The best cycling watch | Cyclingnews

There are two basic reasons for checking out the best cycling watches. Some people are general athletes and cycling is just one small piece of that. That covers those who are casual athletes and those who are more serious, but in both cases, there’s a greater range of needs. It’s important to be able to track a wide range of sports without needing specialised equipment.

For other readers, cycling is really the only sport they engage in. That still covers a wide range of experience levels but it’s a narrower focus. One of the best cycling computers gives a larger, easier to read screen, but many cycling watches offer the same functions, just in a smaller format. They can be useful for gravel rides, plus they’ll record data that a cycling computer can’t, such as heart rate unless you wear a separate heart rate monitor.

No matter which of those categories you fall into, modern cycling watches also handle smartwatch functions. You’ll be looking for varying levels of notifications and interaction with your phone plus sensor features that go beyond strictly performance metrics. Battery life might be something to consider as well as sleep tracking, apps, and menstrual tracking.

With all of these needs in mind, I’ve spent time with a variety of options and these are the products I’m recommending for a variety of users. My top pick is the Garmin Forerunner 970. It’s Garmin’s top running watch, but don’t let that put you off using it for cycling. It’s light, has long battery life and offers navigation and a full suite of cycling-related functionality and is cheaper than the Garmin Fenix 8 series multisport watches.

Quick list

The best cycling watches on the market today

Best all-around cycling watch

I almost didn’t look at the Garmin Forerunner when I started working on this list. As much as I love Garmin products, the Forerunner 970 has a range of features for running and swimming that I don’t need and might not make sense for someone looking to find the best cycling watch.

Triathletes will certainly appreciate that you can swim with it and features like running dynamics make sense for anyone who runs. It’s even got high-quality route following and mapping features plus power meter support so you could use it as your bike computer. That said, if you are a serious cyclist then one of the best bike computers plus the Garmin Venu 3 initially seems like a better match. That is until you start to understand the predictive features the 970 includes.

Quite simply the Garmin Forerunner 970 can transform your training through features like Training Readiness, Training Status, and the Morning Report. These are all connected features that come together to tell you not only how to train better but also when to take a break in your training and they’ve all been a huge help to me.

Every morning I wake up and the first thing I do is look at my morning report. It tells me how I slept and how that affected my recovery from the last training ride. Sometimes it will tell me that I’m training too hard and to take a break. Other times it suggests a specific workout and tells me to enjoy the day. I can also check at any time to see if the training I’m doing is sufficient to increase my fitness. These features combined have helped me do a better job varying my workouts and on days when I felt tired I’ve had a second voice telling me I’m not just lazy but really do need a break.

I still use a Garmin 1040 Solar and Garmin HRM-Pro Plus on the bike. Garmin does an amazing job of handing off between the various devices and all the training advice on the Forerunner 970 updates as if you never took it off.

Best budget cycling watch

The Coros Pace 3 is a little like the flip side of the coin from the TicWatch Pro 5. They both have long battery life and a budget price. The comparison isn’t perfect because the TicWatch is slightly more expensive, even with its perpetual sale, plus it has a much better screen. In either case though, you get a decent experience that’s a little less premium but very workable with a price to match. Where the two really split is TicWatch is the smartwatch’s first option while the Coros Pace 3 is the fitness watch first.

That means smartwatch functions are pretty sparse. There are some basic notifications, and it is possible to load music, but that’s about where it ends. On top of that, the screen isn’t great either. It’s pretty dull and while there’s colour it’s not what you would call vibrant.

The reason the Coros shows up here is that for not a lot of money, you get a nice lightweight watch body that supports power meters and mapping. There’s quality sleep tracking, you can track runs, swims, and rides casually or in a more serious way and you can report all that data back to whatever app works for you.

It’s also worth mentioning that while TicWatch is a reasonable comparison, so is Garmin. A big advantage of Coros is that the brand is always updating and adding features. TicWatch is terrible about that and while Garmin certainly has the resources, the brand tends to leave older products closer to how they were when purchased. You can see this happening right now if you take a look at the state of the navigation. Officially navigation on the Pace 3 is only breadcrumb however there is a current beta where turn-by-turn directions are evolving.

Best Garmin smartwatch for cycling

I reviewed the Garmin Venu 2 Plus and absolutely loved it. It fits perfectly with my use case of riding with a bike computer. Then Garmin came out with the Venu 3 and added support for power meters and control of smart trainers making it a capable bike computer for a lot of people.

The Venu series, along with the Venu 3, is the Garmin range of products that balances smartwatch features with fitness features. There are two sizes and a wide range of colours combined with a dressed-up look that works equally well with button-down shirts and cycling jerseys. You can answer the phone on your watch if you are working out and when your hands are sweaty the dual control scheme is handy.

There’s no support for mapping or route following but, similar to Apple products, you’ve got a mid-range bike computer option or an excellent companion to a dedicated bike computer. Unlike Apple though, choosing Garmin will mean a seamless handoff with Garmin bike computers and enough battery life to leave the charger at home for short work trips.

The Venu 3 is so capable that the lack of predictive training features feels like an even bigger loss. Right or wrong, Garmin keeps the Forerunner and Venu product lines separate through choices as much as hardware. The Venu 3 will record your workouts both on and off the bike, track your heart rate variability, track your sleep, and there’s an EKG in some markets. You also get a morning report with useful info but overall you will need to use other products to take control of your own training. This might actually be a bonus to some cyclists so you’ll have to decide if those features are worth the extra cost of the Forerunner 970.

Best cycling watch for iPhone users

If you are starting to get serious about cycling, you might look at the price of a cycling computer and think it’s pretty ridiculous given how capable your phone is. If your phone is an Apple iPhone that’s even more true as Apple has invested significantly in providing a capable fitness ecosystem. If you also have an Apple Watch, or want one, then you’ll find you’ve already got a very capable bike computer with no additional purchase.

At the heart of it, that also means you’ve got the full backing of the Apple ecosystem. No brand of smartphone has the kind of app and third-party hardware support that Apple does. If someone makes an app, it’s for Apple first. If you can dream up a hardware accessory then it’s probably available for an Apple product. Anyone who takes contactless payments will take Apple Pay and you can leave your credit card at home when you ride. You get the idea: choosing one of the biggest companies in the world has its advantages.

Outside of that, Apple has a solid cycling solution. Connect your sensors, including power meters, to your Apple watch and you can record all of the metrics you expect with other bike computers. Apple will extract your FTP automatically, saving the need to do a test, and you can push workouts from sources such as TrainerRoad. Then from there, all of that data will mirror to your iPhone which you can mount on your bars. With no special hardware, you will have a bike computer with an unrivalled screen and all the same data you expect from other bike computers.

The limiting factors to this arrangement are the battery life, lack of routing features, and predictive training support. The Apple Watch Series 10 has a respectable battery life and you get the same experience with the Apple Watch SE and the Apple Watch Ultra allowing for price/performance options. If you want the full experience though, you’ll need to leave your phone screen on.

You also don’t get any support for routing or the kind of predictive training help Garmin offers. You might find a third-party solution but unlike a Garmin watch, it won’t be a core function. The system isn’t integrated in a way that makes it easy and you may eventually reach a point where you want more than what Apple offers.

Best cycling watch for Android users

Apple has really invested in trying to be a one size fits all fitness device. You’ll find support for power meters and FTP detection along with the ability to mirror screens. Google and the Pixel Watch 3 take things in an entirely different direction with a different consumer in mind. It’s actually worth mentioning that the two don’t directly compete as you’d need a matching phone and an entirely new ecosystem.

It’s true that the same drawbacks exist with the Pixel Watch 3 as you’ll find on the Apple Watch. There’s still no predictive training or route following built-in. You can download apps for both to fill some of the gaps though. In some ways that’s actually easier with the Pixel Watch 3 as there’s no attempt to turn the watch into a cycling computer. Without needing to keep that functionality you can use RideWithGPS or Strava to both record a ride and follow a route. There’s still no predictive training like a Garmin but that’s not the point.

What the Pixel Watch 3 focuses on is casual exercise and smartwatch features. Although you can change bands, I love the way the included band stays out of my way as I type on a keyboard. I actually love the low profile of the watch in general as, just like the band, it stays out of the way. When you start riding it will detect it automatically and ask if you want to record the ride and along the way, you can listen to music or pay for food without your wallet. When you get home the sleep tracking helps make sure you recover.

Yes, there is a ceiling for how much Google offers in terms of athletic performance tracking but if you are a bit more casual, and an Android user, the Pixel Watch 3 is a great companion to your phone. In my lif,e I use the Google Pixel 8 Pro when I head out on more serious training rides and the Pixel Watch 3 is amazing anytime I head out on a casual bike ride. The only drawback is that the battery is similar to the Apple Watch Series 10 and generally needs a few minutes on the charger every day.

Best Android cycling watch for battery life

Again it makes sense to look at the Apple ecosystem and draw some comparisons. If you are in the Apple ecosystem then there’s only the Apple Watch and Apple offers three tiers. Pick your price and performance as you need. On the Android side of things, Google only offers the Pixel Watch 3 but there are other companies that fill in the gaps. One of those is Mobvoi and the Ticwatch lineup.

Ticwatch was one of the first Wear OS options out on the market and it’s only gotten better over time. The latest is the Ticwatch Pro 5 and, like before, it runs Android Wear OS so much of the experience is similar to the Pixel Watch 3. The big difference is that instead of a slim and smooth profile, TicWatch has gone big.

There’s no softness to the design from an aesthetic standpoint and the battery is big too. Matching the size of Garmin watches, the battery lasts up to 80 hours but it’s not only because of the size of the battery. Also helping reach those numbers is a second screen over the top of the primary screen. The secondary screen is an “ultralow-power display” that looks a bit like a throwback to the 80s but extends the battery life. There’s also a surprisingly fast charging system.

Outside of the different focus most, but not all, of the Ticwatch Pro 5 experience is like a Pixel Watch. Just as with a direct from Google watch, the focus is on more casual fitness and cycling. Ticwatch does add more fitness features but for the most part, they aren’t great. There’s a fitness app but you will probably want to download something instead. Ticwatch is notoriously slow with updating the Wear OS version so it’s behind the times and there’s no Google assistant but you do get NFC payment options and music.

Basically, if you want a smartwatch in the Android ecosystem that will track fitness, let you leave your wallet at home on casual rides, and doesn’t need charging every day then the TicWatch Pro 5 is a good choice. The price is also a bargain.

Best cycling watch for self-coaching

The Polar Vantage V3 is a watch that comes back away from the smartwatch side. There are some expected smartwatch features like notifications but it’s not robust and it’s clear the idea is that you will have your phone with you. You can’t load music directly, although it is possible to control music via the watch, and you can’t pay for things with it. Mostly this is fine for me as I always have my phone with me anyway.

This setup means that the big competitor here is the Garmin Forerunner 970 even though Garmin has a few more of the smartwatch features. What Polar does have is a nicer aluminium body with big textured buttons as a companion to the touch screen.

The real difference between the Garmin 970 and the Polar Vantage v3 though is the approach to training and ecosystem. Garmin has a huge ecosystem and if you are willing to buy into it the brand will use all the data available to give incredible training direction. Polar instead records the data and then offers tools that make it easier for you to self-direct your training across a week and a season. When you actually use the Vantage v3 during a workout the FuelWise Smart carbs reminder helps remind you to eat based on energy used and, like Garmin, the battery life far outpaces smartwatch offerings.

The one thing I take issue with is the lack of menstrual tracking. Obviously not an issue I specifically run into but for those that care it seems like a very odd oversight. The Garmin menstrual tracker is something people love, and yet Polar tracks skin temp, so the hardware capability exists, but leaves it to users to interpret what that means. Perhaps this will turn out to be an advantage in some US states though.

How to choose the best cycling watch

When you survey the best cycling watch landscape, things are simultaneously sparse and not. I had more options on my list initially but the more I got into this investigation, the less it made sense to search far and wide. Instead, there’s a pretty distinct decision tree.

The first thing to consider is if you want a smartwatch that does some fitness tracking or a fitness tracker that has some smartwatch capabilities.

If you decide you want a fitness tracker that can handle cycling, as well as whatever you want to throw at it, then I’ve got Garmin or Polar. Garmin wants you to join the ecosystem and in exchange, you get some amazing training insight while Polar doesn’t have an ecosystem and is happy to help you train with the aid of a watch.

If you’d instead prefer a smartwatch that does some fitness tracking then it’s a choice of Apple of Android.

In either case, you get little more than a day of battery life and you are likely already locked into your choice. On the Android side, Google will sell you a fantastic smartwatch with very light fitness capabilities. On the Apple side, an Apple Watch is actually very capable and you can choose battery life and screen quality based on price without any degradation of the core experience.

Outside of those core decisions, I’ve got a few wildcards. Coros is a great budget fitness watch and the Garmin Venu series is a very impressive all-arounder. The TicWatch is also a budget choice but with a long battery life.

Best cycling watches: Frequently asked questions

How do we test the best cycling watches?

I’ve got a pile of candidates for the best cycling watches and I spent weeks trading them out. I went on indoor and outdoor rides, I connected them to sensors, I installed the apps, and I tested how they did with sleep tracking.

Some of them I passed around to others to get a second opinion from those who worked out a bit less. In the end, I fell in love with the top-spec Garmin Forerunner but I’ve provided a wide range of options and price points to match a wide range of needs.

You can read more on our review methodology on our How We Test page.