New Garmin Watch / Primarily for Cycling.

pridesabtch
pridesabtch Posts: 2,464 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Looking at getting a new Garmin Forerunner 745. I primarily cycle, but toy with running from time to time. Not really a swimmer, but I like the waterproof reliability of the 745.

Anybody have any experience with this watch. How is the GPS? Can you upload routes onto the watch?

Replies

  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Calling @NorthCascades who may be able to help.

    (I'm a Wahoo bike computer user so no help at all. :smiley: )
  • MartinArcher72
    MartinArcher72 Posts: 1 Member
    Wahoo for me too.
    I hate garmin cycling devices and their watches are not much better for just cycling.
    For the price of a forerunner 745 you should be able to get a dedicated cycle computer like the wahoo elemnt bolt, which you can use to upload routes (I have done 600k rides with the bolt and a powerpack) and have money left over to buy a watch for running (I use a polar watch)
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    I don't know enough about the FR series and 745 to answer specific questions. Here's a review that a lot of people use as if it were the manual:

    https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2020/09/garmin-forerunner-745-depth-review.html

    https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2021/04/garmin-forerunner-745-review-update-8-months-later.html

    It doesn't look like it does turn by turn, but I may be missing something. It has maps.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    I've loved having a GPS watch and my experience is that it works well for cycling. Bike computers are better in some ways for the larger screen, especially for power based intervals, but a watch is much better in other ways including giving you a more holistic view of your activity and being appropriate for other sports.
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,522 Member
    After a lot of thought, I went for a Fenix 6s, which has been brilliant. The 745 will be very similar as it has the same cycling (and many other) "widgets," which support the various activities. In other words, they pretty much run the same software. (With some differences documented at the Garmin site.)

    In short, Garmin watches are good cycling computers. If you get really data hungry, you can buy sensors for speed and cadence and you can get a mount that lets you put it on the handlebar so you can glance at the screen while riding, although the screen is pretty small and it only measures HR when it's on your wrist. (You can also pair an external HR monitor.)

    But, keeping it simple, you just leave it on as usual, push the activities button, select "ride" and go riding. Or, "run" and go running. Or just wear it around letting it count your steps or monitor your sleep. Easy peasy.

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