Since I started racing on Zwift (last October I think) it has been a huge source of enjoyment. Part of what appeals is the immediate feedback on heart rate and watts, and then seeing how these can (or can’t!) be sustained across different time periods.
Recently I’ve been very fortunate and had the opportunity to do some fantastic outdoor rides in beautiful parts of France. I did however really miss seeing what I was doing in terms of watts. As a result I’ve bought a used 4iiii Precision 3 power meter (integrated into a left Shimano 105 pedal crank). I now have a power meter and HRM (Wahoo trckr).
I don’t however know what’s best / available in terms of apps to:
Log and display power and HRM data
Plan, navigate and record routes
I think the Wahoo app might be an option? Or using Komoot and the Wahoo app together but I don’t know if both will run simultaneously, don’t see any reason why they wouldn’t. At this stage I’d prefer not to get a dedicated bike computer hence leaning towards apps.
If anyone has come up with a good soultion for what I’m trying to do / things to avoid I’d be grateful for any feedback. Thanks!
Not sure what you have against a bike computer, but a couple advantages (over a smartphone) you may not have realized. In a crash, many smartphones if mounted out front, cost quite a bit more than a bike computer and can suffer damage. Battery life is generally better than a phone, and, depending on unit will be easier to use in foul weather.
If I had to buy a computer today I’d probably see if I could get a roam or bolt v2, not v3 or perhaps a garmin 840 solar but not my first choice due to the poor screen (like the roam and bolt v3) but at least it has really great battery life
I couldn’t use my phone personally. The battery just burns down way too fast, and it heats up very easily in full sun. The contrast is not great depending on the weather, and if it does happen to be raining it’s impossible to navigate anything on it when it’s wet. I need to have my phone battery and phone itself alive and well if I end up in a crash far from home and need to call someone. I use a Bolt V2, and it works great.
Edit: I thought Stava would listen for power along with heart rate, but I think the only way to get power to Strava after looking it up is to pair a watch or head unit to get power, so yeah, maybe RideWithGPS is a solution. You can get HR into Strava live using their app, but power is a different story.
Phones are difficult to use on a bike if you want constant screen visuals. Mounts are just not stable enough for a steady screen. If all your roads are pristine asphalt, then no problem. And if you want a constant visual your battery will not last and will need to carry a battery in a handlebar or TT bag to charge while riding.
Bike computers: Magene, IGPSport, Bryton and others have models for less than $200. But I agree with @SeattleSauve ; if you can swing a Wahoo Bolt V2, that would be better. Or maybe a Coros Dura.
Tracking rides: RidewithGPS, Komoot, Strava will map (probably others). I do not know how the metrics look with RWGS or Komoot but Strava is big gun. Also Intervals.icu, Golden Cheetah and other lesser known apps. Garmin Connect is somewhere in the middle…I do not know their mapping but for tracking they are good but really good if you have a Garmin Device: Bike computer or Wrist Device.
Nothing against them, it’s partly money and partly wanting not to proliferate with devices / technology. I can see they have real advantages: I have had a phone screen stop working as a result of rain and in the event of a crash I’d much rather have my phone stowed than out front waiting to be damaged.
I have used phone and Komoot extensively and it works well enough; as you mention the rain is a real problem if you want to touch the screen while riding (as an aside I often find Komoot’s route plotting senseless) and the vibrations are really unhelpful though obviously that’s a mount issue rather than device / software limitation.
I had thought about Strava but I have used it for running in the past and (I can’t remember the reason) I decided to stop using it, possibly the need to subscribe to access certain features. Maybe this is worth revisiting.
Appreciate the suggestions. Reading through the posts on here it seems that everyone recommends a head unit over a phone. So maybe I aim for that longer term. Short-term it will probably be a question of using 2 apps (one for navigation and one for HR / power). Now to find out how to display 2 apps at once…
I’d ask around if anyone has tried the more off-brand GPS units out there. Coospo is often mentioned as great HR monitors; I wonder how well their $70 CS500 unit works?
Used Garmin head units on eBay are sometimes a good deal (and sometimes overpriced). You can make AI produce a feature comparison, which I would verify before trusting but it can be helpful. Personally I would avoid any model that doesn’t support WiFi. I use an Edge 830 still which is fine for my needs, and Garmin is nice because everyone knows how it works so it’s easy to get answers.
It was a fine device and I would probably still be using it if my daughter hadn’t wrecked the USB port. A few points though, earlier v1s had problems with screens delaminating, the screen itself is a bit more basic than the v2, micro USB instead of USB-c and the buttons are slightly harder to operate with winter gloves
I still have my v1 Wahoo Elemnt Bolt - still works great and is fully supported as far as I know, used it all of 2025. Upgraded to the new Roam V3 this year (screen looks fine outside in the sun as far as I can tell, no issues there).
Thing is, a touch screen Garmin edge has great battery life and it just works. Doesn’t matter about weather. And they are robust.
I use a Garmin Edge 1030+ with two different bikes and they both have power meters. Swapping between the bikes is very easy. I have profiles for each bike.
Rides upload to TrainingPeaks.
For navigation I can use my phone and a navigation app which pairs with my glasses and I get guidance through the speakers in the glasses (Oakley Vanguard).
I have found Garmin navigation quite useless over the years.
Thanks for the confirmation - watched a Youtube video earlier today (link disallowed but it’s Shane Miller’s Roam v2 review) and thought it was really useful, comparing Roam v2 and Bolt v2 with mentions of the previous models too.
I like the idea of the slightly larger Roam screen and the enhanced mapping (having areas of fields, trees etc mapped in green seems worthwhile / useful to me). As of now I think it’s maybe a case of v1 of either of these vs the Roam v2.
