11 Best Fitness Trackers For Cycling (2023) With A Buying Guide
Keep a close check on your health markers with these fitness gadgets at hand.
Max LoweryPersonal Trainer & Online Health Coach
Expertise: Nutrition, Exercise, Corporate Wellness
Experience: 10 years
Max Lowery is a personal trainer and online health coach with 10 years of experience. His clientele includes high-profile celebrities, top models, and influencers. After experimenting with intermittent fasting and realizing its power, Max d... more
Aditi Naskar Diploma In Health & Wellness
Expertise: Health & Wellness
Experience: 4 years
Aditi Naskar has a postgraduate degree in English literature from Presidency University, Kolkata, a bachelor’s degree in education from WBUTTEPA, Kolkata, and a diploma in health and wellness. She i... more
For all the valuable health insights that you want to know about yourself, you need to buy a fitness tracker. It has never been so easy to track your health data as it is today. With a slew of the best fitness trackers for cycling out there, you can get all the important information at the drop of a hat. While the old-school cycling meter feels like home, fitness trackers are giving you all your data faster. You can use these trackers to record your heart rate, performance, and more.
In this article, we take a look at some of the fitness trackers for cycling out there to help you reach your cycling goals. Scroll down to know more.
In This Article
11 Best Fitness Trackers For Cycling
1. Best Buy: Garmin Forerunner 935 Running GPS Unit
Garmin’s Forerunner GPS watch is one of the top picks because of its unique features and exceptional durability. This premium GPS triathlon wristwatch measures heart rate and monitors your performance. The data can be integrated with your smartphone. It is specifically designed for sale and support in North America only. This triathlon tracker weighs 49 grams and tracks your cycling activities, along with the elevation changes with an inbuilt barometer and altimeter. The built-in compass always keeps you on track.
The tracker helps analyze biomechanical measurements, such as pedalling rate (cadence), ground contact time, balance, vertical oscillation, and vertical ratio for a better understanding of your performance. Challenge yourself every day by analyzing your laps and performances on the leadership board.
Beyond the tracking, the Forerunner 935 also has all the amenities you could want in a smartwatch. The tracker connects with both iPhones and Android phones. It can store your music, and you can even make NFC payments through Garmin Pay. Here’s an honest video review of this product.
Pros
- Lightweight
- Advanced tracking for cycling and triathlons
- GPS and WiFi connectivity
- Contains a chest strap heart rate monitor
- Lactate threshold and heart rate variability stress test can be unlocked
- Comfortable to wear all-day
- Leadership board for evaluation
- Bezel material fiber reinforced polymer
- Built-in activity profiles
- Smarter notifications
- Durable
- Water-resistant frame
- GPS tracking with altimeter
- Built-in compass
- Customizable with smart apps
- 2 weeks of battery life in watch mode
- Smartphone compatibility
Cons
- Expensive
- Sold as an Asian version.
- Need to buy screen protector separately.
2. Garmin Vívoactive 3 Smartwatch
The Garmin Vivo active 3 Smartwatch is preloaded with GPS. It is made of a stainless steel bezel and Corning gorilla glass that makes it scratch-resistant. The sideswipe interface helps in quick scrolling and swift navigation of the menus and widgets. This fitness band is preloaded with apps for biking, along with others for yoga, running, swimming, etc. You can easily customize your cycling activity and integrate it with your smartwatch. With the help of the Elevate wrist-based heart rate technology, you can monitor your fitness and stress levels along with the VO2 max under different physical activities. Always get connected with the smart applications, live tracking, and the fitness community. Check out this video review to get a clear picture of the features of this watch.
Pros
- Stainless steel bezel
- Corning gorilla glass for the screen
- Scratch-proof
- 5 ATM water-resistant rating
- Safe for riding in the rain
- Safe for triathlons
- Comfortable to wear
- Easy to sideswipe and scroll
- 15 preloaded sports apps
- Track heart rate variability (HRV)
- Track fitness and stress levels
- Fits all with adjustable straps
- The display is easy to read even in sunlight
- Easy to connect with smart apps
- Message and email notifications
- Outstanding battery life
Cons
- Device may have software bugs.
- A bright blue display may be distracting.
- Not compatible with iOS.
3. Best Affordable: Fitbit Charge 3 Fitness Activity Tracker
The Fitbit Charge 3 is a slim little powerhouse and an advanced fitness tracker. It uses the Pure Pulse technology to measure calorie burn and heart rate. It is a well-known brand to fitness enthusiasts. In addition to cycling, it also has 15 other preloaded exercise modes. It has a friendly user interface and real-time stats, along with a personal dashboard, that help you stay focused and improve your performance. You can also track your sleep by setting an alarm and use it to plan your cycling activities ahead. All the activities can be integrated with your phone GPS to get smart notifications. The Fitbit Charge 3 is waterproof up to 50 m. Watch an honest video review of this product here.
Pros
- Waterproof fitness band
- Lightweight
- Track calories burned
- 24/7 heart rate tracking
- Record the time spent in light and dark
- Monitor REM sleep stage
- Integrated with smart app and notifications
- Adjustable wrist band
- A smart GPS navigation system
- Integrated with personalized breathing sessions
- Personalized Fitbit dashboard
- Timely reminders for your activities
- Personalized video from Fitbit coach
- Operating temperature is -10° to 45°C
- Integrated with Bluetooth 4.0
- Available in a special edition with 2 color variants
- Long battery life
Cons
- Shows inaccurate step counts.
- Too fragile for everyday use.
- No music control for iOS.
4. SUUNTO Ambit3 Peak HR Running GPS Unit
SUUNTO Ambit3 is an ultimate GPS watch to track indoor and outdoor activities. Its bezel is made of steel and a mineral crystal glass. The tracker includes a built-in altimeter, barometer, compass, and a smart GPS system to accurately measure of elevation along with the weather checks. You can easily integrate your fitness band with the SUUNTO app, digital service, and a companion to track your records. You can easily track your activities, set goals, and get motivated by sharing your data with the fitness community. The large display screen monitors your heart rate, VO2 max value, calories burned, along with your peak training effect and the recovery time. With the SUUNTO app, you can easily track the cycling speed, multiple bike POD support, hill incline, among other metrics.
Pros
- Measures altitude and weather information
- Built-in GPS with 100-meter water resistance
- Can be synced with the smartphone for smart notifications
- In-built route navigation and trackback
- Monitors heart rate
- Bluetooth enabled bike power support
- Tracks multiple sports in one log
- Measures peak training performance
- Tracks recovery system
- Extended features with the SUUNTO app
- Available in multiple languages
- Customizable watch
- Lithium-ion battery
- Easy to operate
- Easy to read
Cons
- Little bulky and heavy.
- Low battery life for ultra features.
- Poor customer support.
5. Best Smartwatch For An Active Lifestyle: Garmin Vívo active Black
This is an ultra-thin, lightweight, GPS-enabled fitness tracker. Apart from cycling, it also contains apps for other sports like running, golfing, swimming, etc. The Garmin Vívo active Smartwatch has a robust, dedicated wearable technology that improves training metrics for athletes, tracks goals, achievements, and integrates them into a smartphone for a better view. Smart notifications keep you focused and your life in balance.
The high-resolution color touchscreen display is easy to read even in sunlight. A built-in accelerometer, wrist-based speed, and cadence tracker help monitor your speed. The GPS enabled cycling app measures time, distance, speed, and calories burned. The Garmin Vívoactive Smartwatch, with its vibration and Bluetooth enabled facility, helps in sending smart notifications like messages, calls, and emails. With the Connect IQ store, you can customize your watch face, add data fields, and get all the apps and widgets for quick information. If you want to challenge yourself, you can join an online fitness community, check on the virtual badges for motivation, and participate in friendly competitions.
Pros
- Ultra-thin GPS smartwatch
- Pairs with a phone for smart notifications
- Customizable free watch designs
- Connect IQ store for more widgets
- High-resolution large color display
- Comfortable to wear all-day
- Easy to read and track able stats
- Outstanding rechargeable battery
- A built-in accelerometer
- Vibration alert for heart rate
- Easy to connect with other fitness communities
- Easy to operate
Cons
- Expensive
- Inaccurate distance measurements
- Not durable
6. Most Popular: Garmin Fenix 5X Sapphire
The Garmin Fenix 5X Sapphire is one of the popular cycling wristwatches that includes three built-in cycling profiles like normal biking, indoor biking, and mountain biking. It also has tracking and analyzing features. This is a multi-sport GPS watch with an elevate wrist heart rate technology. Its multi net work satellite reception allows you to track speed, distance, and route. The preloaded topographic and cycling maps are handy and easy to operate. The rugged design features a stainless steel bezel with easy-to-operate buttons. The rear case design features sunrise and sunset times that sync with the GPS system.
A bright, high-resolution, full-color Garmin Chroma Display with LED backlighting enables good readability in different conditions. The transflective technology reflects and transmits the light and increases visibility and readability even under intense sunlight. The scratch-resistant lens with enabled WiFi connects to a wireless network and sends progress to the fitness community to keep you more focused.
Pros
- High-resolution display
- A rugged and tough exterior
- Three built-in cycling profiles
- An excellent GPS tracking system
- Fit for adventurous sports
- One-touch key stats with the performance widget
- Smart notifications
- Connect with Garmin fitness community
- Scratch-resistant sapphire lens
- Wrist-based heart rate tracking
- Counts steps
- Monitors sleep
- Easily detachable premium quality wrist band
- Advance performance matrix
- Extended physiological matrix
- Outstanding battery performance
Cons
- No Bluetooth connection.
- Not rust-resistant pins.
7. Polar V800 GPS Sports Watch
The Polar V800 GPS Sports Watch is integrated with a multi sport GPS system and a built-in altimeter and barometer. It helps to track speed, distance, time, peak performance. It happens to be the most favorable cycling watch among cycling enthusiasts. You can easily build and customize your profile with different sports and track your entire data for better performance. The Polar V800 has 24/7 tracking systems that measure how many calories you have burned, and your sleep and wake cycles. This fitness tracker is compatible with Mac OS X 10.6, OS X 10.7, OS X 10.8 or later, and PC Windows XP, Windows 7, Windows 8. The large, scratch-resistant gorilla glass lens with a high-resolution display ensures the text is readable even in low-light conditions.
Pros
- Scratch-resistant
- Can withstand adverse environmental conditions
- Optimized for low-light conditions
- Real-time multisport guidance
- In-depth training guidance
- High-range GPS system
- Customizable profile for multiple sports
- Records full performance, transition, and recovery time
- Syncs with the polar flow app
- Smart notifications
- H7 Bluetooth smart heart rate sensor
- 24/7 tracking facility
- Chargeable battery
- Easy to use
Cons
- Poor customer service
- Bad charging port design
8. Fitbit Ionic Watch
The Fitbit Ionic Watch has a built-in GPS that tracks your pace, distance, and time and shows stats on the large durable and scratch-resistant Corning gorilla glass 3 display. It also records the elevation climbed, split times, and maps out your route. Unlike other smartwatches, the high-resolution large rectangular screen displays all your data even under direct sunlight. It has increased pixels and amplified brightness. Its operating temperature ranges from 4 degrees to 113 degrees Fahrenheit. Its maximum operating altitude is 30,000 feet.
These cumulative features help track running, cycling, swimming, and climbing. With the Pure Pulse Heart rate monitoring system, the smartwatch measures the acceleration of heart rate during exercise and optimizes it accordingly. You can check the dashboard for getting a summary of your entire day and challenge yourself by connecting with fitness communities.
Pros
- 24/7 heart rate, goals, and sleep tracking
- Smartphone applications
- Easy to update with messages, calls, and emails
- On-screen coaching facility
- A built-in GPS tracking system
- Syncs with Mac OS, iPhone, iPad, and Windows
- Has a storage capacity of 300+ songs
- Adjustable wrist strap
- Dynamic coaching facility
- Large display screen
- Easy to read even in sunlight
- Tracks calories burned from different activities
- A personalized dashboard
- Customizable widget and apps
- High-quality battery performance
- Dual-toned sports band
- Easy to use
Cons
- Does not track heart rate while cycling.
- Not durable
- Poor quality MP3 and GPS system
- Poor Fitbit customer service
- Inaccurate data
9. Garmin Vívo active HR GPS Smartwatch
The Garmin Vívoactive HR Smartwatch has a a high-resolution colored touchscreen GPS. It has a display size of 28.6 mm x 20.7 mm. It has built-in apps for indoor and outdoor sports activities like running, biking, swimming, skiing, snowboarding, golf rowing, and paddle boarding. It helps track time, distance, speed, and calories. With the Elevate Heart Rate technology system, the tracker measures the acceleration of your heartbeat while you are cycling or working out and quantifies the intensity of your fitness level. The smartwatch also tracks sleep wake cycles. The sunlight-readable high-resolution touchscreen is integrated with smart notifications. From the Connect IQ online store, you can customize your smartwatch with 1300+ easy to download face apps, widgets, themes, and design your sport tracker the way you want.
Pros
- High-resolution display
- Easy to read large screen
- In-built accelerometer
- Track time, speed, distance, and calories burned
- Elevated Heart Rate Technology to measure heart rate
- Compatible with smartphones
- Bluetooth 4.0
- 8-day battery life in watch mode
- Smart notifications
- Access to Connect IQ
Cons
- Does not measure heart rate while swimming.
- Not water-resistant.
- Poor quality battery life.
10. Fit bit Surge Fitness Super Watch
The Very sleek Fitbit Surge Fitness Super Watch is one of the best fitness trackers around. Its incredible accuracy along with multiple sensors to track your movement makes it ideal for all outdoor and indoor sports, in addition to cycling. The built-in GPS, accelerometer, gyroscope, compass, and altimeter track your speed, time, distance, routes, elevation in cycling, running, mountain biking, and swimming. A real-time wrist heart rate monitor is effective and convenient unlike most chest-strap monitors. The tracker measures your every beat accurately. The wireless syncing connects mobile devices and even computers for easy access to your goals (along with a track sheet). Use the Bluetooth to sync the watch with your smartphone so that you can receive notifications and control your music while on the go.
Pros
- Sleek design
- Available in 3 colors
- Touchscreen monochrome LCD display
- Ambient light sensors for backlighting
- GPS tracking for cycling
- Built-in heart rate monitor
- Built-in sleep monitor
- Vibrating alarm to wake you up
- Outstanding battery life
- Wireless syncing
- Smart notifications
Cons
- Not water-resistant.
- Defective straps.
- Not durable.
- Not moisture-resistant.
- Does not track treadmill runs.
11. Moov Now 3D Fitness Tracker
The Moov Now 3D Fitness Tracker is a unique model with a sleek, smart design that provides real-time audio coaching for indoor and outdoor sports. It has built-in GPS to track running, biking, swimming, and HIIT workout. The tracker tracks your goals, progress, and helps you customize your challenges so that you can perform better. This lightweight, breathable band actively tracks cadence, distance, speed, and elevation with a live map. It also has road mapping and route mapping facilities. The fitness tracker is combined with the onboard heart rate monitor and advanced sleep analysis. It offers everything you need to improve your fitness levels.
Pros
- Real-time audio and video coaching
- Guide to improve your fitness levels
- Valuable analytics
- Measures calories burned
- Lightweight
- Breathable
- Waterproof
- Dust proof
- Omni motor sensors
- 6-months extended battery life
- Bluetooth Smart Wrist Band for mobile apps
- Integrated with Moov App
- Customizable, colorful display
- Great for kickboxing, circuit training, and body weight workouts
Cons
- Not durable
- Unreliable sync
- Faulty movement tracking
- Not compatible with all mobile devices.
These are the 11 best fitness trackers meant for cyclists. They help measure and track your speed, time, and distance traveled. Most of these trackers are water-resistant, which means you can wear them even as you cycle in the rain. But before you purchase a tracker, you need to check a few things.
How To Choose The Best Fitness Tracker For Cycling
- Reliable GPS: The inbuilt GPS system of the tracker should be reliable to help you navigate properly on your trails. A fitness tracker with a built-in GPS can collect and process your GPS data to show you where you are at any given time.
- Activity Tracking: With more advanced statistics and built-in features, a fitness tracker can track the progress of all your activities, including the pedaling rate (cadence sensors), stride length, ground contact time and balance, vertical oscillation, and vertical ratio for a better understanding of your performance.
- Water-Resistant: A higher water-resistance rating means your watch is more durable.
- Heart Rate Monitoring: This feature synchronizes your heart rate with the intensity of your sports. The wrist pulse monitors are generally a little less accurate than chest strap heart rate monitors, although the accuracy varies between models. This is one area where a more expensive watch will deliver better results.
- Sleep Tracking: Tracking your sleep helps maintain your fitness levels. By wearing your device on your wrist while you sleep, you can find out the exact duration of your sleep and that of your deep sleep versus light sleep.
- Battery Life: An outstanding battery life increases the longevity of a fitness tracker and helps to track your progress all day. The battery should also be rechargeable.
A fitness tracker is a specially crafted device to keep track of the calories burnt and monitor your heart rate and performance rate. It has become a staple device for sports enthusiasts. It is of great help to a cyclist to record the calories burnt, optimize your goals, and record important data. Unlike regular fitness trackers, the modern-day fitness tracker comes with advanced cycling and triathlon tracking. In addition, some trackers come with GPS tracking and WiFi connectivity, while some can also record the time spent in light and dark. So consider investing in the fitness trackers that record the activity accurately by monitoring the heart rate.
Why Trust StyleCraze?
Aditi Naskar, the author of this post, holds a diploma in wellness and nutrition. She always has a keen interest in various products for fitness. After in-depth research and reading many online reviews, this list of best fitness trackers for cycling has been carefully curated by her. She says that these trackers are a must-have for cyclers to track their cycling goals and monitor their performance and heart rate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I sleep with my fitness watch on?
No. It is best if you sleep without the fitness watch. The low-frequency waves from your health tracker are not good for your heart. Moreover, the battery will drain out unnecessarily.
Are fitness trackers safe to wear?
Yes, fitness trackers are safe to wear throughout the day. Although most fitness trackers emit electric and magnetic fields (EMF) radiation, it is not enough to cause adverse effects.
How do you use a fitness tracker effectively?
Wear the right tracker that tracks your needs. Determine what you are tracking and wear it daily to set specific goals. Then, track results and make changes accordingly.
What are the cons of fitness trackers?
• The battery drains faster when you use it for multiple purposes like listening to music and tracking details.
• Some devices offer inaccurate results.
• More features equals higher prices.
• Constant tracking can lead to an obsession in users.
Is it time to stop using your fitness tracker?
No. In fact, Max Lowery says that “If you want to take your training to the next level, and become more efficient, data is key. Investing in a high quality tracker will give you the data to make better decisions about your training and recovery.”
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