Should I track activity with Forerunner 255 or Edge 530?

hi,

I do almost the same, might be one step ahead:

I do cycling outdoors and indoors, Indoor Rowing, Nordic Walking, HIIT/Strength, Yoga/Stretching, and very seldomly swimming.

I have an Edge 530 like you and got myself a Forerunner 55 in January.

I record Cycling, Rowing and Walking with my Edge 530 broadcasting my Heart Rate from the FR 55 watch (works very well and data is quite accurate)

Yoga, HIIT/Strength I only record with the FR 55 watch.

I played around with various other watches like the 255 or Instinct 2, but always returned to the FR55: It is sinple, easy to use, light and small, almost not noticeable on my wrist and broadcast very good HR data.

I did not switch to 255 or Instinct2 or other models because I found the combo 55/530 very good: 
- Cycling: naturally the 530 is perfect

- Rowing: I attach the 530 to the handlebar of the Rower and have all my data right in front of me

- Nordic Walking: I put the 530 in my back pocket of my shirt or attach it to my backpack in the front: easy to acces, perfect for navigation. Maybe there is some slight offset in the data (km, pace etc) in conparison to a dedicated watch, but I do not care. 

- HIIT/Strength/Yoga etc: I use solely the watch as the more advanced data like TrainingStatus/ Load or Training Effect is almost never noticeable - 30-45 min of Strength would barely bring 10-15 EPOC Load or 0.x Aerobic effect. Not relevant to me. So I use only the very basic FR 55 watch.

Why not a 255 or Instinct 2 with the Edge? I found that the data from various sports recorded with different devices brought a mess in Garmin Connect - sometimes it is synced, sometimes not. And eventually I had 2 sets of Training Status - one wirh the Edge, one with the 255/Instinct2. What a mess.

And lastly: I hate to wear watches at night, so the data I might get from a 255/instinct2 being worn 24/7 was anyway not relevant to me. 

So I saved some bucks and am happy with my Edge530 / Forerunner 55 combo.

I use the 530 instead of my watch as I can see the info easy on the screen. I can edit this to see what I want as well.  There are a few workout settings that aren't on the 255 like workout time remaining and what's next (if I remember correctly).  I just prefer looking at the computer. 

I have the watch off when cycling, but ensure you have physio true up (I think that's the name) turned on both the watch and the edge so they record to connect properly.  I do this on zwift even though the workout is on the screen as well

yes, in theory Physio True Up should sync all devices... in reality it does not work always and not reliably. 

Good point with the additionals dsta fields on the Edge in terms of Workouts. Yes, these are missing on several watches! 

I have the Edge 830 and bought a 255s 2 months ago.  At first I thought I'd keep tracking indoor and outdoor rides with the Edge and use the 255s for everything else but I quickly decided to use the 255s for everything.  255s has acute load--Edge 530/830 do not.  This probably makes a difference in the Recovery Advisor.  When I'm on the bike, I'll have both the Edge and the 255s tracking the activity.  I discard the Edge recording at the end and keep the 255s.  I'm confident this is the best way to go for those who own both of these devices--the 255 series has Garmin's latest health algorithms and the Edge 530/830 do not.  Best not to worry that things are going to get missed in True Up that you could have saved if you were using the newer device.

i regard most of these algorithms and advisors as nice marketing gags. so I do not really care about them and gladly miss out on them. 

I appreciate all of the thoughts posted thus far.  They have given me a lot to think about.  Am I correct in thinking that whatever ultimately ends up being posted and saved in Garmin Connect will be the data that a watch and Edge use in their algorithms?  For example, if I record data for a rower workout using both a watch and Edge, both sets of data will post to Garmin Connect.  If I then delete the data that my Edge posted to Garmin Connect, leaving only the watch-recorded data, that data will be what drives all of the health algorithms for the system as a whole - correct?

For my purposes, the only time I can think that I really need to see information while engaged in an activity is while cycling outside.  Otherwise, having data collected by a watch works for me.  

One other question, if I could.  I do have a chest-strap heart rate monitor.  Could / should I connect my watch to that monitor for a workout as a way to collect more accurate heart-rate data, or is the hrm on the watch accurate enough that doing so is not necessary?