Race Titanium Charcoal

You can pair both on the Race 2. You cannot on the Race 1 (only on sensor of each type).

I'm using a Race 1 and also have an Enduro 2. I use the Race 1 now. The two things that I miss from the Enduro are: contactless payments and the flashlight, although the race does have a flashlight mode for its display. It's also easier to get routes onto the watch, because Suunto imposes a limit on the number of courses, and course management is buggy. Conversely, Garmin course management is just clunky. I like the training load implementation on the Race, and love the display. The maps implementation also suits my usage really well. I find it to be very fast and responsive. I also like the form factor. The Enduro was a brick that would get caught on every sleeve. Also, for my usage, the Race gets better battery life. Garmin will provide many metrics - and I don't use many of them. I find some to be of dubious value, and I simply don't care about others. But some people like them - I'm just not one of them.

I have had every Garmin since the Fenix 3. Recently picked up the Race. Not sure I’ll go back to Garmin. The watch itself feels years ahead of Garmin. The Fenix line has more or less had the same case since its inception. Suunto app is more user friendly and cleaner IMO. Currently testing a Coros Nomad. If that doesn’t suit my fancy I will definitely be picking up the Race 2. (Still In the return period on the Race 1)

I really like the Race 2 but man, the bugs and quirks are real…especially the data discrepancies between the watch and the app. After 9 days, I’m thinking it should go back. It just doesn’t seem like it was ready for prime time and I’m not sure I trust they’ll support it or fix it. Just as the title states, I have an offer to buy a brand new in the sealed box Forerunner 970 for only $630. I never thought I’d go back to Garmin but their reputation for activity tracking and support is strong. I want to love Suunto but I’m not there. I know this is a Suunto forum but I’m sure there are Garmin folks in here (current or former). What do you think?

Yeah… I get the Suunto love here lol. I really like what Suunto has going on and the Race 2 is very well built. I’m just not sure about the data discrepancies and Suunto’s reputation for device support.

I went back and forth 20 times on what to do. I was going to go back to Garmin and get the 970 but just told myself that I've been with Garmin for years and left them for reasons that have not changed. I really like the Suunto and want to give them the chance. I am staying with the Race 2 Titanium. I just hope they sort out the data discrepancies and bugs in near term firmware updates.

I agree about Garmin’s direction. Some of their product decisions don’t make sense (ie, Instinct 3 with gen 4 sensor). I ended up returning the Race 2 Titanium but will most likely get the stainless steel Race 2 and stick with Suunto. With a discount code I can get it from Suunto for $425…that’s a great deal. I just hope that Suunto will fix some of the data discrepancies and fully support the watch for years to come.

I posted something very similar to your dilemma. I’ve been in the Garmin universe for many years and looked at getting a discounted 970. After much contemplation and testing the Race 2 for a week, I’ve decided to stick with Suunto. While it has some noticeable flaws (some data discrepancies between the watch and the app, sleep tracking is questionable, Resources scores defunct etc.), I feel confident they’ll be fixed by future firmware updates. And honestly, tell me about a fitness tracker that doesn’t have flaws…especially when new. While the 970 is rated as a top running watch, I was ready for a change…I wanted something other than Garmin. I think the Race 2 is a fantastic device, it’s very well built and so far the activity tracking is spot on. The Suunto app is way better than Garmin Connect in my opinion. Yes, the Suunto Race 2 Titanium at $600 was about the same price as the discounted 970 but I’m happy staying with Suunto. I think it fits great, looks great, tracks great, and will be refined with future updates. Perhaps after using the Race 2 for a long period of time I’ll change my thoughts…time will tell.

When calculating whether or not to stay with Suunto, I figured it was possible some of the issues would never get resolved. I do see some occasional firmware updates here and there so I know they "fix things" but whether or not they actually track and dive deep into the bugs people are reporting who knows. I will say that I have never seen anyone from Suunto respond to or engage with people here on Reddit or Facebook. I see the complete opposite with Coros and Garmin. I am going to use the Race 2 for a few weeks, give it an honest trial run and make a final decision on what to do. I know more new watches are dropping this month. Garmin is still buzzing in my head...so is Coros.

Ouch…that’s a rough scenario. Garmin is known for exceptional mapping but I suppose they’re not perfect. Suunto maps on the Race 2 work very good. The GPS locks on fast and tracks well. The watch is quite fast, the maps load quick and you can zoom out quite far. The navigation seems spot on where I’m at but I’m definitely not in the jungle. The only downside currently is there are no labels. The climb pro feature works good.

From what I’ve seen in reviews and in my own experience, I’d say the Garmin Fenix line and 970 might be just slightly more accurate overall with heart rate and GPS but the Race 2 tracks really accurately. I think it’s prone to some cadence lock here and there but nothing crazy. In my runs and hikes the watch is quite spot on. I like it a lot. It’s very well built, it feels premium. The UI is totally unique and you have to be ok with learning all about the training peaks metrics. There’s a learning curve but I think the Suunto app shows your fitness, training, and recovery trends better than Garmin Connect.

Had the 970, returned it and now very happy with the Race 2. Only thing the Garmin does better for me is notifications.

Honestly, I'm not a big fan of Garmin's current direction – especially with the higher prices, subscription model, and the idea of reusing old CPUs. The Race 2 is genuinely really responsive on the map screen! I went with the titanium one, but I'm honestly not sure if paying the extra £100 is really worth it.

I returned the Suunto after 3 days. I hated that I can't read my notifications, the GPS really struggled to connect, I missed a lot of Garmin features ...

I agree with you! I mean with the discount code I got I paid $424 USD. Where else are you going to get a watch with sapphire crystal glass as well as all of the other features for that price? After a week now I’d say it’s hard to beat for me at least.