Leinster

I’m thinking of getting my wife a GPS for her upcoming birthday. It will replace my old cateye she has that has been unreliable in recent years. The cateye is just to see her speed as she’s riding, she tracks distance etc via Strava app on her phone.

So I just want a simple device with 1 or 2 fields that she can upload rides via phone/Bluetooth in the garage when we get back from a ride. If she has to download a Garmin/Wahoo/whatever app to make that work, fine. Optional add-ons like speed sensor if she should try out the home trainer would be nice.

Does anyone have a recommendation?

philbob57

Lezyne Macro Easy? https://ride.lezyne.com/collections/...macro-easy-gps.

Hokiedad4

I just bought my daughter a $200 (there was a $30 discount) Wahoo Elemnt Bolt. She's not a hard core cyclist but just wanted to track rides more easily and also load routes. The Wahoo line are well known for being super easy to use since everything is configured from the phone app. The easiest way to load routes is with a free RidewithGPS account, and you can also use RidewithGPS to track rides and mileage. Once you sync the device with RidewithGPS, rides upload automatically when done.

shelbyfv

I would get her a Cateye Strada wireless and continue to use Strava on the phone. I have a couple of the Stradas and they have been flawless for years. This approach is unlikely to be the consensus. Earlier this year I bought a Garmin 530. I had lots of problems getting it synched with my phone. Also, I didn't care for the display or the complicated setup. I returned it and bought a Wahoo Bolt. It set up easily and has worked w/o drama. However, I anticipated using the navigation features when doing rides in unfamiliar territory. That hasn't materialized, mostly because of the pandemic. The way I use it now doesn't give me much advantage over the Cateye and phone combo, with the downside of having to charge it after each ride. If your wife enjoys messing with techie stuff, then she might enjoy a GPS. Otherwise it may just be an extra chore with little upside. JMO.

delbiker1 

You can get a basic, good quality, wireless computer for $20. Cateye Velo 9 wireless is about $20 even. I have those on 3 different bikes and have had no issues after a few years. Maybe use something like that and still use Strava to track the other data.

Ross520

For what it's worth, I absolutely LOVE my Garmin 530. Haven't had a single issue with it, and it has a lot of very useful features.

Thomas15

Let me second this. However it took some time to configure and i think it is a little too complicated to use. Still, i have it configured for 4 bikes and display 9 fields, Speed, Avg Speed, Distance, Cadence, Heart Rate, Time of Day, Timer, Total Ascent and Grade.. It has climb pro and of course GPS mapping. Now that i have it figured out really like it. I use the Garmin Connect app to upload to Strava.

Leinster

She has a Strada on her bike now, and it frequently cuts out mid-ride, if it registers at all. I ran the cateye/iPhone combo for a few years myself, until I tried a too-long ride to a town I didn’t know with not enough phone battery and found myself stranded a long way from the hotel with only a vague idea how to get there.

Like you, I think a Bolt or a 530 would be overkill for the job, and could only really justify it by taking the new device for me and giving her my old Garmin 310. But that still leaves me on the hook for a birthday present!

Flip Flop Rider

garmin. get the lowest priced one

canklecat

Check out the Bryton Rider 10 and 15 models too.'

I've been using an inexpensive XOSS G+ since January, one of the least expensive GPS computers available. While I'm generally satisfied with it, I'd recommend it only with caution until XOSS gets its act together with customer support. Since the coronavirus pandemic hit China hard around February XOSS tech support has been mostly a no-show. But once they get that resolved the device is worth considering.

jpescatore

I went through the same process for my wife's bike - I gave her my Wahoo Element, it is a piece of cake for her to use compared to the Cateye I had given her years ago. If the Bolt is cheaper, that is fine, too. She loves it

Giving her my Elemnt was really an excuse for me to buy a Wahoo Roam...

Steve B.

Wahoo Bolt's are reduced to $230 currently at a lot of retailers. It's maybe the easiest to set up and will give the fewest hassles getting running.

Garmin's from the 530 and up have prettier maps, but that may not be a requirement.

50PlusCycling

Get her a new iPhone and an app. I have used a few GPS systems over the years, but I find the phone holders and apps to be superior. Most of us already have a smart phone of some type, so the only hardware necessary is a holder to mount it to the bike. That is easier than mounting a dedicated GPS monitor, and carrying your phone in a pocket or bag. For the past couple of years I have used the Topeak Panobike app, and find it works well.

bluehills3149

I have a Bryton rider 10 and they cost about $50. It's a simple device with a few lines of text display (all the usual fields) but no maps or anything complex and the single button just cycles through the 5 or 6 different displays so there's little chance of hitting a wrong button (or touchscreen) and getting into some unknown screen and spending 5 minutes in the side of the road trying to figure out how what you pressed. But it records rides via GPS and using the app on your phone you sync the device via bluetooth and it uploads your ride to the usual sites like Strava. The mount is Garmin compatible so you can buy cheap mounts on ebay (I paid $3 for an out-front mount) so you aren't limited to the stem mount they give you.

cb400bill

Thread moved from General to Electronics.