# Garmin vivoactive HR replacing Garmin Bike Computer (500,510,ect.)??



## Jukez (May 22, 2016)

Just wanted to see what the community thought well about my thoughts!
What am I missing here..

So if you get the new garmin vivoactive HR or even the fenix 3.. why would you need a bike computer even a fancy garmin 520 if you don't use power meters for your power output (too rich for my blood)

In all seriousness it seems to do everything that the garmin 520 can do.. if you don't want to wear it on your wrist while riding you can get a Garmin Watch Bike mount and that fixes that problem and where a HR monitor strap which it will pair too. Then you can put it back on your wrist and continue using it for your day to day.

What am I missing? It seems to display Speed/HR and distance right on the watch and it never dims or turns off during the ride. Can give you cadence with accessories.. all but power output..

Thoughts?


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## zombinate (Apr 27, 2009)

it will work just fine. For those who prefer to have a screen on their bars, the display can be a bit small, and not as much data can be (comfortably) displayed at once.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

I hate touch screens when I'm biking. I was trying to take a picture with my phone on a really sweaty ride recently, and my phone wasn't picking up my touch at all. The box turtle escaped without a photo.

Here's a major one-

No course functionality. No programmed workout functionality, either. While I don't use workouts, courses are quite useful. I use them more on the road, but it's possible to program a good one for mtb riding, too.


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## GJHS (Jul 10, 2013)

Course functionality is there on the Fenix 3 and any Garmin watch, with the dwMap app on IQ connect (https://apps.garmin.com/en-US/apps/2750f280-82f4-4f21-a32c-57acc7ce4870) Of course on the 520 maps are much easier to use on the Edge's bigger screen. Oh and battery life on the Edge is better.

I think the Fenix 3 Sapphire has the better functionality vs the Vivoactive HR, though the cheapest price I've seen is $450 for the Fenix vs the $250 for the Vivoactive.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

color me skeptical on the functionality of that IQ Connect app. Details are precious few.

I know that my Edge 520 will give me custom course notifications that I can program into the course file (which can include street/trail names), among other things. An Edge with true mapping capability like the 810/820/1000 can give you street names as part of the directions without custom course notifications.

I also have my doubts that the Vivoactive housing is as rugged as the others. While it's true that multisport watches can offer a LOT of the functionality of more specialized hardware, the specialized hardware has a place. I used a Forerunner 310XT on the bike for years. My wife is now using it, now that I have an Edge 520.


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## Jukez (May 22, 2016)

All these response are fair enough.. Im thinking it would be hard to beat for only $250 to do all it does and being able to mount it to the bike and wear a HR strap if I want to.

I am starting to wonder how the apple watch is with all the new App enhancements.


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## morepower (May 14, 2012)

I have been using the Vivoactive HR since it came out a few months ago. I dont use it as a bike speedo though as I am happy with the one on the bike at the moment. Plus as it is just for fun I am not too worried about using a chest strap too. But it has been great with decent battery life as I use it every day as a fitness tracker and when we go cycling, hiking or on long walks it maps the route too. It uploads the data to Endomondo and Strava too. I have used Endomondo for ages but never had the premium package so it may not quite be as thorough as it could be it still shows heart rate data, speeds etc etc. I had used a FitBit Surge for a while which worked OK too (until it fell apart). But the Vivoactive HR has been the best one I have used and its a decent price. So unless you are serious its a great device and I would really recommend it. 
https://www.endomondo.com/users/2002612/workouts/780539887


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## Bogey in PA (Aug 19, 2016)

I have been using the regular Vivoactive with the HR monitor chest strap. While the strap is a bit annoying, the accuracy is great and it is always fun to review a ride. There is also a few great bike apps for tracking metrics. It also seems a bit smaller and nicer looking than the vivoactive HR and you can probably save a few bucks.


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## msugma (Jan 21, 2004)

Glad I found this thread. Considering this as well. I have a Edge 510. I'm primarily a cyclist (road and mtb) but have been getting into running. Right now I carry my phone on my runs and track with the Strava App. That's not ideal. I'd like one Garmin to rule them all. I don't use course features that much right now so no big deal there. I THINK I'd be OK with data on my wrist instead of the handlebar, but who knows. 

My biggest question that I can't find an answer to..... will the Vivoactive support multiple (at least 3) bike profiles like the Edge does? Can I pair it with multiple speed/cadence sensors? If not, what's the best solution for this (Garmin or not)?


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## NordieBoy (Sep 26, 2004)

My one Garmin to rule them all is a Forerunner 920xt.
I use either an Edge 810 or 25 on the bars for information display purposes but do all the recording on the 920.

The 25 is brilliantly small and cheap but doesn't record or display power and the GPS accuracy isn't the greatest even with Glonass on.
The 810 does mapping and displays more information, but no Glonass.

Racing/training, the 25 is on the bars.
Adventuring, the 810 is.

The 920 doesn't do bike profiles, but has a pool of connected devices.
Grab the cadence sensor off one bike and put it on another bike with a power meter and the 920 won't care. It'll just connect to the device it sees and you're on your way.


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## Jukez (May 22, 2016)

Yes I can pair it with things.. I have never tried.. but all that information is on the website from Garmin about the device.. I love it.. now that I have it, I never take it off. It gives me text messages, phone notifications, and all the data I need paired with the great app.


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## ETChipotle (Sep 20, 2014)

I can see where for some people the watch could replace the computer, capabilities being similar. But for other people the computer makes more sense. I know that I wouldn't want to go back to the watch after switching to the Edge 520, even though the feature set is very similar between the two. The Forerunner watch I had was slightly more expensive than the edge 520. The great thing is having options available for different people who have different priorities.

I should have been able to just use my phone and a chest strap, since I was able to pick up the ant+ signal from my phone, but I wasn't able to find an app that worked well enough to bother using. Maybe if I had all apple stuff that would have worked better.


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## keiracon (Apr 21, 2016)

You can change the bike profiles in the connect app


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## Smokee300 (Jul 8, 2014)

I've been using a Vivoactive HR for about a week, and while I like it very much as a fitness tracker and find it handy to check elapsed time on rides, I really don't think the screen is large enough, or visible enough to take the place of a head unit. Also, the auto-pause on the unit can be tricky to work with, if that happens to be a feature you use. I've been running Strava on the vivoactive concurrently with my phone in my pack and there's certainly variations in the distance an speed, nothing huge, but differences.


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