Darth Lefty 

I wanted a Garmin watch but my wife bought me an Apple watch and I decided to stick with it. If it craps out I'll switch

Litespud

I went with a Garmin 530, because IMO Garmin still has the largest range of compatible devices - the “Garmin universe”, so to speak. The Garmin setup interface isn’t the most intuitive, but once you get past that, the 530 works great. I run a HRM and a variable radar through mine.

gkamieneski

Bryton has some units that can compete well with Garmin as well as some lower priced units for just tracking workouts. Wanty Gobert Intermarche is a World Pro Team sponsored and using Brytons.

Broctoon

Agreed, on all points. I was already in the Garmin ecosystem, so I wanted to stick with them. The Varia radar tail light is a really nice safety device. Of course, it doesn't require a Garmin computer; it can send alerts to any smart phone. My experience with setting up, synching/connecting, and sometimes adjusting settings on the Garmin devices has been less than ideal. I muddle through and wish for an easier user experience. Overall, though, they are great products.

sean.hwy

I did the phone, fenix 5 watch, some cheap gps computer, wahoo. They all sort of worked ok.

Then I purchased garmin 1030+. the routing on the big screen, switching between the screens on the fly etc... so perfect. once I got this I stopped looking for a replacement.
saving different profiles of what I want to see and monitor is really nice also.

Herzlos

It just depends on how accurate you need it to be and how much you want to spend?

I had a Garmin Edge Explore which gave good results and lots of information, but changed it to a Garmin multisport watch (Forerunner 45). It's probably not quite as accurate but that hasn't bothered me. The advantage to a watch over a dedicated unit is that it'll record heart rate at the same time, and you don't need to worry about leaving it on the bike since it's attached to your arm. The downside is that it's harder to read whilst riding and you can't get navigation on it. If you just want to record what you've done then I think it's the better option.

veloz

Wahoo Elemnt Bolt or Roam are easy and intuitive. Garmin are great but I certainly wouldn’t use the terms easy or intuitive with their interface. I own both and prefer the Wahoo for bikes. That said, I really like Garmin's wearables and wear one for running and daily workouts. Their new 1040 ($$$) and Edge Explore 2 look like good options for bikes.

footpower

Right now I use a Garmin Forerunner 245 and it works pretty good for biking. It does have simple navigation that works fine for me.
I wanted to see my speed without looking at my wrist so I have a Sigma with a wireless wheel sensor for that. Garmin imports to Strava easily and I use it for runs and walks also.

NoWhammies

I am updating my post from 2020 to suggest either the Garmin 1030+/1040 OR either of the new Garmin Forerunner watches. Either the 255 or the 955. Happy purchasing.

Pootler

I've been using my phone for recording and basic routing with komoot but it's killing the battery. With old age comes poor eyesight and I've struggled with the small screens on friends Garmin's in the past - is the 1040 noticeably easier to read maps on? Can you zoom in more?

footpower

Does anyone know if the Garmin 245 Forerunner will sync heartbeat with a Garmin bike computer? Just wondering if I would ever get a true Garmin bike computer and I could just wear my watch for heart rate without getting a heart rate sensor.