Apple watch cycling possibilities

[bfno]

Apple has released more details on their watch and it should be available to the public soon.

Strava has an app that will work on the watch and with a premium strava membership it has live segment tracking. The watch also has a heart rate monitor. This looks like it could be a winner for cyclists and I have already seen a picture of a bike mount that utilises the band replacement mechanism.

What do you think? Will you be buying one?

[fa63]

Thinking about it but it is quite expensive. Might still get one as a birthday gift to myself though [emoji3]

[Powerful Pete]

Is interesting, but will not be buying a "first series". And given the prices I have seen, I might save my shekels and spend more on carbon fiber bits. I have found that not having immediate access to ride information has, as I have gotten older, made my riding far more pleasant.

[Camilo]

Nah, if I were interested, I would have gotten the Motorola version many months ago. But I don't think I have a need

[IchDien]

Battery life on the watch surely not up to the task of running strava continuously for a decent distance ride?

[spdntrxi]

Battery life on the watch surely not up to the task of running strava continuously for a decent distance ride?

I heard 18 hours...but running strava who knows. If it could go 8-9 I'd be ok

[FIJIGabe]

It doesn't have GPS, so I don't see what Strava can do, other than provide you with the metrics off the phone (something you could otherwise do with any other GPS device). Also, since it doesn't have GPS, you can't really use it as a run tracker (other than telling you your run metrics). Finally, based on DC Rainmaker's observations with similar light-based HRM's, they aren't very accurate.

All-in-all, I don't see it being very beneficial to athletes, other than avoiding having to pull your phone out to do the same thing.

[greentimgreen]

On battery life, the FT said this today (based on 45mins app use! ):

Apple chief Tim Cook says the watch’s battery will last 18 hours, which he adds should be long enough for most people to get through the day (and that is from a guy who claims he gets up at 4:30am).

Anticipating many questions on battery life, Apple has given the topic its own information page, which notes that the 18-hour estimate includes “90 time checks, 90 notifications, 45 minutes of app use, and a 30-minute workout with music playback from Apple Watch via Bluetooth”.

That includes details such as three hours of talk time, 2.5 hours to fully recharge and a 72-hour “power reserve” mode so that it can still tell the time. The phrase “actual results will vary” appears eight times on this information page.

These figures all relate to the smaller 38mm model. The larger of the two watch sizes will last slightly longer, as it has a bigger battery (and a bigger screen).

[aaric]

The light based HRMs depend on which technology is used. My recollection is the accurate ones use two different wavelengths of light.

My wife uses a Scosche armband and its way more accurate than a chest based strap, and it also starts reading almost instantaneously when put on. The downside is the shorter battery life. I haven't seen anyone review the apple watch in the wild yet though - so it may be using the inaccurate HR measurements.

[skimaxpower]

First generation Apple products always strike me as "proof of concept." I'm glad they're innovating, but I don't think this product solves an existing problem.

[kac]

To answer the original poster's question: No, I won't buy one of them. Why? They are neither shock-resistant nor waterproof. Battery life in the "reserve" mode is 18 hours but it will be considerably less than that if you're using it. Don't forget that many functions of the watch depend on having the iPhone along with the watch. It will not accurately track exercise time on a bike, since it depends on synchronous arm movement. The watch will (if Apple follows the usual practice) be replaced with a new one in a year. Doubtless, this will not be a software-only upgrade, rather it will follow the iPhone pattern and you'll need to buy the new version.

[nickf]

Mehn garmin has it figured out. My moto 360 has all kinds of fitness tracking but don't like wearing a watch while working out. If I had a apple watch I don't think I would want to take a chance trashing a 400 gadget. Plus it just looks goofy.