After the popular ‘everything you ever wanted to know’ post I did back this winter on the footpod, I decided it was time to continue the series with the Speed/Cadence sensor. Thankfully, the speed/cadence sensor is actually a bit less mysterious than the footpod, primarily because it’s a very mathematically simple device (unlike the footpod which calculates distance based on a number of calibrated factors).
So let’s start out – what exactly is it?
Well, there’s actually three different ANT+ sensor types related to this area, which align to the three different official ANT+ sensor device profiles for speed & cadence sensors. You have:
1) Speed Only Sensor: This unit uses a wheel sensor and magnet that’s mounted on the frame with a magnet on the rear wheel to measure speed and distance. Because the wheel circumference is known (manually entered, or calibrated via GPS), each time the magnet passes the sensor a simple mathematical calculation can be made to determine overall speed and distance.
2) Cadence Only Sensor: This unit uses a cadence sensor on your frame and a magnet on your crank to measure cadence. The crank is the arm that the pedal connects to (and in turn, your cleat then shoe then foot). Each time your crank arm passes the sensor a single revolution is recorded.
3) Speed/Cadence Combo Sensor: This is by far the most popular type. This unit type sends both speed and cadence information wirelessly to the head unit, and does so usually using a single device (either one piece physically or two small pieces connected via wire) mounted near the rear wheel. It’s simply a combination of the first two unit types I noted.
Each of these different devices uses a different ANT+ ‘profile’ type, which means that just because a device supports one profile type, doesn’t mean it’ll support the other types. The combo sensor type was the oldest, and is the most widely supported. I know of no ANT+ devices that fail to support it. Meanwhile, the speed-only and cadence-only sensor types are newer and far less supported. For example, the Garmin FR305 doesn’t support these newer ANT+ profiles.
What do I mean by ANT+ profiles/device types? Well, every ANT+ device has a profile, think of it like a ‘classification’. There are ANT+ Heart Rate Straps (HRM Device Profile), Power Meters (PWR Meter device profile) and others. There are even new profiles coming for data streams like Skin Surface Temperature and Electric Bikes (LEV). Each of these is simply a standard identifying a device, as without standards ANT+ as a ecosystem wouldn’t work too well.
Speed/Cadence Sensors:
For most folks, the most common Speed/Cadence sensor is the $35 Garmin GSC-10. Without question it’s the Microsoft Office of the ANT+ world – almost everyone has it. This simply has three pieces. The first is the spoke magnet (seen left), then the cadence magnet (seen right), and finally the electronics pod mounted to your frame that has two magnet sensors capturing both speed (upper moving arm off unit) and cadence (lower right side of unit).
But there are others that have created Speed/Cadence combo sensors as well, most with slightly differing designs. Some of these designs are meant to solve certain bike frame configurations where the GSC-10 doesn’t work well by using a small wire to bridge a separate pieces for the speed and cadence data. This gives more flexible installation options Ultimately the unit combines the data together though so it shows up at an ANT+ combo sensor. For example, below is the Wahoo Fitness combo sensor:
I suppose the above picture probably deserves some explanation (I generally feel any photos with cutting devices probably do). The Wahoo sensor is in the middle about to get snipped, as I was redoing the cabling to play around the idea of extending the short cable in the middle to accommodate a recumbent bike. I never did get a bike to test with, though conceptually it’s pretty simple and worked just fine on my desk (albeit in a very non-weatherproofed sorta way):
Speed Only and Cadence Only Sensors:
Next we have those units that are either speed sensors or cadence sensors…but not both. These sensors are dedicating to delivering either speed data, or cadence data. They can’t do both, and can only measure what they are designed for (meaning, you can’t use a speed sensor to measure cadence). The most common reason people by these sensors over combo sensors is if their bike has a specific configuration that the combo sensor won’t fit. In particular, these are more popular with unique bikes like recumbent and tandem bikes.
Here for example, is a speed-only sensor from Bontrager:
Bontrager also makes a speed sensor that mounts directly into the fork as well, similar to the frame mounted sensors noted below in the next section.
Bontrager also makes a cadence-only sensor, though, these are generally harder to find simply because the demand is so low for them.
In both of these situations these singular-function sensors require that the ANT+ head unit supports the single-function device profiles.
Newer bike computers like the Edge 500 and Edge 800 do – but many older units do not, so it’s something to keep in mind.
Frame Integrated Speed/Cadence Sensors:
The last category of speed/cadence sensors out there is the frame integrated sensors. Technically from an ANT+ standpoint this is merely a speed/cadence combo sensor. And today, only one company makes them – Bontrager – as part of their Duotrap line. And further, today only one bike frame vendor support these – Trek.
That said, for those that have these bikes – these are awesome. The pod simply fits right into the bike. I installed one of these on The Girl’s back this past winter…really cool stuff.
Here’s what it looks like installed into a Trek Speed Concept:
As you can see above, the design is incredibly streamlined – and perhaps more importantly, not susceptible to getting bumped out of alignment.
Power Meter Speed/Cadence Information:
Finally, it should be mentioned that most cycling power meters will include either speed information, cadence information, or both.
The type of data gathered by these power meters will vary based on how the specific power meter measures its power data. That in turn drives whether or not speed or cadence data is determined – and if so – whether it’s measured or calculated (estimated).
Take for example crank based power meters (like Quarq and SRM).
These power meters use magnets to determine cadence – it simply measures each revolution of your crank (the thing your foot ultimately connects to). Here’s an example of a Quarq Power Meter, with the magnet visible below, attached to a small metal ring near the bottom bracket (taken looking straight down onto the crank & chain rings from above):
Then you’ve got other crank power meters like Power2Max, which doesn’t actually use magnets at all – but rather uses mathematical equations to determine your cadence based on other known variables. In this case, these calculations are usually given a specific cadence range they are accurate to. For example, the Power2Max is specified as 30 to 180 RPM.
And finally, you’ve got hub based power meters, like the PowerTap, which can do both speed and cadence. In the case of speed it can measure that directly since it knows revolutions based on hub rotation. But for cadence, it actually calculates that mathematically. This is generally pretty accurate, though like the Power2Max it has known ranges or fringe scenarios where it doesn’t work quite as well (really high cadence work). But for typical everyday use, it’s absolutely more than sufficient.
In most head unit configurations (that’s the display unit), cadence information from a power meter will always override cadence information from a separate standalone sensor.
Why do you want cadence or speed data anyway?
Well, it depends. Let’s start with cadence. There’s actually been quite a bit of research on both sides of the cadence coin. One side says that a higher cadence – such as 90-95RPM is ideal, while the other side says that a ‘self selected’ cadence is most efficient. Many folks do high cadence drills though to be able to spin at higher RPM’s in the event it’s required – without taking as large a hit heart-rate wise simply to spin the cranks faster if required (i.e. a sprint to a finish).
Virtually all ANT+ cycling head units will display cadence information in real time on the bike, such as below (see as CAD):
During the ride the data is recorded for later access, easily viewable in charts/graphs:
Looking at the speed side of the equation, most folks tend to use speed sensors indoors on trainers. This allows them to gather both speed and distance data when inside. And while speed and distance while on a trainer is purely a function of your gearing combination and resistance applied by the trainer (meaning, by changing gears and resistance you can dramatically change speed without changing effort) – it can still be an interesting metric for some.
Afterwards, like cadence, you can view the speed and distance information in charts/graphs:
For mountain bikers a speed sensor can be more accurate than GPS in determining distance – as the speed sensor measures speed purely based on revolutions of the wheel and isn’t dependent on GPS correctly tracking on quick switchbacks in forests.
And finally, the same can also be said of indoor track cyclists, who are looking for data in places where GPS isn’t going to work well.
Wrap Up:
As you can see, speed and cadence sensors are both quite common – but also pretty integral to many cyclists. The good news is that they are pretty cheap, with most ANT+ units costing about $35 – well within the budget of most folks.
To the left are a few different ANT+ speed/cadence sensors that I’ve used and have no problems with. At this point, I generally recommend some of the quick release variants. Bontrager came out with the first variant, but it’s been widely rebranded by others, including Motorola. You can find the Motorola branded one on Amazon. I use the Bontrager one on my bike day to day and it works perfect (the Motorola branded one is identical).
Garmin GSC-10 ANT+ Speed/Cadence Sensor
Motorola ANT+ Quick Release Speed/Cadence Sensor [Review here for Bontrager branded variant]
Bontrager DuoTrap ANT+ Speed/Cadence Sensor
If you purchase through Clever Training or Amazon you help support the site. And, with Clever Training you’ll get 10% off your shopping basket.
Hopefully I’ve covered everything you ever wanted to know about speed and cadence sensors – but if not, feel free to drop a note below and I’ll compile it into a Q&A and update the post – similar to what I’ve done on the footpod post.
Thanks for reading!
(Note: I’m currently away on my honeymoon, but due to the magic of automated publishing, you’ll be enjoying content in the meantime. Thanks for reading!)
Great writeup, and you solved my mystery about why my Bontrager Speed and Cadence sensors don’t communicate with my Garmin FR305. (yes, I own a dedicated Bontrager Cadence unit). Now that I know about the older combo protocol, I’ll likely pick up the Garmin Speed/Cadence sensor. Thanks again for the help – and congrats on DC Tri!
very informative
“In most head unit configurations (that’s the display unit), cadence information from a power meter will always override cadence information from a separate standalone sensor.”
This is a point I don’t get. Given a hub based power meter, wouldn’t the information of a standalone sensor be more accurate than that of the power meter?
Also, can you shed some light on the following: Given a Garmin Edge 500 with a Garmin Speed/Cadence sensor and a Powertap hub, can I choose which Cadence information I want to have displayed?
Thanks for another great post!
Nothing special to say, excepted that I do love your blog!
Gaby from France
What I want to know is when the update/new model to the 310xt is coming out. Been waiting for months. Now I have to wait, or better yet should buy the 310xt then surely a new one will be released
Nice write up Ray, I actually recently invested in the Garmin speed/cadence sensor for my 305. I was getting front lower knee pain after longer rides. I realized I was trying to grind to hard by selecting lower gears and slower cadence. Since installing the Garmin sensor I am now keeping my cadence at around 80rpm and the knee pain has completely gone on the longer rides. I need to get used to the higher leg speed but that will come with time.
Have fun on the honeymoon, see you back in a few weeks.
I’m using a Cadence only sensor at the moment. only because the screw holding the speed sensor onto my garmin gsc-10 came off and the arm ripped off just before my first 70.3 It’s weird to see how inaccurate gps speed is on its own too.
I was thinking to buy the bontrager cadence sensor for the garmin fr305, since it’s cheaper than the Garmin GSC 10.
Thanks to this post, I saved about £21 by not doing that and go for the garmin sensor at once.
Henrik’s concerns (above) are the same as mine.
I’m actually in the midst of writing a blog post about the speed sensor arm of the GSC-10. It’s relatively easily damaged and the symptoms can be mistaken for those of a weak battery.
Tri4Success thats exactly what I thought. I ended up changing the battery before the arm came off.
I also found the garmin sensor got caught on things less when you positioned the arm down instead of up like in the picture above
I can back up Ray’s experiments with modifying the Wahoo Fitness Speed & Cadence sensor to work on a recumbent bicycle. I have it fitted on my own recumbent, a Volae Expedition. In fact, it was Ray who helpfully pointed me towards the Wahoo unit in an E-mail exchange, as it had only just begun shipping when I purchased my recumbent and I’d never even heard of Wahoo Fitness.
In my case, I used a piece of standard telephone wire to extend the distance between sensors. Soldered each end up properly and wrapped that in a good bit of electrical tape. Sure, it’s not perfectly water proof, but it’s worked a champ since I set it up last fall. The Wahoo also doesn’t have the floppy speed sensor arm that the Garmin unit uses, which is also a plus.
I’ve used it with both a Forerunner 310XT and an Edge 800 and it gives reliable data from both sensors. (If there were trouble with the length of the extension wire, then I’d expect the cadence sensor to give flaky results. But it’s rock solid.)
Have you seen any evidence of the vector on Garmin-cervelo at the tour yet?
Sorry, that last comment seems well out of place, I just did’t know where else to ask…
Thanks for all the good work!
Here’s a speed/cadence sensor issue I can’t seem to figure out. I have a Garmin Forerunner 310XT and the Garmin Speed/Cadence Bike Sensor. For some reason the Garmin only picks up the cadence when my bike is on the trainer. But when biking outside, it does record the cadence data. Any clue what’s going on? Last time cadence was recorded outside was April 22.
Thx for the writeup.
As said by another poster, I do not understand, why the powermeter overrules the cadence sensor, given that the powermeter only calculates the cadence.
Also I would prefer the gps to measure distance and the sensor to serve as a backup in case the signal is lost.
For garmin headunits these settings change with different firmwares, but it would be best if the user could choose what overrules what.
Curious why, for the cadence sensor, more people don’t just drop the magnet into the body of the pedal. Cateye’s spoke magnet works as a great option for this and cleans up the appearance of the crank. At least, that’s how I used to roll.
Great writeup, as usual.
Hi Ray
Interesting piece, and the comments from others back up my experience with the GSC-10 which are that its arm is a bit flimsy. I have ditched mine and moved to the Bontrager cadence only ANT+ sensor, which my 310XT is perfectly happy with, on both of my bikes (again, with two bikes set up in the 310XT, no problems with two devices) and relying on the GPS for speed.
As for the magnet arrangement, on my training bike I’m using the rubber band embedded magnet that came with the sensor; on my TT rig I use a rare earth magnet glued to my pedal.
Thanks for the content, as ever!
Stumbled upon this site last night and proceeded to spend hours pouring over all the info available. Job well done but there is still one question that I cant seem to get answered. I am getting back into multi-sport racing again after a 10 year family, business and burnout break but have been active throughout this time so it shouldnt be that bad but i would like to take my training up a level for competition. I read the 305 review and my question is the following:
I want to buy the 305 and use it for all 3 tri disciplines. Do I need a speed sensor for training outdoors or will the GPS surfice for getting bike ride info or should I spend the extra cash and get one?
Thanks for an informative and addictive blog.
Cheers
Scott
I recently got a new bike and moved my sensor over to the new bike. I couldn’t figure out why the cadence wasn’t picking up until after looking at your pictures… (I have yet to read the text) The thingy on the pedal is still on my old bike.
Thanks! I can’t wait to read more about it.
i am using the Bontrager Cadence sensor with the Garmin 800 and it works fine. Have the Garmin combo sensor but don’t like have the arm of the speed sensor standing up on the Pinarello.
i guess for the winter i will swap out the Cadence sensor install the speed sensor for indoor riding
Happy honeymoon!
When you are back at home, I really would be happy to read your test of the successor of the 310xt (I am sure it is somewhere out there!). The 610 is not for swimming and my Edge 500 I now have to carry in my hand (see link to velodramatic.com as example). Does the Edge 800 also have this problem? The 800 is larger and heavier, so I assume, that it may even be worse.
Best wishes from Austria,
Hannes
@gavtris be careful using just gps for speed. I’ve had speed spikes of 66 mph around some four story buildings. That came from a dropped gps signal.
@Scott Cowan
Thanks; I’m aware of that risk, but spikes can be ignored, and instantaneous speed, while interesting, isn’t very important to me. What’s more important to me personally is average pace over a training ride, cadence, HR and RPE. When racing, it’s balancing the last three of those in order to minimise my total time. Speed is just a product of those other inputs
Had my first significant experience of innacuracy with the 310XT last night, in fact, in a three lap town centre 5k race, where the number of turns and proximity of tall buildings caused an over-distance reading of 250m Much worse than anything I had hitherto experienced with the watch but understandable in the conditions, and still not disastrous at 5%. In comparison, a 10k race in the countryside a couple of weeks back came out at 10,040m, which is a pretty good 0.4% error. (Both were certified courses; I ran as close as possible to the racing line in both.
I can confirm that the Niterider Wireless Cadence Kit for use with Rebel 3.0, 5.0, 8.0 works with the Garmin 310XT
hi ray,
great review
what i wante dto know is if the garmin speed/cadence sensor works on indoor bikes as well.
I’m trying to decide between the garmin speed/cadence sensor and the wahoo one. I keep reading about how the sensor arm is flimsy, gets broken, not reliable if you hit a bump, etc but i can’t find a good head-to-head on both to point out the pro’s/con’s of them. Any suggestions?
Hi Ray! Kudos to you wonderful insight. Would like to seek your advice, I am a bike commuter and wants to get serious in biking. I am wanting to purchase Xperia Active Phone and match it with either Garmin GSC 10 Speed/Cadence Bike Sensor or Bontrager ANT Digital Standard Speed Sensor. Which do you prefer? Your advice is highly appreciated.
Hi Rob-
In general, I find unless there’s a structural bike reason to go with one of the non-Garmin sensors (speed only) – that you should go with the GSC-10. The primary reason being that the GSC-10 as a combo sensor is by far the most widely supported. Some of the speed-only and cadence-only devices aren’t as widely supported, for example on the FR305.
Great article, but Do you have any idea that the Garmin GSC 10 Speed/Cadence Bike Sensor will be compatible with the ANT+ of the Sony Ericsson phones, because I have the phone, but I am planning to buy the sensors
Yes, it’s compatible – no issues there. As long as the sensor is ANT+ (which the GSC-10 is), then it’ll work with any ANT+ compatible device that can read the given sensor type (in this case, Speed/Cadence).
Fwiw however, I have indeed paired the GSC-10 to the Xperia phones without issue.
The GSC 10 works great – BUT – the cheap plastic clamp that holds the magnet to the spokes tends the stress fracture from vibration. I’ve lost four of these over the past three months.
Thanks for the write up. Can the GSC-10 be used with two seperate head units (ie. Edge 500 for cycling only and a 910XT if I’m racing or doing a brick)?
Dear Mr.DC Rainmaker,
I like you blog very much, very details sharing on all the gadgets.
Lately i just bought the Garmin GSC 10 cadence sensor and just fit it to my road bike.
I also have my Garmin Fr60 watch.
Few questions here, hopefully you can help me out:
- do i need to adjust my FR60 (at bike profile – Wheel size) to get the most accurate result?
- if i need to adjust the bike profile (the wheel size thing), how i know my wheel size? by using measuring tape? or can find it some where from the rim??
I am just getting started for the road bike, i am still very new to bike issues.
Thank you.
Hi Ben-
Yes, you can use the cadence sensor with a limitless number of head units at once. I do this on a near-daily basis while testing devices, for example, having a FR310XT and a FR60 reading from the same sensor.
Hi CSLoh-
You’ll find your wheel size on the inside of your wheel on the widewall. That size then correlates to the circumference in mm, which is listed within the GSC-10 manual.
Enjoy!
Hello Rainmaker,
Bontager has a combo speed/cadence sensor coming out on 12/26 for $59.99
Have you had an opportunity to review this ahead of it’s planned release.
I’m really interested in getting this combo sensor as I have a 2.1 Trek road bike and a Node 1 computer. At the moment I have the built in speed sensor in the front fork. But I’ve bought a trainer for the winter months and so need a sensor for the rear wheel.
Thanks.
Hi Mr. Rainmaker,
I’ve been reading your posts for awhile now. Thank you very much for all your info and reviews!
I am trying to figure out what kind of speed/cadence sensor to put on my Felt B16 (50cm w/ 650cc wheels). I had planned to put my Sigma setup on it but there just isn’t much room around the crank area for things to fit.
Here is my question: Will the Garmin speed/cadence sensor work with just an iPod Touch or do I have to get a Garmin compatible product? This sensor looks the most promising given the constraints but I don’t want to spend extra bucks if I don’t have to. I’ve done just a bit of research but haven’t found the answer to this particular question.
I am also looking at the Cateye Double Strada.
Thanks.
I have a PowerTap Joule ANT+ computer that works fine with my PowerTap hub and just bought the Garmin GSC-10 to use on a second set of wheels. So far the Joule does not want to pair with the Garmin. Following the Joule instructions for pairing. Any suggestions to successfully pair the two? thanks. Good info on your site.
Hi Hoff-
You’ll need to pickup the Wahoo ANT+ dongle to get it to work with your iPod (or the Garmin ANT+ dongle, but honestly, that one sucks – see my review of it).
Hi Tim-
If you’re Joule isn’t pairing, it’s likely because it has an older firmware. The first few firmware versions don’t support the speed/cadence sensor, but the later ones do. No worries though, you can easily download/upate yours. Check out my Joule review on the sidebar, as I actually made note of that exact scenario – I believe I wrote the details of which firmware you needed in there.
Hope this helps!
thanks. I found your instructions on handling a speed/cadence combo and it paired right up. It works great. A great deal for less than $40. Cadence is much more stable than my hub.
Great blog !
I have the Garmin 610 and the speed/cadence sensor GSC10.
While training indoor, it seems I can get the speed and the cadence but not the distance.
Could you please help me to sort this out ?
Great thanks in advance,
Stephane
Hi Stephanie-
If you get speed readings, it’s very strange you aren’t getting distance readings. Typically, if you get no speed/distance, it’s due to the fact that either the wheel magnet isn’t reading, or that the wheel size isn’t set properly.
But since you get a speed reading with no distance, that’s rather puzzling. The only other thing I can think of is if your distance isn’t set to total distance, but rather something like “Dist – Last Lap’, which would show the previous lap distance (which would be zero, since it hasn’t happened).
Wish I had a better answer! A quick ring to Garmin support might also yield an answer, they’re usually rock solid.
Hi Ray-
I know this is an older post, but have you had any reliability issues with the GSC-10? A guy told me he goes through about one per year. no physical damage, they just stop working. I imagine you’ve had some of these for multiple years. Can you comment on their longevity?
No issues, except for the rare breakage (physical), when/if the unit slides into the wheel spokes and gets decapitated.
My primary sensor on my bike I’ve had for close to 5 years.
Any chance he doesn’t realize that you’re supposed to change the battery after a year?
I want to ask one more dumb ANT + profile/Garmin Edge 705 question.
Can anyone confirm the Garmin Edge 705 is ONLY compatible with the Combo Speed/Cadence sensors, and that it will NOT work with the newer speed-only or cadence-only sensors.
I get the sense I am right about this, but I can’t find the actual words written here anywhere.
R.
Hi Mr. Rainmaker,
Thanks for posting the photos in which you showed how to splice and extend the Wahoo Speed/Cadence sensor. I want to purchase and modify this sensor to fit on my Tomahawk spin bike.
But there is one more question: how do I modify the speed magnet, which is designed to be screwed onto bike spokes, to be attached to a spin bike’s flywheel? You also mentioned in this article that you were contemplating fitting the Wahoo sensor to a recumbent bike. Have you done so?
Has anybody else done so? Please kindly share your experience of how to put a speed magnet to a spin bike flywheel.
Thanks
Yida
Thanks a lot for the very prompt response and the detailed explanations,
Eventually I was able to get it working, the answers really helped even though the trick was actually that I had not started the chrono (the speed and cadence were ok but the distance was not taken),
Again thanks a lot, great site,
Stephane
Why has not some type of sensor been developed to measure speed distance, and cadence for spin bikes with no wheels or small all metal wheels
hello rainmaker. As combo sensor are very cheap and widely supported i would like to mount one paired with a quarq PM. I was wondering if my ant device would let me choose to ignore the cadence sensor from the combo to read only on quarq ?
In the end is using a crank based PM forces one to use a speed only sensor ?
Thank you
Correct, Garmin devices will always use the crank-based sensor over the dedicated sensor. There’s currently no way to overwrite that.
I have the Bontrager duo track cadence/speed sensor and the Garmin forerunner 305. Any tips on how I can display the cadence on the FR 305?
Val
vtesoro@cox.net
Yup, just go ahead and select to add a Speed/Cadence sensor (pair it) on the FR305. Then in the data fields on the bike setting add a cadence field.
Thank you for the advice. My FR 305 cadence field is up and running.
Val
I am just returning a defective Garmin 910XT, after over a dozen Garmin products I have had it with their quality control. I have Garmin GSC 10 sensors on my bikes and a couple of Garmin heart rate straps and a Garmin ANT + usb stick. I am looking at the Suunto Ambit watch as a replacement. Do you know if it is compatible with the Garmin GSC 10 cadence sensor and garmin Heart rate belts and Garmin ANT + usb stick ? Btw thank you for your excelent reviws and web site.
No, they are not compatible with the Ambit. They utilize a Suunto variant of ANT (and not ANT+). Kinda a bummer. There’s some swirling rumors that Suunto may add support for ANT+ devices in the September 2012 Ambit update…but I wouldn’t bet the farm on it.
Well I decided to go with a Garmin 500 bike computer and order the Ambit anyways. FIngers crossed that, at some point in the future, Suunto will adopt the ANT + standard. What tipped me over the edge was that the Ambit is built in Finland and that supposedly has a great build quality and also that the Ambit software is upgrade able.
Hi,
Have you tried mounting the sensor on the right chain stay? or under the left?
It seems that the sensor has been designed such that the arm on the sensor can wrap around the chain stay. That will protect it from accidental kicks and getting into the wheel.
Would it be possible for the Timex Run Trainer to record data from any of these ANT+ bike speed/cadence sensors? The older Timex Ironman Global seems to support them.
No, the Timex Run Trainer doesn’t support the ANT+ SPD/CAD sensor device profile. Bummer indeed.
Hi Ray! thank you very much for the useful information.
I’m just getting started with triathlons (have just done my first sprint a couple weeks ago). Coming from a running background and a data geek, I really need to start correctly measuring my cycling stats; so finding this review was perfect for me.
The thing here is I have a 910XT, which I love, however on the bike, it isn’t too comfortable to look at in my wrist and I feel mounting/dismounting may be something else I just don’t want to worry about. So what I want is to get speed/cadence sensor which will be paired to both my 910XT and a simple computer from where I can read my values.
My questions are, would the Garmin sensor be right for the job? which computer would you recommend?
I don’t need anything too fancy or expensive, my data recording will be from the 910XT anyways.
Regarding the last post, I’ve been looking at the Bontrager Node 1.1; what do you think about it?
Hi Jonatan-
Yes, the standard Garmin spd/cad sensor is what you’re looking for. The Garmin sensor is the right option. From a simple computer standpoint, the only ‘cheap’ unit that will read those same sensors is the Bontager Node1/Node2 units. About $70, but would do the trick.
I have a couple here, and have used them here and there. They work fine, limited of course, but on par with other simple bike computers (albeit cheaper).
Hope this helps!
Perfect, I think that’s what I’ll be doing. Thanks!
Hi Ray
I am a paraplegic and have just started handcycling. I am keen on getting cadence info and speed and am thinking of getting the Garmin Edge 500 and the Wahoo speed/cadence sensor. This would have to be cut and extended as the cable is too short to reach the hand cranks. Any advice would be appreciated.
Sagie, South Africa.
Hi Ray
is the garmin GSC 10 cadence sensor water-proof ?. Can one cycle in moderately heavy rain ?
regards
shekhar
Stumbled across this blog by chance, thanks v much for the great info! My plan now is to pair my fr305 with a gsc 10 to use on my rides and on my turbo trainer for distance and speed measurements
Ray, do you have any recommendations for a speed/cadence sensor for an indoor bike (spin bike, Airdyne, etc)?
I’ve been playing around with the Wahoo bluetooth SC rigged up to my Airdyne but it doesn’t work correctly at higher RPMs. Wahoo tech support said maybe the flywheel on the bike is spinning to fast for the sensor to read.
Thoughts?
Yeah, it’s tough – I’ve been breaking apart a few sensors trying to get some to work the way I want it for hotels/etc – not much luck.
However, there’s actually been some interesting discussion in the comments of one post over the past few days, check out the bottom of the comments in this:
link to dcrainmaker.com
Maybe you can help me out here. I’m looking for a speed only sensor that is not as obtrusive as the standard Garmin speed/cadence sensor. I do not need cadence as my power meter can measure cadence instead. I’m looking for something that only needs to measure speed but more importantly is more subtle and less obtrusive than the Garmin rig. Thanks Steve
Yeah, there’s not many good looking options there. You can pickup a speed-only sensor – but honestly it’s the same size as the dual sensors. The Bontrager quick-release one is nice, a diferent styling, and may appeal to you more. I wrote up a review on it here:
link to dcrainmaker.com
I just purchased a Garmin Edge 500 to replace a 305. I ride a recumbent trike so I started to modify the Garmin Speed/Cadence sensor. I have soldered on to the two wires after removing the speed sensor, and am using a Cateye speed sensor attached to the two wires. Do you think this will work as well as the Wahoo Speed/Cadence sensor you show?
Hi thanks for helping to explain the complicated world of ANT+ speed and cadence sensors. I want to make things slightly more complicated because there is now a ANT+ kayak cadence sensor that attaches to your paddle and sends wireless kayak cadence data to any ANT+ GPS device that can also receiver the cycling cadence data. It will work with both the speed/cadence protocol and the cadence only protocol. Runners and Cyclists have had the benefits of cadence data for years and now kayakers can too. It’s called the Vaaka kayak cadence sensor so any multipsort athletes out check it out on google.
Hi DCRainmaker. Quick question – I recently got the Garmin GC10 to pair with my Timex Global Trainer and I find that my speed and distance are way off – a 32km ride according to GPS, but the reading from the sensor it is telling me more like 22km. Also speed is obviously out of whack – I’m slow, but not that slow! Any idea on how to correct this or how to just use to measure cadence? Any help would be much appreciated!
Thanks
Yup, on the bike settings on the TGT you’ll want to set the correct wheel circumference.
I’ve just ordered a Suunto t3d (since its out of production I got it for almost half the usual retail price). Part of why I choose this model was the possibility of adding all the extra goodies. Suunto’s Extras are on the expensive side, and after reading the posts on the Ambit I guess that there is no way that the t3d will work with the Garmin Speed/Cadence sensor.
Is the best way to confirm this to actually try it?
Johan P.
I have Suunto dongle, can I connect sensor like these directly to PC without use of some headunit?
RE: Suunto t3d
No, none at all, completely different protocols, sorry!
Hi Marwooj-
RE: Suunto Movescount Stick
Yup, you could use something like TrainerRoad and it would work.
I had (just returned) B’TWIN ANT+ speed/rate sensor, no way to pair this with anything (have visited decathlon and it could not even pair with their own staff), hard to find anything in Poland not expensive.
Is garmin one Zero/Nada problem usable?
Well, in december 2012, geonaute, silently, changed the Geonaute B’TWIN ANT+ speed/cadence sensor.
Pre 12/2012 Geonaute B’TWIN ANT+ speed/cadence sensors where invisible to many units/apps,
Units produced after 12/2012 are fully visible to the most units/apps.
Interesting site thanks!I’m about to buy a Montana 600 GPS for my Quest XS (A fast fully faired recumbent trike) I want monitors for heart rate and Cadence-(speed can come from the GPS)The front wheels are shielded from the GPS by Carbon fibre wheel wells(part of the monocoque body) What ANT+ devices would you recommend?
Do you know why my Edge 500 started recording cadence without there being a sensor on the bike. It started half way through a ride after I’d hit the Lap button. I do have cadence sensors for other bikes but not this one. Thanks for any help you can give.
I have the Timex Global Trainer and just added the GSC 10. For some reason, it will only capture distance from the speed/cadence sensor when the GPS is on and the GSC 10 is paired. Is there a way for it to capture both the GPS map and the speed/cadence data?
Rather than sticking it upwards like in the photos, I have rotated the speed sensor on my GSC-10 all the way downwards so it’s resting on the chainstay. This makes it less susceptible to being caught and snapping off when putting the wheel in & out.
Hi rainmaker,
I think you have already answered this question for Sony phones but just to be double sure – will gsc 10 pair up with wahoo fitness app or strava app running on my iPhone 5 ? iPhone 5 supports ant+ / Bluetooth 4 and I am using wahoo fitness App with wahoo heart rate monitor already.
Thanks for your help in advance.
Yes, it will – but ONLY with the Wahoo Fitness dongle. The iPhone 5 doesn’t have native ANT+ in it (it only has Bluetooth Smart via Bluetooth 4.0 in it). In fact, no apple products have ANT+ within them, they all need the Wahoo Fitness accessory. That accessory does work with the iPhone 5 legacy adapter.
Hope this helps!
I recently bought a new Garmin Montana 600 to use on my Quest velomobile. (A fully faired fast recumbent trike) The Montana ONLY supports Cadence, Temperature and Heart Rate however according to the various websites it needs a COMBINATION cadence speed sensor and will not take data from a single Cadence sensor like the Bontrager offering.After a bit of research I bought a (cheap) Garmin GSC-10 and managed to attach it to the front subframe using cable ties and actually using the movable speed pickup as a tie-down point. (The speed function is ignored anyway) Instead of the Garmin crank magnet I used a small stack of 12mm dia x 2mm thick Neodymium Magnets which self attach to the end of the pedal spindle. They are so powerful that they need no other attachment and can also cope with a greater gap from the sensor– it works perfectly! If anyone wants a photo then contact me here.
Great info on every review.
Question- Is it possible to mount the Garmin GSC-10 (or the other devices) upside down on the bottom to help prevent that sensor arm from getting annihilated with any contact into the downward travelling spokes from any flex or a nudge? I read that the arm is supposed to be within 1/8″ from the spoke magnet. Yipes…
Seems like all the speed/cadence sensors should all be mounted on the bottom for that reason…
Yup, no problem at all to go upsidedown. Many folks do it for exactly the reason you noted.
is there a chance that the garmin combo might work in the future with the ironman/gps/heart watch with a firmware update, as your review states at that time it does not work with it?
Technically it’s possible, but I don’t see at as likely unfortunately. The product was introduced over a year ago now, and for the most part that team is likely focusing on new efforts.
I recently got a Garmin 310XT and decided I might as well use a cadence sensor.
I bought the Niterider sensor because it was the cheapest.
On my first ride with it today about 25% of the time I got no cadence reading.
I tried adjusting the position of the sensor to the magnet but that did not seem to help.
I ordered an Icarus magnet to try since it is stronger.
Any ideas what he problem is?
Regarding Todd Moses’ post of Nov 18, 2012…I too am wondering that as of today. I got the TGT for X-mas and have slowly been working with all of the features little-by-little, with still more to investigate and your website here is a big help. Today the weather was good enough to get off the trainer and take the bike on the road again. I used the GSC10 sensor with the TGT. Downloaded the workout and was disappointed (albeit half-expected it though) to find that the route didn’t map out even though the GPS was acquired before I started rolling. So…does using a speed/cadence sensor completely override the GPS or are Todd and I missing something? I would very much like to have not just the routes mapped but the altitude information that comes along with it. And if the sensor does mean that the GPS is overridden, does that also happen with the Garmin devices? (I have the TGT and and it has more functions than the wired computer I’d been using so I’m not going to ditch the TGT and pay several hundred $ for a Garmin just to map my rides, but I figure anyone shopping may want to consider if it’s the same situation for both brands or just with the Timex.) Cheers, and thanks for your help.
Hi Rainmaker,
it is possible to an edge 500 with a speed sensor and a Bontrager Bontrager Cadence sensor to operate at the same time, two individual devices at the same time.
Thank you
Franser
Hi, I was wondering, I have a Garmin 910 xt and the Garmin GSC-10. Do you need to mount the wheel magnet as you already have speed with the GPS?
Regards
You don’t need to, but I would. The reason is that if the GPS fall out (tunnel, etc..), then it’ll use the speed sensor instead. But if that shows zero, then it’ll have weird drops.
First off, THANKS for all the reviews and information that you provide.
My question is regarding the GSC 10 speed/cadence sensor and durability. I have read reviews that complain about the unit not being water proof / resistant. I would be putting this on a mountain bike and can guarantee that it would get wet from either creek crossings, rain or from washing the bike. Have you found this to be an issue?
Thank you!
It’s definitely water resistant (I’ve had years of rain on mine).
Most issues I hear from mountain bikers tend to come from dirt or mud getting caked on the sensor, and then the sensor sliding into the rear spokes and then being sheared off. :-/
Got a idea whether Garmin Garmin GSC-10 Speed & Cadence Sensor works with Garmin Forerunner 310xt? I learned from Garmin that it is not listed as one of the compatible devices. Thanks!
link to buy.garmin.com
Yup, absolutely compatible. Enjoy!
My Garmin 310 XT stopped giving a read on the “Distance” while indoors on the bike trainer and outdoors as well. The GSC-10 Speed/Cadence sensor is working for those two fields. What do I do to get it working again?
Thanks, I really enjoy your blogs and I bought my watch/HR monitor based upon alot of your research. We really appreciate you.
Double-check that cadence is working. If cadence is working, then it’s not the battery. If it isn’t working, it’s either the battery, or the unit just became unpaired and needs to be re-paired. Alternatively, you may have accidentally switched bike profiles.
Next, double check that as the wheel magnet passes the sensor arm, the light illuminates. If not, it may have just been out of adjustment – simply move it back in place. Failing all that, it may mean that your speed sensor arm got bonked/whacked and you may need a call to Garmin support.
Geonaute B’TWIN ANT+ speed/cadence sensor Ref: 8181211 is the only readily available and cheap ANT+ speed/cadence sensor (19.95€, 16.99£), through european stores.
Be careful thought:
Pre 12/2012 Geonaute B’TWIN ANT+ speed/cadence sensors where invisible to many other units/apps. (Garmin Edge 500 was working with it trough device id manual setup, IpBike fully compatible).
Units produced after 12/2012 are fully visible to the most units/apps.
Test before buy
I’m still a bit confused. Can I use GSC-10 without GPS feature on my Forerunner 610? IMHO. I’d like to treat GSC-10 as indoor training device but will be using it outdoors because I have no faith in GPS accuracy!
Best thing since slice of bread is wired Kinetic computer (manually calibrated by measuring distance of full spin with me sitting on a bike). Kinetic has been dead accurate compared to GPS on Forerunner 610. I have been running both of them side-by-side for over 2000 miles. link to kurtkinetic.com