How to Go from Simple Ride Tracking to Purposeful Training
08.09.2026
Reading time: 4 minutes
If you already ride with a Garmin smartwatch, you know how valuable the data and features available on and off the bike can be. But you want to beat yesterday.
That's where the rest of the Garmin cycling ecosystem comes in. When you track and record cycling activities with a smartwatch, you get the essential ride data. But we recommend maximising your rides with radars and lights, a bike computer, power meters and an indoor trainer.
Here's why – and how – each of these products can improve your time on the bike.
Ride with a dedicated bike computer
Ride with an Edge bike computer and a smartwatch to get the most out of your rides.
Riding with an Edge® bike computer gives you a better cycling experience. In addition to tracking speed and distance, you can navigate more easily right from your handlebars, get alerts about traffic hazards and much more. You can also broadcast your heart rate from a compatible smartwatch or CIRQA™ Smart Band - to your compatible Edge bike computer, so you can stay on top of your performance and track recovery, health, sleep and more off the bike.
Whether you're a gravel, road or commuter cyclist, there's an Edge GPS bike computer for everyone to help you track and navigate your ride – to name just a few:
Edge Explore 2: Reliable and easy to use, the Edge Explore 2 includes turn-by-turn directions, ride-type-specific maps, smart notifications and much more.
Edge 550 and 850: these bike computers give you dynamic performance monitoring, Garmin Coach training plans, excellent cycling-specific navigation and mapping and much more – all on a bright, vivid and compact display.
Edge 1050: Our premium flagship Edge 1050 offers a vibrant touchscreen and battery life of up to 20 hours in demanding use and up to 60 hours in battery saver mode. You also get advanced performance tracking and training features, plus smart features that help connect you with your cycling community.
Ride with safety-enhancing cycling gear that can increase awareness
Creating a safer riding environment, making you more visible to drivers and letting you see them approaching – that's exactly what Garmin rearview radars and smart lights do, all designed with safety in mind.
Varia™ RearVue 820: this powerful, accurate and reliable radar and tail light offers a wide field of view to detect vehicles approaching from behind. For visual and audible alerts while riding, pair it with the Varia™ smartphone app, compatible Edge bike computers or select Garmin smartwatches (which also provide voice alerts about approaching vehicles), helping you stay more alert on the road. When connected, riders can see the size and movement of vehicles on their Edge or in the Varia smartphone app. Drivers sharing the road can see the tail light and brake lights from up to 2 kilometres (1.24 miles) away.
Varia Vue: This headlight camera records forward-facing video in 4K resolution (memory card required; sold separately) and automatically saves video to the device when an incident is detected. With 5 bright light modes and automatic brightness control, Varia Vue helps you see the road ahead. You can even control the camera and headlight settings from your compatible Garmin bike computer or the Varia smartphone app.
With a Garmin smartwatch such as the Venu® X1, cyclists can view Varia RearVue 820 alerts on their wrist.
Ride while tracking your effort with Rally™ power meters
Power data helps improve your training when you're ready to take your rides to the next level. When cycling with a power meter, compatible Garmin devices estimate your functional threshold power (FTP). This key performance metric helps guide your efforts, optimise training intensity and track changes in your cycling performance over time.
If you want to add power data and more to your rides, you're in the right place. Garmin power meter pedals are highly accurate and versatile, and easy to move between bikes and pedal bodies, so you can track your effort on every ride. Plus, when you track your training with a power meter, an Edge bike computer and a smartwatch (or a heart rate monitor), Garmin Cycling Coach helps you train to reach your goals.
Rally 110 and 210: Track your data, such as power, cadence and more, in real time when you pair your Rally power meter with a compatible Edge device. If you choose our dual-sensing Rally 210 power meter, you can also unlock advanced cycling dynamics, including left/right balance, seated and standing time and more, on select Garmin devices or in the Garmin Connect™ app after your ride.
With a Tacx indoor trainer, you can keep your training on track all year round.
Ride indoors with a Tacx® bike trainer
When it's time to ride indoors, stay on track with your training goals by riding freely or following a ride on a Tacx bike trainer. When you connect your Garmin sports device to the trainer, your device can automatically control the trainer's resistance during your workout.
Tacx NEO 2T: for a powerful, highly accurate and virtually silent ride, choose the Tacx NEO 2T smart trainer. Connect to training platforms such as the Tacx Training™ app and Zwift to experience a true road feel, such as on cobblestones, gravel and more.
Tacx NEO 3M : exceptionally quiet, immersive and powerful, the Tacx NEO 3M smart trainer features built-in motion plates for comfort and realism. Our most accurate trainer can handle sprints of up to 2,200 watts and climbs of up to 25%, and comes with a pre-installed cassette that fits most modern bikes.
Keep riding with a smartwatch on your wrist
All of these products work closely with your smartwatch to help you get the most out of your training.
On compatible smartwatches, training features – including training readiness and free personalised Garmin Coach cycling training plans – help you take your training to the next level. Keep safety in mind with LiveTrack™ location sharing, which shares your rides with selected contacts in the Garmin Connect app, and incident detection, which sends your real-time location to your emergency contacts when an incident is detected.
Off the bike, you can track your cross-training, making every moment count. With 24/7 health and fitness monitoring on your Garmin smartwatch, you get key features such as Body Battery™ energy monitoring, sleep tracking, recovery time and much more.
With our cycling products, smartwatches and the Garmin Connect app, you can get the most out of your rides. When you're ready to take your cycling experience to a new level, choose Garmin.
