Forerunner® 735XT Apps. All App Types Data Fields Device Apps Watch Faces Widgets.
When it comes to mountain biking, it can be argued that a dedicated cycling computer is still your best bet, but smartwatches have been catching up as of late. Smartwatches are smaller, and generally more convenient to deal with when it comes to mountain biking. There is no extra setup and mounting required. You simply slap it on your wrist, and you’re ready to go! That being said, the next question would be, “What is the best smartwatch for mountain biking?”
While the answer to that question can be relative and have a diverse variety of answers depending on who you are talking to, we have chosen smartwatches we believe meet all of the criteria needed for a good mtb watch. Let’s take a look at some of those features.
- #1: Garmin Fenix 5X Sapphire. It has become pretty obvious that Garmin clearly runs the game when it comes to making some of the best smartwatches for mountain biking. Nowhere is this more apparent, than with the Garmin Fenix 5X. The 5x slightly improves upon the original Fenix 5 by adding full colored topographical maps.
- Garmin's fitness smartwatch aiming to please duathletes/triathletes, tracking brick workouts like running/cycling/swimming, holding a 5-ATM water protection, and a 14-hour continuous heart rate monitoring and GPS-tracking battery life.
- Garmin Vivo Smart. If you like your fitness trackers to be more discreet then this is a very stylish.
What Makes A Good Mountain Bike Watch?
A good mountain bike watch needs 3 basic things: a GPS, good battery life, and water resistance.
GPS
The GPS has become almost a standard in most fitness watches. They are excellent tools for mountain biking. They can help you to plot your course, estimate your time, and are especially useful when biking in unfamiliar areas.
Strava Compatibility
Strava is a service that allows users to share and compare riding data. It is a very popular social network for cycling enthusiasts. A good smartwatch for mountain biking should support the Strava app.
Battery Life
This one is a given. When it comes to biking, battery life is crucial. Mountain biking can tend to go on for long stretches at a time, so you will definitely want an mtb watch that can go the distance. This is especially true when using the GPS, or any other advanced smartwatch features.
How much battery life you get depends on what modes you use on your smartwatch. Typically, you will get up to days of battery life in smartwatch only modes, while in GPS mode, your battery life will be less than a day, but still long enough to complete your activities.
Water Resistance
Water resistance is also a necessity to have when mountain biking. While most people probably don’t go out with the intention of biking in the rain, the weather can be unpredictable, so having an mtb watch that can withstand getting a little wet, is an important feature to have. Not to mention, that for people who sweat a lot, water resistance means sweat resistance as well.
So now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s take a look at our top picks!
Best Smartwatch For Mountain Biking Top Picks
#1: Garmin Fenix 5X Sapphire
It has become pretty obvious that Garmin clearly runs the game when it comes to making some of the best smartwatches for mountain biking. Nowhere is this more apparent, than with the Garmin Fenix 5X. The 5x slightly improves upon the original Fenix 5 by adding full colored topographical maps.
It is true that you van get more even updated versions of the Fenix, such as the Fenix 6. However, the 5X is cheaper than the more recent models, yet still contains all of the features that make for a great mtb smartwatch.
It comes with built a built in GPS, and Glonass compatibility, as well as a barometric altimeter, a gyroscope, and a three axis compass to aid in navigation.
It can sync with your phone seamlessly to allow you to receive alerts and notifications from your phone. You also get compatibility with numerous apps, including Strava. It has preloaded fitness profiles that can track your stats during various sporting activities.
This watch is already built sturdy, but the Sapphire edition also features a scratch resistant sapphire glass window. It has a battery life of up to 12 days in smartwatch mode, or 20 hours in GPS mode.
Finally, the Fenix 5X is water resistant to a depth of 100 meters, so you shouldn’t have any problems with it in the water. Just don’t take it deep diving! Only real downside to this one is the price, as it is a bit expensive. But this is definitely a top contender as the best smartwatch for mountain biking!
Quick Look
- GPS
- full colored topographical maps
- Strava support
- 3 axis compass
- water resistant 100 meters
- battery life 12 days regular mode, 20 hours GPS mode
- expensive
#2: Garmin Vivoactive 3
There are more recent versions of this smartwatch, but the Garmin Vivoactive 3 is less expensive, yet still comes with a multitude of features.
First off, it has a built in GPS. Then, it also tracks heart rate, VO2 max, and sleep cycles. The Garmin Vivoactive 3 already comes with some fitness apps preloaded that will work without being connected to your phone. These include cycling apps. When your phone is connected, however, it also has support for many other apps, including Strava.
You will receive notifications of texts and other alerts from your phone as well. In addition to these features, you can also make wireless payments with the watch via the Garmin Pay feature.
As for battery life, you can expect to get up to 7 days while in smartwatch mode, or 13 hours of straight GPS mode. It is water resistant 50 meters, so it is suitable for swimming. The Garmin Vivoactive 3 is an overall good value for the price.
Quick Look
- GPS
- Strava compatible
- instant pay feature via Garmin Pay
- water resistant 50 meters
- battery life 7 days regular mode, 13 hours GPS mode
#3: Garmin Forerunner 235
Here is yet another good Garmin mtb watch. Sure you could upgrade to a more recent version, but the 235 is less expensive, and I feel it is more than sufficient.
This one has a small, slim, lightweight profile. It has the basic features you would expect from a Garmin smartwatch in a simple, easy to use interface. It has the GPS, heart rate monitor, calorie and steps tracking, Strava compatibility, Glonass support, and smartphone connectivity.
You will receive text and voicemail alerts, etc. from your phone while synced to the watch.
The battery life is about 9 days in smartwatch mode, and 11 hours of active GPS mode. It is water resistant 50 meters, so it can be used for swimming as well.
Quick Look
- GPS
- Strava support
- slim and lightweight
- water resistant 50 meters
- battery life 9 days regular mode, 11 hours GPS mode
#4: Polar M430
And now we have a non-Garmin brand smartwatch. The Polar M430 is a worthy competitor to Garmin. It comes with a built in GPS. It tracks heart rate, VO2 max, distance, altitude, steps walked, calories burned, and sleep. As with the others, you can sync it to your phone to receive text and phone alerts.
The Polar M430 syncs with its proprietary Polar Flow app that allows users to share and sync training data. And of course, it is also compatible with other apps, including Strava.
Battery life is a tradeoff, as you will get only 8 hours in GPS mode, but a whopping 20 days in just regular watch mode. It has a water resistance to a depth of 30 meters, so you can bathe and swim in it.
Quick Look
- GPS
- Strava support
- share data via Polar Flow app
- water resistant 30 meters
- battery life 20 days regular mode, 8 hours GPS mode
Best Garmin Watch Face For Cycling Women
#5: Apple Watch Series 6
And finally, we have the Apple Watch Series 6. The Apple Watch has always been a very versatile watch, good for many different physical activities, including mountain biking. With the Series 6 you get all of the great features you would expect from an Apple watch.
The always on retina display means that you won’t have todo anything to turn the screen on every time you use the watch, which is pretty convenient. It also has the usual GPS, heart rate monitor, phone syncing, and app support. You can track your daily activities as well as workout progress.
One unique feature in the Series 6 is its ability to measure blood oxygen levels. You will also get phone and text alerts, along with the ability to reply to texts and answer the phone from the watch itself.
As with the others, the Apple Watch Series 6 supports Strava. It is water resistant up to 50 meters, so it can be worn in a pool. You will get a battery life of around 18 hours with this one, which is not bad, but it won’t go for days at a time like other mtb watches on this list.
There are a couple of downsides to this watch. One Is that it is a little on the expensive side. Second, is that this watch does not work with Android phones.
Quick Look
- GPS
- Strava Support
- always on retina display
- measures blood oxygen levels
- water resistant 50 meters
- expensive
- does not work with Android phones
- only 18 hours battery life
Best Smartwatch For Mountain Biking: Final Thoughts
So do any of these options meet your expectations as the best smartwatch for mountain biking? If nothing else, I hope this guide at least steered you in the right direction when it comes to finding a good mtb watch!
If you are more interested in traditional biking, then feel free to check out our roundup of the best watches for cycling!
If you were looking for the Best Garmin for cycling the only choice was the Computer System Garmin trackers.
However, with the advances in innovation, you can now locate GPS watches with cycling-specific functions and also smartwatches that have actually devoted a biking mode or compatible biking applications.
While determined cyclists may still prefer the robust features of an installed bike computer, for triathletes and also other energetic multi-sport professional athletes, a smartwatch takes the leading place for flexibility as well as added body metrics.
Some watches can track heart rate, rest while some newer watch models also gauge Vo2 max and optimal healing time.
If you want access to fitness monitoring both on and off the bike, a watch supplies the added benefit of being able to utilize it for more than simply biking– by just switching over settings to running or swimming.
Contents
- 1 Best Garmin Watch for Cycling Reviews
Best Garmin Watch for Cycling Reviews
Garmin Forerunner 945
The Forerunner 945 takes all that we love regarding the 935, which was already filled with just about every little thing you might possibly desire in a clever watch, as well as included some new functions for professional athletes.
In addition to Wi-fi, ANT+, and also Bluetooth connection, lots of preset activities and also task monitoring features, the 945 obtains more accurate GPS by reviewing GPS, GLONASS, as well as Galileo satellites, as well as it adds navigating capacities.
On the training front, you get a pulse oximeter, Strava assimilation, and live sections, as well as downloadable workouts so you can leave your bike computer in your home as well as still record your workout. Which’s simply skimming the surface. It’s not a discount rate watch, however, the relatively endless list of attributes for laid-back and elite-level professional athletes make it worth the financial investment.
Garmin Vivoactive 3
Best Free Garmin Watch Faces
Garmin has a solid online reputation for producing quality sporting activity watches, and the Vivoactive 3 is no exception. These functions expand far past those useful for biking, consisting of settlement processing and also tension surveillance.
The design is a bit bulky. It has a big round watch face which looks excellent with a range of different bands. By default, it features a silicone band which can be exchanged out for just about anything, including some even more upscale steel options.
It is a little bit bulkier as well as much heavier than a few other watches detailed here, so women might have difficulty warming up to the look.
As a physical fitness tracker, with the Vivoactive 3, you get a full collection of monitoring functions that range from running to stress and anxiety monitoring. You can tailor which tasks you want to be included so you can track your health and fitness stats for tasks that aren’t included.
To piggyback off of the health and fitness monitoring, utilizing the biking alternative with GPS enabled was a fantastic experience with this watch. The GPS monitoring was simple to get going and also was rather precise for both running and also biking. It toenails your course and has very few variances.
Garmin Forerunner 645 Music
One of the most recent designs on this listing, the Garmin Leader 645 Songs is the initial of its kind from Garmin. Previous Forerunner designs concentrated on practical style and also straight to the factor capability.
With the Forerunner 645 music, Garmin has tipped it up a little bit in regards to layout, and as its name suggests, the ability to hold music.
Garmin has actually gotten on the touch-screen display bandwagon. Now, most major professional athletes would argue that buttons are less complicated to make use of than a touch display, specifically when cycling, and Garmin has actually taken that right into consideration.
The Forerunner 645 music has 5 buttons that are intuitively placed and classified making navigating while cycling a piece of cake.
Regardless of what sporting activity you like, the on the internet training app, Garmin Link will certainly aid you to improve. You can compare on your own to other professional athletes in your area as well as see how your performance gauges up. This little affordable push can help you take your ride to the following level.
The battery life is additionally a bit brief (5 hrs with GPS on) – it’s great when running, but as a linked device, it could be a lot better.
Garmin Fenix 5 Sapphire
The Garmin Fenix 5 Sapphire Entertainer Bundle is timeless in the area of watches. It determines the top quality of rest, heart activity has GPS capacities as well as handles text messages as well as e-mails.
This is watch has just about whatever you might be trying to find. It is created for the kind of people that like to invest a great deal of time outdoors. While this watch most definitely does not come cheap, it is an exceptional all-purpose GPS view and health and fitness tracker.
Being a watch that is specially developed to spend a lot of time outdoors, the Garmin Fenix 5 can best be described as rugged. It resembles it can take some misuse, as well as it really can.
A black bezel is kept in area by 5 screws which home as well as a 1.2-inch display screen. There are 5 switches on the side that makes for a more standard watch feeling which is appealing to lots of users.
The Fenix 5 comes with maps and the capability to incorporate with power meters. This is one of only a handful of watches with this capability. The device sustains Bluetooth Smart power meters and Bluetooth Smart Speed/Cadence sensors. When linked, you will be able to check out the information from your power meter while riding.
It honestly is tough to locate an activity that the Garmin Fenix 5 can’t track. Of course, you have the fundamentals like running and biking yet there are a lot of options, they actually also have actually skydiving covered.
Features V02 Max that is true that isn’t unique to the Fenix 5, yet it’s accuracy as well as the versatility is what sets it apart. Your V02 max rating is basically a procedure of your general health and fitness and also can predict exactly how well you will certainly execute in events like a marathon or 5k.
Conclusion
Whether you are an into roadway cycling or single-track mountain biking, having a watch with integrated biking includes ora smartwatch with suitable cycling activity tracking apps can make your trip much more delightful.
Having the ability to accessibility GPS or track your heart price exactly on your wrist while your bike provides you included comfort that a handlebar-mounted biking computer can not give.
Best Garmin Fenix Watch Faces
With several models currently able to show route GPX data in addition to physical fitness tracking for statistics such as heart rate as well as VO2 Max, the current modern technology on the marketplace uses a lot of useful information in an extremely small bundle.
Related: