I have been on the hunt for a low level cadence monitoring solution that ideally integrates with Garmin Connect. There’s a lot of good evidence that highlights why it’s important to monitor and improve cadence even at low running intensities. Here’s a good summary:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7q8fuNnLH2w&pp=ygUTY2FkZW5jZSBtb25pdG9yaW5nIA%3D%3D
Here are some standalone units that I have found:
Are you aware of anything that would integrate with Garmin Connect?
This is actually a topic I’m not very familiar with, as I haven’t tried many standalone cadence monitors. From the ones I have tried, I’ve found accuracy, consistency, and cross-interference with GPS to be large issues. However, the first monitor you shared — the Stryd — seems to perform quite well in this regard (±5% accuracy and less GPS interference than I see with other footpods).
Of course, there are GPS running watches with cadence sensors within, but I haven’t found a cadence sensor in one of these watches yet that I would fully trust without a dedicated footpod. I will research this further and see if I can find any further information!
Would you consider using the Stryd footpod? This could also be an option, and there seem to be a few tutorials online for integrating one that would connect to Garmin Connect.
I was excited that the Garmin Fenix 7 had a running dynamics pod integration to monitor cadence. However, I was disappointed to read in your review that it wasn’t that great at measuring those metrics in heavy tree cover.
I’m not opposed to using a Stryd footpod, especially if a quality sensor could be found. I would prefer something from a trustworthy commercial source as they likely have implemented additional algorithms to improve the output.
I have looked to see if I could find sensor information for the commercial monitors. Most just mentioned using an “accelerometer-based” sensor. The Stryd listed theirs as a custom dual-frequency sensor architecture.
I agree, as I’ve wanted a good cadence sensor in low-cost GPS running watches for a while. However, I think that particular sensor has more issues than advantages in isolation.
Interesting on the Stryd sensor. The Garmin Running Dynamics Pod also uses one of those, and it seems to be an okay sensor, but it doesn’t have fantastic accuracy at very high cadences. If you just want a general indication as to the cadence levels, it could be worth looking into (not the Garmin pod, but the Stryd footpod).