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Cyclist Christmas recommendations

Posted on 12/6/17 at 3:48 pm
Posted by Hu_Flung_Pu
Central, LA
Member since Jan 2013
22159 posts
Posted on 12/6/17 at 3:48 pm
I need to get my dad something for christmas and he wanted a fitness tracker. I thought something like the Moov Now LINK and a HR monitor would be good.
Posted by Zappas Stache
Utility Muffin Research Kitchen
Member since Apr 2009
38649 posts
Posted on 12/6/17 at 4:58 pm to
Does he want something like that? Personally, I have no use for that millennial "tracker" bullshite.....and I am probably in your Dad's age range.
Posted by Hu_Flung_Pu
Central, LA
Member since Jan 2013
22159 posts
Posted on 12/6/17 at 7:01 pm to
I don't understand what you mean by that. What's a millennial tracker? This is not a smart watch. It's a tracker that goes on the ankle or wrist and measures pace and keeps you informed if you are behind pace.
Posted by Zappas Stache
Utility Muffin Research Kitchen
Member since Apr 2009
38649 posts
Posted on 12/6/17 at 9:54 pm to

quote:

It's a tracker that goes on the ankle or wrist and measures pace and keeps you informed if you are behind pace.


I know what it is. I was just asking if he wanted that as most people my age laugh at people with all the gadgets they need just to get a run, ride, swim in.
Posted by KG6
Member since Aug 2009
10920 posts
Posted on 12/7/17 at 9:30 am to
I tend to agree with Zappas on general fitness trackers. My Garmin 920XT has a "fitness tracker" function and I hate when I forget to turn it off. I can ride 50 miles, then go run 10 miles, but sit on my arse for 2 hours after and that bastard buzzes at me saying I need to move. My point is that they really don't do shite, nor are accurate for someone who is ACTUALLY active.

Now is your dad really focused on cycling, or just a general active lifestyle. That Moov thing looks like it covers swimming and running too.

What's the budget? There are some cool gadgets out there that really do help you to improve. But they range from $50 to hundreds and thousands.

Looking at the price of that Moov, it's pretty affordable, although I know nothing about it. I can recommend the Garmin line with the 910XT which is an older model watch I had for a while. Running GPS watch, counts laps in the pool, will also GPS track outdoor swims, and will keep track of bike and pretty much any other electronic sensor/gadget you put on the bike. But you are probably looking at $150. You still need the separate HR monitor too. There are also strictly cycling bike computers that may be affordable.

One thing I would look for is that anything you get can connect with other sensors (such as HR monitor or a cycling cadence sensor) through Ant+. That way he can add other features to track.
Posted by Hu_Flung_Pu
Central, LA
Member since Jan 2013
22159 posts
Posted on 12/7/17 at 9:52 am to
quote:

Now is your dad really focused on cycling, or just a general active lifestyle. That Moov thing looks like it covers swimming and running too.


Yeah, he is trying to improve his times. He is 55 and doing about 60 mile rides every so often. He said he wanted to check pace and such but the normal fitness trackers don't really do that. They extrapolate data and don't give real time. I also thought that things like a watch wouldn't be that great for a cyclist because it's on the wrist and would be stationary during a ride. GPS could be done by the phone if he turned it on and mapped it.

Just trying to figure out something that he could get. He has most of the clothing gear needed and everything else that could be super beneficial is pretty expensive.

The Moov now thing is supposed to be worn just during exercise.
This post was edited on 12/7/17 at 9:53 am
Posted by KG6
Member since Aug 2009
10920 posts
Posted on 12/7/17 at 10:29 am to
Yeah, watches suck on the bike. Only time I look at mine is when I'm in the aero bars on my tri bike and my hands are in front of my face. Still have to turn the watch around on the bottom of the wrist. I bought a separate computer just for the bike to not deal with that. But they do make a quick connect kit for the 910xt where you can snap it onto the watch band, or pop it off and put it on the bars of your bike. But again, it's extra and makes it even bigger on your wrist.

See if you can find a Garmin Edge 500. It's an older model (the 520 is now the breadwinner but pricier), and doesn't have the bells and whistles as some of the higher end models (820, 1000, etc.). But it literally does everything those other ones do in terms of displaying performance metrics such as speed, cadence, heart rate, power if you have a power meter, wheel speed sensors, etc.. There are lots of people with 10k bikes out there still using that computer because there is just no reason for them to upgrade. Only reason I upgraded to the 820 was because I had Christmas money and it has a crash sensor and hooks up to my phone through Bluetooth. It will message my wife if I've been in an incident and may be unconscious. It's got some other features I use, but nothing worth paying for. I think you can find that for around $100. I actually bought my 910xt and edge500 for 200 bucks total used (couldn't even tell they were used). Sold them both when I upgraded for ~90 bucks total. I know used isn't a good Christmas present, but there are deals out there to be had.

Posted by Hu_Flung_Pu
Central, LA
Member since Jan 2013
22159 posts
Posted on 12/7/17 at 10:52 am to
I saw this on some review sites. It measures Cadence and Speed. LINK
This post was edited on 12/7/17 at 10:56 am
Posted by Zappas Stache
Utility Muffin Research Kitchen
Member since Apr 2009
38649 posts
Posted on 12/7/17 at 1:09 pm to
Just a simple bicycle computer will give him speed/distance/average and you can buy them with a heart rate monitor....but you have to wear the chest strap for that to function. This Cateye is a good one. If he wants gps data he can install Strava on his phone and it records your speed/distance/ average and even shows you how you compare to other people that have ridden the same segment of your route. I ride a very popular route so I get to see how I rank compared to others that have the strava app. There are some domestic pro riders that ride my route so I get to see how slow I really am.
Posted by nvcowboyfan
James Turner Street, Birmingham,UK
Member since Nov 2007
2954 posts
Posted on 12/8/17 at 1:11 am to
The data you get from the Strava app is awesome. Unless you want to shell out for an over 1000$ power meter it is the best
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