5 Best Garmin Watch for Mountain Biking | Top Picks in 2022

Using a watch when mountain biking would take the activity to a new dimension. During this adventure, a Garmin watch would be the most loyal companion. You might wonder why Garmin? as there are plenty of choices to choose from.

It is because Garmin watches are designed to aid you on your adventure and they are also rigorously tested. They are compatible with popular apps on android and iOS, also they come with a lot apps and widgets of their own. So, you can stay tension-free as these devices will be with you from start to finish.

In this post, I will go through some of the best Garmin watches for mountain biking and compare what they offer. Stick with me till the end and you will have a far greater understanding of which one of the watches should accompany you to your next adventure.

Why Should You Wear a Garmin Watch for Mountain Biking?

To sum up, in short, Garmin watches are proven and tested to perform even in the toughest conditions. So, when you go on with your bike on an adventure in the mountains you can trust a Garmin to perform its tasks as it should.

These watches are tough, stylish, weather-resistant, come with GPS, a health monitor, and whatnot. You will have all kinds of data from heart rate to how much energy you are using at your fingertips.

Also, using one of these watches would take pressure off your phone. That means the phone will have longer battery life, which can become a life-saving feat if something goes wrong.

All the Garmin watches also connect and sync quite well with Strava. So, you are guaranteed to have a fun adventure when you go out with a Garmin.

Review Of Top 5 Garmin Watch for Mountain Biking

1. Best Overall: Garmin fenix 6 Pro Solar

• Screen Size: 1.3 inches
• Input: Buttons
• Display: Sunlight-visible
• Battery Life: 14 days in smartwatch mode

It is the heavy-duty watch you would want to have your back when heading for a long adventure. It comes with a range of features that make it the best Garmin watch for cycling.

Now  you can track every little detail of your adventure on the mountain. Garmin Fenix 6 Pro solar offers all the mountain biking metrics and more. Besides the conventional metrics, it can also track specialized grit and flow measurement.

It will rate a difficulty for trail and how good you descended. So, you will have to mark to beat next time you go biking.

The sophistication of this watch did not stop it from being a rugged one. All the features and sophisticated technologies are packed inside a titanium stainless steel coated bezel.

It is also water 10 ATM water-resistant, which means you can go 100 meters deep when while diving. In short, when you go out with this, you won’t have to worry about it getting damaged.

This watch will not only determine your altitude but also come with a set of preloaded topological maps.

So, you will have a better understanding of the area all around you. Its multiple satellite navigation system (GLONASS, GPS, Galileo) will show your real-time position on these topological maps.

When using the watch in smartwatch mode you will get 14 days of battery life. In GPS only mode you will be able to use the watch for more than 30 hours at stretch. So, even if you plan to go biking for a few days the Garmin Fenix 6 Pro will not a limiting factor.

Pros

• Large and easy to read display
• Comes with excellent battery life, solar charging offers an extra boost
• Titanium finish makes it a watch for all occasions
• Accurately measures health parameters

Cons

• Shows only the first 15 characters of the course name

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2. Best For Daily Activities: Garmin 010-01769-11 Vívoactive 3

• Screen Size: 1.2 inch
• Input: Touchscreen
• Display: Garmin Chroma Display
• Battery Life: 7 days in smartwatch mode

If you want a watch that will be your daily companion alongside the hiking trips, then look further. It will make your regular days easier as it is considered as one of the best Garmin watch for cycling and running.

You will have countless free widgets, apps, and watch faces at your disposal. From the stock look, you will be able to make truly yours. There is so much room for experiments that your peers might get envious. In short, you will never get bored with this watch.

When biking it will constantly take measures of your different health parameters. From heart rate to VO2 monitor your vitals will always be under watch. This watch will also measure the amount of stress you are facing. So, you will be on top of things all the time while riding on the mountain.

This watch takes ease of access to whole another level. You can keep the watch connected to your phone and respond to notifications from your wrist. You can send SMS, email, access music from the wrist. Also, there is the option to let friends track you during biking with LiveTrack.

You will find a vibrant community once you connect to Garmin Connect. It not only preserves your data but also lets you share them with the world.

In this thriving community, you can take part in challenges and compete with other members. You will be able to share your triumphs and success via social media. In short, it will give you an incentive to work harder.

Pros

• Very comfortable to wear
• Sports features are very accurate
• Water-resistant and has an HR monitor
• Accurately tracks sleeping patterns

Cons

• Requires double tap on the screen to start a new lap

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3. Best For Health Monitoring: Garmin Venu Sq

• Screen Size: 1.3 inch
• Input: Touchscreen
• Display: AMOLED Display
• Battery Life: 6 days of battery life in smartwatch mode

This watch comes with many health monitoring features. This should be your pick if you are concerned about your well-being or working to get into shape.

This watch comes with an AMOLED display which is yet to enter the mainstream when it comes to smartwatches. Thanks to its stunning display you will get the notice of the minutest detail in almost all lighting conditions.

For the protection of this great display, Garmin used Gorilla Glass 3. So, you won’t be breaking the display anytime soon.

You will have a better understanding of what’s going on with your body once you put it into action. It takes measures of stress, sleep, body energy level, hydration, heart rate, and many more. Once you have all the data laid in front of you, you will be able to make better decisions when going through the mountain path.

Besides biking, you can make use of other 20 pre-loaded sports modes. It includes walking, running, swimming breathing, golf, etc.

When it comes to workout mode, it still shines. The workout mode includes cardio, yoga, pilates, strength, and more. This watch has almost everything covered when it comes to exercising.

Leave your phone at home as this watch can take care of your music cravings. Connect a wireless headphone with it and you are ready to enjoy your playlist through the standalone apps in the watch. Even if you forget to bring your phone, music will always be with you.

Pros

• Extremely comfortable and lightweight
• Health monitoring is accurate enough
• It lets you see or dismiss phone notifications
• Has a decent battery life

Cons

• This watch is a little bit more pricey

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4. Best For design: Garmin Vivoactive 4S

• Screen Size: 1.1 inch
• Input: Touchscreen
• Display: 218 x 218 pixels
• Battery Life: 7 days in smartwatch mode

Want to look stylish when biking? Want something that you can take to both mountain and formal parties? Well, look no more, this is the watch for you.

This watch comes with an extravagance set of health monitoring parameters. It has pulse Ox, hydration, stress, sleep, menstrual cycle, heart rate monitor, and more.

Once you put it on you will be on top of your fitness level. These features will be proven extremely useful in the harsh condition of the mountains.

The inclusion of an energy monitor takes the game to a whole new level. Now the watch not only knows how your body is doing but also can suggest a workout for you.

And, to do that it will monitor your energy level. Once you have the body’s energy level laid in front of you, you will have a better idea of when to get rest and get active.

When paired with compatible phones, this watch can prove to be a lifesaver. It can automatically detect incidents like falling. Then the watch can send your location to your contacts if needed. This feature will be very useful for those who like to bike solo.

Garmin has standalone apps for Spotify, Deezer, and Amazon Music. When paired with wireless headphones you can use the watch to listen to music. Using a watch to listen to music would help the battery of your phone as it will last longer. Also, you will get to enjoy a great deal of flexibility.

Pros

• GPS tracking is very accurate
• The battery lasts for a long time
• The touchscreen is very responsive
• Comes with a lot of features and widgets

Cons

• Not so good at sleep tracking

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5. Best For Intense Activities: Garmin Forerunner 745

• Screen Size: 1.2 inch
• Input: Touchscreen
• Display: 240 x 240 pixels
• Battery Life: 7 days in smartwatch mode

If you are someone who is into extreme sports besides mountain biking, then this watch will be a great match. It comes to a lot of features that makes it the best Garmin watch for cycling and hiking.

Let alone biking, this watch is compatible with running and swimming too. In that sense, you can consider this a triathlon watch.

During each of these activities, it works with multiple satellites to track your workout accurately. So, you will be presented with clear and concise data. Which will help you to locate areas that need improving.

Garmin Forerunner 745 comes with smart VO2 max. It indicates how much you are expected to perform with your current fitness level. When making the calculation it also takes altitude and heat into account. Depending on those calculations, this watch can suggest a cycling load that would be optimal for you.

If you pair a Garmin power meter with this watch, it will add a new dimension to your cycling experience. Besides using advanced training modes, you will also be able to make use of cycling dynamics. This way it will be easier for you to pinpoint which skill you are lacking and where to improve.

Another great thing about this piece it also calculates recovery time. The watch will let you know how much you have worked and how long you should rest before jumping into action again. It will be immensely helpful as you will be able to reduce the risk of getting to an injury.

Pros

• Great watch for triathlon
• Long-lasting battery life
• Decent at sleep tracking
• Recovery time indicates when you will be ready for your next workout

Cons

• Heart rate monitor behaves wobbly sometimes

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How To Choose The Garmin Watch (The Buying Guide)

GPS

We all have GPS on our phones right! Why would one need another GPS on his watch? Well, the reason is battery drain. Using GPS on phone for a longer period would consume a large chunk of battery.

Now when you are hiking in the middle of nowhere, a phone will be a lifesaver in case anything goes wrong. So, having the GPS on watch could be the difference between successfully finishing your mission or something worse.

Also, GPS on watches can track and record your movement better than phones as they are specifically designed to do this.

Water Resistance

Water-resistance is a must-have feature when you are looking for watches to go on hiking. The watch should be able to resist at least 10 meters underwater. When the situation demands, you might have to face rain splash to start swimming.

So, whatever the need of the moment is, your watch should be ready. Water-resistance is especially required if you ever wish to take part in a triathlon. 

Strava compatibility

Strava is hugely popular among cycling enthusiasts. This app has added a new dimension be it cycling as a hobby or a profession. Unless you are fine with missing out on all the features Strava bring to the table, the watch should be compatible with this app.

Garmin watches are a step ahead in this case as these watches are designed to make them fully compatible with the app. As a result, you will enjoy seamless connection and synchronization between the app and the watch.

Health Tracking

Being able to monitor your health in real-time while hiking, would help you to make wise decisions. With the support of advanced technologies, smartwatches now come with a heart rate monitor, irregular heart rate alert, SPO2 monitor, stress monitor, ECG monitor, and more.

Although these are not to be used for diagnostic, you will get a general direction of how your physique is doing. Then you can base your decision on those data.

Comfort

As the watches are coming with a long list of features, do not forget about this one core thing. The watch should be comfortable to have on your wrist. The belt should be made of resin or leather, whatever you feel comfortable with.

If the watch does not comfortably fit in, you will have an irritating hiking experience. As it is one of the more forgotten aspects, keep it in mind before finalizing your decision.

Battery Life

When it comes to battery life, the more capacity it has the better. Usually, most watches last around 30-40 hours when only GPS is used. There is an exception though, Fenix 6 pro can last 60 hours with GPS only mode.

The battery life would play an important role when it comes to biking duration. Although it is recommended to get a larger battery. In case you are 100% sure you would not need a larger battery then that would be fine too.

Display

It is immensely important that you can see the information on the watch no matter the condition. Especially, under direct sunlight, it often becomes harder to see what is on the display.

For this reason, you should pick a watch with a transflective display. These displays fare better than conventional LED and LCD displays when it comes to clear vision.

Also Read: Top 5 Best GPS Cycle Computer With Maps

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Conclusion

A Garmin watch is one of the few gadgets that will constantly prove itself to be useful when you go out on mountain biking. They come with a great list of features that will completely change your biking experience if used properly.

It is hard to pick just one which can be considered the best Garmin watch for mountain biking. Because they all some something unique and also overlaps with each other when it comes to features. All the watches on the list are battle-tested and you can pick any you see fit.