Triathlon Watch – What I Would Buy For Xmas 2015

Well I’ve already got a 920XT. It’s complicated; it’s a love hate thing.

But what if I had all my gear stolen tomorrow? I was wondering what triathlon watch I would buy for Xmas 2015. I’d be interested to hear your choices.

Option 1: Multi-watch

My first option now would probably be to go for multi-watch solution. One for running and one for cycling. I’d want the cycling watch to be able to handle power data display and straightforward map-based navigation.

If money was no object I would get the following:

wahoo elemnt
wahoo elemnt
  • Garmin Forerunner 630 for running and
  • the Wahoo ELEMNT for cycling.
  • I’d also go for the 4iiii Viiiiva V100 HRM strap. I think that the imminent firmware release for that will support caching whilst underwater. So their app would handle the relatively basic needs I have for swimming.
  • Even if I went open water swimming I’d probably just use the 630 as a stopwatch and not worry about GPS or heart rate.
  • I’d buy a Garmin footpod and
  • I’d buy a Favero bePRO (dual sided) power meter.
  • The bePro would also give me bike cadence.
  • If I were to get a Turbo trainer it would be the WAHOO KICKR.
4iiii Viiiva V100 Heart Rate Monitor Bridge
4iiii Viiiva V100 Heart Rate Monitor Bridge

If the insurance company didn’t pay out and I was ON A BUDGET, here’s what I ‘d go for

  • I’d get a Polar M450 and maybe
  • A Polar M400 which is quite pretty and good value at just over £100 and does the basics
  • I’d go for a REALLY cheap turbo trainer and then still buy a
  • 4iiii Viiiiva V100 HRM strap (dual-band, ANT+ to Bluetooth SMART bridge).
  • Even if I went open water or pool swimming I’d probably just use the 630 as a stopwatch and not worry about GPS or fancy metrics.
  • I’d buy a footpod (Garmin’s should work via the 4iiii to the M400) and
  • Favero bePRO (dual sided) power meter, this would negate any issues of resistance control faff on the turbo.
  • The bePro would also give me bike cadence and the Viiiiva would let the Polar read the data.
Favero bePRO Power Meter Pedals - MTB
Favero bePRO Power Meter Pedals – MTB

Option 2: Single-watch

It’s a toss up now between the 920Xt and the V800. Maybe the Suunto, not the TomTom. I’d probably go for the prettier and more wearable black Polar V800 although, when working, the 920XT’s feature list is more extensive. Having said that, the very expensive HRM-TRI bundle with the grey 920XT would be tempting if I had £500/>$500 to blow after a lottery win.

On a budget the Garmin 310XT is sometimes about £110/$130 (Black Friday soon!!)and hard to beat.

Polar V800 -
Polar V800 – M400

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4 thoughts on “Triathlon Watch – What I Would Buy For Xmas 2015

  1. I’ve got the m400 and really wish I hadn’t wasted my money on it. I’ve had nothing but trouble with it and it’s really not good for triathlon based training. I wish I’d invested in the garmin first off!

    1. Same here (my GF and me)… we had a lot of trouble with the M400 (crashing polar app, tons of syncing issues, bad usb port, …). We both tossed the watch after some month.

      1. fair enough about the usb port. it’s a bit hard to get to and the connection is flaky with the cable sometimes. other than that it’s been pretty good for me.

  2. My budget solution would be…
    – a Fenix 3 bundle (better for daily use/training scenarios)
    – BePro Powermeter
    – Footpod (with upcoming FW the F3 gets instant pace too)
    – Elite Turbo Muin (the version without “REAL”; cheap and not that noisy)

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