If anyone is interested http://www.garmin.com/products/forerunner301/
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Has anyone tried using one of these on a bike to train with for speed etc? is it accurate on a bike?
Has anyone tried using one of these on a bike to train with for speed etc? is it accurate on a bike?
yes and yes.
Wow, if this is as good as it looks I could get rid of all the wires and junk on my bike and have an accurate speedometer and heart rate meter all in one with no wire problems??? sounds too good to be true, one small gripe ,
does it have a backlight?
does it have a backlight?
From Garmin: “Display:1.44” x 0.92” (W x H); 100 x 64 pixels on FSTN display with LCD backlighting.”
It’s even accurate in the car… I have the 201 and it’s awesome. Of course it’s not super duper accurate if you’re trail running really fast and taking lots of really tight switch back turns, but other than that it’s awesome. On the bike it’s amazingly accurate.
I hated the ‘Logbook’ software with the 201 and this new software looks to have addressed all the points I emailed them about. This looks to be a great little unit.
If this comes with the same software as my handheld Garmin (software is called mapsource) then you can do some pretty cool things, like graph how your speed changed every few seconds, elevation changes, as well as show the streets or highways you were just on.
This looks like the answer to all of anybodys training problems! I am doing my reaserch but for a best all round training and racing unit I think this one is coming out a long way ahead of the other units on sale that have small defects in their design. Even the high end polars dont come with a backlight so how do I train with them at night?
I am getting a garmin! end of story, unless there are problems with it??
I must say it’s really a neat little toy. I’ve always hated the cycle computers so this thing is a godsend. As for the backlight, here is proof for you…and feel free to ask any other questions you may have, these guys treated the test group real well and I feel obliged to help disseminate the information on the newly released device.
Lights in room on.
Lights off, backlight on. Kind of blurry because the shutter was opened for 1.3 seconds, and, well, I’m scared of the dark so I was shaking a bit 
It doesn’t work when you’re on a treed trail and it’s early morning dew or its raining, since the tree canopy attenuates too much signal. The pace smoothing is a little annoying but put it on the ‘least’ and you’re set… whatever you do, don’t put it on anything more.
I can’t believe how accurate this thing is… I have a 13km loop where I come home and finish on the other side of the street… then walk across where I started… the garmin showed where I stopped, then hit lap and showed me walk directly over where I started… I couldn’t believe it.
The battery life is very good. Just make sure to turn it off when you’re done, say if it’s strapped to your bike.
I believe it ships with something called the Garmin Training Center. But, yes, it shows streets after the fact and is a big step up from the Logbook application.
Last year I raced with my 201 and it was a great. I have the handlebar mount and left the unit turned on before I left for the swim. In T2, I’d pop it off and place on my wrist while running. Simply too cool - especially now that you see the satellite photos / street maps, etc… For HR info, I always wear my Polar.
I haven’t tried my 301 on the bike yet as we’ve got 12" of snow on the ground. I am hoping to try it tomorrow for my long run.
-jeff
Where does it show HR? Is there a screen you can see speed, time and HR?
These are not completely accurate. I have had one for over a year and they are good but not great. Any loss of satelite signal will result in the data not being accurate. It’s hard to explain some of the issues, but If you have one you know what they are. All S-series Polar models from S210 and up have a backlight. If you want accurate info on the bike I would use a Polar w/ speed and cadence sensors. No wires, all the features you need and great speed & distance accuracy. Overall, the Garmin is a good running product but not a great bike product.
Where does it show HR? Is there a screen you can see speed, time and HR?
i do not know. i do not own the product. a friend emailed me the link and thought that the gang here would appreciate seeing it since it has been discissed on this forum before.
i went to the webpage and looked at the pcitures and do not know where it will be displayed. it looks just like the 201. i guess that you will have to make a choice as far as what you want on the display and maybe not show distance or pace. i find it odd though that in showcasing the new feature that none of the pictures on the webpage do not highlight the new feature.
if you are really interested in finding out you can call: Technical Support
(for all Garmin products
except Apollo aircraft)
- Monday — Friday
- 8:00 a.m. — 5:00 p.m. CST
- (closed holidays)
- 1-800-800-1020
- or -
- (913) 397-8200
(for Apollo aircraft products only)
- Monday — Friday
- 8:00 a.m. — 4:30 p.m. PT
- (closed holidays)
- (503) 391-3411 ext.3991
- 1-800-525-6726 ext.3991 (U.S.)
- 1-800-654-3415 ext.3991 (CAN) Garmin International Inc. 1200 East 151st Street
Olathe, KS 66062
(Kansas City metro area)
Phone: (913) 397-8200
Fax: (913) 397-8282 Garmin (Europe) Ltd. Unit 5, The Quadrangle
Abbey Park Industrial Estate
Romsey, Hampshire
SO51 9DL, UK
Phone: 44 1794-519944
Fax: 44 1794-519222 Garmin (Asia) Corporation
No 68, Jangshu 2nd Road
Shijr, Taipei County, Taiwan
Phone: 886 2-26429199
Fax: 886 2-26429099
or email them http://www.garmin.com/contactUs/techSupport.jsp
Where does it show HR? Is there a screen you can see speed, time and HR?
There are two default screens; one showing time, speed, and distance; another showing lap speed, lap time, and lap distance; and a custom screen that you can setup yourself, with whatever you want to look at in either the big box on top or the small boxes on the bottom. You can scroll between the screens with the push of one button, it is very user friendly and customizable.
Loss of signal does happen. I’ve always had difficulty in getting my S710 to pick up speed and cadence. So, I was forced to mount it in a position where I can’t see it. My 201 is mounted right in my line of sight and these old eyes really enjoy the big screen. I figure that as long as there’s room on my handlebars and/or body parts then I might as well attach another gadget.
If you spend a great deal of training time indoors or without decent line of sight, a GPS device probably wouldn’t be the best choice. But, they do add value. They’re a great little reward to keep the training moving forward. And, personally, I’m excited about having pace and HR on the same device (a device with a battery life long enough to last my entire ride/race). I think this has the possibility to do for running what power meters are doing for cycling. And, the fact that the 301 (and 101 and 201, for that matter) actually log longitude and latitude really adds to the geek factor - as Tom D. and others have noted in other threads.
As for accuracy … well, I don’t know. My little cycle computer has always differed from my GPS devices. Was it the bumps? Turns? Frequency of data points? Incorrect wheelsize? I don’t know. Both are fairly repeatable in their results so they work for my purposes.
-jeff
These are not completely accurate. I have had one for over a year and they are good but not great. Any loss of satelite signal will result in the data not being accurate. It’s hard to explain some of the issues, but If you have one you know what they are. All S-series Polar models from S210 and up have a backlight. If you want accurate info on the bike I would use a Polar w/ speed and cadence sensors. No wires, all the features you need and great speed & distance accuracy. Overall, the Garmin is a good running product but not a great bike product.
I would have to respectfully disagree on a couple of things here. Both my 201 and my 301 have been extremely accurate. I’ve used them side by side and they end up giving distances within .1 miles of one another over a specific 25.75 mile course I often ride. A few times they read the identical mileage to the hundreth, but most times they are off between .05-.1, with a worst case of being off by .3, which still isn’t much over 25.75mi.
It is certainly true there can be satellite issues, but that is generally more likely to happen while running, when the body is more likely to block the signal. If anything, I’d say this is a really good cycling product, and less so a running product, not vice-versa.
Another thing that seems to be brought up alot is elevation. If you are going to actually do some climbing, as opposed to rolling up and down highway overpasses, these things are excellent. It would be nice if they were 100% accurate, instead of just being within 50’-100’, but if you climb a 4000’ hill then 50’ one way or another doesn’t mean anything. When atop Mt. Baldy, where there is a placard designating the elevation at 10,064’, my device read 10,065’. Other times, I’ve ridden by elevation signs reading 5000’ and the device has read something like 4945’, but what should be kept in mind is that it won’t be jumping the next second to 4995’ or 4895’, it will go up steadily. It’s just the base number it started with when the workout began that should be expected to be off, it won’t make it look like you were ascending and descending like the stock market when you are just cruising up a hill or mountain road.
Check out how awesome it is for climbing. This is a ride a friend and I did on the ‘Going to the Sun Road’ in Glacier National Park. Awesome ride.
http://www.enel.ucalgary.ca/~williamt/Garmin/Steve_Trev_Going_to_the_Sun_Road_Oct_3_2004.JPG
Have you ever tried swimming with your Garmin. I know the specifications state that you can submerse the unit in one meter of water for 30 minutes as the waterproofing standard, but what does this really mean in a real world application?
I just exchanged emails with Al Kruze of Al’s gift shop. He is an online discounter for Timex, Garmin and several others. Al said that he has ordered the 301 and expects some in next week. He would be willing to work out a special price on a group purchase for some of these units. Is anyone else interested. I would like to give him a guess on the number of units early next week.
As a point of reference he normally sells the 201 for $139.95 on his website. I would think that we could get the 301 for around $275 from him.
Ron