Garmin and iBike Sensors Interchangeable?

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oldfartrunner
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Garmin and iBike Sensors Interchangeable?

Post by oldfartrunner »

I can see from the answer to another question that the iBike can read the iBike sensors (I assume you mean the Garmin's cadence, speed and heart rate).

Does anyone know if the Garmins can read the iBike speed and cadence sensors?
John Evans
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racerfern
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Re: Garmin and iBike Sensors Interchangeable?

Post by racerfern »

Garmin does not read the iBike sensors.
Fernando
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lorduintah
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Re: Garmin and iBike Sensors Interchangeable?

Post by lorduintah »

The Garmin GSC-10 can be purchased for much less than MSRP of $60. Then you just need magnets on the wheel and crank arm. Your iBike will read the output - with the Garmin upgrade you can send the power information to a Edge 705. I forget if the Garmin upgrade is needed just for the GSC - but probably is since the SpdCad is one unit. The iBike reads the HRM - same one as the Garmin.

For training, the iBike alone is all you would need. With a Garmin you can map out the routes and select potions of it for analysis based on location not just miles in. So you can geographically recall what you were riding through, on or around when your performance was different or of interest. The Garmin is also useful for those who take random rides and get lost - you have a GPS on board to get home and you can also set up routes to do relative training on the same route day after day and see where you sometimes slow down (or speed up) relative to previous rides.) The Garmin does not keep track of the wind impact on your ride.

The down side is the cost for both and then you have two units to lug around - only the iBike has to be mounted as others have already commented on.

By now most of this is well known to the iBike community :D

Tom
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racerfern
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Re: Garmin and iBike Sensors Interchangeable?

Post by racerfern »

lorduintah wrote:only the iBike has to be mounted as others have already commented on.
Tom
Be careful where you don't mount the 705. In your back pocket it will have trouble picking up HR and Power signals. Your body gets in the way of the signal. I just took my 705 off the bars and put it at the very front of the top tube. So far so good.
Fernando
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lorduintah
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Re: Garmin and iBike Sensors Interchangeable?

Post by lorduintah »

I did the same to mine this last week. No issues on the top tube.

Tom
oldfartrunner
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Re: Garmin and iBike Sensors Interchangeable?

Post by oldfartrunner »

Thanks for the replies. I am a triathlete and had been using Polar S625x to record my swimming workouts (using lap count for distance) and with the Polar speed/distance pod for running workouts and with Polar's wireless speed and cadence sensors for the bike workouts.

I was spoiled with Polar's soft elastic fabric style heart rate strap and have been reluctant to using the hard plastic heart rate strap that came with my iBike. And I did not want to have separate heart rate straps for cycling versus swim and runs. Searching around I was only able to find Garmin as an ANT style heart rate strap. As Garmin is coming out with a soft style heart rate strap I will probably be making the transition to Garmin for my swim and run workouts while using the Garmin heart rate strap with the iBike for my cycling workouts.

I have been happy with iBike's wireless speed and cadence sensors as they transmit further and are more robust than the Polar sensors. I guess there is really no need for the Garmin to read the bike's speed and cadence sensors as the IBike can pick up the Heart Rate so iBike has everything except the GPS plot from the ride. Since the iBike is already giving me hill slope data, I don't feel I am missing much without the recording of a map of where I rode.

And you are right. The upscale Garmin 705 is nice for the maps but if I need to know where I am I can always pull out my iPhone and get the map. It looks like the Garmin Forerunner 310XT with the optional soft heart rate strap will work best for the Triathlete using the iBike for cycling.

Too bad there is not a Triathlete Category in the iBIke forum to exchange information on.
John Evans
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Re: Garmin and iBike Sensors Interchangeable?

Post by Velocomp »

We now have a slightly renamed forum for Triathletes and time trial people:

http://www.ibikeforum.com/viewforum.php?f=27
John Hamann
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lorduintah
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Re: Garmin and iBike Sensors Interchangeable?

Post by lorduintah »

If you have an iPhone, you can use the MapMyRide application for a review of your routes.

Tom
dutchy_42
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Re: Garmin and iBike Sensors Interchangeable?

Post by dutchy_42 »

Hi,

I purchased a 310XT Forerunner last week and have had no problems getting it to pair with the Ibike sensors.
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