3 Popular Garmin Watches For Indoor Cycling (Guide)

Editor's Choice
Garmin Fenix 6 Pro, Premium Multisport GPS Watch, Features...
Garmin Forerunner 645 Music, GPS Running Watch With Pay...
Budget Choice
Garmin vívosmart HR Activity Tracker Regular Fit - Black
Garmin Fenix 6 Pro, Premium Multisport GPS Watch, Features...
Garmin Forerunner 645 Music, GPS Running Watch With Pay...
Garmin vívosmart HR Activity Tracker Regular Fit - Black
$329.99
$385.99
$270.00
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208 Reviews
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Editor's Choice
Garmin Fenix 6 Pro, Premium Multisport GPS Watch, Features...
Garmin Fenix 6 Pro, Premium Multisport GPS Watch, Features...
$329.99
208 Reviews
Garmin Forerunner 645 Music, GPS Running Watch With Pay...
Garmin Forerunner 645 Music, GPS Running Watch With Pay...
$385.99
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-
-
Budget Choice
Garmin vívosmart HR Activity Tracker Regular Fit - Black
Garmin vívosmart HR Activity Tracker Regular Fit - Black
$270.00
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Last update on 2024-03-13 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Although great for outdoor cycling, GPS fitness trackers fall short of tracking indoor activities because you’re not actually moving anywhere and the GPS can’t use the satellites to screen your speed and distance!

This can be a hassle since many people prefer to exercise indoors due to the recent severe heat waves, and they still want to record their fitness progress.

If this is your problem, we’re in your corner. Our three popular Garmin watches for indoor cycling have the technologies to monitor your body movements and give you relative fitness insights.

Read on to learn more about them and how you can record your indoor cycling.

Can Garmin Watch Track Indoor Bikes?

Garmin watches can track your indoor bike, but you need to calibrate them and use a pedometer to monitor your pedaling and leg movements. These wearables use the ANT+ technology to receive data from the sensor and then translate it into meaningful reports, such as cadence, speed, and distance.

To calibrate your Garmin watch for indoor cycling:

  1. Wear your pedometer and pair it with the device.
  2. Use your actual bike to pedal for about 1.6 kilometers outdoors with the GPS on.
  3. Preferably, choose a direct, non-winding trail with the least bumps to enhance accuracy.
  4. Your Garmin watch will self-calibrate with the sensor and track your indoor cycling stats afterward.

How to Record Indoor Cycling on Garmin Watch?

To record indoor cycling on a Garmin watch, you have to visit its settings to add your cadence sensor to the device. Then Start the Indoor Cycling option and view the data while pedaling.

Here are the step-by-step instructions:

  1. Find a way to your device Settings (the path may vary due to your Garmin model).
  2. Go to “Sensors and Activities.”
  3. Choose “Add New” and scroll down to the “Cadence” or “Foot Pod” option (You can also let the device automatically search for available sensors.”
  4. If it doesn’t identify your accelerometer, shake the sensor or wear it and move, so it becomes activated.
  5. Select the sensor and wait until your watch says “Connected.”
  6. Make sure to enter wheel size if prompted to do so.
  7. Once the adding process completes, go back to the activities menu and choose the “Indoor Cycling” profile.
  8. Click “Start” and start training.

3 Best Garmin Watches for Indoor Cycling

Fenix 6 Pro

Garmin 010-02158-01 fenix 6 Pro, Premium Multisport GPS...
  • Fit for performance with rugged, sophisticated design that features an always-on 1.3” (18% larger than previous Fenix models) sunlight-readable display with...
  • Enhanced estimated wrist heart rate and Pulse Ox to support advanced sleep monitoring and altitude acclimation at high elevations (this is not a medical device...
  • Advanced training features include PacePro for grade-adjusted pace guidance throughout your activity plus environmentally adjusted VO2 max and training status...

Last update on 2024-02-27 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

If you don’t mind spending a little extra for the right device, Fenix 6 Pro could be the best Garmin watch for indoor cycling.

When connected to your stationary bike, it’ll walk you through cycling dynamics such as power, cadence, pace, and duration as you pedal. It’s pretty sensitive to your cadence changes. And it also indicates your outdoor biking performance, elevation, steps, and work-out load.

Fenix 6 Pro doesn’t miss out on your health status like heart rate, respiration, sleep, stress.

It boasts a built-in barometer, altimeter, and electronic compass. Add this to the preloaded golf maps, ski maps, and trip-routing suggestions, and you’ll know why it’s a constant favorite of adventure athletes. 

With Wifi and 32 GB of music storage, you can always listen to music on the go. The Bluetooth connectivity also means you can pair it to your headphones or smartphone for push notifications.

As for design, the transflective screen, Gorilla Glass, metal bezel/housing, and silicone strap make it both stylish and solid.

You can get up to 1.5 months of battery with its Energy Saver mode. But the more features you use, the duration drops.

It lasts only 10 hours with music on, 1.5 days with GPS, three days in GPS battery mode, and two weeks with basic smart features.

Pros

  • Smartphone messages.
  • Flexible battery options.
  • Wifi and Bluetooth connectivity.
  • Internal storage.
  • Preloaded maps and navigation options.
  • Complete set of health sensors.
  • In-depth performance tracking.

Cons

  • Expensive.

What Do the Reviews Say?

Fenix 6 Pro earns customer praises mostly due to its long and manageable battery life. Other than that, they like its outstanding accuracy, location services, and customizable widgets. Some even prefer it over the Apple Watch 5 series.

Some reports, however, indicate the display becomes dull with the backlight on. Besides, the 6 Pro regular version comes with a lower screen resolution than the 6X Pro or Pro Solar editions.

Garmin Forerunner 645 Music

Sale
Garmin Forerunner 645 Music, GPS Running Watch With Pay...
  • Easily download up to 500 songs to your watch, and connect with Bluetooth headphones (sold separately) for phone free listening
  • Syncs music from select streaming services for offline listening (May require premium subscription with a third party music provider)
  • Garmin Pay contactless payment solution lets you make convenient payments with your watch (available for supported cards from participating banks), so you can...

Last update on 2024-03-15 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Another compatible device with wireless sensors, Forerunner 645 Music, pairs with your pedometer and accurately tracks your indoor cycling.

It also tracks your pace, cadence, heart rate, time, distance, oxygen, sleep, stress, etc.

The watch is highly customizable: You can choose from various watch faces, widgets, and apps. It lets you set the number of data fields on each screen, plus fonts and background colors. Adding notes, workout intervals, and goals are also an option.

Other than Wifi and Bluetooth modes that connect you to the smartphone, online music players, and Garmin Connect App, you’ll also get a USB port to attach it to your PC.

Four GB of storage is another bonus, letting you access music offline.

The watch comes with a lightweight design and a replaceable rubber strap that’s barely noticeable on your hand. So, if you’re looking for an all-day wear watch, it nails it. What adds value to its design is the clear screen, easy-to-use physical buttons, and steel bezel.

The battery lasts half a day with GPS, six hours with music playing, and up to two weeks with smart features. For medium usage, you won’t need to charge it more than once in five days.

Barely found on other fitness trackers, you’ll even have a combination of gyroscope, barometric altimeter, compass, thermometer, and accelerometer.

Pros

  • Music app support.
  • Physical buttons.
  • Advanced metrics.
  • Lightweight and easy to carry on the arm.
  • Navigation options.
  • Internal storage.
  • High interface customizability.
  • Vast connectivity options.

Cons

  • Medium battery life.

What Do the Reviews Say?

Forerunner 645 Music receives a high rating for its sharp display, lightweight, and activity measurements. Users also appreciate its quick response mode, which is missing in most wearables.

However, the lack of a screen protector means it can easily get scratches outdoors. Also, there are a few complaints about its heart rate accuracy.

Vivosmart HR

Garmin vívosmart HR Activity Tracker Regular Fit - Black
  • Sleek band is comfortable to wear all day, and the always on display shows your stats, even in sunlight
  • Displays steps, distance, calories, heart rate, floors climbed and activity intensity. Strap material: silicone
  • Receive text, call, email, calendar and social media alerts,Display type:sunlight visible, transflective memory in pixel (MIP)

Last update on 2024-03-15 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

Vivosmart HR makes a great indoor cycling tracker for those on a budget. At an unbelievably affordable price, it screens your step numbers, flights climbed, distance, active minutes, and workout intensity.

It even comes with music control options, an HR sensor, an automatic coaching mechanism, and smartphone data.

Sync it with the Connect App, and you can even record your burnt calories.

It has a slim yet chunky rectangle design, with a silicone band and buckle-style closure. Plus, the always-on touchscreen makes the data visible even in the sunlight, despite its low resolution compared to other Garmins.

Vivosmart HR is compatible with Android, iOS, and even Windows. It’s also capable of setting up activity goals, giving you insights on your health, and reminding you to start/stop training.

And despite lacking a dedicated swimming program, it’s resistant to 50-meters deep water.

The battery life is about six days.

The biggest downside is having a non-colorful screen and minimum customizable options.

Pros

  • Compatible with all devices.
  • Smartphone notifications plus internal reminders.
  • Touch-enabled screen.
  • Water-resistant.
  • Full activity metrics.
  • Low-cost.
  • GPS.

Cons

  • Black and white, low-res screen.
  • Lacks ABC sensors or navigation options.

What Do the Reviews Say?

Users say Vivosmart HR has a very simple interface, with ten separate screens for different functionalities: Activity bar, music controls, stairs, and step counter, weather data, phone alerts, calories, and heart rate.

However, they wish it has a less sensitive touchpad and a more skin-friendly strap. The bands can sometimes pinch your skin, make it sweaty, or leave some indentation marks on it.

Overall, buy the item only if you’re ready to give up a bit of performance over affordability.

Final Thoughts and Best Pick

Want to pedal in collaboration with an indoor cycling tracker? Garmin watches are here to help. And among them, the Fenix 6 Pro is the best you can get.

It pairs with a pedometer over ANT+, monitoring your cadence, cycling power, HR, oxygen, elevation, steps, and pace. It has an incredible battery life with multiple battery-saving options.

Maps, internal storage, preset sports programs, and compatibility with third-party apps are its other valuable options.

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