Looking at multi-sport GPS watches... Advice?
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djdube525
Posts: 69 Member
I'm looking to replace my wife's Garmin 305 which has been a source of frustration over the years. When it works, it works well... When it doesn't... Well... Mama Bear gets cranky.
I'll give it to Garmin, they replaced the watch two times already... And for some time it worked well... But the watch doesn't pick up the heart monitor strap (we've replaced the battery to no avail).
So... Debating on trying out luck on another Garmin product... Either the 310xt, or the new 910xt. Feature wise.... For what she'll use it for... It's a wash.... Arguably the 910 looks better and may fit nicer on her wrist.
Alternatively, I've been wondering about the Suunto Ambit. Reportedly better quality, can be used as a watch, really long battery life... Not sure how well it would work as a cycling computer as compared to the Garmins. I haven't been able to find out whether it would sync up to a cadence or power tap sensor(s).
Does anyone have any experience with either of these? Pros... Cons???
I'll give it to Garmin, they replaced the watch two times already... And for some time it worked well... But the watch doesn't pick up the heart monitor strap (we've replaced the battery to no avail).
So... Debating on trying out luck on another Garmin product... Either the 310xt, or the new 910xt. Feature wise.... For what she'll use it for... It's a wash.... Arguably the 910 looks better and may fit nicer on her wrist.
Alternatively, I've been wondering about the Suunto Ambit. Reportedly better quality, can be used as a watch, really long battery life... Not sure how well it would work as a cycling computer as compared to the Garmins. I haven't been able to find out whether it would sync up to a cadence or power tap sensor(s).
Does anyone have any experience with either of these? Pros... Cons???
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I don't have any personal experience with either, but a friend of mine swears by her 910XT. Her only complaint about it, is the same I have for the Garmin Swim, if you're a slower swimmer, it tends to add extra distance. Garmin expects you to be at a certain pace and for those of us who are a little slower you may end up with 525M when you only swam 500M.
If you're looking for a good detailed review on both of the watches you've listed I follow this guy's blog and he has extremely detailed reviews on both.
http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2011/10/garmin-forerunner-910xt-in-depth-review.html
http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2012/04/suunto-ambit-in-depth-review.html0 -
I did look at both of those briefly... A bit of information overload was going on.... Very detailed indeed!0
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I use the 910xt with the triathlon bundle (bike speed and cadence sensors). I have not had a problem with it in any regards. As for swimming, during my slower laps it works just fine. The watch, using an internal gyroscope, senses when you turn at a wall and will add the appropriate distance traveled at that point. Very easy to use and the HR strap is much nicer that the 305, which I upgraded from. If your wife is a numbers junkie like me and money is not an issue, go for the 910xt.0
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I use the 910xt with the triathlon bundle (bike speed and cadence sensors). I have not had a problem with it in any regards. As for swimming, during my slower laps it works just fine. The watch, using an internal gyroscope, senses when you turn at a wall and will add the appropriate distance traveled at that point. Very easy to use and the HR strap is much nicer that the 305, which I upgraded from. If your wife is a numbers junkie like me and money is not an issue, go for the 910xt.
Spot on.0 -
I assume all her existing sensors (cadence, bike speed, etc) can all be reused (Ant+ compatible)?
Do either of you have a bike mount for the watch? Which one did you go with? One looks like a screw in, but there must be some easy way to get off the strap to switch from wrist to bike mount. Or do y'all just keep it on your wrist?0 -
FWIW, I have a Suunto HRM (not GPS) that has been great. I have a bike pod and foot pod to use with it for running and biking to make up for the lack of GPS (though obviously I still don't get things like elevation data). Easy to use, reliable and has proven very durable. I don't know anything about their GPS stuff or the Ambit specifically, but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend a Suunto product based on my experience.
My GF also has a suunto, and while it's gotten less use/abuse, her's as also never failed us.
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All of the sensors she has should be able to be re-used.
As for the mount, before I picked up an Edge for my bike I was using this mount for my FR410 (which also has bike capability).
http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-Forerunner-Bicycle-Mount-Kit/dp/B000VK5BMQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1359048991&sr=1-1&keywords=garmin+forerunner+bicycle+mount+kit0 -
I looked at the 900. I went with the combination of the 500 for the bike and the Timex Global Trainer for the swim/run. I like the convenience of not having to switch from my wrist to the bike and vice versa.0
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I like the ability to move it around. All the data is stored in one place and you only have to worry about charging one device.0
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I went with the 310xt, once my 305 died don't need the pool features of the 910xt, or the cost.
I went with the garmin brand quick release kit, works EXCELLENT.
Just a half turn and it pops in and out!
Best part is, the battery life is SOOO much better.0 -
How long have you had the 310xt?
I briefly looked at REI.... I was surprised to see how big the 910xt is... I would have thought from the 305 to 310 to 910 the watches would have gotten a bit smaller... I know the specs say they have... But not a whole heck of a lot smaller.
Dave0 -
I've had it for just over 3 months.
The 310xt is SLIGHTLY smaller than the 305, but not much, basically gets rid of the curved part.
I never had the quick release for the 305, but adding the quick release to the 310xt made it stick out slightly more than the 305 without a quick release. That being said, VERY glad I got the quick release
I also bought extra mounts since I've got 3 bikes.0 -
I've had it for just over 3 months.
The 310xt is SLIGHTLY smaller than the 305, but not much, basically gets rid of the curved part.
I never had the quick release for the 305, but adding the quick release to the 310xt made it stick out slightly more than the 305 without a quick release. That being said, VERY glad I got the quick release
I also bought extra mounts since I've got 3 bikes.0 -
I won't be wearing it for the swim, I'm going to leave it attached to the bike.
From what I've seen and read, if you're swimming in the water it's pretty unreliable anyways, so if anything, tuck it under your swimcap so that it can have better reception.
I'll just wear my standard watch for time in the water ( and it will give me my overall time through the race ), and then start the gps on the bike fir that and the run.
Last thing I want to do is both get unreliable swim data AND have the chance of losing it in the depths0 -
I ordered this... http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/956860865/bia-the-first-gps-sports-watch-for-womenby-women
Can't review it yet since I won't get it until April
Or info is also http://www.bia-sport.com/0 -
I have switched from Polar to Garmin in the last month and am very happy with the decision. The 910xt is rechargable and doesn't need speed sensors and footpods (though you can make use of these if you want).
For me, both brands are a good bet. I went for the Garmin in the end because it can be used for open water and indoor swimming and because it is rechargable. Watch batteries don't give you a warning when they are about to go flat, they just do. And as a trainer that is incredibly inconvenient. With the Garmin I know precisely when I need to recharge.
But from a tech point of view, Garmin, Polar and Suunto are on a par. You just need to decide which features you need the most.0 -
One more question... what would people's preference be... one device, or a specific device for biking and another for running?
Was thinking a Forerunner 410 and a Edge 500 is about the same cost as a 910xt. Seeing that she wouldn't use the watch for swimming all that much, I'm wondering if she'd get better use out of more dedicated devices to the task.
She already has the cadence and wheel sensors... so don't need to get all the accessories.
Thoughts?
Dave0 -
One more question... what would people's preference be... one device, or a specific device for biking and another for running?
Was thinking a Forerunner 410 and a Edge 500 is about the same cost as a 910xt. Seeing that she wouldn't use the watch for swimming all that much, I'm wondering if she'd get better use out of more dedicated devices to the task.
She already has the cadence and wheel sensors... so don't need to get all the accessories.
Thoughts?
Dave
I prefer separate devices. I've left my 305 strapped to my bike before coming out of T2. It sucks to say the least. It also helps when you get into something like an Ironman and may not have enough battery time to do the whole race. Not sure what the 910s battery life was like but my 305 was like 8 hours. Not good enough.0 -
The 310xt and 910xt both are rated for 20 hours.
The more running centric watches (fr410 and 610) are 8 hours.0 -
One more question... what would people's preference be... one device, or a specific device for biking and another for running?
Was thinking a Forerunner 410 and a Edge 500 is about the same cost as a 910xt. Seeing that she wouldn't use the watch for swimming all that much, I'm wondering if she'd get better use out of more dedicated devices to the task.
She already has the cadence and wheel sensors... so don't need to get all the accessories.
Thoughts?
Dave
Before I found a good deal on the Edge I was using the FR410 for both my bike and running workouts. The only thing that the FR410 doesn't allow for is power meters on bikes. So honestly if she's not going to use a power meter you could get away with the 410 for both running and bike. Because of the troubles with the bezel controls it takes a little time to switch from bike to run, so not sure I'd rely on this for a race as my sole device. For training purposes though you could very easily make do with just the 410.
Personally I'm sticking with separate devices during my training. Before my first race of the season I may treat myself to a 910XT.0