heart rate monitor

pieman99

Hello all, looking at getting this:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/polar-ft2-heart-rate-monitor/

Just wondering if a wrist watch monitor is any good for cycling or whether i would need something else?

Thanks

mrwibble

if you are serious about your cycling, a dedicated bike computer I think is the way to go, especially the garmin edges.

pieman99

Thanks for the reply, i have a small computer, just gives me speed, distance, etc, but was looking for a cheap heart rate monitor, funds are abit tight at the moment!

mrwibble

try one of the cheaper garmin watches and see if it is cadence compatible. Cadence sensor for training is essential. The polars also do cadence sensors I think.

I have a brand new one of these if you are interested

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Garmin-Forerunn ... B000UW5SYG

Bronzie

mrwibble wrote:

Cadence sensor for training is essential.

Why?

Bronzie

pieman99 wrote:

Just wondering if a wrist watch monitor is any good for cycling or whether i would need something else?

Not sure what that HRM actually does or how much detail *you* would want but the essential things for me would be:
- does it give you an average & maximum HR figure for the ride & lap?
- can you get time in zone info (5 zones is good)?
- is it waterproof?

mrwibble

Why? So I know how fast my legs are peddling when i am training, that is why. Easier on the legs and knees when turning faster, I also drop anlower gear and reduce my cadence for a resistant workout. I could count myself but easier with cadence.

blah blah blah blah blah...

doyler78

mrwibble wrote:

Why? So I know how fast my legs are peddling when i am training, that is why. Easier on the legs and knees when turning faster, I also drop anlower gear and reduce my cadence for a resistant workout. I could count myself but easier with cadence.

blah blah blah blah blah...

You should ridding at a natural cadence most of the time. If you are wanting to ride a harder gear it's quite simple process. You find your natural gear and then knock the gears up to a harder gear. If you want to spin a bit more do the same but chose any easier gear from your natural gear. It's a simple process.

BeaconRuth

pieman99 wrote:

Thanks for the reply, i have a small computer, just gives me speed, distance, etc, but was looking for a cheap heart rate monitor, funds are abit tight at the moment!

I raced at quite a good level with nothing more sophisticated than a cheap computer and a cheap HRM. What you've found will be perfectly adequate IMO.

Ruth

oldwelshman

mrwibble wrote:

Why? So I know how fast my legs are peddling when i am training, that is why. Easier on the legs and knees when turning faster, I also drop anlower gear and reduce my cadence for a resistant workout. I could count myself but easier with cadence.

blah blah blah blah blah...

You need a cadence monitor to tell you how fast you pedal?
Neither cadance monitor, heart rate monitor or garmin is "essential" for training. If you can afford them they can be nice, but certainly not essential.
The money you pay for aan edge could buy a serious pair of wheels, or some Oakleys
I have a GArmin and after two weeks never bothered with the HR at all, sold the cadance when it arrived, I sometimes use it but reallyonly for recording distances when I am racing to give me idea of distance left in race, and for feeding.
As some one else posted your cadance is generally a natural cadance and normally ends up around 80 to 95 for "most" experienced cyclists, and if you want to train for higher cadance, you just change down a gear or two, it really is that simple.

danowat

oldwelshman wrote:

mrwibble wrote:

Why? So I know how fast my legs are peddling when i am training, that is why. Easier on the legs and knees when turning faster, I also drop anlower gear and reduce my cadence for a resistant workout. I could count myself but easier with cadence.

blah blah blah blah blah...

You need a cadence monitor to tell you how fast you pedal?

My thoughts exactly, personally, I find cadence data to be completely useless, I know when I am "spinning" and I know when I am "grinding", I don't need a sensor to tell me that!

Pseudonym

mrwibble wrote:

blah blah blah blah blah...

I understood that bit....

dawebbo

If you go for a wrist watch, I'd recommend getting a handlebar mount for it. As depending on your hand position you can't always see the face.

DaveL

I would go for Polar every time, if it's just the heart rate your after, and as said above, a handlebar mount. My first thoughts on the one your looking at are it seems a bit expensive for what it is. I have a 725x which does pretty much everything you can think of and more, I have seen them on singletrack for around 70 quid. You can also upload your sessions onto your PC and look at pretty graphs

Dave

Bronzie

dawebbo wrote:

If you go for a wrist watch, I'd recommend getting a handlebar mount for it. As depending on your hand position you can't always see the face.

A bit of foam pipe lagging works equally well.

doyler78

DaveL wrote:

I would go for Polar every time, if it's just the heart rate your after, and as said above, a handlebar mount. My first thoughts on the one your looking at are it seems a bit expensive for what it is. I have a 725x which does pretty much everything you can think of and more, I have seen them on singletrack for around 70 quid. You can also upload your sessions onto your PC and look at pretty graphs

Dave

I have the s725x as well, which I only use in the gym now, as I replaced with C600x, and they are really a great product so if can pick one up cheap they are worth it. No flapping jersey syndrome with a Polar

mrwibble

to all the people who say cadence isn't essential, its horses for courses. It all depends what you want out of your training and how you want to do it.

Capite?

mrwibble

What are your thoughts on powermeters? Dare I ask?

One is thinking of building a TT Bike...

B3rnieMac

I bought a cateye double wireless for cadence, but ended up not using it after about 3 months. You might as well get a Garmin edge bundle with HR included, if you decided to change to a Garmin your polar HR strap won't be compatible. Well my FT4 one wasn't.

Bronzie

mrwibble wrote:

to all the people who say cadence isn't essential, its horses for courses. It all depends what you want out of your training and how you want to do it.

You stated that "cadence was essential". I just wondered why you thought that was the case? Cadence is just a function of what gear you are using. It doesn't tell you anything particularly useful about your training in my opinion.

As for powermeters, if you are prepared to read up on how to use one properly, then they can be a very helpful tool to focus your training. But far from essential.

doyler78

mrwibble wrote:

to all the people who say cadence isn't essential, its horses for courses. It all depends what you want out of your training and how you want to do it.

Capite?

Interesting response. Might I remind you that you said cadence was essential and you did not say for your training therefore that gave the impression that you thought we should all be using it. That was the view that we were challenging. I'm glad you have recognised that we are all entitled to our opinions too

As regards power meters. They are a fantastic product if you take the time to learn how to use them to inform rather than prescribe your training and if you can't be bothered with that then get a coach that can do the donkey for you otherewise they are an expensive weight penalty.

mrwibble

doyler78 wrote:

mrwibble wrote:

to all the people who say cadence isn't essential, its horses for courses. It all depends what you want out of your training and how you want to do it.

Capite?

I'm glad you have recognised that we are all entitled to our opinions too

on the flip side, I am entitled also to my opinion...

doyler78

mrwibble wrote:

doyler78 wrote:

mrwibble wrote:

to all the people who say cadence isn't essential, its horses for courses. It all depends what you want out of your training and how you want to do it.

Capite?

I'm glad you have recognised that we are all entitled to our opinions too

on the flip side, I am entitled also to my opinion...

There isn't a flip side as I said we are all entitled to our opinions so that includes you

hulla the hulla

CS200cad is a worthwhile comp/HR mon if you can stretch to it or the slightly cheaper CS200 if you're not arsed about cadence

rolf_f

In my case, my cadence tends to be lower than I think it is and lower than ideal. The meter is really helping me to increase my cadence. I used to think that I could judge my cadence without a meter but I couldn't - not really.

Of course, nothing is essential - Joe Simpson never had a computer.......

Bronzie

Rolf F wrote:

my cadence tends to be lower than ideal.

What's the "ideal" cadence?

onlyonearrow

One of these water type HRM from Aldi (special this Sunday) for £12.99 could be an inexpensive way of find out whether you find it useful.
http://www.aldi.co.uk/uk/html/offers/special_buys3_20726.htm

BeaconRuth

Rolf F wrote:

Of course, nothing is essential - Joe Simpson never had a computer.......

Does Joe Simpson need a computer to be a mountaineer? Methinks you have the wrong man! (Tom innit?)

Ruth

Atz

The money you pay for aan edge could buy a serious pair of wheels, or some Oakleys

Given my Edge 500 + HRM cost me around 120 brand new, either we have wildly differing thoughts about a serious pair of wheels or you've got some sort of miracle LBS. As far as the oakley's go, I think a decent bike computer will add more to people's training than a pair of sunnies.

oldwelshman

Atz wrote:

The money you pay for aan edge could buy a serious pair of wheels, or some Oakleys

Given my Edge 500 + HRM cost me around 120 brand new, either we have wildly differing thoughts about a serious pair of wheels or you've got some sort of miracle LBS. As far as the oakley's go, I think a decent bike computer will add more to people's training than a pair of sunnies.

Can get decent shimano wheels for £120 and as for Oakleys, I would rather have decent glasses that stick on my head and keep out flies than know what my HR is
I do have HR monitor for both track and road but have not used them for about 3 years. On the track I just use the speed function for pacing and on road the gramin for time and distance monitoring.

Pseudonym

oldwelshman wrote:

I do have HR monitor for both track and road but have not used them for about 3 years. On the track I just use the speed function for pacing and on road the gramin for time and distance monitoring.

best way of judging your speed in a road race is by looking at the rest of the bunch - if they're half a mile up the road, it means you're not going fast enough....at which point, your heart rate will be irrelevant anyway...