If you consider yourself a cyclist or want to get into the sport, there are tools out there that can help you including bicycle monitors. These devices have many tools that can help you get the most out of your ride.
Trying to search through the best bicycle monitors on the market isn’t an easy task. Fortunately, a lot of research has been done, and we have taken a look at these monitors for you.
By looking at five of the top bicycle monitors out there, we can give you full reviews, and our opinion on what bicycle monitor might be best for you, no matter how serious you are about the sport.
Bicycle Monitors Comparison Chart
| IMAGE | PRODUCT | |
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EDITOR'S CHOICE  |
1. Garmin Edge 520 Bike GPS
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RUNNER UP  |
2. LEZYNE Enhanced Super GPS Cycling Computer
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3. SY Bicycle Cycle Bike Computer
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Check Price |
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4. Planet Bike Protégé 9.0 Bike Computer
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Check Price |
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5. CAT EYE - Velo 9 Wired Bike Computer
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Our Bicycle Monitors Reviews
The Garmin Edge 520 is a great middle-of-the-road option for those who like the Garmin brand and who want to get a great bike monitor.
This monitor is highly reviewed, it is water rated, and when used with the heart rate and power monitors on, it can even report recovery time.
If you like to challenge yourself, you will love the in-ride challenges that are offered via live segments through Strava, too.
You can connect to your social media accounts, get call and text notifications, and of course, send and receive course data. This monitor also has a weather feature.
It works with both Android and Apple devices, and the display resolution is 200 x 265 pixels.
- Tracks time, distance, and speed using a wireless sensor: Yes
- ANT+ and Bluetooth–ANT+: Yes
- With GPS, Tracks speed, distance, time, and elevation: Yes
- Customizable screen option, uses a large LCD screen to display your performance: Yes
- Integrates with smartphone app: Yes
- Bluetooth communication: Yes
- LiveTracking, Strava live segments, turn-by-turn navigation: Yes
- LED indicators when zones are exceeded: No
- Electronic shifting integration: No
- Lightweight: Yes
- Battery life: 15 hours
- Mapping and navigation functionality: Yes
- Wireless capabilities: Yes
- Waterproof: Yes
- Accurate: Yes
- Easy to use: Yes
- Uses an accelerometer: Yes
- With incident detection: Yes
- Guided intervals and workouts: Yes
- WHAT I LIKE
- WHAT I DON'T LIKE
- Pros/cons overview
- VIDEO
2. LEZYNE Enhanced Super GPS Cycling Computer
The LEZYNE Enhanced Super GPS Cycling Computer has all of the basic GPS functions you are looking for along with much more. This device is one of the best bicycle monitors for both road and mountain bikers and is a favorite option for long-distance cyclists.
This device has a 24-hour run time, and it can definitely enhance the ride of any cyclist, from beginners to pros. It monitors heart rate, power, speed, and cadence, and it can receive notifications from your phone.
With Bluetooth and GPS capabilities, it also connects to the Strava app, and it has both turn-by-turn navigation and offline maps, for those situations where you might not have service.
- Tracks time, distance, and speed using a wireless sensor: Yes
- ANT+ and Bluetooth–ANT+: Yes
- With GPS, Tracks speed, distance, time, and elevation: Yes
- Customizable screen option, uses a large LCD screen to display your performance: Yes
- Integrates with smartphone app: Yes
- Bluetooth communication: Yes
- LiveTracking, Strava live segments, turn-by-turn navigation: Yes
- LED indicators when zones are exceeded: No
- Electronic shifting integration: No
- Lightweight: Yes
- Battery life: 24 hours
- Mapping and navigation functionality: Yes
- Wireless capabilities: Yes
- Waterproof: Yes
- Accurate: Yes
- Easy to use: Yes
- Uses an accelerometer: Yes
- With incident detection: No
- Guided intervals and workouts: No
- WHAT I LIKE
- WHAT I DON'T LIKE
- Pros/cons overview
- VIDEO
3. SY Bicycle Cycle Bike Computer
The SY Bicycle Cycle Bike Computer has an auto wake-up function that goes from sleep mode to on as soon as it detects motion.
It is small and lightweight, waterproof, and wireless. It measures distance, riding time, and speed.
The bright LCD is easy to see. It has a backlight that makes the display viewable even in low-light conditions and in darkness.
This device is a cinch to install, and it is customizable for accurate tracking of stats.
- Tracks time, distance, and speed using a wireless sensor: Yes
- ANT+ and Bluetooth–ANT+: No
- With GPS, tracks speed, distance, time, and elevation: No
- Customizable screen option, uses a large LCD screen to display your performance: No
- Integrates with smartphone app: No
- Bluetooth communication: No
- LiveTracking, Strava live segments, turn-by-turn navigation: No
- LED indicators when zones are exceeded: No
- Electronic shifting integration: No
- Lightweight: Yes
- Battery life: Three months
- Mapping and navigation functionality: No
- Wireless capabilities: No
- Waterproof: Yes
- Accurate: Yes
- Easy to use: Yes
- Uses an accelerometer: No
- With incident detection: No
- Guided intervals and workouts: No
- WHAT I LIKE
- WHAT I DON'T LIKE
- Pros/cons overview
- VIDEO
4. Planet Bike Protégé 9.0 Bike Computer
The Planet Bike Protégé 9.0 Bike Computer comes with nine different functions including ride time, dual odometer, max speed, average speed, distance, and temperature.
The easy-to-read MacroMonitorTM LCD has a large font and displays five pieces of data at once.
The mounting hardware is included. You will get a bracket and mounting kit, as well as one CR2032 battery.
- Tracks time, distance, and speed using a wireless sensor: Yes
- ANT+ and Bluetooth–ANT+: No
- With GPS, Tracks speed, distance, time, and elevation: No
- Customizable screen option, uses a large LCD screen to display your performance: No
- Integrates with smartphone app: No
- Bluetooth communication: No
- LiveTracking, Strava live segments, turn-by-turn navigation: No
- LED indicators when zones are exceeded: No
- Electronic shifting integration: No
- Lightweight: Yes
- Battery life: Three months
- Mapping and navigation functionality: No
- Wireless capabilities: No
- Waterproof: Yes
- Accurate: Yes
- Easy to use: Yes
- Uses an accelerometer: No
- With incident detection: No
- Guided intervals and workouts: No
- WHAT I LIKE
- WHAT I DON'T LIKE
- Pros/cons overview
5. CAT EYE - Velo 9 Wired Bike Computer
The Cat Eye Velo Wired Bike Computer shows stats like trip distance, total distance, maximum, current, and average speed, calories burned, pace arrow, elapsed time, and carbon offset, as well as displays the current time.
When the bike stops, the tracking stops when using this device.
The battery lasts up to three years.
- Tracks time, distance, and speed using a wireless sensor: Yes
- ANT+ and Bluetooth–ANT+: No
- With GPS, tracks speed, distance, time, and elevation: No
- Customizable screen option, uses a large LCD screen to display your performance: No
- Integrates with smartphone app: No
- Bluetooth communication: No
- LiveTracking, Strava live segments, turn-by-turn navigation: No
- LED indicators when zones are exceeded: No
- Electronic shifting integration: No
- Lightweight: Yes
- Battery life: Three months
- Mapping and navigation functionality: No
- Wireless capabilities: No
- Waterproof: Yes
- Accurate: Yes
- Easy to use: Yes
- Uses an accelerometer: No
- With incident detection: No
- Guided intervals and workouts: No
- WHAT I LIKE
- WHAT I DON'T LIKE
- Pros/cons overview
- VIDEO
Final Verdict
After taking a look at several devices, we were able to make a determination on which of these reigns supreme when looking at the best bicycle monitors out there: the Garmin Edge 520.
This was the first monitor that we reviewed, and we knew that the other would really need to step it up if they were going to beat this amazing monitor. Sure, it has a few considerations, most notably its small storage space, but all-in-all, it is a fabulous device.
It is on the expensive side, though, so if you are looking for something a bit more affordable, consider the Cat Eye Velo. With a price tag of just less than $40, you get all of the basics in a compact, well-designed bike monitor.
Buyer’s Guide
What Sort of Cycling Monitor is Right for You?
When you are in the market for one of these monitors, you definitely need to consider your needs. As you can see from the monitors we have reviewed, some of them are quite simple, while others are very advanced.
If you are someone who is riding 100 miles a week, one of the basic monitors might not be the best for you. However, if you are riding a few miles a day around town or you are a weekend warrior, the basic monitors might be perfect.
How Much Do You Need to Spend?
You really don’t need to spend hundreds of dollars on a bicycle monitor if you are only looking for a simple tracker. However, the ones with maps, GPS, and other advanced features will be more expensive than the ones that just track distance, speed, etc. So, you have to think about what you want and need from the device to determine what you want to spend.
