Garmin Foot Pod Micro (SDM4) -

I use the Garmin foot pod with my Garmin Forerunner 410, it provided valuable addition data such as my running cadence (the number of steps per minute) and provides distance and speed information when there is no GPS signal available, namely when in the gym or on a treadmill. It works reliably and appears to be really surprisingly accurate. It also synchronises with the Forerunner 410 reliably and in seconds.

The foot pod is small, in fact the same size as a Nike Plus device and will fit in a Nike plus holder in your training shoe. It comes mounted on a quick release harness that fastens to the running shoe by the laces. This seems secure enough although I confess I use a Velcro Shoe Pouch when outside, the quick release harness hasn't yet earned my trust.

So why only three stars? Well, when describing the cost of the Garmin foot pod I toyed with the words `amazing' and `eye-watering' but these didn't really cut it and I was finally forced to resort to `astonishing'. The Nike+ Sport Kit retails for around £20 and is essentially the same technology and that would seem to be a reasonable price for this unit, even £30 may be reasonable. You would need to be really serious about running to invest in this foot pod at this price.

So to sum up, technically the foot pod is excellent, reliable and accurate, commercially - what were they thinking? At £40 I'd award it four stars; at £30 I'd give it five stars.

Does exactly what it says on the tin and paired up within a minute with my Garmin Forerunner 405CX. My running is heavily motivated by gadgets and if you run on a treadmill as well as running outside then you will need this little device if, like me, you want to record all your runs. For ease of use and working well I would give 5 stars but it is a tad expensive for what it is (I previously ran with a Nike+) so it loses a star due to cost.

This was the SDM4 model which supports the cadence feature and precisely what I was after in terms of add-ons for my 310xt setup. I wanted it so I can record all my indoor treadmill sessions as well as force my cadence up.

Pros:
Can clip to laces or squeeze in arch area of shoe
Tiny (about size of 10p but slightly thicker)
99% accurate speed once calibrated against GPS (so can use on treadmill)

Cons:
So small and light if you havent connected it to your shoes correctly then
Might not be overly waterproof (used wetsuit latex glue to seal battery cap better)
Expensive-probably OK at £40 but £70 is way overpriced. I paid a lot less as it was a clearance item so very happy
Clip very small compared with polar footpod so wouldnt notice if it fell off when running-just put it inside shoe instead.

Despite the drawbacks, if you see it for under £40 I would recommend it if your a data freak like me!

A very handy device which links in with my Forerunner 50 watch. The latest version is quite a lot smaller and lighter than its predecessor (which was actually quite neat anyway!). This model is just a bit bigger than a 2p coin, and clips neatly under the shoe laces. Accuracy out of the box seems to be pretty good in terms of distance, and can be tweaked via the watch for even better results. Combined with my Forerunner 50 watch and heart rate strap (now succeeded by the Forerunner 60), I have all I need to time and measure my training runs and races. Unlike very much more expensive GPS units, this set-up doesn't suffer from losing satellite connections under trees etc.

Used with both 910xt and also my iPhone with ant Ant+ sensor.
I calibrated the footpod on a running track local to me. They're easy to find I just went on to google then went over, walked in and then walked round 2.5 times.
I now have fairly accurate footpod results, I compare them to the satellite figs and for the most part there is only 10 or 20 yards difference after running 10 miles.
The one thing my footpod now gives me is fairly accurate pace when on a running machine. My gym has about 20 or so running machines, I now know that all of them give different results. By this I mean that I go by the pace on my footpod (now knowing it is accurate) and whilst a pace of 9 min mile on my garmin (via footpod) means a speed of 10 kph on the running machine, if I go to another one that speed may be 9 kph or well over 10 kph - that's a fairly big difference!

I purchased this to compliment my Garmin Forerunner 410 GPS Sportswatch with Heart Rate Monitor.

Although I prefer to do my running outdoors, I am something of a fair weather runner so when the weather is wet I will use the treadmill indoors.

Prior to purchasing the Forerunner watch I had been using the Nike+ foot pod with my iPhone and liked the way it could record steps indoors but use GPS (and/or steps) outdoors, so I always had my speed/pace recorded.

Disappointed to discover this was £40 when it is essentially the same as the Nike+ one which is only £15 but it does have a user changeable battery (which Nike+ doesn't). However, as I do indoor running as well I wanted/needed this to make the best use out of my Forerunner watch.

Not much to say really about it - it does what it says on the tin.

Feels well put together and like it will last (the Nike+ one feels cheap alongside it).

Very easy and quick to pair with the Forerunner watch (same procedure as pairing the heart rate monitor) and after a few months of using it I have had no problems at all.

You have to calibrate it before using it by walking a set distance. You can have GPS activated on the watch for this and it measures the distance for you and tells you when to stop walking. Very quick and easy process.

Once paired and up and running you can choose whether to use GPS or the foot pod data as the speed source. Outdoors I still use the foot pod as I can then have cadence data alongside the GPS data, but indoors I change this to foot pod only and this allows me to have the cadence and speed/pace data even though I have no GPS enabled....

Would strongly recommend if you do any indoor running otherwise you will miss all the speed/pace data.

It comes with a clip so you can fasten it to your laces but I never use this as all my running shoes have a space in the sole for a foot pod.

Knocked off a star for the cost. Read more ›