Panza

Went over my data on my phone last month. Didn't realize how much GPS time Strava was using. I was only hitting around 20% of my Data before. Only thing that changed since last winter and spring/summer is that I'm using Strava now and I'm going over my 2gb limit too often.

I would like to upload maps for group rides and be able to stay on course or go home as I get lost often/easily. HR + Cadence are desirable as well.

Seattle Forrest

There are plenty of cheap (mostly older model) hiking GPS units that will do what you want. They'll be clunkier than a dedicated bike computer, but they'll record your tracks and you can upload them to the web, plus see where you are on a map.

bonz50

death? taxes??

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_u-sGHMivwo

evrythngsgngrn

So wait, you don't exactly say why you don't want the 510/810/500/800, etc... You're just saying you don't want to use your phone.

Elvo

Edge 1000

rms13

MetroPCS. Unlimited voice, text and data for $40. Problem solved

Panza

Exactly! There's nothing wrong with the Edge 510/810/1000, but I wanted to know if there are any other decent competitors worth mentioning before I toss up the cash for a Garmin. Maybe Garmin is just expensive because of the brand name, there could be other smaller but just as useful brands that I don't know about yet.

Team Sarcasm

look for a 500 on sale or switch to sprint. unlimited talk/text/web for 60$/month.

d77

Wait...what? GPS does not use data. You should be able to turn the cell radio off and still track your coordinates via GPS.

I would still use something other than a phone, I use the 510 and it works well for me.

evrythngsgngrn

Yeah, I guess the simple answer is to just turn off mobile data when running Strava... then you don't exceed your plan, and don't need to buy a new computer. However, this being the 41, who are we to give you options where you don't have to spend money and buy new things for your bike?

Leinster

I run Strava all the time (currently averaging 6hrs/wk, sometimes higher sometimes lower) and never have trouble with the 3GB limit that I share with my wife (and she invariably uses most of that). The only data that gets used should be the small packet of data that gets uploaded at the end of your ride, and even then there's usually no reason not to wait for a wifi signal to do that.

JameB

Strava uses less than 2 MB per ride if you open the app on data AND upload ride at the end on data...!

johnny99

Garmin has some competitors in Europe, but these aren't popular in the US. I don't know if that is because of marketing issues or because quality US map data is too expensive for them.

mrodgers

I don't even have data and I can use any of the apps. I've tried Strava and Endomondo. I've been using Map my Ride since the beginning of this year and lately I've been running RidewithGPS along with Map my Ride to see which I like better. What is it using data for other than to upload at the end which mine does when I get home and connected to WIFI since I don't have data.

krobinson103

Agree with the hiking gps suggestion. I have an old Garmin Vista Hcx and as a gps its awesome. Not so wonderful as bike computer, but the newer solve its issues.

doctor j

Magellan Cyclo 505... I think that's what it's called.

on the path

Huh? I hope you'll correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems that Google maps are free all the way around. That's what Strava, ridewithgps, etc. use. Garmin has its own proprietary maps.

howellhandmade

I dunno, I had two different Rox computers and thought I was being smart not shelling out the money for a Garmin. Then I bought an Edge 500 and was impressed with how much easier and more logical the setup was, how flexible it was to configure to show the information I wanted, how well the free software worked and how easy it was to access ride/power info on Golden Cheetah, and realized I would have been smarter getting a Garmin to begin with. I haven't had the Edge long enough to comment on longevity/reliability issues, but it's a smart piece of kit. If you want to read about different options, though, look at DCRainmaker's blog. Dude does due diligence. DC Rainmaker

a1penguin

The going price for Garmin Edge 500 is $200. I wonder why strava is chewing up bandwidth. It doesn't seem like it should use much except for uploading the ride at the end.

Panza

Woah, thanks for the tip about starting the app, turning off data, and uploading. I will give this a try today. I'm unsure as to why my bandwidth is going haywire. I have Verizon.

Thank you for the Magellan Cyclo idea as well.

sojourn

If you have an ANT+ capable smartphone:
IpBike | iforpowell.com

Leinster

Cateye have GPSs on the market now, but I've yet to see one in real life, and they do seem to be late to the party. Garmin really seem to have swept into the Sport GPS market and left TomTom etc and other gps types behind, as well as overhauling the likes of Cateye, Sigma etc.

jjjj

I would not recommend alternatives to Garmin if you are using Strava. .

I bought a Bryton Rider 40 and it works great. It was $160 with a heart rate strap. It is equivalent to the Garmin 500. 1 1/2 years ago this was much cheaper than the Garmin 500.

The problem with the Bryton computer is the data it generates does not match the GPS algorithm Strava uses. Since Strava uses GPS for speed the average speed can be affected during stopping. Strava has taken this into consideration for Garmin units. As best as I can determine they set you to stopped when your GPS is near zero due to GPS wobble. For my Bryton the GPS wobble is slightly greater than a Garmin. This causes Strava to believe you are still moving when your are actually stopped. This causes my average speed to be intermittently very low. It is very annoying to me. Strava will fix the data for individual rides for you, but that is a pain. They do not seem to want to change their algorithm (even this change probably would take less than an hour). I can not really blame Strava as Garmin is so dominant.

Even though I really do not like the Garmin as a company due to past experiences, I wish I had bought a Garmin for the bike for Strava compatibility. This Is why I would not recommend GPS alternatives to Garmin.

PS: If I was not so lazy, I would just write a script to post process the data to eliminate the offending data and switch back to Strava. I am currently using RIDEwithgps.

K.Katso

Is there not a competing product which utilizes a speed sensor instead of GPS for measuring speed? My Garmin has a separate speed sensor that it uses preferentially over GPS data for measuring speed and movement. It only falls back to GPS when the speed sensor is unavailable. Seems like if you could find a competing product with a similar setup, this wouldn't be so much of a problem. Or am I mistaken?

jjjj

I have a speed/cadence sensor. The problem is Strava ignores this data and uses GPS. They do this to keep their KOM awards credible. I do not care about KOM's and therefore find that RideWithGPS works fine. That being most of my fellow riders use Strava. So occasionally we will pull up data to talk about a ride (friendly competition). Mine is always in RideWithGPS, so I am an outlier.

PS: All other apps i have tried don't have the Strava problem with my Bryton data with or without a speed sensor. I was a Strava premium member because I liked their service and did not mind providing them income.