posted December 13, 2007 by trek7k

Believe it or not, cycling specific GPS devices like the Garmin Edge weren’t designed for navigation (trail or otherwise). And although the Edge does a good job plotting your route for you, it’s actually part of Garmin’s fitness line and packs some great features to help you track and achieve your training goals.

All GPS units track distance, speed, and altitude at a minimum which is a great start for quantifying your workouts. Some units track calories burned but this is generally just an estimate based on your body weight and your average speed on the bike.

GPS units like the Garmin Edge can be set to automatically pause your workout timer whenever you come to a stop and can even start a new lap when you pass any location more than once – keeping you focused on your ride rather than fumbling for the stop and lap buttons. The Edge and others also include the ability to create and load predefined pace data so you can even see your progress versus your goal in real time. As if you needed the extra motivation

For even more workout data the Garmin Edge 305 packs a heart rate monitor plus wireless cadence and and wheel speed sensors. Chris Carmichael helped ignite the heart rate training revolution after training Sir Armstrong and many folks swear by the results they see from heart rate zone training. Cadence, on the other hand, isn’t something that most mountain bikers find useful but a wheel speed sensor can be helpful if you find yourself using the indoor trainer during the winter months (remember GPS doesn’t work indoors).

GPS units are reliable for collecting your training ride data but unfortunately, most units we’ve tried fall short in the most important area: performance analysis. Garmin’s included Training Center Software is hardly useful for in-depth workout analysis and most folks end up purchasing additional software or using online training logs to get the most out of their data. Shop around to find the right solution for your training needs.

A GPS is an important tool to making the most of your workouts and tracking progress toward your mountain bike fitness goals. Your GPS can be your training partner, your coach, and even your motivator – unfortunately you’ll still need to push the pedals yourself

Related posts:

1. MTB Training & Polar CS600X First Impressions
2. Complete MTB Training Package: The Polar CS600X Cycling Computer
3. Loading GPS routes in Garmin Training Center for Mac
4. Latest Version of Garmin Training Center Offers Useful Tools
5. Mountain bike skills training

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 13th, 2007 at 9:56 am and is filed under GPS for MTB, MTB Training. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response by logging in and using the form at the bottom of this post, or trackback from your own site.