Hear rate monitor

robbyn

Has anyone got a preferred HR model? I want to get more out of my cycling rather than pottering about on a bike.

I have seen the X-Train V3 20 on the wiggle web site. Does anyone have experience of it?

I have also considered the cat eye HR-20 Heart rate monitor. This also seems to have everything I want except download capability. Any advice on this model?

Robin

doyler78

Well Polar are the market leaders so you can't go wrong there and their customer service is second to none and very quick.

Flasheart

I've got a Polar CS200Cad on my bike. Not had any problems with it. Can't say I've ever uploaded the stats file yet though.
Linky :arrow: http://polar.fitnessmegastore.co.uk/pol ... -11483.htm

GavH

Did have a Polar CS600 which was an awesome bit of kit, especially the data once uploaded to your PC for post-ride analysis. Sadly I sold it once I got my Garmin 705.

That said, if all you want to know is that your riding at 80% or whatever, you really don't want or need to be spending big bucks.

Mister W

Garmin Forerunner 50. Get the GSC-10 speed/cadence sensor as well and it's all the bike computer you need.

stfc1

robbyn wrote:

Has anyone got a preferred HR model? I want to get more out of my cycling rather than pottering about on a bike.

I have seen the X-Train V3 20 on the wiggle web site. Does anyone have experience of it?

I have also considered the cat eye HR-20 Heart rate monitor. This also seems to have everything I want except download capability. Any advice on this model?

Robin

The X-Train is fine if you just want to be sure you're training in the right zones. My needs are basic so I used it when riding on the turbo over the winter and it did the job. The bike mount is useless, however, so you have to wear it as a watch when you're out and about, which can get annoying if you want to see the readout. It has an alarm, but traffic noise can easily drown it out on busy roads.

No complaints for the price, but as others have said, spending a bit more will get you something better/more bike specific.

robbyn

It was well worth my asking your opinions. Thanks for the responses which I am checking out.

Robin

NaB

Get a bog standard cheapo hrm (approx £15- £20) from decathlon or somewhere similar. Then strap it onto your handlebars...pipe insulation is a good means of keeping it in place. No point shelling out for cadence etc if you're just starting out

doyler78

NaB wrote:

Get a bog standard cheapo hrm (approx £15- £20) from decathlon or somewhere similar. Then strap it onto your handlebars...pipe insulation is a good means of keeping it in place. No point shelling out for cadence etc if you're just starting out

Why? 3 months down the line the OP decides he wants to know his cadence and he has to go out and buy another unit.

Trying to save money because your a begineer is a false economy so far as I'm concerned because you only end up replacing the low end crud fairly quickly and probably getting something which is a bit of fudge because you don't have the funds because you are spending your money replacing all the silly stuff you bought out of ignorance in the first place.

If you want and you can afford my view is get it. Rarely will you regret it so long as it has usefulness in itself. If you buy it and don't use all the features so what at least they are there if you then decide you do need but can't make something out of nothing.

FSR_XC

If as Mister W says, OP gets a Garmin 50, a cadence sensor can be added at a later date.

They are £30 here

stfc1

I see the X-Train on Wiggle has gone up since I got mine. I only paid about £25. At the new price, the £30 Garmin above is no doubt a better bet.

NaB

doyler78 wrote:

NaB wrote:

Get a bog standard cheapo hrm (approx £15- £20) from decathlon or somewhere similar. Then strap it onto your handlebars...pipe insulation is a good means of keeping it in place. No point shelling out for cadence etc if you're just starting out

Why? 3 months down the line the OP decides he wants to know his cadence and he has to go out and buy another unit.

Trying to save money because your a begineer is a false economy so far as I'm concerned because you only end up replacing the low end crud fairly quickly and probably getting something which is a bit of fudge because you don't have the funds because you are spending your money replacing all the silly stuff you bought out of ignorance in the first place.

If you want and you can afford my view is get it. Rarely will you regret it so long as it has usefulness in itself. If you buy it and don't use all the features so what at least they are there if you then decide you do need but can't make something out of nothing.

Fair few assumptions there...I've never felt like replacing my 4yr old £15 polar HRM its not ignorant to go for a cheaper option that does near enough the same job. I'm assuming this person does not have buckets of cash to p**s away on kit...I know I don't. Also does knowing your cadence make you a better rider? I think you know the answer to that one....riding/training hard is worth far more than any data you can obtain from an expensive garmin. Plus there's the stigma of being seen to have all the gear and no idea....

doyler78

NaB wrote:

doyler78 wrote:

NaB wrote:

Get a bog standard cheapo hrm (approx £15- £20) from decathlon or somewhere similar. Then strap it onto your handlebars...pipe insulation is a good means of keeping it in place. No point shelling out for cadence etc if you're just starting out

Why? 3 months down the line the OP decides he wants to know his cadence and he has to go out and buy another unit.

Trying to save money because your a begineer is a false economy so far as I'm concerned because you only end up replacing the low end crud fairly quickly and probably getting something which is a bit of fudge because you don't have the funds because you are spending your money replacing all the silly stuff you bought out of ignorance in the first place.

If you want and you can afford my view is get it. Rarely will you regret it so long as it has usefulness in itself. If you buy it and don't use all the features so what at least they are there if you then decide you do need but can't make something out of nothing.

Fair few assumptions there...I've never felt like replacing my 4yr old £15 polar HRM its not ignorant to go for a cheaper option that does near enough the same job. I'm assuming this person does not have buckets of cash to p**s away on kit...I know I don't. Also does knowing your cadence make you a better rider? I think you know the answer to that one....riding/training hard is worth far more than any data you can obtain from an expensive garmin. Plus there's the stigma of being seen to have all the gear and no idea....

I didn't make any assumptions?

I challenged your assumption that a beginner couldn't possibly want or need cadence. I then further clarified why I believe cheap isn't always cheap in the end if it doesn't meet that persons needs a few months down the line and they then have to go and shell out again to get something else which they could have got at the start. I felt that would be a waste of money. Tell me how that is wrong?

Nowhere did I say you couldn't get anything cheaply that wasn't good or best value for that person on that person's budget at that time so you have made a fair few assumptions yourself it seems.

As regards cadence then I will just counter your assertion that it will not make you a better cyclist. Well it can if you use it properly like so many things in cycling. I say that because the major problem with many new cyclists is that they churn too high a gear leading to injury. Time off the bike is time wasted and therefore understanding and monitoring may help such a person to prevent injuries which could make him/her a better cyclist if they then put the effort in to become a better cyclist.

NaB

doyler78 wrote:

As regards cadence then I will just counter your assertion that it will not make you a better cyclist. Well it can if you use it properly like so many things in cycling. I say that because the major problem with many new cyclists is that they churn too high a gear leading to injury. Time off the bike is time wasted and therefore understanding and monitoring may help such a person to prevent injuries which could make him/her a better cyclist if they then put the effort in to become a better cyclist.

Leaving aside our previous assumptions.......I've never met anyone who has had 'injury time' off the bike as a result of churning too big a gear. Does this really constitute a 'major problem' with new cyclists? How did anyone cope before cadence equipped HRMs etc became popular?

FSR_XC

NaB & doyler78
Surely getting something that is not too expensive that is upgradeable deals with both of your arguments.

I can both of your points, but both of you are making assumptions in that you know what the OP wants. What people are doing is offering options.

robbyn
If you are still looking, maybe it is worth telling people if you only want HR or you want speed and cadence as well.
Be nice to know what you decide to buy too.

BTW, don't be mistaken into thinking the Garmin Forerunner 50 has GPS. It is just a HR monitor, that you can add a speed and cadence sensor (and footpod if you want to use it for running) and that you can download info from.

doyler78

FSR_XC wrote:

NaB & doyler78
Surely getting something that is not too expensive that is upgradeable deals with both of your arguments.

I can both of your points, but both of you are making assumptions in that you know what the OP wants. What people are doing is offering options.

robbyn
If you are still looking, maybe it is worth telling people if you only want HR or you want speed and cadence as well.
Be nice to know what you decide to buy too.

BTW, don't be mistaken into thinking the Garmin Forerunner 50 has GPS. It is just a HR monitor, that you can add a speed and cadence sensor (and footpod if you want to use it for running) and that you can download info from.

Wrong. As I said NaB what assumptions have I made about the OP. I challenged someone else's assumptions. End of.

The device you mention is exactly the sort of device I myself would be looking at if were starting cycling again. In my day to get all the functionality that I wanted I had to go for a considerably more expensive Polar s710i. I would have considered the product you have shown here seriously had it been available at the time I bought my Polar s710i given its range of features and price point. What decision I would have come to in the end - who knows - thats hindsight.

BenS999

I just bought a Polar F4, see link below, its not riding specific and i went for it because i do some running also and spinning at the gym - so had to be in wrist format. It goes on the handlebars easily with some pipe insulater as someone above mentioned. I have a computer on my bike so i didnt need/ want to get a combo device. I wanted something nice and simple but also decent quality as i dont want to buy a new one in a few months time again, ( i bought a cheapie a couple months ago from Sports Direct, it died after about a month. i lost the receipt, it was about £12 so not worth getting upset over)

If you just want the basics this will do the trick, I got mine from eBay for about £35 + delivery.

http://www.google.co.uk/products?hl=en& ... 1&ct=title

FSR_XC

doyler78
I re-read your posts - yep, I miss interpreted you.

rolf_f

NaB wrote:

Also does knowing your cadence make you a better rider?

And do you really need an electronic gubbins to tell you your cadence anyway? I can't estimate accurately my speed (av and max) nor the altitude change and heart rate but I can count pedal strokes for a minute! Aside from anything else, it keeps the mind off the distance to the top of the hill!

robbyn

I am not clear on the advantage of the cadence addon. Assuming that my aim is to have more meaningful exercise why can't I control it all from the HR measurement? If my heart rate is not in the required zone then my only choice is to increase my cadence or find a hill so buying both the HR monitor and the cadence device, measures the same thing from different viewpoints.

Robin