Looking for a watch (wearable) that shows speed in kph

Forums › Health and fitness › Looking for a watch (wearable) that shows speed in kph

Sangiovese

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#242616 5-Nov-2018 21:18

Hiya,

I could really use your advice please. I am the technologically challenged wife of sangiovase, and I would like to buy one of those newfangled fitness watch thingies. I would really like one that shows my speed whilst I am running, in Kilometers per hour (not pace, ie minutes per km)

I guess that means I need either one that links to the GPS on my phone or has a GPS in it. But as far as I can tell, even the really expensive ones will only give you the actual speed you're going on your phone app, and I don't want to look at the speed on my phone, I want to look at it on my wrist. I haven't found anything like that so far, as the ads seldom have screen shots of the watch face, and the specs seem to be deliberately vague. I'm hoping that someone out there either owns one or has seen one that can do this.

I'd really appreciate your help!

Thanks so much
Rosé

Peamsable

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#2120561 5-Nov-2018 21:45

On Apple Watch (series 2 or later) if you start an “Outdoor cycle” workout it can display speed in km/h. I have not tried this while running though.

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Hammered
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#2120576 5-Nov-2018 21:52

Hi Rose

Any watch that can have apps loaded on to it will probably do the job. There are apps and watch faces for my Fitbit Ionic (it does have built-in GPS) that can display speed in kilometres per hour. I haven't used the apps, as I don't (can't) run, but there are a few. I'm sure there must be similar apps/faces for watches ruining Android Wear, and probably Samsung etc as well as Apple.

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#2120578 5-Nov-2018 21:53

Gear S3 has a speedometer app, which is pretty accurate when compared to 1) phone and 2) car speedos.

My S3 watch face reports m/s, so requires a bit of mental gymnastics to convert to km/h.

The default exercise app (Samsung Health) reports 1 km splits. Built in GPS means no need to carry phone on runs for such data.

I haven't tried any other running apps re speedo but might have a look this weekend.

nzkc

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#2120620 5-Nov-2018 22:07

I think I have a Pebble Steel locked away in a draw you can have (if you're in Auckland). I retired it for a Pebble Time. Lots of apps still work (e.g. I use mine for running/skiing tethered to my phone).

Senecio

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#2120621 5-Nov-2018 22:08

Any of the Garmin watches can be configured to show km/h instead of mins/km.

alasta

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#2120694 6-Nov-2018 08:22

I just checked the settings for my Apple watch and it can show km/h for cycling but not for running. This doesn't surprise me as min/km is the conventional metric for measuring running speed and, as an experienced runner, I have never met anyone who measures their speed in km/h.

minimoke

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#2121156 6-Nov-2018 21:19

I'm not sure what you are trying to achieve - runners usually use pace as the measure. Ie " I am aiming for a 4:30 pace" not " i am aiming to run 15kph". Even Intervals tend to be time over distance - not KPH. Also be aware that there is a lag. you dont run fast or consistently enough to get an accurate time when glancing at your watch face. The speed you see could have been a few meters back.

I use a Garmin. Download the data to Garmin Connect and then I can see speed in KPH (if I was interested - but I am not) during the run, as well as all the other stats such as average moving speed, max speed and average speed.

The three main stats I have on my watch face are: Distance, Average Pace and Heart Rate

Edit. Just checked and these are the speed fields are available on the watch face.

Speed

The current rate of travel.

Avg. Speed

The average speed for the current activity.

Avg. Moving Speed

The average speed when moving for the current activity.

Avg. Overall Speed

The average speed for the current activity, including both moving and stopped speeds.

Lap Speed

The average speed for the current lap.

Last Lap Speed

The average speed for the last completed lap.

Maximum Speed

The top speed for the current activity.

Nautical Speed

The current speed in knots.

Sangiovese

22 posts

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#2121192 6-Nov-2018 23:11

Thank you to everyone for the information you've given me as it is a great help. It is good to know that choosing the activity makes a difference, and I had no idea you could get apps for watches too. Thanks also to the kind Aucklander who offered me their watch, but sadly I am in the South island! I have an android phone so maybe a fitbit with an app or a Garmin would be best. And if you've been wondering why I want a watch that displays kph, I guess I am keen to see my speed in kph as I am not an experienced runner. In fact I am totally new to it! I started 3 years ago just walking and I used an app called map my run/walk in my windows phone which was brilliant as it showed on the screen how fast I was walking in kph and I could look at it whilst I was walking and use it to motivate me to maintain my speed when I was getting tired. I kept my phone in the top of my hand bag and pulled it out regularly when I was walking to check my speed.Then I bought a Samsung phone and had to find an equivalent app in android. I found out then that it was really hard to find an app that would show kph instead of pace, but I found a couple in the end. I know pace is what proper runners measure their success in, but for me, because I started as a walker, my personal measurement of success is in the steady increase of kph! I just figured that if a phone could display it, that a watch might be able to too. And watch would be so much better as it would be easy to look at, and I could keep my phone safe in my hydration backpack.

HcoNmeM

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#2121475 7-Nov-2018 12:30

I have the Samsung Gear S3.. they have a native app that shows speed in km/h.

Speedometer for Gear is what it's called.

Works well, pretty accurate, and the watch is nice to wear also.

Looks nice, feels nice and it's simple to use..

Good luck :)

maoriboy

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#2121575 7-Nov-2018 14:20

Sangiovese: Thank you to everyone for the information you've given me as it is a great help. It is good to know that choosing the activity makes a difference, and I had no idea you could get apps for watches too. Thanks also to the kind Aucklander who offered me their watch, but sadly I am in the South island! I have an android phone so maybe a fitbit with an app or a Garmin would be best. And if you've been wondering why I want a watch that displays kph, I guess I am keen to see my speed in kph as I am not an experienced runner. In fact I am totally new to it! I started 3 years ago just walking and I used an app called map my run/walk in my windows phone which was brilliant as it showed on the screen how fast I was walking in kph and I could look at it whilst I was walking and use it to motivate me to maintain my speed when I was getting tired. I kept my phone in the top of my hand bag and pulled it out regularly when I was walking to check my speed.Then I bought a Samsung phone and had to find an equivalent app in android. I found out then that it was really hard to find an app that would show kph instead of pace, but I found a couple in the end. I know pace is what proper runners measure their success in, but for me, because I started as a walker, my personal measurement of success is in the steady increase of kph! I just figured that if a phone could display it, that a watch might be able to too. And watch would be so much better as it would be easy to look at, and I could keep my phone safe in my hydration backpack.

There is an Android version of Mapmyrun available. If you have an account previously, you can just log in using those details to see all your old data. If you get a Garmin (for example) you can link it with your Mapmyrun account to automatically transfer your information across. I do so with my Strava and Mapmyrun, although Mapmyrun is purely for comparing to historical data as Garmin Connect gives me all I need in terms of data analysis.

minimoke

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#2121916 8-Nov-2018 07:26

Sangiovese: And if you've been wondering why I want a watch that displays kph, I guess I am keen to see my speed in kph as I am not an experienced runner. In fact I am totally new to it! I started 3 years ago just walking and I used an app called map my run/walk in my windows phone which was brilliant as it showed on the screen how fast I was walking in kph and I could look at it whilst I was walking and use it to motivate me to …………... I know pace is what proper runners

Welcome to the world of running. I'm a late starter a few years back after a long life time of sloth.

I have some bad news for you. You are a runner. We could argue semantics between a runner and a jogger - but you are no longer a Walker. One thing you should know - runners dont make judgements of another person pounding the pavements or trails. The reason for that is we have know idea what the person is doing. They could be going slow - and recovering from injury or because their training plan calls for a slow day. Or they could be sprinting because they are a greyhound and thats just what they do. Anyone looking at me the other day might have said "look at that old fat fullah plodding the streets" But they dont know I had done a 21km trail run the day before and I was sore and tired. Embrace your runningness!

So you see yourself as a runner. A runner who uses speed, and a speed statistic as a motivator. We all are interested in speed - to a greater or lesser extent. Even if it is running around the block and it took a bit longer than last time.

Time for you to put the KPH aside and start using pace. It is exactly the same thing. Just expressed differently. Both are measures of speed. Doesnt matter if you see 10kph on your watch or 6:00 (minutes per kilometre) you are still travelling across the same stretch of ground at the same time. And as you go faster the number will change. 11kph will be 5:27. So all you need to get your head around is a lower number is "better" if you want to see if you are going faster.

One day you might go a bit mental and decide you are going to enter a 5km Parkrun, or a 10km event. You record will show as pace - not KPH. And you'll end up saying "geez I am glad I changed to Pace"

Now back to your options. For a "starter" runner, I'd go with something like TomTom. Alternatively go for something like Garmin - that way you stay in the Garmin app ecosystem when you change watches. (though realistically you might just upload the TomTom / Garmin data to something like Strava, so it doent matter.)

Disc: I started with TomTom and now run with Garmin.

darylblake

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#2125128 13-Nov-2018 22:48

I have an apple watch series 4. Have had a series 3 as well until one drunken night when i busted it.. Anyhow, its ok, will gather your speed. But I have seen some top of the line garmin models and they do have good stat/info for cycling etc.