10 Best Fitness Tracker For Cycling (2023 Review Updated)

Before we set out on our mission to compare a load of the best fitness trackers, we listed out some of the important features and functions we needed to look at.

These are the eight things you should keep in mind for your final decision.

We think that Fitbits have proven that a fitness tracking device doesn’t have to come with a large display size. It’s far more important to look at how that display is used.

We found quite a few devices that had large displays but such a small font size that you would need to bring them right up to your eyes.

It’s always important to look at as many images as you can find of the different display layouts available. This should include settings and menus, but it’s more important for the main summary screen.

If it has all the important info in a nice layout, then it should be suitable for cycling.

Fitness trackers with GPS are pretty common these days, but you have to be careful and read the details of the description.

Here’s what I mean.

Some fitness trackers for cycling will need to be connected to your smartphone as they don’t have a built-in GPS chip.

What that means is that you would still need to bring your phone since there's no built in GPS, and some people prefer not having something bulky in a pocket.

It is a cheaper option if you’re on a budget.

Most people these days wear fitness trackers all day long to monitor steps and stairs climbed as well. It’s a great way to see your overall activity, but to do that, you’ll need something that is comfortable as well.

I remember these devices in the early days when they looked ugly and came with awful straps.

How things have changed.

Most of the above products allow you to switch out straps to different sizes and styles. That way, you could make them more dressy and certainly make sure they’re comfortable.

I’ll try not to get too technical here but bear with me.

All gadgets these days, fitness trackers for cycling included, come with a water resistant feature that should be listed as atm (unit used to measure atmospheric pressure) [3]. This is an indication of how deep underwater you could use a device.

At 1 atm, there is probably not much more than splash resistance. For cyclists, that might be fine, but if you do triathlons and go swimming a lot, then you’d need a bit more.

A water resistant rating of 3 ATM would be suitable for use up to 100 feet, which is probably more than enough unless you go deep-sea diving.

If you plan to use your watch for tracking your time at the pool, then make sure you check the water resistant feature description that it might actually be used for swimming.

The final thing we like to see on the best fitness trackers is sleep and recovery features.

When you get a better understanding of how well you sleep at night, then you should be in a good position to better plan your training. Sleep is one of the most important factors when it comes to muscle recovery [5].

And if your sleep quality scores are low, then you could be in for trouble.

Most of the activity tracking devices above have at least some basic features. But if your budget allows it, aim for a product that measures your sleep cycles, including deep and REM sleep.

Most activity tracking devices have multiple sports mode options like cycling and running, as well as riding profiles for cycling mode like road, gravel, and indoor.

If you want to track specific data to improve your cycling, features like GPS, altimeter, and heart rate tracking can be pretty useful to analyze your cycling speed, time, distance, map routes, heart rate, and calories burned data.

You need to spend around $25 on fitness trackers, which may include simple GPS features and heart tracking up to $600 for built-in GPS, offline music support, and generous battery life.

It should be noted that some cheaper fitness tracking devices lack a display, so unless you connect it to a smartphone, you won't see the steps you have taken for the day. If your primary activity is walking, then options in the $25 to $100 range are good enough.

Meanwhile, more expensive trackers usually include built-in GPS and optical heart rate tracking, which are geared toward athletes and sports enthusiasts.

If you need a decent activity-tracking device for running, high-intensity training, or any other sports, it's best to spend at least $100 to get the features that are designed for active users.

Regardless of your choice, only buy fitness trackers from reputable sources. You will otherwise run the risk of getting subpar products that won't even last for six months.

If you're training at home and want something for your home gym instead, you might consider a home gym clock or timer instead.

I put my foot down again and demanded that we recommend the Garmin fēnix 5S Plus. It's lightweight and straightforward -- with a simple touch, you’ll be ready for your cycle.

It displays the map directly on the screen, and despite it being light, it actually has a huge enough screen for easy navigation.

It also seems to give us the highest level of accuracy when it comes to heart rate tracking, which should be an important factor for all athletes.

If you’ve used any of our recommendations, then please let us know how it worked out for you on one of our social media pages.