Are you the adventurous kind who loves exploring different things and has multiple fun and exciting hobbies? Do you love mountain biking and the feeling when the bike feels like it’s flying in the air? If yes, you are at an exemplary place.
The best thing that can be done regarding this is to get a smartwatch, it will not only allow you to keep a record of your daily activity, but you can also make simple, achievable goals for yourself.
Using a smartwatch, you can also maintain a steady schedule for yourself to follow. Keeping track of your sleep schedule, setting hydration reminders, noticing your blood oxygen level, and monitoring your heartbeat and blood pressure are some other tasks efficiently done by your smartwatch.
But to be honest, finding a suitable smart for mountain biking isn’t an easy task. You are compelled to consider numerous things before getting yourself a watch.
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Don’t fret; this guide has some incredible recommendations and a buying guide to make the whole process seamless for you.
Garmin Fenix 6 Pro
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The Garmin Fenix 6 Pro smartwatch is one of the market’s most premium or elite watches. It has several useful features that can take your bike riding experience to the next level. Being a meta-rugged smartwatch based on modern technology, it has all the features that users who love outdoor activities will find enchanting.
Key Features
- Battery Life
- Easy to Use
- GPS Accuracy
- Music Storage
- Heart Rate Sensor
The Garmin Fenix 6 Pro Smartwatch features an extraordinary battery life which is usually the first requirement of users looking for a smartwatch. As per the company’s claim, this smartwatch will last you for around two weeks without getting charged. The fact that it can be easily powered up without a charger makes it an ideal Garmin smartwatch for mountain biking.
With the GPS mode enabled on the watch, its battery can easily last up to 36 hours with no music and around 10 hours with the music turned on.
On the contrary, if GPS is disabled on the watch, it can last for about 48 hours easily. So, if you plan to explore the mountains deeply, this smartwatch will be your faithful companion.
Another thing that makes the Garmin Fenix 6 Pro Smartwatch a flawless choice for bikers is its intuitive interface. Biking is a tedious task in itself, and things will heat up if your watch also gives you a tough time. So, it’s better to invest in a look featuring easy controls.
This way, you can use the navigation on the go and track your activities in the mini pauses you take during the ride.
When riding on a mountain, one thing that will save you from deviating is GPS accuracy. The Garmin Fenix G Pro smartwatch is pretty accurate in providing you with a roadmap, and I have tested and experienced the accuracy myself.
After getting the location coordinates from the watch, I noted them down and compared them with the ones on the map, and I was surprised to find out that they were a perfect match.
Long journeys can get boring without music, but considering the poor battery life of smartphones, no one would take the risk of listening to songs on their mobile. Fortunately, the Garmin Fenix 6 Pro Smartwatch has a large storage capacity.
You can easily download and save playlists on your watch and add fun to your riding experience by listening to all your favorite songs on the way. As the watch has a significant battery life, you can enjoy songs for as long as you want.
Those days are left behind in the past when you had to wear a heart rate sensor on your chest while you were off mountain biking to measure and keep track of your heartbeat. These days, smartwatches feature heart rate sensors that you can use to monitor your heartbeat rate; the Fenix 6 Pro smartwatch is no exception.
By wearing the watch on your wrist, the sensor becomes active and monitors the heartbeat at regular intervals. This way, you can enjoy biking freely with the chest’s weight lifted off you.
Perks of Garmin Fenix 6 Pro Smartwatch
- It features a robust design, i.e., hard to get damaged
- The watch comes with superior GPS accuracy
- You can easily monitor your heartbeat
- It features an intuitive interface
- The Garmin watch comes with an exceptional battery life
Limitations of Garmin Fenix 6 Pro Smartwatch
- The watch is expensive
- It’s bulky and is hard to wear for a person with a small wrist
Considering the premium design, intuitive interface, and other valuable features of the watch, including health and fitness trackers, high battery life, and robust display, the money invested in this watch is not wasted. Though it’s a bit expensive and bulky, many bikers prefer it over other cheap quality smart watches.
SAMSUNG Galaxy Watch 3
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If you have an Android phone and want a perfectly compatible smartwatch with your Android device, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 is the best fit for you. Over time Samsung has worked on its software and hardware, and both have seen immense improvement.
With the release of this gadget, Samsung has introduced multiple new features like a rotating bezel, AMOLED display, running coach, and advanced sleep tracking features.
Key Features
- AMOLED Display
- Physical Bezel
- On-Board GPS
- Trip Detection
- EKG Feature
The Samsung Galaxy Smart 3 features an AMOLED display. Seeing the time, heartbeat rate, and blood oxygen level are crucial when you are out in the mountains. Most bikers struggle to see the screen of their smart gadgets. Thanks to the AMOLED display of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3, you can read the watch’s display in bright sunlight.
Controlling the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 Smartwatch is straightforward due to its physical rotating bezel. The bezel adds to the watch’s overall aesthetic and makes it user-friendly. While riding a bike, controlling a smartwatch through the touchscreen isn’t safe.
Using the physical bezel, you can easily change the screens to find the one you are glancing for. The physical bezel is also slightly raised, making a protective circle around the touchscreen. It eventually protects your smartwatch from damage, making it an ideal mountaineering smartwatch.
Using the onboard GPS on the smartwatch, you can even accurately measure the distance you have traveled on your bike. This helps in setting and achieving your daily goals efficiently. You can even use the navigation feature on the watch to determine the correct route for yourself, reducing your chances of getting lost in the mountain.
I’ve tested the GPS feature myself, and it worked pretty accurately. The watch will also warn you when you’re deviating from your path or going to an area with less oxygen.
According to a report published by PubMed, mountain bikers are 0.6% more exposed to the risk of injuries and accidents than road bikers. Also, mountaineers have a chance of injury every 1000 hours of biking. Considering all these factors, it is crucial to be prepared for any emergency, especially if you are a frequent rider.
The Samsung Galaxy 3 Smartwatch has a trip detection feature with super sensitive sensors that immediately detect when the rider falls off the bike. The watch instantly connects with emergency helplines and numbers and calls for help.
Like the advanced Apple smartwatches, the Samsung Galaxy Smart 3 Advanced SmartWatch also comes with an ECG or EKG monitor. Though Samsung has struggled a lot to equip its smartwatches with electrocardiograms, in the end, it was all worth it. The ECG feature will give you much more accurate heartbeat rate and blood oxygen level readings.
Perks of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 Advanced Smartwatch
- It features multiple sensors for sleep tracking and body monitoring
- The leather straps make the watch too comfortable to wear
- It features FDA-approved ECG readings
- A physical rotating bezel makes the watch easier to control
Limitations of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 Advanced Smartwatch
- Its battery life isn’t the best
- The watch doesn’t support the majority of third-party apps
Overall the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 has all the features you can ever ask for. It even comes with a menstrual cycle tracker and features you can hardly find in other smartwatches. Though its battery life isn’t the best, it’s still pretty decent.
For users wanting a watch with exceptionally high battery life, Garmin Fenix 6 Pro Smartwatch shouldn’t be missed.
Garmin Venu 2 GPS Smartwatch
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When deciding on a gadget to wear on your wrist, you generally come across two categories. The first one is that of sports watches, which majorly focus on tracking your sports and health details. These watches track your heart rate, blood oxygen level, and blood pressure as you engage in physical activities.
The second category is smartwatches which are much more than fitness trackers, and these watches come with multiple built-in apps you can use to perform your daily tasks. The Garmin Venu 2 Smartwatch is the perfect combination of these and with some extraordinary features making it a suitable smartwatch for bike riding.
Key Features
- Buttons and Controls
- Sensors
- Battery life
- Physical Activities
- Music Apps
The Garmin Venue 2 Smartwatch features two physical buttons. Both of them are located on the right side of the watch. One on the top is the start/stop button and can be used to reach the shortcuts for different apps by long-pressing it.
The button on the lower side is the back button but can also be used to open the manual lap. The rest of the watch is navigated by the touch panel, which is pretty smooth.
The Garmin Venue 2 Smartwatch has all the sensors you could ever ask for. Some of the primary sensors this watch comes with include GLONASS for positioning of satellites, GPS for navigation, compass, accelerometer, gyroscope for motion tracking, light sensor, thermometer, heart rate monitor, and an altimeter for elevation. This watch is also waterproof to about 164 feet, making it suitable to be worn in heavy rain and snowy mountains.
When you are planning to get a smartwatch worn while riding on a mountain, you need to be prepared not to find a charging socket.
That makes getting a smartwatch with high battery life crucial. As the watch comes with GPS connectivity, you can use it for around 7 to 8 days with the GPS enabled on the smartwatch. On the contrary, if GPS is disabled on the smartwatch, you can use the watch for 11 days.
On this most durable Garmin watch for mountain biking, you can monitor and track 30 different physical activities. These include cycling, hiking, swimming, and snowboarding. Thankfully, mountain biking is also one of them, and you can monitor all the ups and downs of your biking experience on the watch.
You will also get several apps for all these physical activities making the whole process hassle-free.
This watch is the best fit for users who enjoy listening to music as they set out on the mountain to ride their bikes. You can install multiple third-party music apps on this watch, and Spotify and Amazon Music are among all the other fantastic apps you can get on this watch.
As it has a significant storage space, you can download more than 650 songs on this smartwatch, elevating your riding experience.
Perks of the Garmin Venue 2 Smartwatch
- It features high storage space and can save over 650 songs
- You get multiple sensors on this smartwatch
- The watch is pretty heavy and durable
- It is easy to control due to all the controls and buttons it comes with
Limitations of the Garmin Venue 2 Smartwatch
- It lacks onboard maps
- Some bugs can inhibit its working
The Garmin Venu 2 Smartwatch is a perfect purchase for users wanting the features of a fitness watch and a smartwatch in one product. Over thirty built-in apps for physical activities on the watch make it an outdoor smartwatch.
One problem you might face with this smartwatch is the absence of onboard maps. If your focus is sports and fitness tracking, the Garmin Fenix 6 is a reliable gadget, and Samsung Galaxy Watch 3, on the other hand, is preferable for Android users.
Fossil Gen 6 TouchScreen Smartwatch
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With the development in technology, everything has started becoming digitalized now. AI has taken over the central part of human work and significantly reduced human effort.
Usually, the users who go mountain biking don’t want to invest too much time in understanding the in-depth features of their watch, and they won’t like to deal with complex controls and dials.
Also, frankly, it’s not beneficial either. Yes, I understand that buttons like the power button make smart gadgets much more user-friendly, and you won’t find them too advantageous at times. The built-in Alexa on the Fossil Gen 6 Strong Smartwatch makes it an easy-to-use smartwatch.
Key Features
- Processor
- Affordable
- Fast Charging
- Battery Modes
- Voice Assistance
One distinct feature of the Fossil Gen 6 Smart Watch that stands out from the lot is its processor. This watch comes with Snapdragon 4100 chipset.
The operating system on the Fossil Gen 6 Smartwatch is a perfect combination of Google’s Wear OS as well as Samsung’s Tizen OS. You won’t experience any lagging in the watch’s functioning, making it super hassle-free for you to track your progress on the go.
When you set out in the market to get a smartwatch that can make your mountain biking experience easy and convenient, you generally need to prepare yourself for spending a large sum of money.
But with the Fossil Gen 6 smartwatch on the market, you can now get your hands on all the excellent features you want at a reasonable price. The market price of this watch is no more than $ 300, making it accessible to a broader user base.
Though the battery life of the Fossil Gen 6 Smartwatch isn’t ideal, it still manages to impress users with its fast charging feature. Most of the feature-rich smartwatches in the market take too much time to get charged, but the Fossil Gen 6 watch won’t disappoint you on this front.
You are going to need just thirty minutes, and the Fossil Gen 6 will be ready and powered up to be used for the next multiple hours. Additionally, with the Fossil Gen 6 SmartWatch, you won’t have to deal with the problem of a misaligned charger. It has a charging ring embedded in the watch’s casing, keeping it fixed.
Another exciting feature of the Fossil Gen 6 smartwatch is the presence of different battery modes. Daily, extensive, and time-only are the three modes you can choose depending on your watch’s battery health.
For instance, if your smartwatch’s battery is low, your watch will automatically switch to extensive mode, thus quitting all the battery-consuming apps running in the background.
The Fossil Gen 6 Smartwatch also comes with built-in Alexa. This allows you to give voice commands to the watch to perform different functions.
Be it playing music on the watch, changing battery modes, opening different third-party apps, or enabling heart rate and other sensors on the watch, you can do it all just by giving audio commands to your smartwatch.
Perks of the Fossil Gen 6 Strong Smartwatch
- The watch features a sleek and modern design
- It operates without any lagging
- The watch’s display is colorful, bright, and readable in direct sunlight.
- This watch features super-fast charging
Limitations of the Fossil Gen 6 Strong Smartwatch
- The crown of the watch is a little uncomfortable
- Its battery life isn’t the best
For users wanting a watch at an affordable price that is equipped with all the features you could ever ask for, the Fossil Gen 6 is an ideal purchase. Its retro design and fast speed make it stand out from the rest.
Some disadvantages of the Fossil Gen 6 smartwatch include low battery life and being uncomfortable. But both are perfectly combated by introducing fast charging and soft straps.
Buying Guide for Best Smartwatch for Mountain Biking
Below is a list of all the things you need to pay heed to while getting a smartwatch for mountain biking.
· Battery Life
It’s essential to keep your smartwatch’s battery life as the ones with the higher battery life will be your faithful companion during mountain biking.
· Strength
When you want a smartwatch to be worn to a mountain, it’s essential to consider its build quality. Smartwatches are usually more exposed to damage as you ride a bike, so you need to invest in a robust gadget.
· In-Built GPS
To save yourself from getting lost or deviating from your path in the mountains, getting a smartwatch featuring an inbuilt GPS is crucial. For a better experience, go for one providing accurate navigation.
FAQs
Q: Is a smartwatch perfect for mountain biking?
Yes, a smartwatch’s built-in GPS and location tracking features make it suitable for mountain biking. Smartwatches also enable users to monitor their heartbeat, blood pressure, and oxygen levels as they ride the bike.
Q: Which Garmin watch is best for mountain biking?
The Garmin Fenix 6 Pro GPS Smartwatch and Garmin Venu 2 Strong Smartwatch are two of the best digital watches for mountain biking.
Q: What would you recommend, Garmin or Samsung, for mountain biking?
Though Garmin and Samsung are pretty reliable brands regarding smartwatches for mountain biking, Garmin’s battery life and accurate navigation make it a much better choice.
Q: Are There Specific Brands Known for Mountain Biking Smartwatches?
A: Brands like Garmin, Suunto, and Polar are well-known for producing smartwatches with features suitable for mountain biking. Always check the specific model and its features to ensure it meets your needs.
Q: How Important Is GPS Functionality in a Mountain Biking Smartwatch?
A: GPS is vital for tracking your rides, monitoring your speed, and helping with navigation. It’s especially useful when biking in unfamiliar terrains, as it can guide you back to your starting point or a pre-set destination.
Q: Is Water Resistance Necessary for a Mountain Biking Smartwatch?
A: While not mandatory, water resistance is a helpful feature, as it ensures the watch can handle splashes, rain, or accidental submersion, which might occur during a ride.
Q: How Can I Monitor My Fitness and Performance with a Smartwatch While Mountain Biking?
A: Many smartwatches offer features like heart rate monitoring, VO2 max estimation, and recovery advice. Syncing with biking apps can also provide detailed analyses of your rides, helping you track and improve performance.
Q: Can I Connect My Smartwatch to My Mountain Bike’s Sensors?
A: Some advanced smartwatches allow connectivity with bike sensors such as speed, cadence, and power meters. This enables more detailed tracking and analysis of your ride. Check the compatibility of the smartwatch with your bike’s sensors.
Q: How Long Should the Battery Last on a Smartwatch for Mountain Biking?
A: Battery life varies among models, but a good mountain biking smartwatch should last at least a full day with GPS enabled. Consider your riding habits and choose a watch with a battery life that suits your needs.
Q: How Rugged Should a Mountain Biking Smartwatch Be?
A: Since mountain biking can be a rough sport, look for a smartwatch with a durable build, scratch-resistant screen, and shock resistance to withstand the bumps and falls that might occur during a ride.
So, Should you get a smartwatch for mountain biking?
At this point you do know of some of the best smartwatches in the market that can make mountain biking an easier task for you, you are all set to hit the market and get yourself a smartwatch.
If I was asked to pick a single watch for mountain biking, I would go for the Garmin Venue 2 Smartwatch as it features an intuitive interface and has built-in apps for physical activities, including mountain biking. It’s time to get one for yourself before it’s too late!
