has made it a favourite for many cyclists. Its integrated GPS is quite accurate on the bicycle and also gives you information about the topography of the terrain travelled. On the other hand, its integrated heart rate sensor monitors the pulse continuously, allowing you to know how your heart rate varies when facing challenging or challenging terrain. In addition, the control of sleep cycles, steps, stationary time and food database are other functions.

 

As an additional benefit, the Fitbit Surge smart watch allows you to synchronize with your Android and iOS smartphone, to visualize the collected data and statistics of them. Of course, you can also see your calls and text notifications, in addition to controlling your music.

 

If we were looking for a point against it, it would be the battery life; It is quite short when in GPS mode, so don’t expect much from it on very long or multi-day rides.

 

2. Garmin Forerunner 235

There are few athletes who enjoy using heart monitors with a chest strap and, this great smart watch is your perfect substitute. It tracks distance, rhythm, time and heart rate, also includes an optical pulse sensor on the watch itself, so it is capable of recording pulsations 24 hours a day. In addition, this great smart watch has a specific setting for the bike that automatically loads your rides to Garmin Connect.

 

It also has advanced features such as GPS, and calculation of  VO2 max (how much oxygen your body can process) or recovery notices between workouts.

It also works as an activity strap and we can connect it to our smartphone, for audio messages and notifications, in addition to sharing on social networks and controlling its music. Its battery can last up to 12 weeks in clock mode and 16 hours with GPS.

 

The only thing we find against it is that, like the other Garmin, its application is not the easiest and most intuitive when using it and it can be difficult to program the notifications you want to receive and those that you don’t.

 

3. Garmin Vivosmart HR

This cool smartwatch has one of the thinnest bands available, and the screen always shows its statistics such as steps, distance, calories, heart rate, floors up, and activity intensity. The main attraction of this smartwatch is in its Elevate heart rate optical sensor, a term with which Garmin has called its technology to measure the wrist pulse using optical sensors.

 

The vivamart HR provides you with information on sleep patterns, exercises performed and comparisons of distances travelled thanks to its GPS. Against it has to not track your cycle; however, a built-in heart rate monitor can track the intensity of your training, so it should not be ruled out.

 

The Vivosmart HR is an excellent smartwatch option for cycling if you want to keep track of your data without spending a lot of money.

 

4. Microsoft Band 2

 

Microsoft has big plans for this little smart watch. It is the best of the software giant as a manufacturer of wearables. Microsoft Band 2 is the smartwatch closest to the Apple Watch in terms of what it can do.

 

With everything integrated in the wrist, without the need of a chest band or other uncomfortable accessories. This smartwatch includes  11 sensors for continuous heart rate monitoring, an activity monitor that can be configured in cycle mode, a pedometer, and a UV monitor, in addition to the notifications you can configure for email, texts and much more.

 

Among the disadvantages is the battery, it can last a short time if you are using GPS. In addition, the band is much less flexible like the other smartwatches in the market.