DARREN COPE

Two years ago, I wrote a posted titled “Why You Need a ANT+ USB Key,” which has been one of my more popular posts. If you train indoors at all, I recommend you give it a read, and see how this little gizmo will make riding inside much more effective and, dare I say, fun!

Since the time of my original post, there have been a few changes in the market, with more options now available.  The ‘standard’ is still a Garmin unit, but they now make a smaller, more compact version than they did in 2013. It’s similar to, but more readily available than the more expensive Suunto Movestick Mini I mentioned in the last post, in that it doesn’t stick out as far, and thus has a much lower chance of getting broken off or pulled out by mistake. This makes the updated Garmin my recommended buy at this point if that’s an issue to you.

Garmin USB ANT+ Stick

For those not wanting to spend quite as much, there’s also a cheaper version now available on Amazon. It’s called the Docooler USB ANT+ Stick, and costs only $15! It’s the ‘larger size’ (like a USB Thumbdrive, or the older style Garmin) which means it’s more prone to getting bumped or broken, but at the price, it may be worth a shot! Reviews are limited, but mostly good, with only a couple reports of driver issues. In theory,  ANT+ should always work with ANT+ (it’s a standard), so this should work in any application where the other sticks work. I think if I break or lose my Garmin stick, I’ll be getting one of these. Why spend more? This makes the Docooler USB ANT Stick my current recommendation!

Docooler USB ANT Stick