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There is only so much I can do with logging my rides with my phone. Both the Strava and Runtastic Apps have issues logging my rides. Importing a GPX file from one to the other produces inconsistencies and it's annoying not knowing the exact info from my ride.

I had a Garmin Edge 305, and was looking into getting a new Garmin unit. Reading over the reviews, Garmin's site, and Amazon listings, I am really confused as to what unit to get. The 510 fits in my price range, but some reviews say that it has a lot of GPS issues. Additionally, Garmin no longer sells it, so I'm thinking that it will be replaced soon. Garmin Touring and 810 do not come with the accessories, and are absolutely too expensive when bundled up.

Two questions:

  1. Is there an android app that does a better job recording rides and allows importing into Strava's website without too many inconsistencies?
  2. What Garmin unit will give me a heart rate monitor, wheel and candance sensors, and the abiity to extrac the GPX file into Strava's website?
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    The 510 has been replaced by the 520. Since Garmin uses the ANT+ protocol for its sensors any cheaper ANT+ heartrate, speed or cadence sensor can be matched. I've matched non-Garmin sensors on different bikes when I migrated my broken MIO-device to my new Garmin 1000 . There's no problem at all.
    – Carel
    Jul 4, 2015 at 20:47
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    Are you stuck to Garmin? I bought a Sigma Rox 10.0 last year, and I am pretty satisfied. From the software you can directly upload to Strava (no file export/import), and the GPS never failed. It also includes some basic navigation (if you prepare the route at home).
    – Bernhard
    Jul 4, 2015 at 22:03
  • @Carel - I just saw that. Garmin's shop lists it but not in the cycling section. Also, it seems that the 520 is not available until the end of the month. If I just get the GPS unit from garmin, what heart rate and cadence/wheel monitors can I pair up with it?
    – Zlatty
    Jul 4, 2015 at 22:49
  • @Bernhard - I never heard of Sigma Rox. I just assumed Garmin was still dominating the field. Does it have a heartrate and cadence/wheel sensors?
    – Zlatty
    Jul 4, 2015 at 22:50
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    @Zlatty From the info you give, the whole problem is that you are expecting the data stored by one system to happily drive a different system. Each system is built around a set of algorithms that within their system produce good results. While in theory, we'd like to think that the GPS points are the basic data and it should just work in another app, I don't think it's how these apps work. If you're set on getting another device then go for it. But I would not be certain that it will solve the problem you've posted.
    – andy256
    Jul 5, 2015 at 23:06

2 Answers 2

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I've been quite happy using Cyclemeter (the iPhone version). I use it with a Wahoo RFLKT+ to get a display and ANT+ bridge. There are also some good looking mounts available, I really like the looks of the Rokform mounts but I haven't used them.

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  • Thanks @dlu - It seems that Cyclemeter is not available for android, and it seems that the RFLKT+ does not wok for android either. However, the Rokform mount is pretty dope and I'll consider it as my phone connector broke.
    – Zlatty
    Jul 5, 2015 at 0:28
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    @Zlatty Really sorry about Cyclemeter and the Android, I guess I've started assuming that good apps get ported to both platforms… I'm pretty sure that the RFLKT+ does work with some models of Android phones. I've also heard that some Androids have native ANT+ support.
    – dlu
    Jul 5, 2015 at 20:26
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osmand is really good when it comes to routing - it uses openstreetmap material, which is in many regions excellent, supports displaying, directing by and recording GPX-tracks. It's map display is highly configurable, e.g. it can display all kinds of POI, one of it being drinking water wells. There's also a router plugin, brouter that takes climb into account. However osmand is primarily for routing, monitoring activity comes second.

ipbike on the other hand is a bike computer app supporting ANT+ and Bluetooth Low Energy sensors that also displays maps and tracks.

I don't know how well they do with Strava since I don't use that.

For hardware, you might want to take a look at http://www.dcrainmaker.com/, especially the product comparison.

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  • Thanks @chichak - Osmand looks pretty cool. Once I get my play rewards up, I'll grab it from the market. In ever heard of ipbike, so I'll try it on my next ride. The product comparison on DCRainmaker is a really good guide. Thanks on the recommendations!
    – Zlatty
    Jul 5, 2015 at 19:04
  • Am I missing something with the broosmand link? Right now it seems to just point back to the OsmAnd site, and I don't see any obvious info about plugins – but maybe I'm just blind :-)
    – dlu
    Jul 5, 2015 at 20:35
  • I think I had a rather bad copy'n'paste accident - on linux middle-click pastes the selection (no explicit copy needed) and since I'm on a thinkpad i also use middle-button + trackpoint for scrolling. Sorry for any confusion.
    – chichak
    Jul 5, 2015 at 22:46

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