Best Watch For Mountain Biking in 2021 | Reliable GPS Choices
Mountain biking requires you to follow trails and conquer rocky coastlines while keeping fit. The best watch for mountain biking comes with lots of features to find your way around the terrain as you ride. We have taken some time out to review some best cycling watches you can pick for your next mountain biking ride.
The best watches for mountain biking and cycling we discuss in this article
- Best Strava-Compatible Cycling Watch: Garmin Fenix 5
- Best Aesthetics Watch For Biking: Garmin Vivoactive 3
- Most Versatile Biking Watch: Suunto 9
- Best Affordable Watch Pick For Biking: Polar M430
7 Things to Carry on Every Mountain Bike Ride
The element of exploration is the major experience you get from every mountain bike ride. Regardless of how far you go, it’s important to pack up a few essential things. Below is a quick list of 7 things to pack for an enjoyable experience without a breakdown.
A Multi-tool with a Chain Tool
For an enjoyable experience, the number one tool to pack on every ride is a multi-tool. It helps you make most repairs and adjustments as you ride. We recommend you opt-in for a multi-tool with a built-in chain tool.
A patch kit
A patch tool comes handy when you’ve used your last tube. It takes up tiny space in your pack and it’s a great giveaway to stranded riders.
Minimal first aid kit
For the sake of a medical emergency, make sure you carry a small first aid kid along. Besides other items in your kit, make sure you add bandages, gauze, and disinfecting wipes.
Water & Some Food
Depending on the season, always carry water more than you need for the planned ride. This may be 1–2 liters depending on your needs. Also, your body needs some energy. Carry some actual food or power bars with you.
A mobile phone
In case of an emergency, a mobile phone can help you phone home. Smartphone apps like TrailFork can help you find your way and it works offline as long as your GPS is accurate.
A GPS watch
Getting a good gps watch for mountain biking can be a good game changer. The watches reviewed above can help you plan and keep track of your mountain ride.
Buying Guide: How to Choose The Best Watch for Mountain Biking
GPS Capability
One of the most important features to look for in a biking watch is GPS. Mountain biking is about planning and following trails. A GPS capable watch will allow you to navigate around your trail easily.
Some high-end watches like Fenix 5 even allow you to trackback your trail. Others use GLONASS to increase the accuracy of its navigation system.
Battery Life
While mountain biking is an outdoor sport, going for a watch that has a long battery life is important. It’s a good practice to check the battery life when the watch is in inactivity and when it uses its GPS and other features that heavily drain the battery.
With this, you can be sure that the watch you are investing in would not suddenly turn off in the middle of your ride.
Water Resistance
For every cycling enthusiast, we recommend a watch which will not be hurt by rain. Water-resistance is an important factor if you plan on taking your biking seriously.
Easy to Read Display
While it’s important to get a biking watch that comes with the best navigation and fitness features, it’s very important to pick one that is readable under good lighting conditions.
Otherwise, all its features are worthless since you can’t use them outdoor. So we recommend a biking watch that is readable under bright sunlight and in the dark.
Notifications
For mountain cycling, it’s an excellent idea to pick a watch that supports smart notifications. This keeps you focused on your ride without stopping to view your messages/calls notification.
Fit
When shopping for your cycling watch, select one that fits your style and blends easily with your everyday life. This makes it easier to use your watch both for mountain biking and everything in between.
Best Watch For Mountain Biking and Cycling
Garmin Fenix 5
The Garmin Fenix 5 features stainless steel black bezel held in place by 5 screws and a scratch-resistant sapphire dial. The watch has a very rugged design and can withstand the outdoor beatings.
This smartwatch gives every mountain biker the ability to pre-load maps before leaving. You can also connect with power meters. The information from your power meter is available on the watch dial once you make the connection.
The Garmin Fenix 5 is also a robust activity tracker. You can use it to track everything from running, biking to advance running dynamics.
With this timepiece, you also have the possibility of smart notifications like receiving local weather, calendar appointments, notifications from calls and texts, etc.
Also, one thing that puts this watch ahead of others on this list is its battery life with up to 20 hours in GPS mode. This timepiece also allows for easy customization. You can easily change the strap to blend in with your outfit.https://www.youtube.com/embed/tR0i6IocKNc?enablejsapi=1&autoplay=0&cc_load_policy=0&cc_lang_pref=&iv_load_policy=1&loop=0&modestbranding=1&rel=0&fs=1&playsinline=0&autohide=2&theme=dark&color=red&controls=1&Check Price, Reviews on Amazon Now!
Garmin Vivoactive 3
The Garmin Vivoactive 3 shines in fitness tracking. It beats the Fitbit Iconic when it comes to tracking exercise. It is definitely one of the best mountain biking watches.
This smartwatch has an inbuilt GPS and GLONASS positional radios you can readily use for tracking. Besides this, you can accurately track your heart rate during your ride.
It uses its heart rate sensor to measure your V02 max score which is a measurement of your general cardiovascular fitness levels.
Other sensors in this timepiece include a barometric, altimeter, compass, accelerometer and thermometer. All these sensors work together to feed you with every data you need for our mountain bike ride.
This watch comes with a water-resistant rating of 50 meters so you can be sure rain won’t ruin it if the weather changes quickly.
Though its appearance doesn’t convince that much, its display is super bright and easy to see under all light conditions. The Garmin Vivoactive 3 lasts for 13 hours of GPS tracking – another plus for outdoor activities..
Pros
- Has an always-on display.
- Round design.
- Has an advance workout-tracking capability.
Cons
- No on-watch music playback.
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Suunto 9
The Suunto 9 comes with lots of options for mountain biking and cycling. It has a stainless steel bezel with a sapphire glass crystal to protect the dial.
Its case material features glass fiber reinforced polyamide, which gives it the strength to withstand the outdoor beating.
On the feature side, this watch comes with super cool GPS tracking modes. Its FusedTrack mode gives the watch the ability to get GPS tracks without GPS data. This saves on battery life.
It also comes with an optical heart rate sensor from Valencell. Another update to the Suunto Spartan series. The sensor is placed at the rear and measures heart rate accurately.
There’s a significant improvement to its battery life. The Suunto 9 offers three new battery performance options: Power, Endurance, and Ultra.
It has the option to change battery options mid-workout to get to finish. You can also go into super-low power Chrono mode to finish workout.
Other sensors in this smartwatch include an altimeter, a barometer, and a digital compass. It’s also water-resistant to 100 meters.
Pros
- Touch screen display.
- Its altimeter is consistent.
- Has clear graphs.
- Has a rugged design.
Cons
- Hard to read under direct sunlight
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Polar M430
This Polar M430 targets all running and cycling enthusiasts. This smartwatch comes with softer silicone bands and a Gorilla glass display. It’s a robust running watch and can withstand all outdoor impacts.
The screen is readable under bright light and the Gorilla glass gives it an added protection to go with. You also get vibration alert and a heart rate sensor with this model. A significant improvement from the M400.
The M430 also comes with a new Low Power GPS mode. The High Accuracy Mode plots GPS points every 1 second.
Its Medium Accuracy Recording Mode plots GPS points every 30 seconds and its Low Power Recording Mode does that every 60 seconds. In all three modes, the Heart Rate (HR) reading is done every second.
The battery life of this timepiece depends on which mode you use. You can get 8 hours of training with GPS and optical heart rate and up to 30 hours in Low-Power Mode.
You need not worry if you are caught by poor weather as the watch supports water resistance of up to 30 meters.
Pros
- Comes with vibrating alerts.
- New low-power GPS modes.
- Improved wrist strap design.
Cons
- Frequent sync errors.
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How to Get The Most Out Of Your GPS Device
Conclusion
The best watch for mountain biking should be fully GPS enabled. The watches in this article have passed that test and come with additional features.
While picking a watch is a matter of preference, we recommend the Garmin Fenix 5 as the best all-round for your cycling adventure. It boasts a long battery life that will help you keep track of your race long enough.
