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What’s the Best Fitness Tracker for Cycling?
Fitness trackers are all the rage these days. They are a great way to help us stay more connected to our health, track our activity level, and are becoming fashion statements. There are so many fitness trackers out there but what if you need one specifically for cycling? Are they all created equal? From wearables to apps to garments, we got some expert advice on what’s the best fitness tracker for cycling!
From wearables to apps we break it down
Sensoria Smart Garments
Sensoria, a Redmond-based world leader in the development of IoT-enabled garments. The company’s collection of smart upper-body garments make it easy for cyclists to track and monitor their heart rate during their workouts without the hassle of a strap.
A Bluetooth and ANT+ Sensoria heart rate monitor snaps directly onto the front of Sensoria’s smart bras and collection of shirts.
All of the items in Sensoria’s collection of upper-body garments are made with moisture-wicking fabric to help maintain body temperature constant in any climate and are also machine washable so they’re durable and easy to clean.
When used with Sensoria’s mobile app and web dashboard, cyclists are able to not only track their rate but also have advanced training through heart rate zone and heart rate variability tracking-two new features that were recently added!
This makes this one of the coolest and best fitness trackers for cycling.
Garmin Edge 25
When it comes to the best fitness tracker for cycling, I look for a device that is effective and accurate, but easy to use. The last thing people want when they’re flying down the road is to be fiddling with a complicated fitness tracker.
Many cycling trackers can be expensive. For an affordable alternative to the thousand-dollar bike computers ($169.99), I recommend the Garmin Edge 25. The Edge 25 tracks distance, speed, and time.
If you purchase an accompanying heart-rate monitor, it has the ability to track heart rate as well. It has an 8-hour battery life and is water-proof. The Edge 25 allows you to find or create routes, upload to your device, and follow them so that you won’t get lost.
All activities can be uploaded to Garmin Connect so that you can track your progress. You can even connect to Bluetooth so that your friends and family can follow your ride in real-time.
CycleCast
CycleCast is a brand new app that allows anyone to get fit on their own time wherever there’s a stationary or residential bike. CycleCast makes studio-quality indoor cycling more accessible than ever by delivering hit music and motivational instructors straight to your iPhone.
CycleCast works with any indoor bike and brings the energy, intensity, and community of indoor cycling directly to you whenever you want, at home or at the gym.
Just choose an instructor, choose a class length, and press play. Curated playlists and expert coaching get you moving as Apple Health integration allow you to easily sync and track workouts, calories, and heart rate data.
CycleCast retails for $9.99 on the App Store and features exclusive workouts in 20, 45, and 60-minute intervals from qualified instructors, including Kevin Mondrick of BFX Studio, Jess Walsh of New York Sports Club/Crank, and Isabel Schaefer, Spinning Master Instructor.
CycleCast also integrates with Apple Health to seamlessly sync and track workouts, calories, and heart rate data.
Garmin Vivo Series – Vivoactive
The level of athlete that I typically work with owns a dedicated device for their sport. However, I have witnessed and worked with athletes and enthusiasts that use a Garmin Vivo Series device and especially the Vivoactive.
The Vivoactive has multiple sports “apps” that allow you to put it in the mode that matches your activity – be it running, biking, swimming, golfing, or walking.
For riding, like most Garmin Edge devices, it pairs with ANT+ heart rate monitors and dedicated speed/cadence sensors on the bike if you plan to train a bit more seriously while tracking a host of basic metrics like distance, speed, time, and calories. Get yours for $219.99.
The most compelling reason to own a Vivoactive is that Garmin has just released Garmin Connect Insights – Smart Coaching. Garmin Connect is Garmin’s mobile app and web interface that tracks all of your data.
But the new Insights provides motivation, suggestions, and basic coaching to help you reach your goals on a daily. It’s like having a personal trainer!
– Ryan Oakes cycling coach at AMainCycling.com as well as a top-level, regional road bicycle racer.
Polar A360
When it comes to the best fitness tracker for cycling, I use the Polar A360 for cycling. The A360 allows me to select a sports profile for specific sports, such as running, cycling, swimming, and more. It records specific sports profiles, as well. Plus, it looks cool.
The fact that it uses a chest strap to monitor, seems to make it more accurate.
– Franklin Antoian, ACE personal trainer, 1 of Shape Magazine’s Top 50 Trainers in America, and founder of the online personal training website, iBodyFit.com.
Jet Heads-up Display
For cycling, it’s got to be the Jet Heads-up Display which you wear like a pair of glasses. It might take a while to get used to at first, but this piece of kit is really useful for a cyclist who doesn’t want to look at their wrist all the time.
The Jet displays top speed, average speed, etc, a GPS map of the route ahead and elevation, power output in watts, and heart rate; it can even display the weather forecast!
As an added bonus, the device also syncs to third-party heart rate monitors, power meters, and cadence sensors via Bluetooth, ANT+, and Wi-Fi. Plus, it pairs with any iOS and Android device for SMS, calls display, and internet access. It’s a pricey piece of tech at $499 but it’s worth it.
– Sam Greenwood, founder of Amaven, an online platform that helps personal trainers, coaches, and schools provide intelligent workouts for their clients based on individual assessments.
Wrap-Up
There you have it! Some of the best fitness trackers out there – especially for cycling!
Do you use any of these? Let us know below!
Until next time, just remember to get out there and be active on your way to a happy healthy you!
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