I am trying to do some research on which ecosystem I want to purchase into once I am able to free up some funds to buy stuff. I particularly want cycling and running, but also track things like soccer or other ball sports (so a watch would be useful).
From my understanding of it, Garmin seems like the obvious choice if I want to buy into an ecosystem of devices - yes?
Garmin has products left and right for all sorts of different sports and purposes and they all need each other to integrate. Whereas Wahoo and Hammerhead are much less robust in their product lines (basically just cycling) such that there would be no consistency in brands across multiple products?
Is there a real competitor for Garmin if Iām wanting to have just one brand across my devices for multiple sports?
I went for a Garmin Edge 1040 and Garmin Forerunner 965. It works very well for all kinds of sports.
Previously Wahoo Elemnt Bolt for cycling and an Apple Watch for other activities. That works, but you do not really get any stats across the activities and and up with a large collection of apps (e.g. WorkOutDoors app instead of the native activity app).
Hi, I have the Garmin Edge 530 and Forerunner 245. Happy with both and somewhat useful that they do ātrue upā, which includes sharing of training data across devices. However, Iāve not found all the training stats reliable (Performance Condition, Training Status etc), especially when doing base training. Iāve since switched most of these features off and in reality, I donāt experience much benefit of the ecocystem. I get far more (and reliable) insight from looking at CTL and other performance charts that you can find on intervals.com. Otherwise Garminās Stress and Body Battery are really useful to me (both linked to HRV), in terms of helping me determing training readinessā¦ alhough youāll get similar on most watches these days, without needing to be in any ecosystem. Interested to hear othersā thoughts.
With all different sports you mention, the choices are limited. And as you say Garmin is the most versatile.
The question is how much priority you give to the brands ecosystem. Most of those voodoo parameters look great at first but have very little importance and are sometimes plain wrongā¦
My ecosystem is Intervals.icu and I use Garmin Edge for cycling and Coros for running. Coros also has watches for multisport, cycling, running, swimming, strength, cardio, surfing, wintersports, ā¦ But I havenāt seen soccer.
Garmin Connect only getās my cycling activities and is just serving me as a hub to get them on Intervals. Coros tracks all my activities, cycling, running (walk and hike included) and provides sleep and wellness data. I am checking the ārecoveryā status on Coros but havenāt decided yet if it is more useful then the Fitness chart on Intervals.
While I could record my cycling on Coros, I would not want to miss the extra functionality coming from Garmin IQ fields. So cycling is always recorded on both for now.
A dedicated Garmin cycling device + a Garmin watch for the other sports is quite an investment.
In your situation a multisport watch is probably the logical choice as a first investment. If you get a more advanced Garmin watch it will track all your activities and also sleep/wellness data. If you find later on that you want more cycling specific data, a simpler device will do.
Thereās not much of a competitor to Garmin. Iāve gone all in over a couple of years and donāt regret it. Also Iāve noticed many doctors seem to wear Garmin watches as well. Iāve upgraded to the 965 for HRV and training status. Iāve tried using the train now feature (cycling) but not sure Iām keen on it.
Edge 530
Venu 2
Index s2(scale)
FR 965
Kids watches
I couldnāt really care about āappsā on my wrist so Garmin is a no brainier.
I would suggest Polar as an option worth looking into. I have my Vantage paired with my HR strap and my power meter pedals (favero assioma) and they sell a handlebar watch mount for your bike that I use and have been happy with. You do sacrifice some cycling specifics things (integration options are not as wide as Garmin, navigation is lacking, small screen compared to dedicated bike computer).
As far as a multisport watch can act as your only device, itās very versatile and for me thatās were it shines. And of course it has integrated seamlessly with intervals!
Garmin for long live data keeping and connection.
I still can connect my old Garmin 305 (year 2010) to Garmin eco system.
Polar is good as well, lack in mapping, I do not like to juggle with the 2 apps Polar Beat and Polar flow. I heard that Polar Vantage 3 integrate mapping and navigation.
Suunto does not care on long term, apps change so often and most of the time I lost my data during migration and If you miss the migration dead line then you can not connect anymore. Can not use old Suunto watch anymore as there is no way to connect it to any device, web, pc, phone.
Yes, Garmin is indeed a popular and comprehensive choice for individuals looking to create an ecosystem of devices for various sports and activities. Garmin offers a wide range of products, including smartwatches, fitness trackers, cycling computers, and more. Their devices are known for their compatibility with multiple sports, advanced features, and integration capabilities.
While Wahoo and Hammerhead are notable players in the cycling-specific market with cycling computers, they might not offer the same breadth of products for various sports as Garmin. Garminās ecosystem includes devices suitable for running, swimming, golf, and other activities, making it a versatile option for individuals engaging in multiple sports.
Another notable competitor in the fitness tracking and smartwatch market is Apple with its Apple Watch. The Apple Watch has gained popularity for its integration with the Apple ecosystem, health and fitness features, and the ability to track various activities.
I didnāt see Coros mentioned here so wanted to put it out there. I have been using a Coros pace 3 for a couple months now for running, swimming, cycling and hiking. Found the UX pretty great and itās feature packed, HRV, Training load, even has a metronome in the misc tools. The form factor is small enough that I can sleep with it so I track my sleep and RHR.
I was upgrading from using Mi Fit for a couple years so I absolutely didnāt want to go from $20 to $500 Garmin, coros was somewhat in-between. If I had known about intervals.icu when I was buying a watch, Iād go for a cheaper GPS watch - probably Wahoo Elemnt Rival
I use Polar then share it with Strava just to follow and be followed by friends (my exercise social media) and I share it with Intervals.icu so I can analyze my training. I really do not use the phone apps much, I wait till I get home and use my desktop computer with a huge monitor. Iām hiking, trail running and only biking in the wet season. Maybe Iāll pick up mountain biking later because I hike and run where thereās a great mountain bike park. I just dont what to spend the money most people spend on mountain bikes. I dont like Garminās web page environment.
I wear either my Polar Pacer or my Polar M400 with an H10 chest monitor and I can use the H10 with the Polar Pacer as well. Itās all I need and itās not expensive.
One of my posts a bit higher in this topic mentions Coros. I am a happy owner of a Pace2 since about 3 years and have been pleasantly surprised with all the firmware updates introducing new functionality.
But when it comes to versatility regarding different sports types, Garmin is difficult to beat. I donāt need all those different sports, just hike/run/ride (MTB/Road/Indoor).