IcySwan1 

New to biking at 70. Bought a hybrid and a road bike. I am in reasonable but not great shape. I am sensible about HR and want to monitor it and keep it reasonable as fitness progresses. Ordered a Garmin 830 bundle over Memorial Weekend that includes a HRM. It should be here next week. I also have the free Strava app. I would like to not only be aware of real time HR, which I think the Garmin will do, but also track it as I hopefully progress.

Do I need to get the Strava subscription to do that or is there a better alternative? The social media component of Strava has no utility for me. Any suggestions are welcome.

Mike

njkayaker

The Garmins record all the data at (roughly) 1 second intervals and save it to a file on the device.

These files (typically) get loaded to the Garmin Connect website.

That lets you track ride stats.

It's free. See if that's sufficient for you first. Keep it simple (and then add stuff later if you need to).

IcySwan1 

Thanks. That is exactly what I am looking for. I will set the Garmin Connect up once the 830 arrives and see what all it tracks. It sounds fairly comprehensive for tracking my basic needs.

Mike

Iride01 

By default all your ride data will get uploaded to the Garmin Connect Website. You can view all your data on there via a computer and browser or you can look at the data on the Garmin Connect App on your phone. You will also be able to look at the data for your ride with the device itself.

Each has their pro's and con's. With a computer and browser going to Garmin Connect's website you'll see more about you and your ride.

Personally I like RideWithGPS to view my ride data. And MapMyRide was another I used to use quite a bit. Stava I used too but it was my least favorite. Others seem to like it. With RWGPS you can tell it to grab your data from Garmin Connect so you won't have to do any special stuff to get your data there. I suppose many of the other places can do that too.

And there are many other places you can view your data, both websites and programs you can put on your computer or phone.

IcySwan1 

Thank you Iride01. I am using the basis Strava and the Garmin has not arrived yet. So this is the time to get things set up correctly. The Garmin Connect sounds like the cat's pajamas. I will download RWGPS and give it a try while I am waiting. Just looking to make it easy.

Mike

Seattle Forrest

You'll have to create an account on Garmin Connect to use your new 830. Somewhere in there is a setting that will make Garmin send Strava a copy of the data it records. Which will let you stop recording using Strava on your phone presumably.

You said you're hoping to see your progress, I don't know what that means specific to you and HR, I find some of the reports in Connect are useful. I don't use Strava personally and am happy with the Garmin as a training log.

Iride01 

As ​​​Seattle Forrest said, you don't need the Strava app on your phone to get all your data sent to Strava. Nor do you need RideWithGPS's app on your phone.

You do have to have the Garmin Connect App on your phone if you want your ride data sent automatically to the Garmin Connect website which will allow Strava and RWGPS to grab it. And perhaps others sites, but I don't know about those.

Live tracking and group tracking is one other benefit with the Garmin Connect app. If you don't normally use a notebook, Macbook or PC, then you can have those other apps on your phone, but you can also just go to their website with your phone's browser.

And the fewer apps on your phone fighting for various resources and data, the easier to troubleshoot when issues happen. IMO.

CadenceCrazy

It has a steep learning but Golden Cheetah is a free fitness tracking tool that you can waste hours of your life imbibing on. https://www.goldencheetah dot org/

TakingMyTime

Garmin Connect will do exactly what you want it to do. Within the online software there is a section named "Reports" which will allow you to pull up about 14 different reports from Avg Speed to Avg Heartrate. You can also download that data to your desktop and manipulate it in a variety of spreadsheet programs and you can then create even more reports with your personal data.

Noahma

I have the 830, as well as using Garmin Connect as a source of tracking my progress (connect.garmn.com) You can track just about everything you would like by adding reports to the dash board. You can setup and track goals, create routes to send to your 830 etc. Its pretty comprehensive. By clicking on an individual ride, you can look at all the metrics IE heart rate, speed, cadence, Training effect etc. I also have Strava premium, which does more or less the same stuff, but will give you a graph of where you should be in terms of effort to keep growing. Its nice to have, but not necessary.

IcySwan1 

I did get the Garmin 830 set up and running, as well as Garmin Connect. It was a slight tussle to get the sensors to fly in formation, but that is sorted. There is still some bumbling to get the device to do what I want, but that is function of an ancient bicyclist trying to deal with electronics. Strava [the free Strava] is grabbing data without me doing anything. It is early days, but what has been said above regarding Garmin Connect meeting all my admittedly modest needs appears correct.

Thank you all for your input.

Mike

Iride01 

It's not so much that you make the device do what you want, but you learn what the device can do.

When I got my first cyclometer/GPS device back 12 or so years ago, much of the issues that burnt me to a crisp and had me ranting were my own misunderstanding of what a feature was actually supposed to do.

The Edge 500 pretty much always worked perfectly as it was supposed to. I was the one just not working right.

IcySwan1 

Iride01, amen. You nailed it exactly. I still write in cursive with a fountain pen. I am willing to learn how the Garmin electrons do their job, but am baffled on many levels. However, it is a better relationship when I stop trying to force the electrons to fly in formation and just accept what it does. That worked with a 830 bundle that came with the heart rate monitor, and cadence/speed sensors. They all connected easily, or rathe relatively easily once battery issues were sorted. I have those sensors on a Domane and am very impressed with all of the feedback. I liked it so much that I bought a stand alone bundle of cadence/speed sensor to put on a hybrid. The cadence sensor was picked up easily by the 830 but for reasons that escape me the speed sensor needed to be bound [is that the right word?] via Garmin Connect. So be it. I tried it and thougth it worked, but I could not get it to show up on the 830 device last night on a brutal ride to get ice cream. I will face east and try some incantations today to get it to work without ranting. Yet.

Mike

Iride01 

If you got a Garmin bundle with the speed and cadence sensors you should be able to pair them with the Edge 830. Most any other sensor for cycling that is Ant+ should also pair with most any Edge.

Perhaps you didn't go through the pairing correctly or it was one of the hiccups that happen every so often with these devices.
A couple weeks ago I'd created another profile for when on my son's trainer. Some how, I buggered up and lost the speed/cadence sensor for my road bike profile and had to re-pair it.

I keep all my sensors paired with my device and not the phone or it's apps.

IcySwan1 

The sensors that came with device were all apparently paired from Garmin. They paired fine once I replaced a battery on the cadence sensor. I bought a different bundle that had only the cadence and speed sensor for use on a second bike. The instructions said to pair the cadence sensor with the device and that worked. But some reason the instruction said I had to pair the speed sensor with Garmin Connect. I thought it worked but last night the device only picked up the cadence sensor and not the speed sensor. I bought new batteries today and just now replaced the one in the speed sensor and paired it directly to the device consistent with your good advice and contrary to Garmin. I am not at home at the moment, but will try it out tonight on the second bike.

Pairing all sensors directly to the device seems to be the best way; hopefully I have not compromised national security by so doing.

Mike