Why Im still using the Garmin 920xt

Hey guys! As you know the Garmin 920xt is a very old model by now. We’ve got the 935 and the 945 which just got released this year. And even though I’ve used the 935 and Fenix 3 HR for quite a while, I’m still using the 920xt and heres why.

Firstly, It’s all I need actually. And its the cheapest watch with all the triathlon features I needed. There was a a period of time I upgraded to the 935 and it was amazing not having the need for a HR strap anymore. But I sold it for a little profit and went back to using the 920xt with the HR strap since the 920xt doesnt have an optical HR monitor.

Going back to the HR strap was not a big issue for me especially since its said the strap is more accurate than the wrist sensors. And even pros are still using the old school HR straps over the optical sensors.

Did I mention the price? In 2019, you can get the 920xt for less than $200 used. When it came out in 2015 it was over $550! It was the best watch at that time because it was the first watch with a colored screen and locks GPS super quick. So I’m enjoying all these benefits all for a heavily discounted price after waiting for so long.

I actually think the 920xt is better than the 935 in some areas. The 935 will automatically save your activity after 20mins of inactivity. But if youre having a coffee break and ride after that, you will end up with separate activities. That was quite annoying when I had the 935. I read on the forum you can only increase the standby time but it will still auto save if you dont start the workout again. So I pressed start and stop just to refresh the timer when I needed a longer break. The 920xt on the other hand, will not auto save your activity and you can take your time at the cafe and ride again.

Unfortunately, my Fenix 3 HR Sapphire died. It was a slow, painful death. It began by a small dead pixel and slowly that pixel turned into a line and after a few weeks, the whole screen was dead. Forums say I needed to dry it since water had went in. But it didnt work. Probably got a bad copy of the watch. But I’d used it for a good period of time.

That wasnt the first watch which died on me. I’ve had the 910xt which died too. Twice. Anyway the 920xt so far has held up well, including a crash. And although its scratched and probably not re-sellable, hopefully it will serve me for many more years to come.

It’s the perfect watch for me and I’m not in need for the latest craziest stuff. And from someone who has lost 2 910xts and a Fenix 3 HR, I told myself I’m not gonna spend over $300 bucks on a watch anymore. I’d wait for the 935 to come down below $300 and maybe then I’d consider.

So my reply to anyone asking for a budget starter watch for triathlon, I’d easily recommend the 920xt. It’s a steal right now and it will only get cheaper as new models come out.

Let me know watch you wear, is it a Garmin or another brand?

How to do Triathlon on the budget!

As we all know, triathlon is an expensive sport, race fees, bike, suits, etc. So these are my own ideas and tips on how I save money in triathlon.

1. Second hand Items

Its mostly everything I have including the sworks sl3 bike i have, speedo wetsuit, shoes, treadmill, garmin.

These are the best deals I had:

• Sworks 5 shoe used – $50
• Garmin edge 810 – $75
• Sworks sl3 – $900
• Powertap powermeter – $250

2. Aliexpress

Sometimes aliexpress can have some oem stuff which is perfect for thrifty people like me. I got a few cycling jerseys from there, oem spd cleats, bar tape, and USB lights.

The lights cost $1.85 sgd and they feel super cheap and may break anytime but its still working. For that price, id buy again.

I also bought a pair of knock off 100% sunglasses from aliexpress. Looks exactly the same. Dope.

3. Decathlon

Decathlon actually has a lot of affordable stuff. Their aero jersey and bibs are very comfortable and around the $50 for each.

My running socks are from decathlon- Kalenji and they are super comfortable. Will definitely buy again and again.

Their running race singlet and shorts are on my watchlist. They are super light and cheap! If it was nike or adidas it would probably be sold for 10x more.

But, there are the stuff I probably would buy elsewhere- shoes (id stick to the known brands), bikes, helmets as well.

4. Dont buy the latest stuff

I always wait for the new items to get released and then I will search the 2nd hand market for the previous years model.

For example, Ill never buy a Garmin watch off the shelf. The 945 just came out and so I just bought the 935 watch for super cheap! If I want to sell it again I could possibly earn $50.

Same thing for shoes and other equipment.

5. My race fees are covered.

One of the perk in joining the university’s aquathlon team is that many multisport races are totally free for me. Ill have to pay first to register and they will reimburse me at a later date.

Sometimes, race organisers give our club free slots too. Like trifactor RunSwimRun.

I am also in the university’s run team and I get to race track events for free too! Oh yes, every year I get a free race singlet as well! Yay!

Fortunately, I am also in the Triathlon Association of Singapore (TAS) and they sponsor my overseas trips and races. Some fully subsidized and some partially subsidized.

However, if I want to race Ironmans, the money is all from the parents.

6. Keeping watch on the 2nd hand market.

Not just buying 2nd hand stuff, but keeping watch of the price depreciation as well. Like looking at stock prices, Ill check the 2nd hand pages for deals and get a good sense of whether to buy or sell too.

7. Save money on subscriptions

Unfortunately Im not able to enjoy the benefits of Zwift, Trainingnpeaks, Trainer Road, Sufferfest etc. As well as get coaches to plan workouts and give tips to me.

Unfortunately being money crunched does not really allow me to splash my cash that way. Even though it may reap lots more benefits than training alone.

A personal coach would cost maybe $100 a month. Would also consider Triathlon Taren coaching plans in the future too (:

8. Run, cycle commutes.

Im pretty surprised on how much money it has saved me.

I used to spend about $50 a month on transport. Now, I cycle or run to school (3.8km away) and save that $50 every month!

However, I still have to take the mrt or bus when its raining outside.

9. Use stuff until they are broken

Why throw away stuff if they are still working? I will always use stuff until they are truly broken.

10. Only buying what I need.

This is part of the decision process when i make a purchase.

For example, sometimes there are sales for 50% discount or more. But since I already have the item, theres no point buying more. There is no additional benefit to me.

If its super cheap, I may purchase it to sell it at a small profit.

Thats all, thanks for reading!

How To Choose The RIGHT GARMIN Watch For You

Well its the time of year again.

My faithful Garmin Fenix 3 HR has met her end.

Now i’ve lived 4 days without recording any swim and run activities. The pain of not seeing numbers hurts. Tangible pain. I’ve had thoughts of impulse buying the latest and greatest Fenix 5s already.

But I don’t want another $450 wasted again. Its time to review my needs vs wants of a multi sport watch Garmin makes.

As of June 2018, Garmin makes:

• Fenix 5 – $600
• Fenix 5x – $850 (amazon sells for cheaper :https://amzn.to/2NmGPhV)
• Fenix 5s – $600
• Fenix 3 HR – $380
• Fenix 3 – $250
• Fenix 2 – $180
• Original Fenix
• 935xt – $500
• 920xt – $200
• 910xt – $70
• 735xt – $340
• 645 – $500
• 635 – $450
• 630 – $400
• 620 – $130
• 235 – $280
• 230 – $260
• 225 – $150
• 220 – $100
• 35 – $250
• 15 – $100
• 10 – $60
• Vivoactive – $90
• Vivoactive 3 – $300 (you can find it on amazon here)

For Beginners, the bigger number means the more high up it is in the Garmin range. When you see “Fenix” Means you can get ready to spend a lot more money. Fenix watches are metal built, more durable, better battery and also more stylish. Perhaps you can say they are gamins luxury range of watches.

Basic Running Watches

They are the Garmin forerunner 10, forerunner 15, and forerunner 35.

These watches only have GPS function, so they are only able to tell you time, pace, distance (gps related settings) only.

Well, it might seem like thats enough but these watches forgo ANT+ platform where heart rate features/ Cadence/ Power functions are available.

But with the forerunner 35, it has wrist Heart rate so you don’t need a heart rate strap. Perfect for a quick and simple run.

But they are great as a second watch (when your main watch breaks), or if you just wanna run light.

Mid Tier Running Watches.

These typically start with a ‘2’ in front: 220, 225, 230, 235. And when you see a “5” at the back, means that the watch has an optical heart rate sensor. (No need a heart rate strap)

The difference between these and the basic running watches is that gps tend to load quicker, you get ANT+ and all its capabilities, customisable data screens and more.

They are a huge step up to the basic watches and for some, these watches are their Go-To watches to run in.

However, they come in a plastic build, prone to knocks and scratches, but makes it very light too.

Battery life is ample but not fantastic.

If you are looking to do intervals, these watches do not have a lap function. Which means you have to start and stop your watch and save the interval every time. (Or everything could be just one long run)

Its good for a watch to record lap times because when you upload it to Garmin connect or strava, you can see your times for each lap there.

And thats where the “600” range comes in.

Garmin’s Top Tier Running Watches

These are the 620, 630, 635, 645. They are fantastic watches for running. They track fast, accurate, light weight and all the capabilities you would want.

Including VO2 Max score, race predictions, Treadmill running, Lap function. And of course ANT+ with all its capabilities.

I know a triathlete who still uses a 620 and a heart rate monitor for all his run workouts. (He’s got an Edge 500 for bike and he does’t use a watch for swimming)

Buts thats exactly it- I need a watch while swimming. Pure swimmer may scoff at the level of professionalism. But in reality not every pool has a pool clock, and id much rather upload the data online so I could actually see numbers getting better. (not just by feel)

Thats why Ill go for a triathlon watch.

Garmin’s Triathlon Watches.

These are the 735xt, 910xt, 920xt, 935, and all the fenix series.

Only the 910xt, 920xt does NOT have a built in HR into the watch, so to get HR function, you’ll need a heart rate strap. I had the 910xt for years and unfortunately it died on me during a swim. It was everything I needed, but not wanted. Awesome watch.

Okay the difference between triathlon watches and running watches is obviously the triathlon feature. And not just swim, bike, run. You can customise the activities too. For example im only doing a Bike run, I can change the settings on my watch for the watch to transition to run without going out to the main menu.

So thats awesome when I do my Saturday Swim Run training.

Ive had the 735xt. It was perfect except had just enough battery life. I sold it and got the Fenix 3 HR. It was also perfect. HAHA but it died. And was double the weight of the 735xt too 😦

To be honest, if you are looking for a basic triathlon watch, go for the 735xt.

If you need better battery, go for everything else.

If you need a solid build, (the plastics on the 900 series are hard plastics) go for the fenix series. (Metal construction)

If you want light weight, DONT go for the fenix series.

If you want the all of the above, go for the 935!

Oh…. But the price…. 😥

Vivoactive Series

I had the original vivoactive. And now theres the new vivoactive 3.

This series to me is more of the “Those who want to live an active lifestyle, not as crazy as triathletes”

It has triathlon features too. But in my experience, the toned down buttons, simple design makes it harder to navigate through screens and it does not have a lap function.

But in fact, the vivoactive has probably more features than you would expect.

It may be something ill consider since the watch is rather stylish. (Because of a more lifestyle approach)

Back to the Drawing Board

OK, Now what features of a watch I definitely need?

• Triathlon feature – Upon pressing the lap button switches between sports.
• Swimming pool counting – To be able to count my laps accurately
• Treadmill running – The watch has accelerometers and whatever sensors that can track running on the treadmill
• Good Battery Life – Able to last a half ironman 5-6h recording with GPS
• Bluetooth – YES uploading without the ANT+ Dongle!

Features that are nice to have:

• VO2 Max Calculator – Always nice to see this number increasing
• Estimated Recovery – I find that its pretty accurate after Im finished with the workout
• Wrist Heart Rate – not as reliable as a heart rate strap. Sometimes im at zone 2 while sprinting. haha
• Separate Lap Button – My 910xt has this and it was a dream to run intervals with.
• Time of Day with SECONDS during activity mode – My Fenix 3 does not have it, so I need another watch to tell my rest intervals
• Light weight – the Fenix 3 was twice as heavy as the 735xt

However, I really want to spend only $200 to $300 on another watch.

Another alternative is that I could buy a running watch and forgo the swimming altogether & use the pool clock.

Im thinking of settling on the Fenix 3 (no HR) or the 920xt or the 735xt. Their prices are quite reasonable as well since they’ve been out in the market for quite a while already:

Fenix 3: https://amzn.to/2MM2Yor

920xt: https://amzn.to/2lSomgE

735: https://amzn.to/2z4vK1V

I hope this gave you a better understanding of what Garmin offers, I know its quite brief but I don’t want to put all the statistics over here.

Thanks for reading! What will your next Garmin watch be?

 

How Much Faster Are Aero Wheels? – Cycling Weekly

This is one of my favourite youtube videos which actually show how much of a speed difference aero wheels make. This made me search for a pair of aero wheels myself. If you haven’t seen the Youtube Video by Cycling Weekly, click on the picture below:

Here, Dr Hutchinson, a world class cyclist, test a set of standard box clinchers, deep section carbon rims and finally the trispoke disc combination. If you don’t want to watch the video for their results, here it is:

The test ran the Mavic R-SYS SLR Box section rims through 200W and 300W for an controlled time frame. The speeds were 30.7kmh and 36.4kmh respectively.

After which the deeper carbon rims of the ENVE SMART 4.5s were put through the test too. The speeds were 32.7kmh and 38.6kmh respectively. In English means that you are going 2kmh faster at the same effort (200W) just by swapping wheels, and 2.2kmh faster at 300W!!! Now for the big guns:

For the last test they ran the HED GT3 TRISPOKE and the LIGHTWEIGHT AUTOBAHN DISC at the same 200W and 300W. The speeds were 33.1kmh and 39.6kmh respectively.

Thats truly impressive.

So the trispoke and disc is faster than the mavic by 2.4kmh (0.4kmh faster than the ENVEs) at 200W. At 300W however, it beat the mavics by 3.2kmh!!! (AND A WHOLE KMH FASTER THAN THE ENVES!!!)

This also shows that the most value upgrade you may get in terms of money spent on speed is by changing your box section rims to deeper carbon ones.

And thats what I have done, and I have to say it was a world of difference.

However, I don’t see myself riding a trispoke or carbon disc wheel anytime soon. They are EXPENSIVE. Im super happy with what I have now. 🙂

Plus,some races don’t allow disc wheels to be ridden, like Ironman Kona for example.

Thanks a lot for reading this!