The field of wearable fitness technology has boomed unbelievably over the past few years. It’s almost impossible to shop for the things, if you don’t know exactly what you’re looking for. Fitness tracking as a practice has been gaining in popularity too. These little wearable devices usually sync to our phones, and deliver up to date information on our vitals. By tracking our heart rate, and subsequently calorie burn, we can plan workouts and optimize activities to make the most out of our time. Some even track sleep, stress levels and more! Cycling is one activity that a lot of us use to stay active. So, what’s the best way to get the most out of a fitness tracker if hitting the bike trails, or biking is your jam? We’ll review the best fitness trackers for cycling and biking below!
These are the Best Fitness Trackers for Cycling and Biking
Cycling demands a fresh approach to the traditional fitness tracking model. For years it’s been a set and forget it piece of tech you wear on your wrist. More recently, they’ve provided more accurate pictures of what’s going on. They combine heart rate with other data to give you a more well rounded view of what your calorie burn looks like. For cycling that’s a big win, since you can know that you’re getting the most out of an evening on the trail, and how it should affect your calorie intake. Fitness trackers are easily a must for weight management and tracking exercise progress.
GPS functionality makes it easier than ever for bikers to track their progress in real-time, and more accurately. It gives a better overall idea of what your track consisted of in terms of your physical exertion, and how it compares to previous rides. If you want to accurately track your trail biking or cycling, GPS integrated fitness trackers are the perfect solution.
Should You Use a Fitness Tracker for Biking?
We’d like to think they’re indispensable. Whether it’s for casual health monitoring, or workout progression tracking. These gadgets are a step forward for healthy living meets technology. With the added bonus of more and more units integrating GPS systems into their trackers, it means you can accurately track your biking trails. If you want to keep a record of your biking routes, this could be an awesome and simple way to do so! Now more so than ever, these devices also sync up with fitness apps and programs. This further compliments your workout regime, and dietary needs!
Polar Grit X GPS Fitness Tracker
Crafted for cyclists, we love the durability and rugged nature of this tech-forward smartwatch developed by POLAR. It features military-grade durability. It also manages well in cold weather, humidity and water. Its extreme resistance makes it a great fit for bikers and cyclists facing rain, mud, hot and cold temperatures and the mercy of the elements. Thankfully though, you’ll be one step ahead of those with up to date forecasts right from your watch! The watch measures a variety of different variables, specifically cardio with a built in interval tracker. Integrated GPS means for accurate tracking of your favorite routes, whether you’re hitting the trails or the road on your bicycle.
There is in fact one feature of the Polar Grit X fitness tracker that makes it perfect for cyclists. Refuel reminders help you stay hydrated and energized. Helpful reminders through the fuelwise assistant built into the watch remind you to drink water and eat when you’ve reached too high of a deficit of either or. This is perfect for all-day biking outings, keeping you energized so you can stay ahead of the group, and keep focused. Lastly, real-time turn-by-turn guidance helps you stay the course. It even supports multi-day routes in an effort to keep you from taking the wrong trail, and planning your route safely.
Garmin Edge 130 Bike Computer
We’re focusing mainly on fitness trackers for cyclists here, but it’s important to touch on bike-mounted trackers too. While they don’t typically provide too many vital or health related information, they’re a must-have for avid cyclists and mountain trail bikers. Featuring a state of the art GPs system, this mounted bike computer keeps you moving in the right direction. It shows you where you’ve been, and tells you exactly where to go next. It has access to the foremost GPS satellites in operation, giving you the most comprehensive location tracking.
What I love most about the Garmin Edge has to be the display. It has a sharp, easy to see screen you can interpret at a glance in all lighting conditions, even direct sunlight. It’s even compatible with your phone to provide you with customized notifications, and even live weather updates. An assistance feature and live track lets others track your exact location. The added peace of mind that comes with someone being able to locate you in a pinch makes this unit a must-have for avid bikers.
Garmin Vivosmart 4
Cycling is an incredibly popular exercise routine for many people the world over. Jumping on a bike makes burning through calories and getting your cardio in a dream. This is easily the best fitness tracker for cycling and biking for exercise. It syncs with your phone, as well as other major fitness and health apps to develop a well-rounded and detailed report of your vitals, and calorie burn. This makes cycling for your health a lot more streamlined. With accurate information about how it’s affecting your progress, you can tailor cycling trips to get the most out of your workout!
This is a useful fitness tracker for cyclists, since it can deliver notifications, while tracking your stats when you’re on the go. Unlike watch-face style fitness trackers, it’s a slim bracelet with a small screen that doesn’t weigh you down. Sleep tracking also serves as another innovative monitoring tool. Tracking your sleep in detail, you can see if and how your cycling workouts affect your sleep cycles. Making informed decisions about your health and fitness routines starts and ends with having the right information. The Garmin vivosmart 4 does just that!
Fitbit Charge 4 Fitness and Activity Tracker
One of the easiest ways to track your progress on a ride is by getting live feedback of your current distance. The Fitbit Charge 4 gives an accurate, and easy at-a-glance view of your present distance for just that reason. Steadily you can increase the distance of your rides to slowly add intensity to your cycling workout! Facing a tough slope, or heading on a fast stretch? This watch will buzz to indicate you’ve entered into active zone minutes, reaching your target heart rate so you know exactly when you’re burning calories. With accurate 24/7 measuring, calorie intake and deficits are kept in check by integrating with your favorite program.
You don’t have to worry about fumbling for your wallet when you’re out for a bike ride. You can use FitBit pay on the go to make purchases easily once you’ve reached your destination. Or, for a bottle of water along the way! This thing is also waterproof, so you won’t have to worry about your ride getting rained out. You can get a maximum of 5 hours of ride time with the built-in GPS, or 7 days with just the standard vitals monitoring. Track your progress, and become a better rider with this excellent piece of wearable tech for cycling and biking.
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