Undecided for a new bike computer

sky-runner

@Stoke80 I am in a similar situation. A couple of years ago I bought a nice gravel bicycle and started to do some cycling, mostly as cross training. For now these rides are fairly occasional and running is still my main sport. I record rides with a Suunto watch on my wrist, although, obviously, that is not ideal, especially for navigation. I considered Karoo 3 several times but remain undecided. If Suunto planned to make a cycle computer, that would be great to know.

Stoke80

@Adrian.S

Sounds promising. Thank you

Stoke80

@sky-runner

Absolutely. I would also love to see a Suunto device for cycling. Let’s see what the future brings.

I received my Karoo 3 yesterday and it looks very promising in terms of the Suunto integration.

After linking the Karoo to the Suunto account, all routes from the Suunto app, which have any sort of cycling as sport, are synched automatically to the devide.

Also Heatmaps from Suunto App available. It will take some time for my first outdoor ride, as currently I am working on a training plan over Rouvy to be done first.

Dimitrios Kanellopoulos

@Adrian.S what do you mean? I get warnings about roads and signs on my Garmin Edge

Dimitrios Kanellopoulos

We have talked sometimes in the past about the Karoo 3 and HR zones that are missing. Some people said that Karoo fixed and I asked for fit files and noone responded. Do you have any of those K3 files with zones ?

Stoke80

@Dimitrios-Kanellopoulos

So far I have not recorded any activities and therefore no fit files available. Maybe someone else can help.

Yesterday, when I set up the Karoo, I have amended the Zones on the device to the same as I have on my Suunto watch. Curious to see if / how that works.

Adrian.S

@Dimitrios-Kanellopoulos Possibly. I haven’t used the Garmin 840 in a long time, so maybe this feature is available in more expensive models or has been introduced in an update.

Stoke80

@Dimitrios-Kanellopoulos said in Undecided for a new bike computer:

We have talked sometimes in the past about the Karoo 3 and HR zones that are missing. Some people said that Karoo fixed and I asked for fit files and noone responded. Do you have any of those K3 files with zones ?

How can I send you a fit-File?

YoeChr

@Efejota No, but I have tried the TwoNav Android app + Suunto integration. It works perfectly.

Note that the TwoNav Android app is the same app that is running on TwoNav devices.

Manuel Extreme

@Adrian.S said in Undecided for a new bike computer:

@Dimitrios-Kanellopoulos Possibly. I haven’t used the Garmin 840 in a long time, so maybe this feature is available in more expensive models or has been introduced in an update.

They are also present on edge 540

Stoke80

said in Undecided for a new bike computer:

@Dimitrios-Kanellopoulos

So far I have not recorded any activities and therefore no fit files available. Maybe someone else can help.

Yesterday, when I set up the Karoo, I have amended the Zones on the device to the same as I have on my Suunto watch. Curious to see if / how that works.

Maybe you can share some more details about the import from Karoo to Suunto App?

Dimitrios Kanellopoulos

Alright guys. I got a file from @stoke80 and analyzed it. there is no zone info on that file. can you ask Karoo for proof?

Stoke80

@Dimitrios-Kanellopoulos said in Undecided for a new bike computer:

one info on that file. can you as

I sent a request to the support of Hammerhead this afternoon. So far I only got the standard auto reply mail “Due to unusually high volume of request…”

I will try to keep you posted.

Stavrogin

@Stoke80 I would love to see what they say. I had a K3 and loved it, but went to the 1040 because I got a deal on it, but would love go back. Following. Let us all know.

Stoke80

Here is the first answer from Hammerhead Support:

Thank you for contacting Hammerhead Rider Support, we are happy to answer your questions!

Here’s the quick version of what’s happening: the Karoo records the full activity data in the FIT file, including heart rate and your configured zones. When that file is imported into the Suunto app, Suunto applies its own logic to calculate and display things like zone summaries, training load, and similar metrics.

On Suunto devices, those values are generated on the watch and saved using their own proprietary FIT fields. For activities coming from an external device like the Karoo, the Suunto app would need to recalculate those metrics on their end to show them the same way as native Suunto activities.

Because we don’t have access to your full Suunto training history, we can’t generate Suunto‑specific numbers that will perfectly match their ecosystem. Any changes here would need to come from Suunto’s side.

One thing that sometimes helps is making sure your HR and power zones match between your Karoo and Suunto profiles.

We appreciate you raising this, we’ve heard similar feedback from other riders, and we continue sharing it with our Product Team.

Please let us know if you have any additional thoughts around this. Thanks again for your patience and for riding with us!

Best,

According to @dimitrios-kanellopoulos there are no Zones in the fit-file from Hammerhead and maybe something is wrong when Hammerhead produces or exports that file.
I have mentioned this in my answer to Hammerhead and sent them the same fit-File.
Now waiting for their next answer.

Dimitrios Kanellopoulos

@Stoke80 thank you. You can prompt them and ask about zones and where they are in the fit file https://www.fitfileviewer.com/ btw you can upload the file there as its using the official decoding api from garmin . You can inspect there that there are no zone info. Use a garmin file to compare if needed.

In short -> If we get K3 to have zone info I can push PM to implement the zones as many in HQ use Karoo

Stoke80

@Dimitrios-Kanellopoulos

Thank you. Just for my guide: How would I see the zones in the fit-File? Would there be an additional row, where they are shown?

Stoke80

Next step done. Here is the second answer from Hammerhead:

Thank you for reaching out to us.

I reviewed your previous conversation with Shruti, where you mentioned that your heart rate zones are not being transferred at all. Just to clarify — heart rate zones are not part of the FIT file, which means they can differ between your Karoo, Dashboard, or a Suunto device and its platform.

To better understand what you’re trying to achieve, could you let me know exactly what heart‑rate‑zone data you’re looking for?
Are you referring to the percentage of the activity spent in each zone, the time duration in each zone, or something else?

I’m here to help and will wait for your response.

Best regards,

Stoke80

And my answer to it:

Hi Bijit

I think it is especially about the time spent in the different zones.

I mean the Karoo is advertised to function well with the Suunto ecosystem. That works quite well with planned routes and also the Heatmaps.
But in terms of training statistics (TSS, Training Load etc) it does not deliver what is advertised.

I can set my Zones in the Suunto App, and I can also set my Zones on the Karoo. In my case I have set them similar on both systems.

If the Karoo would put the Zones, and as mentioned, the time spent in each zone during a workout, into the fit-file, Suunto could implement the usage of those Zones in the Suunto App.
That would lead to a bette training analysis in the Suunto App, as the TSS(HR), Training Load etc. would be calculated accurately in the Suunto App.

Additionally, this would be the same for power zones. They can also be set in both ecosystems.
But I don’t know if they are in the fit-file or not, as I do not have any gear which delivers power output.

Thank you for considering to implement HR- and also Power Zones into to fit-File export.

Best regards

Stoke80

And the next answer from Hammerhead. It seems they did understand me wrong for some things I mentioned:

Hi René,

Thank you for sharing your answers.

You’re looking for data fields that display the time spent in each heart rate or power zone. Our team is already working on this feature, and we truly appreciate your continued insights and suggestions—please keep them coming!

Regarding the other two data fields you mentioned: Training Load and TSS are not available on the Karoo and remain exclusive to Suunto. The Karoo cannot calculate TSS from heart rate data because this requires a lactate threshold heart rate value, which the Karoo does not determine. Additionally, power-based data be on the Karoo can be calculated relying entirely on the power data provided by your power meter.

If you’re curious about why we prioritize power-based calculations, this article offers a helpful explanation: How Accurate Is That Calorie Reading?

There is an option to install HR2VP, which is a multipurpose cycling app that estimates power based on heart rate and broadcasts to your bike computer. You can install it on your Karoo from the list of Extensions and use it with the heart rate monitor to view the calorie values.

• Karoo OS - Extensions Library
• FAQ: Hammerhead Extensions

I shared your feedback with the Product Team. There are many factors to consider for product decisions so we cannot deliver on every suggestion, but we value your input. It helps our team better understand what improvements riders would like to see.

Please keep providing regular insights and suggestions. We appreciate you taking the time to do so.

Let us know if you have any further queries. Take care and have a wonderful week ahead.

Best regards,