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8/15/2024
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Munster, ON
CA
Hey all,
I’ve been in the market for a fitness watch that I can use to track my lap times on the track. Haven’t done a ton of research, but I’m just looking for some suggestions and what’s seems to be the best/most accurate. Preferably not a $800 watch either lol. I’m open to all questions and suggestions 
Thanks.
I was recently in the market for the same thing. From what I learned, the best option for accuracy in charting lap times and or lap maps is a watch with dual band GPS. In my search it ended up being between Garmin and Polar Brand. Based on my preferences/needs/wants I ended with the Garmin Forerunner 965, but I believe the Forerunner 265 also has dual band GPS (cost is less). Disclaimer, having never owner a watch like this prior, I cannot guarantee that the dual band GPS is actually better. So you might find an even cheaper option that does just as well?
Here is the catch though, the watch does track a course, and gives you some data like speed, time riding, ect. What you are really going to want in the end is the LitPro App (or something similar) that takes the data from the watch and converts it into individual lap times, speeds, segments, has graphics and colors to show faster and slower speeds on your course and more. The app is very cool and customizable, very helpful, lets you compare lap times side by side, but to get all the cool features you need to subscribe to the $8 a month plan. There is a $3 a month plan, but they know what you really want and they're going to charge you for it.
Hopefully that helps!
Check the Litpro website for compatible watches. I bought mine through them, for the same $600 price tag I also got a heart rate monitor and a mount to mount the watch on the handlebars so you can see it while riding. In the end I am pleased and will likey jsut have to cancel my litpro subscription for the winter months when I won't be riding.
Here for my obligatory "stay away from Polar" post. Brand sucks. Go garmin, you wont regret it.
Apple watch with LitPro for me
I have a Garmin Fenix 5. I’ve been using it for several years now in conjunction with the MX Buddy app. No monthly subscription BS. Works great.
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My Garmin gave me the best gps track positioning for lap times with the free litpro app. Has worked flawlessly for years. Before that I messed with an Apple Watch for a couple months and it was a joke
I think you need an Apple Watch Ultra. The regular ones don’t record GPS data regularly enough to save battery.
I'm using my old cheap Garmin Forerunner 245, don't buy an expensive watch for the track. You'll find out after some crashes 😄
When you're done with the riding, upload your activity on Strava.
Make a segment if it's not already made for the track. You might need to do this step on a computer, I'm not 100% sure.
Then you can see your lap times, speed etc, but also compare with other riders that are using the app. Being on the Top 10 lap times list is my goal 😄
You can setup Garmin Connect app to upload activities automatically to Strava. Not only riding but running, cycling, weight lifting etc.
How do you like the Mx buddy app? I have never felt like paying the monthly subscription for lit pro.
Apple watch 8 works just fine with litpro
Is strava free?
I've used a Polar Vantage M {I think }100 for years . It works perfectly with Litpro and was only $100 bucks on Amazon
Yes, but you need a subscription if you want access to all the features. I guess you'll be fine without the subscription, at least you can start with the free version and see.
I know many runners and cyclists are paying. Because then they can see live on the segments if they are in front or behind the leader/the goal they've set for the segment. Price can vary, discounts some times a year.
Never had any issues with my polar vanatage m. Might be selling it soon to try the new version of it. Ccustomer service wasnt bad when i needed it.
How does Polar suck?
Good info on here. Figuring out the best setup for the $$ is complicated. I've done research on this in the past, and I'll do it again when I get closer to getting back on the bike. These are some things to keep in mind.
The main thing with using sports watch for GPS is the sample rate. The majority take 1 GPS sample per second. A few take 10 samples second.
At 1 / sec, the curves will be quite inaccurate, and jaggy. At 10 / sec, they're much more accurate, and in my opinion 10 is probably all you really need. Even at 10 per second, if I remember correctly, the actual locations of the samples were more accurate on the Garmins. This was a while back, so Polar may have improved their accuracy. I don't remember at this point which watches support 10 / second. I'm not aware of any watches to sample more often than 10.
Using a watch is cool because it can record heart rate simultaneously without wearing a heart rate strap.
Another option is an older GoPro camera. With the newer cameras, at some point, for some stupid reason, GoPro dropped GPS support.
The older GoPro firmware for some models sampled at 18/second. Newer software throttled that down to 10. 10 is still fine, and it's better for battery life. I can't remember if the cameras can pair with a heart rate monitor. If they do, it'll require a heart rate monitor strap or watch that broadcasts using Bluetooth. Most of the older Garmin watches only support broadcasting heartrate using the ANT+ protocol.
I'll do a pretty thorough review of the hardware options later this year when I'm closer to being ready to ride/race again.
Glad you asked.
Poor longevity - products they produce will decline in function shortly after you take ownership of them. They work well from the box and then start dropping data, glitching, malfunctioning, etc.
Data - many many times I have done all out pushes and sprints only to find out that my heart rate is 121 and steadily declining… except I know I’m nearing 200bpm and can taste blood. Why? Because the device is malfunctioning and dropping date parallel with its sampling rate. The best part is when it jumps from 104 bpm straight to 175 as I cool down. Thanks polar.
Customer service - good luck. They have a phone number I got from a company rep and you can hit any # for any department and nobody answers.
Let me know if you need more.
Love my Garmin Fenix 7. Does everything I need it to do ... and more.
Regarding HR data. Is that using a seperate HR strap? Or readings from the watch and its optical sensor?
Only ask as in my experience (personally and with athletes I coach) Polar is generally my #1 recommendation in terms of seperate HR straps (chest, or the arm band).
And.... I wouldn't trust the accuracy of wrist based measurement for any activity (other than maybe running), on any of the watch brands really. Best option is a chest or arm strap, paired to GPS watch.
In moto (and Mountain biking) they're usually especially inaccurate as wrist movement makes it nigh on impossible for watch to maintain consistent contact/position and a stable/reliable reading
Pit Row
Coros is a brand worth looking at.
Lesser known in the Moto space, but been around a while now, and have some quality products at reasonable prices
https://coros.com/products
https://litprolive.com/pages/gps-watch
There's LitPro's info on watches. They will do some pretty sweet discounts about once a year it seems.
As far as Strava, I believe you need a paid subscription in order to appear on segments. LitPro connects and automatically gets your activities from your watch app just like Strava does. It also supports "friends" just like Strava does so you can see your buddies' rides also. It's basically the Strava of MX. The $3/month version is good enough to see your lap times.
I personally use the Garmin Forerunner 255 and the GPS on it works great. Many of the higher end Garmins people are stating are large and clunky. I dislike having a huge watch on my wrist while riding. The 255 is low profile and unobtrusive to me.
I have had crappy wrist HR support in the past but the current 255 has pretty much been flawless for me. Here's an example from today of how good the GPS and HR are.
Garmin with a $2.99 per month LitPro subscription. Comparing lap times with all your buddies at the track is very fun.
My sons and I all have Fenix 5 or 6. You can pick up used ones pretty cheaply. The entire Garmin ecosystem is great for tracking sleep, runs, bike rides, etc. I really like their golf app as well.
I use the watch for running, gym, rowing, etc. I use the garmin for mtb also and it is almost always spot on. Sometimes it gets data hung but never past the first 1-2 minutes. I'm sure the shaking interferes with the data acquisition. With garmin, once it corrects it stays spot on. With my old polar, it would be intermittent the entire ride. Again, i'd be pegged going up a climb and have a 121 hr.
The H10 Polar chest HRM is decent. With the strap combined with their app I have less trouble, but still there is a fair amount of dropped activities and random "flatlines" where I have a steady bpm for 4 minutes (obviously wrong). Furthermore, many of the H10 readings are very blocky. Something happens where the data sampling rate goes to like 1 reading/10 seconds which is not the end of the world but it is still a malfunction. I will switch to the garmin HRM when my polar chest strap gives up the ghost - which, if history repeats itself, should be soon. The Polar HRM strap is "alright, almost good, not great".
My Garmin 735XT wrist based HR sensor has been pretty consistent. It only sucks if I have the band too loose. It doesn't have to be tight, just not overly loose.
Before that I had a Garmin Vivoactive HR, and it was consistent too.
Zero issues with my Polar Flow, ever. Its been rock solid.
Guess it's also dependant on wrist size and bone structure in there too (so how well the watch contacts surface) as to how well the measurement functions.
You got a lemon , unfortunately. I've never experienced anything like you have with Polar. Not one single issue. Mine has worked perfectly from the day I got it out of the box.
I'd say you got the exception as I have had 3 polar products, and 3 are malfunctioning.
Who knows though. Between us two, our sample size is now up to four total... However, clicking around amazon will show way more people with my experience with polar than garmin.
From my experience, polar products are good for chubby middleaged moms who are tracking their couch to 5k program. Hardcore athletes need not apply. Anything motocross or mtb is going to qualify for this category IMO.
Polar for the price compared to other fitness watches is a bit behind. If want a good watch with accurate gps buy a Garmin. Like said above the Forerunner 965 is a good watch or even the 265. Watch some youtube videos comparing watches and find which one suits you the best. I’m happy with Garmin
Garmin FR255. Very accurate GPS at least in here, cheapish with all necessary features. Strava or LitPro Basic for laptimes.
Instead of watch, if you have old phone to attach in your bikes bar pad, you can use it for live tracking with sector times
Paid subscription is not needed, you just need to specify your activity as Public to everyone
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