this post was submitted on 06 Aug 2026
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ANT+ typically needs to connect to some other dedicated hardware for recording.
Right, that's why I'm asking about bike computers (or a smartphone with an ANT+ dongle and appropriate software). I wanted data from several types of ANT+ sensors (speed, cadence, heart rate, maybe even a power meter eventually) and that's part of why I was questioning your suggestion of a smart watch instead.
A Pebble has a heart rate monitor built in, I think, but can those other sensors pair with it?
The point is the Pebbl connects directly to your phone, so no other devices needed. If you need all those other sensors a bike computer can be a good place to send them. There just aren't any "free" options that I'm aware of.
Of the various proprietary bike computers, are they all equally sketchy/enshittified? Or are some brands less bad than others?
Garmin generally has a pretty good privacy policy, but of course that's subject to change at any time. But it's more than I can say for virtually every other company in existence that handles user data.
https://www.garmin.com/en-US/privacy/global/