I was about to pull the trigger on the Garmin Edge 800 when a friend of mine said “what can it do that your Galaxy S4 can’t do with a biking app??”…
The only thing I can think of are:
Battery Life (Can be addressed with a small mobile phone charger for long rides)
Cadence Sensor
Anything else? I like the idea of getting the Edge 800, but if my phone will do basically everything the Edge 800 will do, I guess I’ll stick w/ the phone and get a handlebar mount for it.
Basically I’d like to be able to load maps or routes, record rides, and have maps available to get me back to a starting point.
What’s the best Android app for doing everything above? What other things does the Edge do that the phone wont?
I’m going through the same debate right now. I’ve been messing around with Strava, and Cyclemeter. Hope to hear some good feedback from slowtwitch. I’m not super happy with the couple apps I’ve messed with so far.
Get the garmin, when you want your phone because you NEED it, its better that its been hanging out in your jersey pocket and the battery has been minimally used and you won’t have to carry a battery to get around that… Where are you going to mount the phone and battery so that you can see the phone (data numbers) while riding? I would not want a USB cable running from my back pocket (battery) to my bars to charge the phone, that is just me.
Garmins battery life will tromp your cell phone. I have an S4 and there no way I could take it on a century, 50 miler not even sure about 30 miles. Then there’s screen glare, ease of use and IMO not so great apps. I use a 310xt got it for 150 w/ HRM … great deal. I don’t need any of the bells and whistles of an 800 … I want data not maps. I don’t want touch screen either. Just my $.02 … I can get everything I need Speed, Avg Speed, Cadence, Distance, Power etc…
I had a mount for my s4 for indoor training… I used it to watch Adult Swim and other wifi videos haha… the case was not road worthy and it wasn’t cheap either. I’d stick with a garmin.
I’ve been having the same debate, and just decided the Garmin is a must. Tried using my S4 as a cycling computer multiple times. Battery life is a little over an hour from full charge while using gps cycling apps with the screen backlight on… Useless. I have not been able to find a mount that is not terribly bulky, or easy to mount in a visible location. Further, none of the apps I have tried are nearly as user friendly as the Garmin software. I tried ipbike, and I found it frustrating and painful to use. I’m thinking I’ll go with the 500, and continue to bring my phone along in case of emergency or to look up google maps if I get lost.
The mobile phone charger is a small tube that I’ve mounted under the handlebar w/ zip ties in the past, then ran a 5" cord to the phone. it worked fine but isn’t sleek looking like the Garmin. I agree though that it’s not ideal. Definitely wouldn’t run a battery out of my rear jersey pocket though!
Sounds like the advantages are:
Battery Life
Looks & probably Aero
Android cycling apps aren’t as good as Garmin’s
I took my S4 on a ride yesterday and used GPS to record it all using MapMyRide App. 1 hour and 36 minutes later I has 25% battery life without any mobile charger. Not bad, but definitely wont do a century with just the phone.
Battery life is the key. It’s already been said, but it’s worth stating again: Bike computers are for cycling so that you’re phone is available in case you really need it. I’ve recently decided to go with an Edge 810 myself. It’s the safe choice.
Your s4 actually has an ANT+ chip, so you could get cadence if you wanted. All the apps pretty much have crappy interfaces, so your stuck with those until one comes around that is better.
Other benefits of the garmin:
race legalkeeps your phone out of harms way in case of a crash or rainkeeps the phone’s battery topped off in case of emergencyeasier to control (the garmin is designed from the ground up to be controlled with one finger while riding a bike…phones, not at all.)accuracy…just looking through strava, I rarely see wonky plots from people using dedicated devices. On phones, it is MUCH more common. It may be user error. Before I got a 910, I used my phone, a galaxy s(1), and always had pretty good lines.battery (already mentioned)better contrast (the phone can be just as visible on max brightness, in which case, see above)temperature (another fun graph to obsess over)Ease of use - snap it on, turn it on, press start, no fumbling.
I guess the main point is that the garmin is a purpose built device, and so has been designed with that sole purpose in mind. So while it lacks the power of a phone (big screen, connectivity, etc.) all those omissions are compensated by practicality through simplicity. As mentioned, if you are looking to same money, instead of getting the app and a mount…get a 500. The only thing you will miss is the mapping, and your phone is probably still on you somewhere.
I’ve used the Wahoo Fitness app with the Samsung Galaxy S5 - it hasn’t worked out well for me (missing power data). Having a dedicated bike computer is the best option for me.
Smartphones as bike computers are for Freds until battery life and accuracy get better. I also wouldn’t trust their GPS accuracy as much as a Bears QB… For Strava, I know who has a Garmin and who uses an iPhone. I’ve been on rides with folks with iPhones and I beat them by 30 seconds on a climb, yet the Strava app shows them faster. Yep…some folks make GPS, others make phones. And you wonder why Apple is buying Beats. Buy a Powertap training wheel with disc cover and a Garmin 500, and be done with it… Just my 2 cents…
The Garmin will last longer, despite having a battery pack. Something could go wrong and wouldn’t want to risk using all of my phone battery in case I have an emergency.
What type of external battery are you using? I commute with my iphone - like the navigation (and I’m not dropping the money for a Garmin 810). I never do much further than an hour - But, I would hate to let my phone die. Everything I see is square a bulky looking for batteries.
I use my phone and the Glympse app to send my location home when I’m on long rides. The phone didn’t have enough battery to handle a 3+ hour ride, so I plug it in to this. The phone is still fully charged when I get home.
I also have a Samsung GS4 and as everybody said, the screen brightness and glare along with battery life and the fact that having a phone on your handlebars is a USAT rules violation are the big issues with using your phone in place of a Garmin or something similar.
That said, having the built in ANT+ is a nice feature. I’ve started using the uBike app from Broxtech.nl
This takes the GPS data and all your Ant+ data (speed, cadence, power, heart rate) and records/transmits the data. This can be used as a computer, but I use it as a tracker running in my back pocket (or wife’s back pocket). This way the person tracking you or your coach etc can see real time not just where you are, but also how hard you are working etc.
The developer said one of the next releases will also have the ability to load routes to it, and they are working on off line maps and other map support.
For the past several years I’ve done my recording with an iPhone in the jersey pocket and recently started using a Wahoo Rflkt+ for a head unit. It is a little early to say how well this works out. I’ve done 225km rides with this setup (~8 hours) with a small auxiliary battery pack but I only need the extra battery once or twice a month, and even then I usually don’t need it. As a recording device smart phones work just great. I personally don’t care for a lot of real time data shown around my handlebars, so I’m cool with having it in my pocket with the screen off. I don’t think I would try to mount my phone on the handlebars and use it like a bike computer for the various reasons already shared.
I do get the sense that the iPhone and Rflkt+ may be the best of both worlds though, but I need more time to be sure of this. I’m curious if others have used this setup very much and their thoughts on it.
For Strava, I know who has a Garmin and who uses an iPhone. I’ve been on rides with folks with iPhones and I beat them by 30 seconds on a climb, yet the Strava app shows them faster. Yep…some folks make GPS, others make phones. And you wonder why Apple is buying Beats. Buy a Powertap training wheel with disc cover and a Garmin 500, and be done with it…