The best GPS watch for cycling and mountain biking

Discover the comparative ranking of the best GPS watch for cycling or mountain biking. Which GPS watch to choose for mountain biking? What is the best GPS watch for cycling? What is the best GPS watch for the cyclist?

Do you need a good watch to run, swim or ride a bike? Having a good heart rate monitor for running, swimming or cycling is essential and the growing popularity of smartwatches has not taken away the interest that runners may have in getting a GPS watch for running (or swimming and cycling). They have very advanced and specific features that we will not find in smartwatches. A GPS bike watch allows very precise monitoring of these bike rides. It displays all the data of a conventional meter (speed, distance traveled, time …) and also offers the possibility to record its own routes. If you practice other sports than cycling, a GPS bike watch is a versatile option.

Also, read our other guides on the best hiking watchesmodern cuckoo watchesaltimeter watches, and sports watches.

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Top GPS cycling and mountain biking watch

The time has come to break out of confinement and start your training plan. And yes, that time is undoubtedly a watch for cycling or mountain biking. But not just one more, but some of the best smart watches, which not only mark the time and heart rate, but also add advantages such as altitude, GPS, even port profiles and training plans, or music included. There are real gems, and surely when you see them you will see an empty hole on your wrist, which can only be filled by a quality smartwatch. Here is the comparative ranking of the best bike GPS watch.

Garmin Fenix 6X Pro

Garmin Fenix 6X Pro

There is no doubt that the latest Garmin mountain heart rate monitor deserves to be the best option on the list. This is because it has any requirement for a mountain bike or road bike. The most professional way to measure your cycling performance like you never imagined before.

By definition, it is a multisport watch and we anticipate that it is worth its weight in gold, so if you want the best, it is necessary to pay the cost.

It has the most advanced navigation system on the market, with pre-installed maps of all of Europe that, through endless navigation functions, you will always find your destination, whether on the road or in the mountains, it is a very useful utility to take into account on complex routes or little known, especially in more advanced cyclists.

It is also worth mentioning its ABC sensors, which is nothing more than an altimeter to measure the altitude gained in ascent or lost in descents.

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Polar Vantage V Titan

Polar Vantage V Titan

Among the Polar cycling heart rate monitors, the Vantage V undoubtedly tops the list. It is not an ordinary bicycle heart rate monitor, but it is a complete solution to maximize performance. A high-end watch, water-resistant and sufficient battery life for the longest routes.

It will serve you both to go by road and in the mountains, because its assisted GPS has very fast location times, in addition to being able to easily measure height, incline, ascent or descent data using the barometer.

It always accurately measures heart rate monitoring in more than 130 different sports, including of course cycling among them.

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Suunto 9 GPS Sports Watch

Suunto 9 GPS Sports Watch

Suunto watches are famous for adapting to any terrain in a unique way and this is fulfilled in the promise of the Suunto 9 bike heart rate monitor, a 360-degree solution for cyclists whether they are amateurs or professionals.

The mode of use of this watch is quite simple, it uses a color screen with three buttons on its side, through which we can see graphs of interest such as heart rate, route tracking with a point of interest (something essential for complicated routes) or calories burned among others.

Its GPS location is immediate, so you can enjoy accurate navigation data on any terrain. It also has GPS altitude through altimeter and a built-in coordinate system without forgetting the precision in tracking and distances traveled through FusedTrack, an advanced sports technology patented especially by the Suunto brand.

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Garmin Vivoactive: the most versatile

Best GPS watch for cycling and mountain biking

For versatility, the best GPS bike watch is the Garmin Vivoactive. It offers much less cycling functionality than the Garmin 920XT but is more versatile (cycling, running, walking, swimming and golf).

The Garmin Vivoactive is a thin and light bike GPS watch (38g). It looks more like a smartwatch than a sports watch. It has a touchscreen for easy navigation. Garmin Vivoactive is a versatile sport connected watch because it can be used for cycling but also for running, walking, swimming and golf. The Vivoactive does not allow you to analyze as much data as the Garmin 920XT.

In terms of bike functions, it offers an odometer, the current speed km / h, altitude, heart rate (with strap), cadence, calories, distance, and travel time. The Garmin Vivoactive is a connected watch compatible with iPhone, Android or Windows Cheaper than the Forerunner 920XT Sports or the Polar V800, the cycling mode of the Garmin Vivoactive is also very complete.

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Garmin Forerunner 920XT: the most complete

top rated cycling gps watch in the market

The Garmin Forerunner 920XT is a complete bike GPS watch. It tracks power, pace, heart rate, speed, VO2 max, distance, time or calories burned.

The Garmin Forerunner 920XT is compatible with ANT + speed/cadence sensors (Garmin or other brands like Trek or Giant). It can be attached to the bike handlebars with Garmin Edge bike mounts.

The Garmin Forerunner 920XT is ideal for cycling thanks to its great ease of use, its excellent readability, its fast and reliable GPS, its lightness and comfort and its very good autonomy. She records a lot of data for running, cycling and swimming. It is designed for triathletes but may be suitable for cyclists. For cycling and running, it’s the best GPS watch.

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Garmin Fenix 3: the most solid for mountain biking

Garmin Fenix 3 solid for mountain biking

The Garmin Fenix 3 is a GPS watch for mountain biking. This connected watch with a high-resolution color screen is particularly solid. The case is made of stainless steel and the glass is anti-scratch sapphire.

The Fenix 3 is an altimeter watch. It also has a compass and a barometer. Thanks to the GPS, the watch can set the time automatically with great precision depending on your position.

In terms of cycling functions, the Fenix 3 is at the same level as the Forerunner 920XT. It is compatible with several sensors such as speed, cadence, heart rate. It is also able to display power metrics when coupled with an ANT + power sensor. With a heart rate sensor and a power sensor, the Fenix 3 can calculate the estimate of your VO2 max.

The Garmin Fenix 3 can also be used for navigation with GPS and GLONASS. You can import routes and points of interest and the watch helps you navigate.

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Garmin Forerunner 935 Running GPS Unit

Garmin Forerunner 935 Running GPS Unit

The Garmin Forerunner 935 is a state-of-the-art evolved and multisport sports watch that integrates all of the top-of-the-range features of the Fenix range, but we can find it better because of the number of sensors implemented and the superior quality/price ratio. It has a highly durable fiber and rubber body, soft straps, and a lightweight. Even the cardiac sensor, Garmin Elevate, has a very small impact on the wrist, not a hassle, and can detect the heartbeat with an almost identical accuracy to that of the bands. It can also be used continuously with one detection per second. Among the rest of the existing sensors, we cite GPS, Glonass, barometric altimeter, compass, and thermometer.

There is also no automatic WiFi connection, which is used to instantly synchronize data on physical activity, BT Smart and ANT + through which an infinite number of sports accessories can be connected. The operating system is really intuitive, rich in information and functionality to handle virtually any type of sport. Last but not least, let’s mention the autonomy. We have used it for ten days without interruption with notifications and active heart rate monitor, a truly excellent item that confirms, if it is still necessary, the high quality of this wearable from any point of view.

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Alternatives to the GPS Bike Watch

An alternative to the GPS bike watch is a bike GPS meter or more simply a wireless bike meter.
Compared to a bicycle meter, a GPS watch is more versatile. You can use it for bike/mountain bike but also for other sports such as swimming or running. By cons, a bike GPS meter is more readable and costs less than a GPS watch. It is a better option to ride only.

Another alternative option to a GPS bike watch is an iPhone application for cyclists. A smartphone app is much cheaper because you just have to get a bike holder for a smartphone or an iPhone bike holder that can fix the phone on your bike.

In the end, a GPS bike watch is expensive and fragile. For a cyclist, both invest in a good bike lock.

What is the best GPS bike

For most cyclists, Garmin Forerunner 920XT is the bike GPS watch you need. What is the best GPS watch for cycling and mountain biking, in your opinion? Let us know in the comments section.

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