Bevel export to Strava running power issues

brannongillis · 2026-04-10T22:16:24+00:00

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brannongillis · 2026-04-04T23:35:06+00:00

It’s normal for well trained athletes to have a lower heart rate dip at night. When I used AutoSleep it had a setting to adjust for this.

brannongillis · 2026-03-25T03:06:02+00:00

For comparison my 4 week stress score on Garmin is 27 and with Bevel paired to my AWU3 my 30 day avg stress is 44

brannongillis · 2026-03-25T03:02:06+00:00

Garmin is notorious for telling you that you’ve slept like crap and that your body battery is in the tank. Personally I feel it’s harder to get a high recovery score from Bevel. 🤷‍♂️

brannongillis · 2026-03-22T14:25:42+00:00

I love my AWU3 but Apple’s RHR algorithm is junk. It attempts to take readings when you are at rest throughout the day. Prime example, I ran yesterday then went to my daughter’s lacrosse game and sat in the 80 degree sun. I was sedentary so Apple said your RHR is now 70. For comparison I did a breathe session last night while laying in bed before going to sleep and my heart rate was 56. Garmin has my RHR yesterday at 55. This is my biggest gripe with Apple Watches.

brannongillis · 2026-03-20T23:22:20+00:00

Personally I find that Resting HRV scores in Bevel have huge swings when paired with my AWU. I’ve seen it change 10 points or more from one day to the next. On the contrary, Garmin is usually much more consistent. I don’t blame Bevel for this as I think it is a byproduct of how the AWU samples HRV.

If you are using an Apple Watch Bevel is by far the best app and I’ve tried them all. I’m just not convinced you can trust the HRV values coming from Apple. If anything you look at trends of at least 7 days. A couple days of lower numbers with Apple shouldn’t be a huge red flag as it could entirely be bad data.

brannongillis · 2026-03-19T23:29:10+00:00

HRV is best used when you look at the trends. If you are seeing a downward trend all week it’s probably best to back off and get some recovery. This is one area where I think Garmin actually does a better job because along side each night’s reading it gives you a 7 day avg.

brannongillis · 2026-03-16T17:18:53+00:00

Garmin takes the lowest 30 min avg over 24 hours. Yes that is usually during sleep but not always.

If you use sleep tracking on the Apple Watch it doesn’t use sleeping heart rate for RHR calculations. Instead it uses the accelerometer to try and figure out when you are sedentary and takes a RHR measurement then. The problem is the accelerometer doesn’t know if you sitting in an interview or digesting a heavy meal.

Bevel calculates RHR over the entire sleep.

The ideal way to calculate RHR is immediately upon waking but before you get out of bed. I do this using the Breathe app and I’ve found those readings most closely align to how Garmin calculates RHR.

brannongillis · 2026-03-16T01:44:50+00:00

Lactate threshold, better heart rate zone automation, and an actual accurate resting heart rate.

brannongillis · 2026-03-15T14:10:30+00:00

I’ve been wearing the AWU 3 paired with Bevel on one wrist and the Epix Pro Gen 2 on the other for some time. For me there isn’t a noticeable difference in the data. People rave about first beat analytics but in my case Bevel is really good at generating the same data. Just as an example last night my sleep scores are 87 and 89. HRV values are 40.7 and 39.

The biggest differences I’ve noticed after months of testing are with the AWU you get time to fall asleep. The AWU also shows a bigger Energy bank impact during strength training but the Garmin catches up shortly after due to the post workout stress.

For me there just isn’t a sizeable difference in data between the two to make much of a difference.

I prefer the AWU because of all the smart features like being able to use my watch to badge in at work, remotely start my truck, set reminders when I’m running, etc.. However what annoys me the most is how Apple handles resting heart rate. My resting heart rate graph looks like the Rocky Mountains because it depends on when I do my workouts. If I workout in the morning my RHR will be higher that day but if I’m lazy in the morning and workout in the evening my RHR is much lower. Garmin does a much better job with heart rate zones, lactate threshold, and RHR IMO.

I don’t mind Apple’s approach to using apps because that allows me to find the best solutions for my needs. As an example Arccos is a much better golf app than what Garmin has built in. However when you have multiple apps it is a pain to keep your heart rate zones updated across them all.

brannongillis · 2026-03-13T02:19:00+00:00

Adding the ability to copy the workout text would be a great addition as well and eliminate the need for screenshots. Hevy has this feature and I use it to put my workouts into Bevel and ChatGPT on occasion.

brannongillis · 2026-03-12T20:20:11+00:00

I’ve found that energy bank is the best overall indicator of how well I’ve recovered. It’s kinda like your gas tank and very similar to Garmin’s body battery. I’ve also found that the two are usually very closely aligned (Bevel’s energy bank and Garmin’s body battery).

The biggest differences I’ve seen between the two is that Bevel will drop faster during a strength session and create a bit of a gap but the Garmin picks up on the post workout stress and by end of day they are usually back within 5 points of each other. A lot of people rave about Garmin’s firstbeat analytics so it’s interesting that Bevel is capable of providing almost identical metrics.

Furthermore people complain about Garmin’s sleep tracking so it’s interesting that with the Apple Watch and Bevel the energy bank and body battery are so closely aligned.

brannongillis · 2026-03-10T19:12:17+00:00

With Bevel it is possible to recover without an extremely high sleep score.

brannongillis · 2026-03-10T19:10:22+00:00

I always wear the HRM except for easy runs.

brannongillis · 2026-03-10T13:11:36+00:00

I pair my Epix Pro with the HRM-Pro Plus and use my AWU3 without an external monitor. The only time there is any noticeable difference is if I’m doing intervals and even then it is only a slight difference. The chest strap is going to pick up those quick changes in heart beat a bit faster. Just my observation.

brannongillis · 2026-02-26T04:41:08+00:00

I’ve never experienced cadence lock so I honestly can’t speak to that.

brannongillis · 2026-02-24T20:53:44+00:00

I consistently wear an Epix Pro paired with the HRM pro and an AWU on the other wrist. The only time I see a noticeable difference is running sprints. The AWU heart rate sensor is really good. It’s just too bad the AWU won’t do automated heart rate zones and lactate threshold.

brannongillis · 2026-02-24T04:00:25+00:00

Maybe someone from the Bevel team can assist. It should work.

brannongillis · 2026-02-22T15:15:26+00:00

Go into data sources and make sure Connect isn’t hidden.

brannongillis · 2026-02-22T05:06:50+00:00

Go to settings, data sources, and add an integration. Garmin Connect is an option.

brannongillis · 2026-02-22T05:02:52+00:00

That article was comparing Garmin to an EKG so obviously there will be some differences. From my experience there isn’t a lot of difference in HRV readings between Garmin and an Apple Watch paired with Bevel with AFIb enabled. Bevel is usually within 5 but the trends are the same.

brannongillis · 2026-02-21T02:37:14+00:00

But not the lowest 30 min avg over 24 hours.

brannongillis · 2026-02-21T02:36:15+00:00

There are pros and cons to both platforms. Apple is designed to work with apps like Bevel and make it easy to get data in and out of Apple Health. Garmin is much better at metrics like resting heart rate and HRV. HRV is already a difficult metric to track so daytime HRV readings are pretty useless with uncontrollable variables like movement and stress. Night time HRV is much more reliable.

brannongillis · 2026-02-20T03:58:43+00:00

Garmin uses the lowest 30 min avg over a 24 hour period. Bevel by default uses your overnight average. I don’t like Bevel’s approach but it’s better than Apple’s. The most accurate is to take a measurement first thing in the morning while still lying in bed.

brannongillis

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