Garmin Forerunner 55, Garmin Forerunner 165, Garmin Forerunner 965, Garmin Enduro 2
Best Garmin Watch for Cycling & Biking (2024)
By Naila Syifa
Updated March 2024
If you're looking for a smartwatch for cycling or biking, Garmin offers some of the best options on the market. There are many models to choose from, so it can be confusing to know which one is right for your specific needs and budget. In this article, we'll look at some of the best Garmin watches for cycling or biking to help you find the perfect companion for your riding adventures!
#1 Best for Budget: Garmin Forerunner 55
Garmin Forerunner 55
Who is this most suitable for?
Garmin Forerunner 55 is most suitable for people who are on a budget, or those who don't want to spend too much on a smartwatch to track their cycling activities. At 199.99 USD, the Forerunner 55 is decent value for money, offering essential cycling features without breaking the bank.
What features does it stand out for?
Garmin Forerunner 55 is a versatile GPS smartwatch offering Activity Profiles for a range of sports, including biking, indoor biking, running, treadmill running, pool swimming, pilates, yoga, and more. For these activities, you can track your time, distance, pace, and other metrics.
The health monitoring features also allow you to monitor your heart rate, respiration rate, sleep, stress, and more. This means, you can stay informed about your key health metrics when you're cycling, when you're recovering between rides, or anytime in the day when you're wearing the watch on your wrist.
Garmin Forerunner 55
When cycling, you can set to receive an alert if you exceed a specified goal, such as a certain distance, time, or heart rate threshold. The Forerunner 55 also supports speed and cadence sensors, so you can pair it with compatible cycling sensors to get more detailed insights into your ride.
To ensure safety during your outdoor rides, the Forerunner 55 also offers incident detection and assistance features, which enable the watch to automatically send a message with your location to emergency contacts if an incident is detected.
In GPS mode, you can expect the watch to last for up to 20 hours, while in smartwatch mode, the Forerunner 55 can last for up to 2 weeks. It has an impressive battery life for a budget GPS smartwatch.
Garmin Forerunner 55
Best for Budget
✓ Built-in Sports Apps
✓ 24/7 Health Monitoring
✓ Multi-band GNSS
✓ Safety and Tracking Features
Cycling Profiles
Biking, Indoor Biking
#2 Best for Casual Cycling: Garmin Forerunner 165
Garmin Forerunner 165
Who is this most suitable for?
Garmin Forerunner 165 is most suitable for people who often ride casually and want a reliable GPS watch to track their cycling activities. We recommend this model for people who often cycle to work, explore new neighborhoods on weekends, or enjoy leisurely rides with family and friends.
What features does it stand out for?
Garmin Forerunner 165 allows you to track important health metrics during and after your rides, including heart rate, respiration rate, sleep, and stress. The added health metric is Pulse Ox blood oxygen saturation monitoring, which may be useful if you're cycling at a higher altitude.
Like the budget-friendly Forerunner 55, the Forerunner 165 also provides alerts when specific cycling goals are reached, as well as support for speed and cadence sensors. However, the Forerunner 165 has an extra advantage with its Cycling Courses feature, which allows you to follow specific cycling courses or create a customized course that suits your preferences, making it easy to explore new routes or stick to your favorite paths.
Garmin Forerunner 165
A range of safety & tracking features are also supported, including incident detection, assistance, and livetrack, all of which are useful in case of emergencies or if you want to share your real-time location with loved ones. In addition, if you have Varia Radar or Varia Lights, you can pair them with the Forerunner 165 for enhanced cycling safety and visibility.
Garmin Forerunner 165 also stands out with navigation features like TracBack and point-to-point navigation, allowing you to navigate back to your starting point or follow a route to a specific destination.
Forerunner 165 retails at 249.99 USD while the Forerunner 165 Music Version is slightly more expensive at 299.99 USD. The Music Version has an advantage with its built-in music storage, so you can cycle while listening to your favorite tunes without needing to bring your phone along.
Garmin Forerunner 165
Best for Casual Cycling
✓ Cycling Courses
✓ TracBack Navigation
✓ Multi-band GNSS
✓ AMOLED Touchscreen
Cycling Profiles
Biking, Indoor Biking
#3 Best for Competitive Cycling: Garmin Forerunner 965
Garmin Forerunner 965
Who is this most suitable for?
If you're a professional cyclist who often participates in competitive races or a serious cycling enthusiast who wants to take your performance to the next level, the Garmin Forerunner 965 is an excellent choice. It is also recommended for those who enjoy cycling off-road, such as mountain biking or gravel riding.
Read also: Best Garmin Watch for Mountain Biking
What features does it stand out for?
Garmin Forerunner 965 offers everything that the previous cheaper models have to offer, including important health metrics, cycling-specific features, and navigation features. However, at a premium price tag of 599.99 USD, it offers even more advanced features that justify its price tag.
The Forerunner 965 offers preloaded TopoActive Maps, which provide detailed road and trail navigation for cycling, as long as thousands of points of interest, including restaurants, accommodations, parking, etc, which can be incredibly helpful when exploring unfamiliar areas on your bike. NextFork Navigation is also available, allowing you to see the distance to the next trail intersection as well as the name of the upcoming trail.
Garmin Forerunner 965
If you own compatible dual-sensing power meter pedals, you can also monitor your Cycling Dynamics, which include Seated/Standing Position, Power Phase (PP), Platform Center Offset (PCO), and Right/Left Balance. These metrics can help you analyze your pedaling technique and identify areas for improvement.
Other features useful for bikers include MTB Grit & Flow for tracking mountain biking performance, Race an Activity to compete against your past performances, Real-Time Stamina to monitor your exertion levels and avoid overexerting yourself during long rides, and Power Guide to help you pace your efforts and optimize your performance for a specific course. Group Livetrack is also supported, so you can share your location with fellow riders in real-time during group rides or races.
Another aspect that makes the Garmin Forerunner 965 stand out is its durability, with a rugged design, scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass 3 DX lens, and strong but lightweight titanium bezel. The watch even features an AMOLED screen with superior brightness and contrast, so you can easily view your data at a glance while cycling.
Garmin Forerunner 965
Best for Competitive Cycling
✓ Built-in TopoActive Maps & NextFork Navigation
✓ Cycling Dyanmics & Power Guide
✓ Multi-band GNSS with SatIQ
✓ Group Livetrack
Cycling Profiles
Biking, Road Biking, Mountain Biking, Gravel Biking, Bike Commuting, Bike Touring, eBiking, eMountain Biking, Indoor Biking, Cyclocross
#4 Best for Bikepacking: Garmin Enduro 2
Garmin Enduro 2
Who is this most suitable for?
If you're a multi-day bikepacking enthusiast, a long-distance cyclist, or a competitive endurance athlete, Garmin Enduro 2 should be at the top of your consideration list. Its exceptional battery life becomes a very valuable asset on long rides where you may not have access to a power source for days.
However, being very expensive at 999.99 USD, the Garmin Enduro 2 is also most suitable for people who don't mind spending top dollar for a premium multisport GPS watch built for endurance.
What features does it stand out for?
The biggest strength of Garmin Enduro 2 that sets it apart from other Garmin models is its high-capacity battery that can last up to 110 hours in GPS mode and up to 34 days in smartwatch mode.
Furthermore, Garmin Enduro 2 features a Power Sapphire lens, which enables the watch to have solar charging capabilities by converting sunlight into battery power. This extends battery life even further in sunny conditions, lasting for up to 150 hours in GPS mode and 46 days in smartwatch mode.
Garmin Enduro 2
When it comes to general health and fitness monitoring features or cycling-specific features, the Garmin Enduro 2 is not missing out on anything. It offers everything that the Forerunner 965 has, including heart rate monitoring, blood oxygen saturation levels monitoring, TopoActive Maps, NextFork Navigation, Cycling Dynamics, MTB Grit & Flow, Race an Activity, Real-Time Stamina, Power Guide, Group Livetrack, and compatibility with varying cycling sensors and accessories.
The Enduro 2 even integrates a super-bright LED flashlight into the watch, making it easier to see in low-light conditions or at night during your bikepacking adventures.
Garmin Enduro 2
Best for Bikepacking
✓ Built-in TopoActive Maps & NextFork Navigation
✓ Super-Bright LED Flashlight
✓ Multi-band GNSS with SatIQ
✓ Up to 150 hours in GPS Mode with Solar Charging
Cycling Profiles
Biking, Road Biking, Mountain Biking, Gravel Biking, Bike Commuting, Bike Touring, eBiking, eMountain Biking, Indoor Biking, Cyclocross, BMX
Best Garmin Watch for Cycling & Biking
Garmin Forerunner 55
Best for Budget
✓ Built-in Sports Apps
✓ 24/7 Health Monitoring
✓ Multi-band GNSS
✓ Safety and Tracking Features
Garmin Forerunner 165
Best for Casual Cycling
✓ Cycling Courses
✓ TracBack Navigation
✓ Multi-band GNSS
✓ AMOLED Touchscreen
Garmin Forerunner 965
Best for Competitive Cycling
✓ Built-in TopoActive Maps & NextFork Navigation
✓ Cycling Dyanmics & Power Guide
✓ Multi-band GNSS with SatIQ
✓ Group Livetrack
Garmin Enduro 2
Best for Bikepacking
✓ Built-in TopoActive Maps & NextFork Navigation
✓ Super-Bright LED Flashlight
✓ Multi-band GNSS with SatIQ
✓ Up to 150 hours in GPS Mode with Solar Charging
Final Thoughts
Best Garmin Watch for Cycling or Biking
Garmin offers a range of excellent smartwatches tailored for cyclists of all levels and budgets. Whether you're a casual rider looking for a budget-friendly option like the Forerunner 55 or Forerunner 165, a dedicated cyclist needing the advanced features of the Forerunner 965, or an endurance enthusiast requiring the exceptional battery life and ruggedness of the Enduro 2, there's a Garmin watch to suit your needs.
With their cutting-edge technology, comprehensive cycling features, and user-friendly interfaces, these watches are sure to enhance your riding experience and help you reach your cycling goals.
If you like to read more on Garmin smartwatches, check out our other relevant guides here:
Best Smartwatches
Best Garmin Watches
Best Garmin Watch for Hiking
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