What HRM?

fastandfuriousxc

Hi,

I am in the market for a new heart rate monitor after being strongly recommended to get one to aid training.

The issue is i have no idea which one to go for after doing some research i am at a complete loss as to which brand or item.

I will use it 4-5 times a week so it needs to be durable, preferabaly have bike computer features as well (Not to worried about cadence, but would be nice), I ride xc, enduros, all mountain and a bit of road, so mud proof and at least splash proof. Budget is value for money (Ideally below £80) but if there is £100 monitor which is significantly better i am happy to pay the extra.

Thanks for replies in advance

Dan

Frodo1095

You could blow your budget and go for a Garmin Edge 500 http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=44124 that would have everything you need and is also compatible with third party power meters should you ever want to use one in the future.

Competitive cyclist review on you tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrPjfVRoqa8

Big initial outlay though, but will last you for years.

fastandfuriousxc

Cheers for the reply, unfortunately I can't really justify that much and other (cheaper ideas)?

NormalD

I'm looking for a HRM to help me train and found this on wiggle.

http://s.wiggle.co.uk/images/xtrain-v3-w-bike-mount.jpg

Got to be worth a go for £30 it does all the basic stuff and if I find it useful I can spend a bit more in the future.

plugp7

Is it better to use ECG gel on the chest strap is just gobbing on as I do just as effective?

The Northern Monkey

linky

Frodo1095

plugp7 wrote:

Is it better to use ECG gel on the chest strap is just gobbing on as I do just as effective?

Dont waste money on ECG Gel, just use good old fashioned spit

CraigXXL

I've found that ECG gel works better than spit and since using not had any problems with Suunto or Polar HRM's. I paid about £6 for 250ml which last ages and much more satisfying than going out to find that the HRm is playing up because of a bad connection.

http://www.heartratemonitor.co.uk/ do some good deals and plenty of advice to suit your requirements

RideXC

I just got a Polar cs100, great value for money, although the controls feel kinda cheap? Great buy though.

hawnet

I use Polar cs200cad and it more than does for my needs. You can get them on e bay for less than £100 now.

chedabob

I have a Polar F6M and it's pretty good. Comes with a fabric strap that you can wet underneath a tap.

mea00csf

Personally i'd take cadence over hrm every time. Unless you setup the HRM properly they're not particularly accurate (and i mean set up your own zones rather than using 220 minus age for max heart rate, which is basically a load of rubbish).

DickBarton

I'm kind of looking for a GPS/HRM/Bike computer but have no idea where to look...any suggestions?

I'm needing the GPS to show me where to go, I'm looking to track the ride then upload it to a website so I can have a look at it. Very basic GPS feature and the 'usual' HRM features - using the HRM to see if I'm getting any fitter but not actually using it for training.

Cheers.