tmass

I currently have a Garmin FR 60 non-gps watch. It connects to my heart rate monitor, footpod, speed and cadence on my bontager cyclometer. I use the footpod when I run or on the treadmill along with the heart rate monitor. I like that the battery lasts a year. I was looking at the FR 410 & 610 with gps. I can't figure out if the gps makes it that much better? I mean I'm recording mileage, heart rate, cadence...use my android phone for a gps. What advantage would I gain by using a Garmin watch with gps?? It doesn't show maps on the watch does it?

Phantoj

You could look down at it and check your pace when running outside... I guess you can do that with your phone, but it might not be as convenient.

wi.flash

If you are looking into GPS than what is the difference between the FR series and the forerunner series. I have a forerunner 305 and I LOVE it. It has gps, cadence, footpod if I wanted. heart rate, and a ton of other features.

tmass

True; but with my foot pod on I can do that....even on the treadmill.

mpath

I'm hooked on my Garmin GPS watches....don't run or ride without them. And Garmin Connect is a stats-geek heaven.

My wife, OTOH, could care less about her Garmin Connect. All she needs to see is pace.

pallen

The GPS allows you to look at your ride/run on the computer and see on a map where you went, what your speed was at different points on the route, etc. You can keep a history of all your runs or rides. The Forerunners also have a breadcrumb display. Its not really a map, but you can see a squiggly line of where you've been and follow it back.

jmX

One advantage is that you could upload your .fit files to strava. Right now to use strava you'd have to use the strava app on your phone, which then will be missing HR/cadence data.

Another advantage is that you'll have maps of all your routes on garmin connect. I often will go back in garmin connect, find a ride I did that's X miles long with Y ft of climbing and then go ride that route again.

A final advantage for units like the Edge 500/800 (not watches!) is that you get a barometric altimeter for accurate measurement of any climbing you might do. It's better than GPS or map based estimations.

Seattle Forrest

Depends what you want.

Seriously. That sounds like a wisecracking attempt at zen and the art of sarcasm, but people use GPS units for a lot of different reasons. Maybe you want to use a power meter and correlate your output with things like changes in altitude (eg going up hills). Maybe you like riding in different places and want maps so you don't get lost ... maybe you like riding in different places, and like being able to have a map showing where you've been.

Seattle Forrest

Barometric altitude can get you to about 10 feet, if it's calibrated properly. It needs to be re-calibrated pretty regularly, though ... basically whenever the air density changes for any reason other than altitude. So if the weather changes, it needs to be recalibrated. The Edge 800 calibrates your altimeter at the beginning of every ride, automatically, from the map data.

tmass

so it acutally when you connect to garmin connect with say the 410 or 610 it shows you on a map where you went? That is beyond the FR capacity and would be great. I thought about just taking my 705 and putting it in a arm strap and wearing it on my arm or wrist like a geek. I use my current FR 60 almost everyday. recording my worksouts and riding and then downloading to garmin connect.

Seattle Forrest

You can upload your tracks from any GPS to Garmin Connect, or a lot of other sites and desktop apps, and get a map showing where you went. If you're clever, geeky, and bored, you can even make a map (one map, not a bunch) showing everywhere you've gone (with a GPS).

That's the main reason I have one.

This isn't complete, but here's an example I'm putting together.

wi.flash

https://connect.garmin.com/activity/107288377

Here is an example of what Garmin shows you, but if you have Garmin GPS you can automatically put it on Strava or another site. I do like Garmin because I sometimes ride and want to duplicate the same route and I can look to see where I went when I upload. I do not use Strava, but I assume someone can link a Strava ride.

(Note, I do not use any cadence sensors though)

Standalone 

I hitchhiked from Sequim down to Quinault and then hiked back up to Port Angeles through the Olympics. It would be cool to have a GPS log of that!