What does a Garmin do that an iPhone doesn't?
10-20-11 | 01:56 PM
#51
Come on you Spurs!
Joined: Oct 2010
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From: Toronto, Ontario
Bikes: Trek 2.1, BMC Roadracer SL01
10-20-11 | 02:37 PM
#52
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 459
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Most accounts of use of GPS-apps on the iphone (like runkeeper), report near completely battery drain after an hour of use when recording data points as a Garmin would. An hour is really short to begin with, but then add the fact that you've now drained your phone to near zero, and you can see why it hasn't taken on broad appeal.
10-20-11 | 02:46 PM
#54
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2011
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Yes. At the end of my rides, all my data is downloaded to the Runkeeper website and I can review maps of the ride routes, elevation, speed, splits, etc. Maybe the people reporting shorter battery life are using the phone mounted to the handlebar and keeping the display active the entire ride, but I put mine in sleep mode and put it in my jersey pocket.
10-20-11 | 02:52 PM
#55
Descends like a rock
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 4,034
Likes: 16
From: Fort Worth, TX
Bikes: Scott Foil, Surly Pacer
I have used my iPhone 4 with Runkeeper for up to 3 hour rides playing my iPod continuously and at the end of the ride, my battery life inidcator is not even 1/4 drained. Anyone claiming only one hour use has another problem unrelated to the app, as I rarely ride for less than 1 hour, always use my phone, and have never had the battery come even close to draining. At the end of most rides, it is still essentially showing full power.
Nevermind, missed your reply. Yes, if you want a phone to "do everything a Garmin does" you would need to have it on so you can see your live stats.
10-20-11 | 02:57 PM
#56
Two-Wheeled Aficionado
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 4,903
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From: Wichita
Bikes: Santa Cruz Blur TR, Cannondale Quick CX dropbar conversion & others
I haven't used Runkeeper for android in a while but that sounds a hell of a lot better than the battery consumption I'm experiencing with CardioTrainer.
10-20-11 | 03:37 PM
#58
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 93
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From: Mashpee MA and Naples FL
Bikes: Kestrel rt 800 - DA 7900
Garmin
- Ant + HRM, Cadence, Power (if you have the gear)
- Better Battery life
- Waterproof and durable (not made of glass)
- You can have the readout visible throughout the ride without really killing the battery
- Better GPS accuracy including altimeter
- Smaller
- I can preload a route into the Garmin and it will keep me following the route with turn by turn directions.
- Ant + HRM, Cadence, Power (if you have the gear)
- Better Battery life
- Waterproof and durable (not made of glass)
- You can have the readout visible throughout the ride without really killing the battery
- Better GPS accuracy including altimeter
- Smaller
- I can preload a route into the Garmin and it will keep me following the route with turn by turn directions.
10-20-11 | 03:43 PM
#59
Descends like a rock
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 4,034
Likes: 16
From: Fort Worth, TX
Bikes: Scott Foil, Surly Pacer
The trick is creating the route to start with. I believe if you buy Garmin's map product on CD/DVD, it includes a tool to make the file. Some charity rides will have a downloadable gpx file for the route, but I use ridewithgps and export the gpx file. On the 705, you can open the garmin file structure in Windows Explorer like a USB drive and drop the file into the GPX folder and it will be available on the device. I would expect the 800 to be similar.
10-20-11 | 03:50 PM
#60
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 1,279
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From: Rosena Ranch, Ca.
Bikes: Motobecane Immortal Force
That simple! Test it out with small courses first before you go on your first epic journey and have a back up like a map because things do go wrong some times.
10-20-11 | 03:51 PM
#61
Descends like a rock
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 4,034
Likes: 16
From: Fort Worth, TX
Bikes: Scott Foil, Surly Pacer
Garmin connect now has a route creator feature. I haven't used it yet, but I would imagine it would be the easiest to use. Just register with garmin connect if you haven't already, go to courses, and click on the create course icon - create your course hit save, and send to device
That simple! Test it out with small courses first before you go on your first epic journey and have a back up like a map because things do go wrong some times.
That simple! Test it out with small courses first before you go on your first epic journey and have a back up like a map because things do go wrong some times.
10-20-11 | 04:36 PM
#63
10-20-11 | 05:04 PM
#65
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 2,172
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From: SoCal T.O.
Bikes: CAAD9-6, 13' Dawes Haymaker 1500
I don't have an iPhone, but my android phone does pretty much everything that my simple cyclocomputer doesn't, except three things:
1. it doesn't know my heart rate because I don't have a way of monitoring it;
2. it doesn't measure power output; and
3. it doesn't log data, which would be nice to have over time.
What we really need is a cycling computer that keeps all of these data + the knows gear the bike is in, etc. Figuring out how to do that without adding an unreasonable amount of weight might prove a challenge though.
1. it doesn't know my heart rate because I don't have a way of monitoring it;
2. it doesn't measure power output; and
3. it doesn't log data, which would be nice to have over time.
What we really need is a cycling computer that keeps all of these data + the knows gear the bike is in, etc. Figuring out how to do that without adding an unreasonable amount of weight might prove a challenge though.
10-20-11 | 05:06 PM
#66
Senior Member
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 2,172
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From: SoCal T.O.
Bikes: CAAD9-6, 13' Dawes Haymaker 1500
I use my Android with the Strava app to track me and I use a computer(which I got for free from a member on here) to get cadence, heartrate, and realtime speed.
10-20-11 | 05:37 PM
#67
Senior Member
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 2,435
Likes: 3
From: Pittsburgh, PA
Bikes: Colnago, Cervelo, Scott
The Garmin 500 is small, light weight, battery lasts much longer, gives me all the information I need, water resistant, and doesn't contain my whole life if it gets destroyed.
10-20-11 | 05:49 PM
#68
Descends like a rock
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 4,034
Likes: 16
From: Fort Worth, TX
Bikes: Scott Foil, Surly Pacer
Actually, for me, the main thing I bought the Garmin for was being able to load routes and follow them. I bought it after doing a few Randonneur Brevets and was afraid of getting lost.
10-20-11 | 06:00 PM
#70
Go, Dog. Go!
Joined: Oct 2009
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From: SoCal
Bikes: '09 Fuji Team; '11 PedalForce QS3
10-20-11 | 07:55 PM
#71
Noj Noslo
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 138
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From: Pasadena, CA
Bikes: S1
The main thing it does is it keeps me from needing an I phone and paying humongous, unnecessary phone bills!
Sorry, but I am cheap that way! I am way too busy in my life to spend it on a silly phone, don't text me, I've blocked all text, internet, downloads etc... My phone is a phone...period.
Sorry, but I am cheap that way! I am way too busy in my life to spend it on a silly phone, don't text me, I've blocked all text, internet, downloads etc... My phone is a phone...period.
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