Best Fitness Tracker for Cycling – We’ve rounded up the very best run-friendly wearables, and as you can see from our picks, there’s a wide price range so you can find something that meets your needs and budget, matches your style, and helps you get through all those miles. Wearables with running features can easily cost upward of $200 (and above), though not all of them do. We looked for a few devices at the lower end of the price spectrum, around the $100 mark, along with some of the higher-end models that cost a lot more.
OVERVIEW
We’ve also taken into consideration some of the essential features any runner would want from a tracker, and whether it offers heart rate monitoring, as well as smartwatch features like push notifications, downloadable apps, and more.
ROUND UP
If you’re a serious runner, you need a fitness tracker that can do more than count steps, measure sleep, and vibrate when a push notification appears on your phone. The good news is that many fitness trackers these days can now track your cadence, pace, and other stats that were once reserved for special running-focused wearables.
back to menu ↑1.POLAR Vantage
Features
- The lightweight multisport smartwatch with full aluminium body (only 52g), equipped with advanced wrist-based HR tracking, GPS, ultra-long battery life, running & cycling performance tests, FuelWise, route guidance, sleep tracking, & more.
- The training load and recovery tracking tools help you optimize your training and avoid overtraining. Test your performance and personalize your heart rate, speed and power zones with the running and cycling performance tests.
- Use Polar Vantage V2 with Polar Flow - a free online tool for planning and following up on your workouts, analyzing activity progress and sleep. Available on desktop and mobile.
- Connect easily with online sports communities for road running, swimming, cycling, cardio, triathlon (MyFitnessPal, Endomondo, Nike+ Run Club, Strava, TrainingPeaks, Adidas Running by Runtastic etc.)
- Polar Vantage V2 comes with the essential smart watch features: music controls, weather and phone notifications.
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2.Garmin fenix
Features
- Fit for performance with rugged, sophisticated design that features an always-on 1.3” (18% larger than previous Fenix models) sunlight-readable display with bezels in stainless steel, titanium or diamond-like carbon (DLC) coating
- Enhanced estimated wrist heart rate and Pulse Ox to support advanced sleep monitoring and altitude acclimation at high elevations (this is not a medical device and is not intended for use in the diagnosis or monitoring of any medical condition)
- Advanced training features include PacePro for grade-adjusted pace guidance throughout your activity plus environmentally adjusted VO2 max and training status estimates
- Navigate the outdoors with preloaded topo maps, ski maps for over 2,000 worldwide ski resorts, multiple global navigation satellite system (GPS, GLONASS and Galileo) support and built-in sensors for 3-axis compass, gyroscope and barometric altimeter
- Support for Garmin Pay contactless payments (not all countries and payment networks are eligible), music storage with premium streaming service (may require subscription with third-party music provider) support, smart notifications and more
- Battery performance: Up to 14 days in smart Watch mode, up to 10 hours in GPS and music mode, up to 28 days in expedition GPS activity mode, and up to 48 days in battery saver Watch mode
- Included components: Fenix 6, Charging/data cable, Documentation
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3.Apple Watch
Features
- GPS model lets you take calls and reply to texts from your wrist
- Measure your blood oxygen with an all-new sensor and app
- Check your heart rhythm with the ECG app
- The Always-On Retina display is 2.5x brighter outdoors when your wrist is down
- S6 SiP is up to 20% faster than Series 5
- 5GHz Wi-Fi and U1 Ultra Wideband chip
- Track your daily activity on Apple Watch and see your trends in the Fitness app on iPhone
- Measure workouts like running, walking, cycling, yoga, swimming, and dance
- Swimproof design
- Sync your favorite music, podcasts, and audiobooks
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4.Fitbit Charge
Features
- Use built-in GPS to see your pace and distance on screen during outdoor runs, rides, hikes and more and see a workout intensity map in the app that shows your heart rate changes along your route
- With Active Zone Minutes, feel a buzz when you reach your target heart rate zones during exercise, and celebrate when you earn extra minutes outside of exercise
- Use 24x7 heart rate to track resting heart rate & better measure calorie burn. Syncing to mobile devices requires Bluetooth LE and internet connection. Syncs with Mac OS X 12.2 and up, iPhone 5S and later, iPad 5 gen. and later, Android 7.0 and later
- See your SpO2 nightly average and range on wrist, and view trends over the past week in the Fitbit app (SpO2 is not available in all markets. The SpO2 feature is not intended to diagnose or treat any medical condition or for any other medical purpose)
- Track your skin temperature each night to see how it varies from your personal baseline (Not available in all markets. Only available in the Fitbit app and only displays variation. Not intended for medical purposes)
- Track workouts in real-time with 20+ goal-based exercise modes. It’s also swimproof and water resistant to 50 Meters, so you can track swims, wear in the shower and more
- Multi-day battery lasts up to 7 days and up to 5 hours when using built-in GPS (varies with use & other factors). Track sleep stages & review your in-app Sleep Score for an easy way to see how well you slept
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5.Willful Fitness
Features
- ★【 Non Bluetooth Pedometer Watch】- If you are looking for a device that can show you the time/date, being waterproof, and give you an exact idea of how much exercise you get everyday, but don't want it needed to be connected to a smartphone, Willful 308 pedometer watch is just the right one for you.
- ★【 Accurate Fitness Tracker】- Accurately track your all-day steps taken, distance traveled, calories burned and sleep quality. This tracker can help you stay active and stay healthy.
- ★【 Easy to Set up and Use】- As this watch don't need an app and a phone, you can enter your personal information (age, height, weight, gender) in the watch to get your accurate exercise data.The setting is very easy.
- ★【 Gift for Parents and Kids】- If you want your family members to become active and take some exercise, you can give this tracker as a gift to them, especially the elders and kids who don't use a smartphone. (The specific size of our band: width, 0.63 inches, the length can fit the wrist of 5.9-8.7 inches)
- ★【 Long Battery Life】- This watch has a built-in usb charging plug, you can remove the bands and charge it with any usb port. One full charge (2 hours) can support 7 days working time. Tips: Please charge it in time before it runs out of the battery, so you don't need to set it up each time.
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6.Withings Steel
Features
- DAY & OVERNIGHT HEART RATE - Enjoy heart rate tracking day & night plus continuous tracking during workouts.
- DAILY ACTIVITY TRACKING - Automatically counts steps, calories and distance.
- AUTOMATIC SLEEP MONITORING - Wake to a Sleep Score based on light & deep sleep cycles, interruptions, depth & regularity.
- MULTISPORT TRACKING -Delivers Fitness Level via VO2 max estimation | Tracks 30+ sports and maps your session with distance, elevation, and pace via connected GPS
- RECORD BATTERY LIFE - Spend more time moving and less time charging with a rechargeable battery that lasts up to 25 days.
- SMART NOTIFICATIONS - Customize call, text, event & app notifications from your smartphone right on the watch screen.
- WATER RESISTANT TO 50M - Steel HR Sport is a life-friendly hybrid smartwatch that can accompany you to the pool or hit the showers.
- AUTOMATIC DATA SYNC - Steel HR Sport seamlessly syncs with the free Health Mate app via Bluetooth. Works with Alexa, Apple Heath, Google Fit, Strava and 100+ top health & fitness apps.
- SWAPPABLE WRISTBANDS - If you have multiple bands, it's easy to change them in seconds to wear Steel HR Sport your way: leather, silicone or metal
- Withings products on Amazon must be “ships from and sold by” Amazon or Withings to be eligible for warranty/replacement by Withings.
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7.Suunto
Features
- Suunto 3: This fitness tracker sports watch accurately tracks steps, exercise, stress, and recovery; Adaptive training guidance creates custom 7 day plans that help maintain or improve your fitness level
- A Life In Balance: This fitness watch delivers a holistic view of your daily activity, including steps, calories and sleep; Stylish, ultra soft microfiber strap looks good in the gym or out on the town
- Get Connected: Connect to your favorite sports apps and services from the Suunto app to get more from your watch; Share with your sports communities and access specific training analysis and guidance
- Adventure Starts Here: Combining Scandinavian design with ultra durable materials, our watches track your sports, daily activity, and sleep to help you keep life, training and recovery in balance
- Authentic Heritage: Founded in 1936, Suunto brings over 80 years of high quality heritage craftsmanship, relentless accuracy, and pioneering innovation to our watches, compasses, and dive products
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8.LOKEKE Premium
Features
- Note:Tempered Glass Screen Protector For Polar Grit X only.
- Polar Grit X Screen protector is with no gaps between LCD and the glass screen protector.
- Polar Grit X glass screen protector provides super smooth touching and you will not notice there is screen protector on LCD.
- Hard coated scratch proof 8-9H. Polar Grit X tempered glass screen protector is easy to attach,At 0.3mm slimness it does not any add bulk to your Smartwatch.
- LOKEKE provides our best quality products and best service to all customer. If have any question, pls don't to hesitate to contact us.
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9.MOTONG
Features
- Note: Tempered Glass Screen Protector For POLAR Grit X Watch only.
- There is no gap between LCD and POLAR Grit X screen protector.And you won't notice there is a glass screen protector on the LCD.
- POLAR Grit X tempered glass film provides super smooth touching as well as no lose in touch screen sensitivity.
- POLAR Grit X screen protector is with hard coated scratch proof 8-9H. At 0.3mm slimness it does not add any bulk to your smart watch.
- POLAR Grit X screen protector is with hard coated scratch proof 8-9H. At 0.3mm slimness it does not add any bulk to your smart watch.
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10.POLAR Grit
Features
- LIGHTEST OUTDOOR WATCH WITH ULTRA LONG BATTERY LIFE: Up to 40h battery life with full GPS and HR tracking (even up to 100h with power save options), up to 7 days in watch mode with 24/7 HR. At 64 grams, Grit X weights 20-30% less than usual outdoor watches.
- MILITARY LEVEL DURABILITY: Grit X has passed several MIL-STD-810G tests and is water resistance up to 100m / 10ATM.
- NAVIGATION: The real-time turn-by-turn route guidance and route import from Komoot keep you on the right track. Compass and barometric altitude (in training mode) and Polar’s unique training features helps you to aim higher!
- AUTOMATICALLY DETECTED UPHILL AND DOWNHILL stats from Hill Splitter tell you how you performed on the ascent and descent sections of your route by using your speed, distance and altitude data.
- AUTOMATIC OVERNIGHT RECOVERY MEASUREMENT: Polar Nightly Recharge lets you know when you can safely push your body further. +130 SPORT PROFILES. POLAR FLOW for planning and analyzing your training sessions.
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Best Fitness Tracker for Cycling – BUYER’S GUIDE
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Runners’ watches usually have a sporty look, which isn’t ideal for something you want to wear 24/7. They often have a chunky face and a silicone wristband that can withstand sweat. That’s not what you want as eye candy on your arm when you’re out networking over cocktails.
However, a few hybrid fitness tracker-running watches actually do have a more sophisticated look than many others. The Apple Watch Series 6, Coros Apex, and Garmin Vivoactive 4 come to mind. They have sleeker bodies and more attention to detail, such as stainless steel clasps, that elevate the look. With most models, you can swap the bands for something classier when the occasion calls for it.
back to menu ↑The Essentials for Running
A few essential features runners look for include the ability to accurately track total running time, distance, pace, and lap time. It certainly helps if the watch comes with GPS, as stats for outdoor runs are much more accurate when GPS is used to calculate them. Having GPS also means you can usually see the route of your run after the fact. GPS can drain battery quickly, but some watches, like the Coros Apex and Polar Grit X, offer battery-saving features that can be helpful during long runs.
Some of the trackers included here offer advanced metrics including ground contact time, stride length, and estimated recovery time needed after a workout. Many also estimate your VO2 Max, or the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during intense exercise, a metric used to measure cardiovascular fitness. Later this year, Apple plans to roll out a Low Cardio Fitness feature for the Series 6 that can notify you if your VO2 Max falls into a low range.
When you’re not running, you expect a tracker to keep an eye on your steps and sleep. Most of the devices on this list can track your light and deep shut eye.
back to menu ↑Heart Rate
Most trackers have an optical heart rate monitor (HRM) built into the device. This reads heart rate through your wrist. There are different ways HRMs are used and implemented
With an optical HRM, you never have to put on a chest strap if you don’t want to, although many trackers with optical HRM usually still support them. A chest strap HRM wirelessly (via Bluetooth or ANT+) connects with a compatible running watch so that you have real-time heart rate data while you’re in motion. Many athletes still prefer chest straps because they are more accurate.
The other major distinction is whether the optical HRM offers continuous heart rate monitoring or only during activity. Continuous monitoring lets you see your heart rate at any moment, making it easy to look up your resting heart rate every day. Continuous HRMs tend to eat up battery life, however.
The point of having heart rate information on a runner’s watch is to use it for training, but this information can also help signal potential health issues. The Apple Watch SE and Series 6 offer irregular heart rate and rhythm notifications, and the latter also has an FDA-approved electrocardiogram (ECG) function that generates a PDF of your heart rhythm you can share with your doctor.
For more, see the best heart rate monitors we’ve tested.
back to menu ↑Push Notifications and Apps
Push notification support is surprisingly abundant among hybrid devices. Typically what happens is that the tracker vibrates when a notification appears on your phone, and the first few lines of the message show up on the tracker itself. The Garmin Vivoactive 4 is a favorite for push notifications because you can read more than just the first few lines if you scroll through the alert.
The Vivoactive 4 also has the benefit of tapping into Garmin’s app store, Connect IQ. Compared with the Apple App Store, Garmin’s store is tiny. But having an app store at all means you can add custom widgets and screens to your device. There is a screen, for example, that shows multiple time zones of your choice around the world.
back to menu ↑Battery Life
Battery life is a big deal among fitness trackers. You want a device to last more than a day or two, and if you’re preparing for a long race, you need to feel reassured that your tracking won’t poop out at mile 25.
See How We Test Fitness Trackers
The battery life estimates below are for general step-counting mode. Once GPS is enabled, battery life changes dramatically. All the devices here have a long enough battery life to last a long race…maybe not an ultramarathon, though. The Coros Apex is an exception. It can last up to 24 days with normal use, 24 hours in full GPS mode, and 80 hours in UltraMax GPS mode, in which the GPS switches on for 30 seconds every two minutes (the rest of the time, it uses motion sensors and machine learning algorithms to track you).
back to menu ↑Frequently Asked Questions
back to menu ↑How much do I need to spend?
If you want a watch with in-built GPS, which means you won’t rely on your phone for location data, then you’re looking at a minimum of around £80 to 100.
You can buy a simpler fitness tracker that connects to the GPS receiver in your phone for under £50 that will also record heart rate data.
back to menu ↑WRAP UP
Fitness trackers and sports watches have evolved with striking pace, from previously being little more than slave units for a phone to measuring everything from your heart rate to the quality of the sleep you’re getting, and offering standalone GPS tracking.
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