Polar CS200 Cycle Computer

steerpike

Hi,

I'm a relative newcomer to road cycling but am planning on the L'etap du Tour in 2009. Can anyone tell me if the Polar C200 is a decent piece of kit for someone who wants to take an averagely professional attitude to training?

(Also, would Boardman Comp bike be well suited to the rigours of this kind of ride?? My budget won't stretch any further : http://www.boardmanbikes.com/ )

Cheers

iga

I've got a CS200 and have found it a reliable and useful bit of kit. The Polar online training site where you can upload your data and follow training programmes is one of the most useful features for tracking your progress and not something other computers typically provide.

From others experience I think the only drawback of the Boardman Comp is that it's only sold by Halfords, where the service can be patchy at best. If your prepared to check over and set up the bike yourself or get your local bike shop to do it then go for it, of course you might get lucky and get a Halfords grease monkey who knows what they're doing.

richa

Yup. Both the CS200 & Boardman Comp look more than adequate for a shot at next year's Etape.

steerpike

thanks Guys (and Rich I will be reading your blog for sure!)

I'm wondering if it's worth stretching to a Garmin - maybe the 350 as I'd like something with GPS for when I inevitably get lost on the imminent 70 miler training rides :roll:

steerpike

sorry, I think to clarify, I need to know - what do I get for my extra £60 ish with the Garmin Edge 350 that the Polar CS200 doesn't give me (apart from GPS). Or are they really intended for different purposes?

e999sam

I've had loads of problems with my CS200. It was very difficult to set up and often stops working for no apparent reason.
It's been back to polar once but I still have problems with it.
I wanted to install it on my stem but I couldn't get it to work at all in that position.
I definitely wouldn't buy another one.

BigG67

I've got the CS200 and it's been a great piece of kit. Does what it's asked to do and the chest strap is fairly comfortable.

steerpike

sorry, I think to clarify, I need to know - what do I get for my extra £60 ish with the Garmin Edge 350 that the Polar CS200 doesn't give me (apart from GPS). Or are they really intended for different purposes?

thanks guys for the replies - any advice on the above?

richa

Garmin will do everything the CS200 does.

In addition you will have:
- continuous HR info (rather than just currnet, average, max)
- gps track of you ride
- ability to plan, plot & follow a route


Howver, as a word of caution the battery life isn't huge and can struggle to achieve 10hrs (Etape?).