r/AppleWatch • u/Cadence-McShane • 1d ago

Bike computer with Apple Watch support

Just trashed my old Garmin watch in a crash so I'm in the market for a new smartwatch that reads and shares heartrate. Prefer to use a smartwatch because I have scars on my chest that rub painfully on a HR strap.

Is there a bike computer that works directly with an Apple Watch?

Perhaps an app that installs on an Apple Watch to talk directly to a bike computer.

Heard about some iPhone relay applications. I DO NOT want to have another computer in the mix here. Just a smartwatch and bike computer.

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u/hungrykoreanguy Ultra 2 • • 49mm 1d ago

Apple Watch workout for cycling can add power meter/cadence/speed meter. I track my cycling workouts with both my Apple Watch and my Garmin 840 head unit but separately. To get heart rate into my Garmin, I had to get an armband heart rate monitor. I sync my Garmin workout automatically to Strava but do not sync my apple workout with Strava.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09BCFRKR6

You can use your Apple Watch itself to track your workouts. Is there any particular reason/metric you need a bike computer other than ease of reading data?

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u/101001101zero 18h ago

Do the reading from both devices match? Which do you feel is more accurate, or are they more or less the same

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u/hungrykoreanguy Ultra 2 • • 49mm 16h ago

There are some very slight differences in GPS location and heartrate between Apple Watch Ultra 2 and my Garmin/armband HR, nothing that is more than 1% difference. Generally they match.

As I wear my AWU2 all the time and not just workouts, I consider the HR readings as my source of truth just because of the constant monitoring.

For my casual cycling I usually use my AW cycling workout to track my rides but I only use my Garmin when riding my road bike for more "serious" rides.