The accessories I use with my smartwatches

Tags: Review | Smart

22.12.2025 | 5 MIN

Smartwatches today can handle an enormous number of functions on their own — they measure sports performance, track health, navigate outdoors, and help keep you active. Still, over time I’ve found that the right accessories are what turn them into a genuinely versatile tool. Some add measurement accuracy, others boost safety or comfort in specific sports.

In this article, I focus on four types of accessories I use most often with my smartwatches:

• smart ring
• chest strap
• bike computer
• cycling radar

Each has its own role and purpose — and combined with a smartwatch, they create an ecosystem that keeps me on top of performance, health, and safety.

Smart ring – A discreet ally for health and recovery

I see a smart ring primarily as a complement to a watch, not a replacement. Its biggest advantages are discretion and comfort, which allows me to wear it 24/7 without issue — through sleep, work, and everyday moments when I’d rather take a watch off.

I primarily use the ring for:

• sleep tracking and sleep quality
• heart rate variability tracking
• a general sense of recovery

Compared to a watch, the ring is more comfortable at night. There’s no wrist pressure, no marks, and no need to tighten a strap.

That helps me collect more consistent sleep and recovery data, which makes better sense over the long term.

For me, the watch and ring complement each other well — the watch covers the active part of the day and sport, while the ring handles passive data collection that then feeds into the overall picture of how ready my body is for effort.

Chest strap – Accuracy I can rely on

Although today’s wrist-based optical sensors are very advanced, a chest strap still plays an important role in sports. I use it mainly for activities where real-time heart rate accuracy matters.

This typically includes:

• cycling
• strength training
• running (especially intervals)
• workouts with clearly defined heart rate zones

8.2.2022
ALL ABOUT: Chest strap heart rate monitors

A chest strap measures the heart’s electrical activity, so it reacts to changes in intensity immediately. That’s a key difference compared to optical sensors, which can show deviations during sudden intensity shifts.

Another advantage is better reliability in cold weather or during heavy sweating — conditions that generally don’t favor optical sensors but don’t bother a chest strap. I simply pair the strap with the watch and don’t have to think about it during the activity.

I mainly use it when:

• I want to train precisely by heart rate
• I’m testing fitness or performance
• I need the most accurate possible data for training analysis

It’s also great that many chest straps are compatible with other accessories such as bike computers, treadmills, or even a phone. So if you don’t want to wear a smartwatch but still want accurate heart rate data from your workout, in many cases the chest strap alone will do.

Some people can’t stand the feeling of something on their chest, and for them there’s an alternative in the form of an arm-based sensor.

While it measures heart rate optically like a watch, its placement on the arm delivers accuracy comparable to chest straps.

Bike computer – Bigger display, better overview

When cycling, a smartwatch on its own doesn’t always cut it for me. Not because of features, but because of ergonomics and readability. That’s where a bike computer comes in.

I prefer a bike computer mainly because it:

• has a larger, more legible display
• lets me work with the map comfortably while riding
• shows more data fields at once
• doesn’t force me to twist my wrist or take my hand off the bars

In this case, the watch serves more as a data hub and a backup device. The bike computer takes over as the primary display on the bars, where I always see speed, power, heart rate, navigation, and elevation profile.

Battery life is another major advantage. On longer rides or all-day trips, a bike computer is more reliable than a watch with active GPS.

Ideally, the watch and bike computer communicate within a single ecosystem, so the data syncs automatically after the activity with no need to do anything manually.

That said, a bike computer isn’t always essential. Functionally, watches today can largely replace this type of device. So I’d say it mostly comes down to user comfort.

If you’re an occasional rider who only hops on the bike once in a while, a watch will be more than enough. If you ride regularly, I’d consider getting a bike computer — regardless of whether you have a smartwatch or not.

Cycling radar – Safety first

I consider a cycling radar one of the most useful accessories overall, especially if I’m riding on the road or busy routes. It won’t improve performance or fitness, but it dramatically increases safety.

The radar monitors vehicles approaching from behind and:

• alerts me to their presence
• shows distance and closing speed
• can distinguish a single car from a whole line of cars

The information shows up either on the bike computer or on a smartwatch. That gives me constant awareness of what’s happening behind me without constantly looking over my shoulder or risking stability.

The psychological effect of the radar is huge. The ride is calmer, smoother, and I have more room to focus on the route and my own effort. The radar is often paired with a rear light that automatically reacts to approaching vehicles.

For road cycling, I see a radar as part of the basic kit — much like a helmet.

An ecosystem that makes sense

Smartwatches are the foundation, but only in combination with the right accessories do they show their full potential. Each of the add-ons I use addresses a different need:

• smart ring – recovery, sleep, and lifestyle
• chest strap – maximum accuracy of sports data
• bike computer – comfort and ride overview
• cycling radar – safety on the road

What matters is that these elements complement rather than exclude each other. It’s not about having as much tech as possible, but about making the pieces make sense and simplify use instead of complicating it.

In my view, a well-designed ecosystem is the key to making technology genuinely helpful — and not just another distraction in sport and everyday life.

Photo credits:

• Hodinky 365 photographers
• Garmin.com
• Coros.com