Top 10 Best watches for Cycling [List & Guide]
Many sports require different kinds of accessories. Some will help you provide key information that can be truly useful, other accessories may just be practical and nice to have.
A sports watch made for cycling is a practical and functional tool that can help provide useful and important information about your performance and cycling. This is not only fun and interesting to have, but it can also be helpful in tracking your performance and helping you track your cycling journey.
What is a cycling watch?
A cycling watch is just what it sounds like – a watch made for cycling. Technically, there is no official definition or criteria that classifies a cycling watch, so in theory, a regular watch that is used for cycling could be seen as a watch for cycling. But to most people, a watch for cycling is a smartwatch that can help you track your cycling activity and performance.
Any serious cyclist should have a watch for cycling designed with specific features that have special cycling modes or compatible biking apps that can be truly useful.
At their core, a cycling watch is a fitness watch that provides fitness-related details. Ad for many, this is more than enough, including features such as heart rate monitor, sleep tracking, and more. But some are more advance than that and incorporate GPS, cycling app functions, cycling performance, and much more. The great thing about this is that these watches are also very versatile and can be used for so much more than just cycling including many different sports.
In the cycling world, the ”original” cycling watch has been the handlebar-mounted GPS computer, but things have evolved and now, cycling watches have become more popular. The benefit of the bar-mounted computer is that you have a larger screen and a better overview of, for example, the map.
But there is something very convenient about having that computer on your wrist. In addition, by wearing a cycling watch, you can also get fitness-tracking capabilities. It is also convenient to use a fitness watch if you are performing different sports so you don’t need to have a bunch of different fitness trackers and tools. With a cycling watch, you can instead keep everything gathered in one place.
Best watches for cycling
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Below, we look closer at the best and most popular watches for cycling. In this list, you can find cycling watches for all kinds of different tastes and preferences, but also for different needs. Further on, we’ll also go through everything you need to consider and think about when choosing the perfect cycling watch for you.
Apple Watch Series 6 Fitness Smartwatch
The Apple Watch is not specifically a cycling watch, however, it is still a popular choice for all kinds of different sports activities due to the great number of functions and fitness-related features that it has. The Apple Watch can be used for cycling, but what is also great is that it can work great as an everyday watch as well.
Speaking of the fitness functions, it is packed with them, including things like GPS, the ability to connect to your phone and take calls and reply to texts. This is very practical when biking as it means you can read notifications without having to take up your phone. Furthermore, the watch can measure your blood oxygen, check heart rhythm, and track your daily activity as well as see your fitness activity trends in the iPhone fitness app.
When it comes to sports, it really works extremely well for essentially all kinds of sports such as cycling, swimming, yoga, running, and much more. Whilst it’s not the toughest and most durable fitness and outdoor watch, it is great for cycling and everyday use.
Garmin 010-01769-01 Vivoactive 3
The Garmin Vivoactive is a highly popular and more robust fitness and sports watch that is made particularly for sports activities, including cycling.
This watch is not only tough and durable, but it is also very functional with tons of different functions that can be useful when cycling. Like all Garmin watches, it has Garmin’s smartphone connectivity capability which makes it possible to pair the watch with your smartphone to receive notifications and reply to notifications. In addition, it can automatically upload to Garmin Connect online fitness community as well as store your data.
The watch is designed with a robust case and has a large screen. As a cycling watch should, it has GPS functionality with 15 preloaded GPS and indoor sports apps. It allows you to monitor your fitness level, stress, heart rate monitor, and many more functions that may be useful in a cycling watch.
Not only is it useful for cycling but also for everyday use with functions such as Garmin Pay contactless payment solution which allows you to pay for purchases only using your watch.
The battery life of this watch is quite good as well with a life of up to 7 days in smartwatch mode and 13 hours in GPS mode to meet all your activity needs.
Polar Grit X GPS Smart Watch
Polar Grit X is a popular choice amongst cyclists for a number of reasons. It has a light construction with a weight of only 64 grams which makes it extremely comfortable to wear. Its silicone strap is a comfortable and appropriate choice for this type of watch as well. It has a very long battery life of up to 40h battery life with full GPS and HR tracking, or up to 7 days in watch mode with 24/7 HR.
Whilst the watch is light, it is durable and tough, and has passed several MIL-STD-810G tests so it can handle all kinds of demanding situations that your cycling may involve (or any other sport for that matter). The water resistance is 100m.
Naturally, it has plenty of functions that can be convenient to have when cycling, including navigation and route guidance, compass and barometric altitude, and our favorite, Polar’s training features that help you track your efforts and improve your performance. Another great thing is its capability to detect uphill and downhill whilst cycling so you can see your descent and ascent performance, including speed, distance, and altitude data.
This is one of my favorite cycling watches due to its versatility, comfort, and lightness, but without compromising on the functions and features.
Garmin 010-01746-00 Forerunner 935 Cycling Watch
The Garmin Forerunner 935 Forerunner is an advanced sport and fitness watch designed with robustness and lightness for great comfort and durability. The weight is only 49mm and together with the durable silicone strap, it will sit comfortably on the wrist all day. It has a GPS function as well as a heart rate monitor and smartphone capability which makes it possible to connect it to your phone to receive notifications directly to your watch which can be convenient when cycling.
In this watch, you’ll also find more advanced and complicated functions such as a barometer, altimeter, as well as an electronic compass – all of which may come in handy, both for cycling and other outdoor activities and sports.
Specifically for cycling, it provides advanced dynamics such as ground contact time balance, stride length, and more. The battery life is rather good as well and can last up to 2 weeks in watch mode and up to 24 hours in GPS mode. Packed with functions and designed with a robust and comfortable design, it’s easy to see why this is one of the top choices for cyclists.
Garmin Forerunner 45 Fitness Cycling
Garmin really dominates the space in fitness watches, and another popular choice is the Garmin Forerunner 45. It has a rugged and robust design with a comfortable silicone strap and a large and intuitive LCD screen.
This watch can be used for all kinds of sports and therefore has different sports apps for things like running, cycling, yoga, and much more. As a cycling watch should, it has a GPS function that allows you to track all kinds of things about your cycling performance such as pace, distance, intervals, and much more. It also comes with Garmin Coach training plan support which helps guide you with your training to bring personalized coaching to your wrist.
Thanks to its connectivity capabilities, you’ll be able to receive notifications from your phone directly to the watch which is something I think is very important for a cycling watch so you don’t have to consistently pull out your phone whilst cycling.
As a safety feature, it also has incident detection which will send your location to emergency contacts shall anything happen. The watch has a battery life of up to 7 days in smartwatch mode and 14 hours in GPS mode.
Polar Vantage M Multisport Watch
The Polar Vantage M is an advanced fitness and sports watch with a large screen that allows good legibility in all conditions. It is contrasted with long battery life and can last up to 30 hours of training time.
Naturally, it has a bunch of different fitness-related functions and features to help you track your performance and training, including a heart rate monitor, fitness tracker, muscle load, and much more. Perhaps one of the most important and useful functions for cyclists is that you can track your pace with the biking activity tracker.
Another convenient feature that makes it more durable is its water resistance which is important for a cycling watch, for example when swimming or if it rains during your cycling session.
Garmin 010-01733-00 Fenix 5X Fitness Smartwatch
This Garmin Multisport GPS watch is suitable for all kinds of different sports and works great for cycling as well. It offers mapping, cycling maps, and navigation to help you in your journey. In addition to this, it has a 3-axis compass, gyroscope, and barometric altimeter. It has activity tracking features that also allow you to track your performance, training load, and training stats, amongst other things, which is always nice to help you follow your improvements and fitness journey.
The watch can also connect to your phone to provide smart notifications for your convenience whilst cycling. It can also upload your data to the Garmin Connect online fitness community.
It is constructed in a rugged and robust design and has a comfortable silicone band with a total weight of 98 grams.
If you want something functional and durable, this is one of the most popular and best choices out there.
Samsung Galaxy Active 2
The Samsung Galaxy active watch is similar to the Apple Watch in the sense that it is packed with tons of useful functions for everyday wear, but also for sports. With that said, it is a watch that you can get great use from both when cycling and performing other sports activities, but also for everyday wear.
The watch has a slim case design with a huge screen which provides excellent readability and functionality. Thanks to its aluminum case construction and silicone strap, it is very light and comfortable to wear.
In regards to fitness and activities, it has built-in pace coaching and tons of additional useful fitness-related functions. For example, it has a heart rate monitor and will automatically alert you if the watch detects a high or low heart rate. It can also track your sleep to give you insights to help you improve it.
At its core, this watch is a fitness watch that is built for sports and activities. It has a long-lasting battery that can last for more than one day on one charge. For convenience, it has smartphone connectivity capabilities that enable you to receive notifications to your watch and take calls and texts without having to take up your phone, which can be annoying when cycling.
If you want a stylish and versatile watch that can work for everyday wear but also for all kinds of different sports activities, this is one of the best and most advanced choices out there.
Garmin fenix 6 Pro Solar Cycling Fitness watch
The Garmin Fenix 6 Pro Solar is a rugged outdoor multisports and cycling watch with built-in GPS and a large and easily legible display. A feature that makes this watch stand out from most others is that it is also solar-powered, which helps extend its battery life without having to connect it to a charger.
It is built for sports in the sense that it has a rugged and durable case design that is able to handle harsh conditions. For cycling, it has things like specialized grit and flow measurements, but also other useful functions such as data analyzing to measure elevation and how your body holds up to it.
To help you navigate, it has maps and multiple global navigation satellite systems with built-in sensors for a 3-axis compass, gyroscope, and barometric altimeter. For your everyday use, it also comes with support for Garmin pay which can be very useful when you’re out cycling, but also when you’re wearing it for everyday use. Another nice thing to have is its music storage and streaming service so you can enjoy music wherever you go.
Fitbit Versa 2 Fitness Smartwatch
Last but not least, we have the Fitbit Versa 2 which is one of the most popular fitness and activity apps on the market – including for cycling of course.
The best thing I like about this watch is that it has Alexa built into it which allows you to use various functions without having to navigate with buttons etc. When cycling, this can be rather important as you want full focus at all times. Alexa can provide you with tons of different information for example the weather, but also set different features such as timers and alarms.
This watch provides everything you may need in regard to fitness and health tracking such as sleep tracking, heart rate monitoring, and performance. You’ll also have the ability to stream music whenever you want. Additional fitness features include steps, distance traveled, calories burned, activity, and much more.
The watch has a sporty and durable design and a large display for easy reading of the data. Last but not least, its smartphone connectivity capabilities make it possible to get notifications from your phone without having to pull up your phone.
What to look for in a watch for cycling?
The functions you need to look for in a watch for cycling obviously depend on your needs and wants. But there are a few key functions that you should always look for in a cycling watch, and the good news is that most of them also incorporate these functions.
Here are the most important features you need to look for in a watch for cycling:
Fitness tracking functions
A cycling watch is a fitness watch, and therefore, you obviously want it to include various fitness-tracking functions. Some cycling watches allow you to track and log your fitness data, while others have dedicated apps where you can store and share your data with the cycling community. It’s nice to have a watch that allows you to track your cycling journey, your performance, and your development.
Heart rate monitor
The heart rate monitor is a must-have in any fitness watch. When you are performing sports, you want to be able to track your health, and the easiest way to do that is with a heart rate monitor. Many cycling watches have built-in heart rate monitors which provide data when you are active but also if you are wearing it for the whole day, including when sleeping.
GPS function
A GPS is a must in a cycling watch as this is what enables you to track your journeys and follow your cycling routes. Not only can this help you get an overview of your journeys, but it can also guide and navigate you. When it comes to GPS functions, there really are a lot of additional functions that may be built into these watches, for example, a navigation system that helps guide you back to your starting point, but it varies depending on the model of the watch.
Additional functions
The GPS function, connected with things like maps and navigation is one of the most, if not the most important function of a cycling watch – for obvious reasons. However, it is not the only function that may come in handy when cycling.
The list can be made long, but it ultimately comes down to what you need and wants in a cycling watch. Since cycling is a way of exercising for a lot of people, a fitness tracker is a convenient feature that many people will enjoy and find great use from, as discussed above. Fitness trackers work differently depending on how they are designed but the key functionality includes things like distance, calories burned, heart rate monitor, and much more. A fitness tracker can therefore be a convenient feature to have in a cycling watch as it enables you to measure your fitness activities as well as help you develop and improve.
With that said, look and see if the cycling watch has a fitness tracker and which functions are included in it. We’ll go into detail about a few additional functions further on.
Durability
When cycling (and performing other activities for that matter), your watch will be subject to a lot of stress and shocks. This is particularly true if you are cycling on bumpy terrain. A fitness and sports watch needs to be durable in order not to break when you are using it the way it is intended to be used. This brings us to the next point:
Water-resistance
It’s natural that a watch needs to be water-resistant. Your cycling may or may not include swimming, but if it does, it is absolutely crucial to have a watch that can handle water. For people who do triathlons, water resistance will be even more important. And even if you are not swimming, your watch will be subject to sweat and water from, for example, rain, so you want to make sure that the watch won’t break as a result of that.
Legibility
The legibility of your cycling watch is another important aspect that you need to consider. Naturally, you want it to be easy to quickly read data and information on the screen of your watch without having to struggle to see anything. Both the face design and the size of the screenplay a role in this. It is particularly important that the watch has good legibility in both bright and dark environments.
Battery life
When buying a cycling watch, the battery life is definitely something you want to consider. Ideally, you want a battery life that is as long as possible, and different watches have different battery life lengths. Think about how long you will be able to use it before you need to charge it. Also, consider that the life length varies depending on if it is ”inactive” or active.
Last but not least, you also want to take comfort into consideration. Since you are going to wear your watch whilst cycling, you want to make sure that it sits comfortably on the wrist. The strap plays an important part in this but also the size of the watch and the material in which it is made. You also want to make sure that the watch has a durable and robust strap that can withstand sweat and dirt well, and sit comfortably on the wrist whilst being active. It is important that the strap is breathable but also water-resistant.
Accelerometers and altimeters
Accelerometers and gyroscopes can be really useful in a cycling watch. These can be used for other things than cycling, such as swimming, but also when the GPS is turned off. Some people also want a barometric altimeter as it is more accurate than the data that is provided by the GPS. This is thanks to the fact that barometers measure air pressure.
Cycling modes
A cycling watch with cycling modes is something that you can find great use for as well. Many cycling watches come with cycling modes functionality, meaning you can adapt the settings according to the type of cycling you are performing. For example, you can set the watch to road or mountain bike riding, performance tests, training workouts for when you are cycling, and much more. With this type of functionality, a cycling watch isn’t just a nice gadget but also a tool for making your cycling sessions more fun and rewarding. Look at the watch’s specifications and what it offers in terms of different cycling modes.
Connectivity
The most obvious common and perhaps practical connectivity is between your watch and your phone. The Apple Watch is obviously one of the watches that offer just this. And this is very practical as it means that you get a better overview of key data and information. Some cycling watches come with dedicated apps that you can download on your phone in order to save and track your data and performance.
But in addition to this, watches like the Apple watch will also allow you to use the watch to, for example, make calls or send texts. This is really convenient as it means you don’t have to pull up your phone when you are in the middle of a bike ride.
A clever solution that some watches offer is the possibility of connecting them with, for example, a cycling computer, which can be useful for triathletes.
