UKC

I'm starting to train for some long rides (~200km) this summer and I currently only ride around 30km per day for my commute to work. A work colleague is giving me his turbo trainer this week as he doesn't use it any more so I'd like to try and make the most of it.

I was looking to get a GPS watch with HRM (see classifieds ad) but I'm wondering if I'd be better just getting a HRM to train with and stick to strava on my phone for the GPS side of things. The saved money could then go towards getting some SPD pedals and shoes instead which might be more beneficial to the actual rides...

Is this a sensible option? And if so are there any budget HRM's that you can recommend?

Thanks,

James

In reply to James Malloch:

Get the spds they'll make a massive difference. Hrms are useful if you're really fine tuning training but you have to understand how to use them to see a benefit. Bottom line if you go out and regularly ride enough miles to make your legs hurt you'll get fast and go further.

In reply to James Malloch:
Turbo trainer and GPS watch made me smile! anyway why a watch? I'd recommend an Edge which will not only give you an HRM but also cadence which you can use with your real bike. Edge (200) will also be cheaper I suspect at around £75 to £80. Forerunner watches start at £100 to £120 retail (FR70 & FR10) and are in my view are used by cyclist too mean to pony up for an Edge. don't know if these FR's have a cycle mode.

I have an FR620 which is the dogs danglies for running but cycling..... who knows?

In reply to Indy:
The Edge 200 is indeed cheaper, but it doesn't do heart rate or cadence. For cycling, I'd recommend an Edge over a GPS watch though! Think you can also get HRM straps which talk to your phone (and hence Strava) provided you have a relatively recent phone. Wahoo Fitness do a few different models.

I'd agree with the earlier comment; go for the pedals first! For what you're training for I'd think you don't really urgently need heart rate tracking. Main problem I had with long (200km+) rides is getting sore/stiff being on the bike that long. I don't think a turbo will help much with that, as you'd die of boredom on the turbo long before bike aches kick in.

If I were in your situation I'd probably extend my commute a bit once or twice a week to 50-75k, get to the point of doing that on subsequent days, do some 100km+ rides when possible, and use the turbo only if it wasn't possible to get outside.

In reply to PM:


Well, thats a bit crap.

The Edge 500 definitely does cad and HR as my mate has one costs about £100.

In reply to James Malloch:

I got a cheap Sigma HRM similar to this...
http://www.bikeinn.com/bike/sigma-pc-3.11-pink/17644/p?utm_source=google_pr...

It has a stopwatch and shows you HR which is all you need if you are going to supplement your riding with some interval work on the turbo.
I wouldn't bother with an all singing all dancing Garmin if your phone is working well enough and you are lacking other essential kit like clip-in pedals.

In reply to James Malloch:

I started using my GPS unit (Garmin Edge 510) on the turbo but it's not ideal - I'd get 10 metres of elevation gain during a session! I switched to Trainerroad which is a subscription based system that uses power (either from a genuine power meter - expensive, or via virtual power - they have characterisation curves for most turbo trainers) rather than heart rate. You do need a smartphone or tablet and a bluetooth dongle though so there's some equipment expense.

At this time of year I would get fitter by riding more rather than turbo sessions. You improve your bike handling and get a wider variety of terrain and conditions. I found that after a winter of turbo training I was fine on the flat but as soon as the road started to ramp up I struggled, it took a while for the fitness to transfer over.

In reply to James Malloch:

If you're looking at 200km then you need a dedicated GPS unit - don't think either a watch or a phone will have the battery life. I've had a garmin edge for the last 4 years and have found it really motivating- not just to go out and do distance, but also to explore - both on and off road. Have a HRM but have never used it on the bike and rarely when running.

Turbo trainer has never appealed either - some of my best mountain biking has been on cold, dark nights ! Finding what motivates you is the key to long rides.

In reply to James Malloch:

If you have a heart rate monitor, what will you do with the data?

In reply to Chris the Tall:

If you want GPS and hrm the Garmin Edge Touring is worth looking at. It's basically an 810 with some features removed. If you want to be able to sync your rides to Garmin/Strava via bluetooth, rather than upload them via USB, you need the 810. The 810 will also let you add things like cadence. You don't need to buy maps, as there are various Open Street Map options available for free.

In reply to wilkesley:
sport pursuit.com have some garmin stuff fairly cheap at the moment. I'd also go for a dedicated bike GPS (Edge 500 if you're not bothered about maps is fine and pretty cheap, Edge 810 if you want sat nav capability) although a watch (e.g. Fenix, Vivoactive) will have a decent cycling mode and will easily outlast an Edge on battery life these days and of course you can use it for running as well.

EDIT: sportpursuit.com have Touring Plus for £175.

In reply to wilkesley:

I feel duty bound to warn anyone thinking of getting an Edge 810 to either not or at the very least take a look at the Garmin Edge 810 forum which will show the howls of pain this piece of shite has caused. I got the Ultimate package with all the mapping and mounts etc and and it did around 1100 miles before I binned it. The frustration and aggravation wasn't worth it despite the cost.

Currently Edge 1000 only £50? more expensive than same spec 810. 1000 gets my thumbs up after 3500+ miles

In reply to Indy:

Got the 810 and yes it's frustrating at times, but certainly not enough to make me bin it.

What problems did you have ?

In reply to Chris the Tall:


How long have you got?

I'd be at location A and ask it to get me to location B approx. 20 miles away the route it would offer would be like 70 to 80 miles every after multiple attempts.
It would repeatedly take me down farm tracks, bridleways, foot paths etc. Classic was Google map "Chutes Causeway, Tidcombe" where it intersects with White Lane follow it past Cadley Road and onto Fairmile. Its a rutted gravel farm track now think of a pair of Mavic Cosmic Carbone 40 wheels
The map would show straight on yet the instruction would say turn left. So I obeyed and 100 meters after turning left it would say do a u-turn and take me back onto the original course. Sometimes it would just get itself into a never ending loop of u-turns. If I ignore the left turn it would spend the next half hour telling me I was off course and "re-calculating" . Other times it would just stop navigating or just switch itself off for no apparent reason. I'd finish a ride (famously a blast to Brighton and back) connect up to GC to upload and find that the file would be corrupt or not there or have huge portions of data missing but no indication at the time anything was wrong. Cadence would spike all over the place.

Better not say anymore as I'll work myself up into going upstairs and stamping on it.

And before you ask its wasn't a set up thing like avoid unpaved roads etc

In reply to Indy:

Before I got my 810 I had read all the reviews about how dreadful the navigation was, which put me off buying it and I got a 510 instead. Recently I had the chance to use an Edge Touring for a few days. I found that much to my amazement navigation was almost flawless, both using it in satnav mode to guide me and following a downloaded route.

I like the bluetooth integration of my 510, so I bought an 810 from Amazon about a week ago on the basis I could easily return it if it was rubbish. So far, apart from a few minor niggles, the navigation has worked perfectly.

In reply to James Malloch:

New since your original post, and what I'd probably go for: Garmin Edge 25. Not quite available yet, but supposed to be soon.

In reply to Chris the Tall:


The OP should probably get a dedicated bike GPS, but most watches are good for 10 hours + these days, some much longer, phones can last even longer, I think my girlfriend got 17 hours of GPS tracking out of her phone at the weekend.

In reply to James Malloch:

Rule 74.

In reply to James Malloch:

Why are you training, is there a strict time limit for the distance?