offpiste.reese wrote:
Ipbike if you have an Android phone and Ant+ sensors. Battery life is an issue, I only use it if I've forgotten my bike computer, so I've never used it more than an hour and a half.
This (not all Android phones have native ANT+ support, but pretty much all can use USB-OTG plus a dongle to get support). You're best off using this as a data recorder and having your screen off, since GPS + a bright enough screen to see with the OLED screens most phones use these days eats battery super fast.
Reasons why Garmin doesn't have to (fully) fear the phone as a bike computer replacement
- Battery life
- Outdoor screen optimization (OLED screens used on phones need to crank the brightness to overcome the sun)
- GPS accuracy at speed in the wild (phones work well when moving at slower speeds and can also use WiFi data to enhance their positioning)
- Durability (weatherproofing, drop resistance)
- Cost vs placement (new high-end phones are close to 1k and mounting one on your handlebars is a precarious spot during a crash)
That being said, it does seem like there is more price sensitivity on the bike computer than watch front. e.g., the Edge 530 launched over 3 years after the 520 at the same price and has a lot more features - basically up to the 8xx series, vs the 920 to 935 jumped $50 and the 945 jumped another $100 over a slightly longer overall timeline.