For longer touring and casual sport cycling I want to finally get my hands on a bike computer. Have used my phone so far, but I don’t like
- battery life
- water situation when it’s rainy
- arguably not too good for the camera stabilizer
My requirements are not too high I would say, but I would like
- connectivity to some peripherals (ANT+ I guess)
- ability to add GPX files and also extract them
- not buy myself into some cloud (or otherwise fenced) solution
What it boils down to: What would be the least restrictive brand out there?
I am aware of https://github.com/hishizuka/pizero_bikecomputer but currently I don’t see myself tinkering that much – since I do longer tours I need some kind of decent case, a way to take it off and be a little tough.
(Sorry if this is not he perfect place, I could not think of another community that would fit well)
Garmin bike computers connected via USB cables let you download any activity…
Honestly in the sport tracking world, Garmin devices can be used 100% offline, don’t need online activation and all data is accessible (raw) with an USB cable.
Its still proprietary software on very expensive hardware.
Thanks for your answer! Since you go explicitly “by USB” I assume everything else goes via their app only, right?
The Garmin stuff (I’ve used Oregon a lot - various models since 2011) auto-saves tracks as GPX and is very reliable about that.
The newer stuff also saves as .FIT with extra info.
When you plug these into a computer by USB they appear as a normal extra drive, with the files available natively. As /u/Shimitar says, they don’t need the cloud, or an account (unless they have changed that)
They’re also pretty robust and weather proof.
Downsides - expensive. Sometimes limited features. The cameras on the Oregons are useless, and you mention a camera is needed - so it depends what features you want, your budget, and the range.
Exactly… Using the app is the straightforward way, but you can plug the cable and download raw data files.