General Discussion Triathlon Talk » SBR watch Rss Feed  
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2014-09-18 7:23 PM

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1502
1000500
Katy, Texas
Subject: SBR watch
I currently have a Garmin 310 that I use for biking and running. I am thinking about upgrading, and if I do the one thing I would really like is a gps watch that I could use for swimming (pool and open water). Garmin has one but it's around $400. I noticed that timex has one as well for less than 100 but can't tell if it has the lap function for a pool. So, is there an alternative to the garmin that has;

1. GPS for running/biking
2. Can be used for open water swimming, and;
3. Can count laps in a pool (indoor &outdoor)?

If so, what are they?

My current watch is fine except for the swimming thing and I'm always losing track of my lap count.


2014-09-18 8:30 PM
in reply to: 3mar

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Subject: RE: SBR watch

The new 920xt should be coming out soon.  No details on price and release date, but it should have some additional features like bluetooth and the new running metrics found on the current line of garmin run watches.  You can read more about the speculation in this ST thread.  

More than likely, when this watch is released, you'll see a drop in price in the 910xt just like there were deals on the 310 when the 910 was released.  When that will be though...I don't know.  

2014-09-19 6:44 AM
in reply to: 3mar

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Subject: RE: SBR watch
not sure if it's an option you'd consider, but if you're happy with the 310 you might look at a Garmin Swim to use in the pool. I think they are about $150. It's not as simple as one watch, but would cost less than a whole new all in one and they can be worn as a regular watch also. otherwise my suggestion would be to see if you can pick up a second hand 910 or as Jason said wait for a price drop on it. Sorry I don't know about other devices from other manufacturers.
2014-09-19 8:28 AM
in reply to: #5051837

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409
100100100100
Durham, North Carolina
Subject: RE: SBR watch
I have the ambit 2s and love it. It records indoor and open water swims no problem. I'm guessing the 910xt is better because of its price/popularity but the 2s does everything I want for way cheaper.
2014-09-19 9:48 AM
in reply to: Lupy

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754
5001001002525
Subject: RE: SBR watch
I have the 910xt and it works great. I think you can get them for a good price now because a newer version is coming out.

Avoid Timex. I had one (I forget the model) that was supposed to be SBR. It was horrible. There were a lot of times when it couldn't pick up signal, even are clear days. And it obnoxiously makes it clear when it tries and fails. I got so mad at it that I almost threw it away during a 10k rather than lug the dead, distracting weight for the rest of the course. It would also get stuck in menus that I couldn't get out of unless I rebooted the watch. There were also software problems, and heaven forbid I let the battery die. So many problems.
2014-09-19 9:54 AM
in reply to: Lupy

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1502
1000500
Katy, Texas
Subject: RE: SBR watch
Originally posted by Lupy

I have the ambit 2s and love it. It records indoor and open water swims no problem. I'm guessing the 910xt is better because of its price/popularity but the 2s does everything I want for way cheaper.


It looks like you can pick one of those up for around $200. That's much more in the range I was looking at. How reliable is it? Do you have any trouble with accuracy? I personally don't need all the fancy functions. I just want to know how fast I'm going and how long. I want to be able to see that in the pool, open water, on the bike and running. If it has all that, then I'm happy.


2014-09-19 9:55 AM
in reply to: happyscientist

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1502
1000500
Katy, Texas
Subject: RE: SBR watch
Originally posted by happyscientist

I have the 910xt and it works great. I think you can get them for a good price now because a newer version is coming out.

Avoid Timex. I had one (I forget the model) that was supposed to be SBR. It was horrible. There were a lot of times when it couldn't pick up signal, even are clear days. And it obnoxiously makes it clear when it tries and fails. I got so mad at it that I almost threw it away during a 10k rather than lug the dead, distracting weight for the rest of the course. It would also get stuck in menus that I couldn't get out of unless I rebooted the watch. There were also software problems, and heaven forbid I let the battery die. So many problems.


OK, I was wondering about Timex. They have SBR watches under $100 and I figured there had to be a catch. That would drive me nuts.
2014-09-19 9:56 AM
in reply to: braciole

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1502
1000500
Katy, Texas
Subject: RE: SBR watch
Originally posted by braciole

not sure if it's an option you'd consider, but if you're happy with the 310 you might look at a Garmin Swim to use in the pool. I think they are about $150. It's not as simple as one watch, but would cost less than a whole new all in one and they can be worn as a regular watch also. otherwise my suggestion would be to see if you can pick up a second hand 910 or as Jason said wait for a price drop on it. Sorry I don't know about other devices from other manufacturers.


That might be a good plan B. Thanks.
2014-09-19 10:00 AM
in reply to: 3mar

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Expert
3126
2000100010025
Boise, ID
Subject: RE: SBR watch

 

I bought the Ambit 2 Sapphire this summer after much research on the various options. It came down to the Garmin Fenix 2 or the Ambit 2 for me. The Fenix has more features but was getting a lot of bad reviews about software crashes and such, so I decided to go with the more stable Ambit.

It has been awesome! Takes less than 10 seconds to get a gps fix, has worked great for everything from SBR to river rafting to flying in a small plane, etc.

The only downside to the Ambit 2 is you have to plug it in to download your workouts, no bluetooth straight to your phone. However the Ambit 3 just came out and it will connect to your phone. Personally the lack of bluetooth is not a huge deal to me so I went for the 2 when it was on sale. You should be able to find good prices on the 2 right now as they transition to the 3. 

2014-09-19 11:52 AM
in reply to: #5051977

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409
100100100100
Durham, North Carolina
Subject: RE: SBR watch
My 2s has been accurate for me. I swam a short distance (ows) with it on my wrist and then again with it in my cap and the numbers matched up for me.
2014-09-19 11:58 AM
in reply to: 3mar

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New user
104
100
Subject: RE: SBR watch
I upgraded from Garmin Forerunner 10 to Ambit 2S, as I needed a watch that'll give me GPS routing (for ultras). The watch has really been great for me. It does display time, distance, speed, etc. if you scroll through the menus or have it preset to do so. I never paid attention to the watch while swimming, but I think it only gives you total time while you're swimming. It's great for keeping track of how many laps you do in a pool and how fast you did your swim intervals. It'll calculate and show you the total distance and speed of the interval once you stop swimming in pool swim (it auto pauses). It might be a little different for open water though.

It's really easy once you learn what each button does. One blaring improvement for me was moving from Garmin Connect to Suunto Movescount. I know Suunto gets lots of flack for the Movescount site going down, but I find it much more reliable than the Garmin Connect. I was constantly getting data loss with Connect for some reason. It was frustrating when I was trying to look up elevation data on Connect and *poof* it'll be gone the following day. Not so with Movescount.

Finding GPS signal is really good with Ambit 2S too. I mean, really good. I can get GPS signal INSIDE my apartment and only takes about 10 second to get a lock. Gone are the days I had to stand out in the cold for full minute to get a signal.


2014-09-19 12:38 PM
in reply to: Tmanishere

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Expert
3126
2000100010025
Boise, ID
Subject: RE: SBR watch

Originally posted by Tmanishere I upgraded from Garmin Forerunner 10 to Ambit 2S, as I needed a watch that'll give me GPS routing (for ultras). The watch has really been great for me. It does display time, distance, speed, etc. if you scroll through the menus or have it preset to do so. I never paid attention to the watch while swimming, but I think it only gives you total time while you're swimming. It's great for keeping track of how many laps you do in a pool and how fast you did your swim intervals. It'll calculate and show you the total distance and speed of the interval once you stop swimming in pool swim (it auto pauses). It might be a little different for open water though. It's really easy once you learn what each button does. One blaring improvement for me was moving from Garmin Connect to Suunto Movescount. I know Suunto gets lots of flack for the Movescount site going down, but I find it much more reliable than the Garmin Connect. I was constantly getting data loss with Connect for some reason. It was frustrating when I was trying to look up elevation data on Connect and *poof* it'll be gone the following day. Not so with Movescount. Finding GPS signal is really good with Ambit 2S too. I mean, really good. I can get GPS signal INSIDE my apartment and only takes about 10 second to get a lock. Gone are the days I had to stand out in the cold for full minute to get a signal.

 

I have the 2 not the 2s but I am pretty sure the features are the same. It will give you all sorts of info while swimming. Min/100yard, avg 100 yard pace, stroke rate, total time, distance, it auto pauses if you want it to, etc. I have not used it indoors yet but it is supposed to count laps and such as well. 

2014-09-19 2:37 PM
in reply to: Aarondb4

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New user
67
2525
Hollywood, FL
Subject: RE: SBR watch
I got the fenix 2 a couple of months ago, and am very happy with it. I was hesitant about getting it when I was doing some research due to quite a few poor reviews online, but most of the issues were software related and have been fixed since it was released. It's very easy to use, I've swam/biked/ran with it with no issues, it's easy to change sports, and data screens are sport specific; so, it's really easy to personalize. I've recently used a 25yds pool for the first time - instead of 50m - and changing it in the watch was very simple.

I'm still surprised by the amount of data the fenix 2 gives me, and still need to learn to use a lot of the more advanced features. Overall, I've used it around 40 times and couldn't really be happier with the purchase.
2014-09-19 2:51 PM
in reply to: Lupy

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1502
1000500
Katy, Texas
Subject: RE: SBR watch
I made a misstatement that might change things. I have a Garmin 410. Not a 310. So mine is purely the running watch. I use it for biking, but it thinks I'm running. Anyway, the 310 looks like it's a bit bulky, but is it an SBR watch? Does it do the lap function? It looks like you can get one pretty cheap used/refurbished. The Suunto looks like a really good alternative, however, all my data to date is in Garmin Connect, so I'd rather not switch and lose it if at all possible.
2014-09-19 2:57 PM
in reply to: 3mar

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Regular
866
5001001001002525
Central Coast, CA
Subject: RE: SBR watch

I use my Garmin 310xt for SBR, that is pretty much what it is designed for. It (and it's followup model the 910xt) have a "multi-sport" mode that lets you track all the phases of a race with just the tap of the "lap" button, going from swim - T1 - bike - T2 - run. The 310 is bulkier than the 910 but I got used to it pretty quickly.

The 910 is better at recording pool swimming due to it's improved swim tracking, however both will have spotty GPS distances while swimming due to the signal being lost when your arm is underwater.

For some very indepth reviews of sports watches, check out  dcrainmaker.

2014-09-19 2:59 PM
in reply to: 3mar


1660
10005001002525
Subject: RE: SBR watch

I have Garmin 910xt. The pool function works fine, but I honestly never use it.  Main reasons:

 

1) I often swim at lunch and don't want to bring  a $450 watch to work to possibly lose it

2) It does more than occasionally miscount laps, especially if you're varying between flip and nonflipturns. It gets 90+% of the laps recorded, but it always misses at least one every workout for me if not several. 

3) If you're training with mostly intervals, your cheap Timex IM watch will be more than up to the task. 

4) The OWS GPS can be unreliable, sometimes dramatically so.

I love the GPS function for bike/run, but for the pool, all you need is a stopwatch; even keeping track of total yardage/volume isn't too hard just going off the watch. I'd recommend just using your current GPS and using a reg stopwatch for the pool.



2014-09-20 12:02 AM
in reply to: yazmaster

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928
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Subject: RE: SBR watch
I really like my 910xt for swimming (although swimming purists will tell you that you should just use the pace clock or a timex in the pool).

In my experience it gets all the laps of my open turns as long as I touch the wall with the hand wearing the watch (I don't do flip turns). It doesn't measure laps properly if you aren't moving your arms (like kick sets or side-arm drills). For cycling and running it has great features.

One thing I'd like is Bluetooth data transfer-- some of the newer Garmins do that.
2014-09-20 6:13 AM
in reply to: jennifer_runs

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Subject: RE: SBR watch
I have a 910xt and love it. I used to use it for swimming but got a bit sick of the missed laps, but maybe I have an inconsistent swim motion (very likely) :P

For running and biking it's really good, and I haven't even delved into it's other functions (alarms for eating, drinking etc)
2014-09-20 9:42 AM
in reply to: engima

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Subject: RE: SBR watch
Originally posted by engimaI have a 910xt and love it. I used to use it for swimming but got a bit sick of the missed laps, but maybe I have an inconsistent swim motion (very likely) :P

Do you do flip turns or touch turns. If you do touch turns, make sure you touch the wall with the hand wearing the watch. Sometimes I have to change my stroke or almost stop if I'm stuck behind someone in the pool, and then it measures an extra lap. But that happens very rarely now. It used to happen more often when I was not swimming as well and when I was touching the wall with the other hand.

My understanding is that with flip turns it is able to detect your change in motion at the end of the pool.
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