So of all that watches you have used, what do you find to be the best all around watch? Here’s my most recent gadget recommendations guide and trainers here – covering almost every category of sports gadgets out there. Holding the handrails of the treadmill reduces accuracy. I can’t be the only one that wants to know. Regards And pedal. I have turned auto pause off and the problem is still there. Is this much a discrepancy normal? Plus I don’t want to go without it while I wait for a replacement (I am in the US). I haven’t had a chance to get one in house here yet, but did play with them back at Interbike. thanks. Instead, I want to go NOW! When cycling with GPS turned off, speed and distance are not available unless you have an optional sensor that sends speed and distance data to the device (such as a speed or cadence sensor). For example, the cheapest trainer out there (Little Red from Performance) is a great intro trainer, but I’ve found that it works well up until about 275w of power (which is a fair bit for most cyclists), beyond that, it just can’t provide the resistance needed. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. any thoughts on indoor-bike + outdoor-run brick workouts? The links have errors. – cadans They range the price gamut from reasonable to sorta expensive, depending on the size of the unit. (i tried both but still can’t correct the start date) . I see the workout uploaded from my Garmin 310XT, but don’t get the “export” workout button that allows me to export a TCX file to my computer for uploading to Training Peaks. Garmin Forerunner 405 any ideas? Thanks so much! Another great write up – yours is the first blog I read every morning! So unless you have traveled a great distance in between indoor workout sessions, it will very correctly tag your workout with the correct time without you having to expose the watch to a satellite. All around great watch. Keep the product reviews coming and happy training. With a Garmin 305 a handy shortcut to turn off the GPS is to hold down the mode button for 2 seconds. I found a blog that had a great idea for the Garmin on a spin bike here is the link if you want to check it out! My garmin forerunner 920xt is not working properly on the indoor bike function. If you’ve found this (or this type) of post useful, feel free to let me know. The good news here is that unlike running, the wireless speed/cadence sensor is comparatively pretty cheap at about $39. Pretty sweet, ehh? Is it possible to export the data for non-GPS workouts? In an effort to provide a better year-round view for our cyclists on Garmin Connect™, the integration will allow users to seamlessly import their activity files created by these third-party indoor cycling applications directly into their Garmin Connect account. No, she doesn’t use it for the calorie information – just for recording the workout time and the different sets/reps she does. I rode on a trainer and when I upload it to Strava the date of the tcx file is way off. . Like running, you’ll want to ‘calibrate’ the speed sensor to your bikes wheel size. This means that when you turn the wacth on, you have to wait for gps signal to get correct date/time, and then you can turn gps off and go inside. I’m in the market for a trainer for my bike this winter. The only thing to be aware of is that footpod calibration should typically be done anytime you move the footpod (thus, moving between people). For indoor riding (trainer or velodrome), when the Garmin searches for the speed/cadence sensor, does it search for just a single device (eg the Garmin widget that zip ties to the chainstay) or can it take the cadence signal from the SRM and the speed signal from the Garmin widget? I do all my workouts indoor. Good luck on the first tri! not gonna happen. In case anyone encounters similar issues it turns out my chain was indeed magnetized. Thanks! Doh! Soon, you’ll have a pretty looking graph just like this: (Actually, the graph from Garmin Connect (above), isn’t nearly as cool as the one from Training Peaks (below)). The GPS is a bit of an issue here. Certainly there is no significant barrier between the sensor and the paired Garmin 500 and the rear is just the standard one that came with my Specialized bike. Once you’ve got it on there, you’ll go through a quick pairing process. Okay… I am going to finally take my foot pod out of the package (it arrived 12/28) and use it. It works great outside- but I feel the readings are off when I’m on the treadmill. I’m headed to Washington DC – what do you recommend for training? Your email address will not be published. I’m worried that when I get to a race, my watch will pair with someone else’s monitor rather than mine. Like many sports bloggers you probably read and love, I’ve been recently toying around with linking to relevant Amazon products as a method to try put a tiny bit back into the triathlon bank for some of the time I end up spending putting together ‘How to’ guides like this and the product reviews I write (which are how most people find my little place on the internet). The good, the bad, and the ugly. Seems a bit clunky on the 910xt as i turn on/off GPS manually but i seem to remember with the 305 that you only had to press and hold a button to do the same manual of/on thing? Interestingly, I get different recordings from my watch when I go to spin class at my gym. I cover all the units to buy (and avoid) for the 2020-2021 indoor training season. But at the end of the day, you might just be wondering “What does Ray use when not testing new products?”. Found a possibel answer to my own question – I thought this might interest your readers and create a fun little experiment for another great blog post. i use a 700×25 trainer tire with a 2105mm circumference. More often than not, the Garmin record a different distance – and therefore different average pace – than the treadmill. So it would scan for anything I guess. When running or walking with GPS turned off, speed, distance, and cadence are calculated using the accelerometer in … The 310XT will retain date/time from the last time it was turned on. Garmin Forerunner 205/305 Thanks a lot.. Thanks! Given the great advances made in bike trainers over the last couple of years, it seems like it would be trivial to make a treadmill that can receive HR from a common strap, and transmit that and distance, and cadence back to a watch/phone. This maybe a well known on this site, but I was happy to find a reliable sensor to use on my elliptical workouts. GC is a far nicer package and the Edge is streets ahead of the V650, but what do I use to record crossfit training other than to keep the Edge in my pocket? The menu lets you select your activity and choose whether you’re indoors or outdoors. Do you know if you can pair the Nike/Apple+ foot sensor with the Garmin watches? Get the signal then. Buenos días, quería felicitarte por tu sitio, realmente me ha servido mucho. Check out Would love to see a post on the ideal cadence, you mention 92, and how to improve. Can take 30 mins. Simply look up the wheel size on your tire sidewall, and then use this handy chart to map that to the size in millimeters (also located at the back of the manual, this is from the Edge 500 manual). It sounds like the paired sensors have been lost. I have recently moved from a Polar V650 to an Edge 1000. as you have apparently moved through the whole range, what’s the difffrence between cheaper and more expensive models, and what should you get at various stages in your training? I’ve had an issue with the new Garmin, hub mounted, speed sensor when on the turbo. Isn’t wheel size the problem? Oh, and free US shipping too! Hi Ray, I really enjoy your posts. Any advice is very much appreciated! It’s a Tomahawk, but it doesn’t seem to have ANT+-sensors for pairing with my 910XT.Is there any gadget which I can quick-mount (and -release)?I think the only reasonable data would be the cadence…?I won’t die if there’s no way, but since I have this great little piece of technology I want to log EVERYTHING… (PS: I suppose I can’t switch to “running” to trick the foot pod to be a cadence sensor since it’s describing a full circle on bike?). I find that hard to believe. I really appreciate you taking the time to put these things together. Granted, given the relative lack of importance of speed when training indoors, there are worse things to put up with but if anyone has any tips it would be much appreciated, thanks. I don’t have to go thru the pairing steps you described above (I already did it when I got the watch). You can create a custom mode, one of the options is Gym (shows a little weights icon). YEY. I just found this post and feel like I’ve struck gold. If you dont do this, and just turn the watch on, it will show the date/time from the last the time you turned it off. Have you found any difference in using the speed/cadence sensor in the PowerTap hub versus the Garmin GSC10? Focus on time and quality. Sign in to Garmin Connect to track, analyze and share the activities from your Garmin device. Yes, if you use a heart rate strap with the FR405, you’ll get calorie information. would love to be able to track more than just time. You mention that you sometimes dont want wait for the watch to get gps signal (and sometimes it is impossible indoors) – but the garmin 310xt it cant get the date/time right, without having GPS signal…? And maybe a virtual race partner. I clicked on your links for the trainers above and they didn’t work. I picked up data one time. As a secondary indoor trainer I transitioned to the next level up, which offers a way to modify resistance on the fly. The cadence sensor works fine on the road, but it doesn’t work properly when I’m on the trainer. Hey Rainmaker –Long time reader, first time poster. Does anyone have any sensor recommendations (to hook up to my F6) for this information to reflect on my watch real time (wheels are covered, so something on my foot is preferable). I recently purchased the garmin forerunner 220 with heart rare monitor. I will definedly call back Garmin. Any way to add grade info manually to your data? I am only interested in my HR/calorie data.I am asking this cause Leif mentioned that “The “export” button doesn’t show up for my indoor workouts in Garmin Connect either.”, Hi!Do you have ANY idea how to get data from an indoor cycling bike, if it’s not mine? If you need more detail on any of these  steps, here’s a pretty detailed list of links to the manual’s – including models I don’t have handy: Garmin Forerunner FR-50 Now, you can further calibrate it once on the treadmill (or track) to get better accuracy. Any advice on why my Ambit is still not recording speed and distance? I do not have any additional sensors attached to the bike. Hi,Can I use the foot pod on the street in order to avoid the loss of GPS signal?It is preferable to use the pace of the foot pod or GPS?Thanks. hey man, i have Edge 810 but the problem is I can’t set the date manually in the device setting. I am running the latest firmware (4.5). I suspect I might have to just live with it and disable auto pause when inside. Leverancier van innovatieve GPS-technologie in diverse markten zoals luchtvaart, maritiem, fitness, outdoor recreatie, tracking en mobiele apps. any tools to easily correct the date? How do I measure my distance on my stationary bike now at home. I understand that at best, this will only eliminate the cadence magnet from the indoor equation, and that the speed sensor and wheel magnet will still be needed in order to get speed/distance, but I would nonetheless be pleased to not have to deal with the cadence magnet. If you’re trying to decide which unit to buy – check out my in-depth reviews section. I’m actually headed up to the hotel gym here in a few hours once people clear out to play around with it, as it in theory does the trick just fine for that. Other times, I only get heart rate and speed. Haven’t been very happy with it to be honest :/ Someone may have already asked this question, but I didn’t catch it in the comments. Sorry for adding a Suunto issue to a Garmin string, but the issue seemed most relevant in this section. Here’s a bunch of random trip reports and daily trip-logs that I’ve put together and posted. I’m cycling indoor in the winter but on an exercise bike (lifecycle) not a trainer and I would like to track it with my Garmin. This applies both to my Edge 705 and my Forerunner 310XT. I have a nice Elite trainer which I use fairly regularly now it has become colder and wetter in Melbourne. If you even have too many devices do you auction them off or sell? Ive got a question: I have a 310xt and I recently bought the speed/cadence sensor. THis blog post uses a Cateye for the computer – but is there any reason that the Garmin wouldn’t work the same? I have contacted Garmin and their solution was to “take the spin bike out of the class, pair it and then bring it back in” lol righ!!! Garmin Edge 205/305 Personally, given the nasty winter weather, at least half of my 301XT sessions are indoors with the GPS turned off, and yet all the telemetry data is time-stamped correctly. I just bought the 310 with cadans and hrm. It’s the only online community created specifically for Garmin devices. Great blog. Great very helpful,,so glad I found this site. Will any of the garmin watches give heart rate and calorie info during aerobic classes at a gym? It’s really odd especially my riding friend has the 910xt and has no issues like mine. Good to know that it should. So even if you don’t run or bike, but instead wander around the gym using all the other shiny equipment, you can still use that inside to record your efforts. I’ve not looked for the differences (if any). A silly question which you may help me to answer. I’ve sorted it all by world geography, in an attempt to make it easy to figure out where I’ve been. No wires, no spoke magnets and nothing zip-tied. But please – pick them up wherever is cheapest and easiest for you – be it Amazon, eBay, or your local running/shop (or ‘borrowing’ them from your running partners shoe…)! You do *not* have to grab a satellite signal every session to set the watch’s time/date. If you move while it’s trying to find GPS signal, it’ll either take forever (45-60 minutes), or never find it at all. When running or walking with GPS turned off, speed, distance, and cadence are calculated using the accelerometer in the device. I use the Garmin Edge 500 on my hand cycle, but when I train on my indoor-roller it doesn’t record distance (which I need for an upcoming event) (Obviously not at the same time). Looking at a head unit for my road bike. Ok, so you’ve got it all paired. This is very helpful for me. It would be great to not have to spend $62 and buy the footpad if I don’t have to. Cheers. Am I correct in thinking that? I dont have a manual for it and cant find one at garmin. So you can train by HR and know that your effort is the same between two cities – even if your speeds are not. (Ok, quick detour. Love reading your articles and weekly reviews are my monday ritual! Awesome post, I’m not sure what you do for a living but you should really consider being an interpreter between technology and the uneducated masses! Zen. For example, this write-up took a touch over four hours to put together (pictures, tables, validation, typing, Presidential State of the Union distractions, etc…). Below are the most popular. It can be really annoying if you are in a hurry! john. I have the 310XT, and use it indoors and outdoors. The accuracy of the speed, distance, and cadence data improves after a few outdoor runs or walks using GPS. The challenge is moving. Find it to be very accurate an have no issues (aside from the size of it but that’s my own fault for getting it). It’s a device that allows you to know the amount of cycling you can do when you pedal with a bicycle. -distance I have a Garmin Forerunner 310XT. Running, walking, cycling, swimming, skiing, triathlons – no matter how you move, you can record your active lifestyle on Garmin Connect. If yes to the first question, are there any that transmit their distance record as a footpod or similar. Why do I do this? Using an indoor spin bike with cadence sensor. Thanks for the great ideas! Any Ideas? De Tacx indoor trainingssoftware biedt een grote variëteit aan trainingsopties en is beschikbaar op verschillende platformen. One, if you don’t, you get dorky looking graphs like the below: And two, some sports applications don’t correctly process the pace/distance data with it GPS on but the real data coming form the foot pod. Hi Ray –Thanks for the response. Yes, see this post on which ones use heart rate based calorie measurments: The LeMond Revolution with the Power Pilot will spit it back out to your FR310XT. I think on the 910xt there is an option for “other” and I am assuming you could use that mode for a weight workout, am I correct in that? In some cases it can be solved by simply updating firmware, and in others it required getting the unit swapped out from Garmin Support. Hello Ray,I ama first time poster,i use a 305 for training,i have a cadence sensor and a heart rate monitor that work fine.I have just bought on ebay from hong kong a SM2D footpod (the bg egg shaped one) and i cannot get it to work. Basically the sensor got the crap beat out of it. Should i change them all or just the startime? ... Geen zorgen, Garmin verkoopt de geweldige Tacx-producten waar we bekend om staan en nog veel meer. In order to do that you’ll need a little footpod that ties onto your shoe in between the laces and records information related to how often and how frequent your foot touches the ground. It is a normal watch in the sense that it also manages to keep time. If all you care about is cadence info, then no worries there. Perfect! I’ve been training with weights in the gym and I’m wondering if buying the foot pod will help count calories? I have reset the watch, turned on the ANT device for the bike and within 30 seconds it finds my bike but then the other 50 also in the room. Thanks DC for the great info you put out. You sure have a lot of Garmin devices! For some reason, when I turned off GPS on 305, it started to count calories as well. Just wondering cause I’m finally looking to get one. Help- his can I get accurate readings from a treadmill run with this garmin?? Many readers stumble into my website in search of information on the latest and greatest sports tech products. So here is the most up to date list of products I like and fit the bill for me and my training needs best! Thanks for taking the time and thought you put into maintaining this site. Considering there are quite a few alternatives out there, it was your reviews that helped me make up my mind each time and I couldnt be happier with my choices. Hey Ray, just used your post to pair my new cadence sensor (late Xmas present to – me, from – me). The most common question I receive outside of the “what’s the best GPS watch for me” variant, are photography-esq based. The Trainer has all sorts of good information displayed inc. power which I would like to have displayed/recorded on my 310XT. I travel a fair bit, both for work and for fun. Polar Flow worked with the Edge and my Polar FT80. Hi DCR The Virtual Trainer opens it up to a few other watches. I was wondering if there was a way to hook up the bike cadence sensor to a spin bike? But don’t go anywhere until you do. It’s a nice break from the day to day sports-tech talk, and I hope you get something out of it! The “export” button doesn’t show up for my indoor workouts in Garmin Connect either.It is like that for all my workouts where the GPS function is turned off.It is of course anoying, but there are also another issue with the same data. Probably the most common sport folks do inside this time of year is running or walking – usually on a treadmill (though some lucky folks get a Superdome to run around inside). When you’re ready to run, go back outside and turn it on. Hi ray thank you for your answer. In other words, if you give me a bike on a trainer, I can make it show 35MPH, or 15MPH – with the same effort – just by switching up the gears I’m using.