Multisport

On the instinct, how can i quickly change activities mid workout? For example when i get off the bike and begin my run how can i change activities with 1 or 2 quick button pushes, and keep it as part of the same workout?   Is this possible? 

  • I don't think the Instinct has a multisport mode.

  • Thanks for the reply, I've come to the same conclusion.  Really bizarre that garmin would leave something so fundamental out of this watch.  Even my more than 10yr old forerunner 305 can do multisport,  i just assumed this new watch would do it too.  This watch also does not do auto lap by location (new lap every time you pass a specific location) which my old forerunner also does.  I wonder why these basic things were left out? 

  • Because this is not a triathlon/running watch like the Forerunner are.

  • Indeed, but their marketing is a little misleading.  From their web site:  

    "BUILT-IN SPORTS APPS

    Use preloaded activity profiles for running, hiking, mountain biking, swimming and more."

    Maybe it's my fault for assuming too much, but I just didn't imagine that a watch for active people wouldn't support more than one of these in a workout, so I didn't think to ask this question before buying.  Perhaps because I've only used forerunner watches in the past so I just assumed these would be standard features.  What it does do it does very well, I'm actually impressed with how well it works, except for these missing features.  Garmin if you're reading this, please add these two features, most importantly multi-sport activity, in a future firmware release.  It would really add value to the watch!  

  • I've only used forerunner watches in the past so I just assumed these would be standard features.

    From the current forerunner lineup only the 735XT, 935 and 945 have multisport. Most forerunner models don't have it.

    Garmin if you're reading this, please add these two features, most importantly multi-sport activity, in a future firmware release.

    Not gonna happen. Garmin holds this feature for its most advanced watches only.

  • Instinct is the most disadvantaged watch for triathlon.

    Some watches have factory multisport mode: fenix 2 and higher, forerunner 735 and higher.

    Other watches can add multisport feature with 3rd-party apps from Garmin Connect IQ: vivoactive and venu series, forerunner 245 and 645.

    Instinct has neither factory multisport nor 3rd-party app support.

    I think the best option with instinct is to record a whole reace as a single sport, eg. cardio, without switching sports at all.

  • You can also use a cheap $10 bike computrer in addition to your watch to track time, speed and distance for a bike leg of your race. The advantage of this is that you can leave it on your bike with no worry about theft.

  • Yes, after some time with this watch I have decided that it's a great daily wear watch, but not a good sports watch.  It's missing multisport, auto-lap on GPS and the GPS is really sluggish, probably because they chose battery life over GPS precision.  When I run intervals, if I go from a resting say 8:30 pace to maybe a 6:30 for some tempo, it's several hundred meters before the pace on the watch catches up to my running pace.  At the motocross track it's too dangerous to try to reach down and start a new lap every time I cross the finish line, this was handled by the auto-lap by GPS feature of my really old Forerunner 305.  The same goes for some places we mountain bike ride, the start/finish is a jump into a rocky downhill turn and I'm not comfortable reaching for my watch to start a new lap there.  But this watch has some super nice daily features; lots of timers, alarms, I've even used the compass a couple of times.  The UI programmers did a great job, it's responsive and easy to navigate.  If they would just fold in the missing features I mentioned above, it would really be a killer watch, even if it came at the expense of battery life.