Intermittent Problems With Garmin HR Soft Strap

JesseD

Over the past week or 2 I have started to experience issues with my Garmin HR soft strap/sensor, initially the reading on my Edge 510 was very low and would take a while to get to where it should be, then more recently it has started dropping out or not registering with the head unit, then halfway through a ride it would register and all would be fine for a bit, then the signal would drop out again?

I have changed the battery in the sensor and the problem persists, I have updated the software on the head unit via Garmin Express (or whatever its called) and that seems successful, so I believe the only other issue is the actual HR soft strap.

The whole unit inc the soft strap is around 2 and a half years old and is used on a daily basis, so maybe its time to change it however here lies my problem, most places will only sell a complete unit (strap and sensor) and I only need the strap.

Any idea where I can buy one and how much they are as the sensor and strap are around £45+ which is pricey for what it is!

step83

I had this problem with mine. Basically the strap breaks for want of a better word. I replaced it with a Polar one which has lasted longer an finally given up the ghost, apparently I did a cat4 climb with a flat 54bpm heart rate at the weekend.

Get this, if you have the push stud Garmin HR one it fits perfectly http://www.wiggle.co.uk/polar-spare-ela ... t-strap-1/

Bobbinogs

I have heard about a lot of issues with the Garmin soft strap so I plumped for the cheapo standard Garmin one instead. It costs less than £30, is fine in use and mine has worked flawlessly in all conditions. Sure, it is still prone to strong wind affecting the conductance at the start of a ride but all straps seem to be prone to that every now and again. When I wear a gore windstopper baselayer the issue goes away completely, as does that nasty cold wind on the chest feeling.

Interesting article by DCR here:

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2010/08/sol ... pikes.html

sungod

i've used a garmin hrm1b since 2009

no problems with it, reliable data with no spikes, just change the battery every 2-3 years

bigmitch41

Had the same issue with at least two Garmin HR straps, Ive just asked Santa for a new Wahoo TICKR one (Wiggle), hopefully it proves more reliable than Garmin one!

dinyull

Step83 wrote:

I had this problem with mine. Basically the strap breaks for want of a better word. I replaced it with a Polar one which has lasted longer an finally given up the ghost, apparently I did a cat4 climb with a flat 54bpm heart rate at the weekend.

Get this, if you have the push stud Garmin HR one it fits perfectly http://www.wiggle.co.uk/polar-spare-ela ... t-strap-1/

Same as this.

My strap (although no garmin) was giving low readings, then intermittent and then nothing. Think it's the connector pins that get damaged.

Replaced with the above (from ebay) and all is good. Strap might need slight midification though - rubber stripping back from the connector pins).

grenw

BigMitch41 wrote:

Had the same issue with at least two Garmin HR straps, Ive just asked Santa for a new Wahoo TICKR one (Wiggle), hopefully it proves more reliable than Garmin one!

After reading a lot of comments that's what I got. We now have 2 Tickrs and both have worked perfectly over the last couple of years.

Man Of Lard

All fabric straps eventually fail - the big difference is the opportunity cost to replace them.

For me the longest lasting are the Polar Softstraps (as at Wiggle link above), the shortest lived the no-name random from eBay (lasted 3 washes before the strap itself disintegrated in the wash). The Garmin "super" strap lasted quite a while but they wanted £40 to replace the strap alone (vs £45 for strap + HRM)

johncp

I had problems with over high readings and after a bit of googling two things helped
1. Take the sensor off the strap and give the strap a real good soak and wash in soapy water - some improvement but not 100% fixed
2. Cut the strap in two between the press-studs then trim back the ends so they can't touch - major improvement! But still not as it should be so went back the original plastic hard-strap - perfect

Sutton_Rider

I had the same problem, phoned Garmin (it's known problem) they sent me an updated new one FOC. Worth a go.

Beatmaker

I didn't know the strap was interchangeable with a Polar one, I've been having problems with my Garmin HR this week. Thanks for the tip!

stueys

The garmin soft strap is good, works well and my two examples have been really reliable. Definitely worth contacting garmin if you've got issues. they will probably swap. The other type of HRM I like is the wahoo tickr x, I use it mainly for running. Dual bluetooth and ant+, very reliable plus will record data offline and sync it later. Works well if you want to replace with something different, I run this for running and use the garmin one for cycling.

JesseD

Sutton Rider wrote:

I had the same problem, phoned Garmin (it's known problem) they sent me an updated new one FOC. Worth a go.

I was about to buy the Polar strap as a replacement but will give them a ring first, nothing ventured nothing gained!

Thanks for the tip Sutton Rider

topcattim

I got a strap from Decathlon, only £5.99, works just fine with the Garmin unit clipped into it.

JesseD

Well I think I finally found the issue!

Just finished a 3 hour ride this morning and got to the cafe to meet the club for a coffee and pressed pause, when I came back out the Garmin head unit had turned itself off and will not turn back on!

Thought the battery had run out but I connected it to the charger when I got home and still nothing, won't fire up at all even after 10 mins connected to the charger!

Think the head unit is kaput!!!! :twisted:

Beatmaker

Strange, I just tried to use my Garmin HR monitor on my Polar strap, but it appears the studs on the Polar strap are a little too far apart, so one side of the Garmin HR monitor keeps popping off the stud. Has anyone else experienced this?

stevie63

You have to trim back the rubber round the stud, once done it gives a great fit.

stevie63

JesseD wrote:

Well I think I finally found the issue!

Just finished a 3 hour ride this morning and got to the cafe to meet the club for a coffee and pressed pause, when I came back out the Garmin head unit had turned itself off and will not turn back on!

Thought the battery had run out but I connected it to the charger when I got home and still nothing, won't fire up at all even after 10 mins connected to the charger!

Think the head unit is kaput!!!! :twisted:

If you press and hold the on switch for about 30 seconds or so it should switch back on.

Man Of Lard

Beatmaker wrote:

Strange, I just tried to use my Garmin HR monitor on my Polar strap, but it appears the studs on the Polar strap are a little too far apart, so one side of the Garmin HR monitor keeps popping off the stud. Has anyone else experienced this?

A lot of people say this - personally I don't have to make any changes to the Polar straps at all (other than adjusting the fit around my massive manly chest... )

hsiaolc

JesseD wrote:

Over the past week or 2 I have started to experience issues with my Garmin HR soft strap/sensor, initially the reading on my Edge 510 was very low and would take a while to get to where it should be, then more recently it has started dropping out or not registering with the head unit, then halfway through a ride it would register and all would be fine for a bit, then the signal would drop out again?

I have changed the battery in the sensor and the problem persists, I have updated the software on the head unit via Garmin Express (or whatever its called) and that seems successful, so I believe the only other issue is the actual HR soft strap.

The whole unit inc the soft strap is around 2 and a half years old and is used on a daily basis, so maybe its time to change it however here lies my problem, most places will only sell a complete unit (strap and sensor) and I only need the strap.

Any idea where I can buy one and how much they are as the sensor and strap are around £45+ which is pricey for what it is!

you've used the unit for 2 years and half so its not so bad especially on daily basis.

Go try a Wahoo HR sensor. I have one and its pretty good.

redvee

stevie63 wrote:

You have to trim back the rubber round the stud, once done it gives a great fit.

Did the same when I got my Polar strap, popped the Garmin sender on and it popped straight off but a few minutes work with a knife sorted it out.

JesseD

stevie63 wrote:

If you press and hold the on switch for about 30 seconds or so it should switch back on.

Brill tries this and it worked, plus yesterdays ride had saved as well, wasn't expecting it to have.

Anyone know why it does this, is the head unit on the way out?

Do I need to throw it away and buy myself a Garmin 1000?

step83

Im going to try an get to decathlon soon to pick up their own brand one, see how that fairs. Main issue is its on a small retail park with a large toy store, can imagine the chaos this time of year.

LukeTC

Step83 wrote:

Im going to try an get to decathlon soon to pick up their own brand one, see how that fairs. Main issue is its on a small retail park with a large toy store, can imagine the chaos this time of year.

Throw a furby into the crowd and watch them descend into madness.

shaw8670

These straps are rubbish. I had one replaced under warranty and one by Garmin goodwill after writing to them and now they are all bust!

I now use a Polar strap.

Keep the clip on transmitter and dump the strap and buy a Polar one (about £12). Clip the Garmin transmitter onto the Polar strap. The rubber bits that rise above the strap studs protrude a little too far on the Polar strap. Trim them carefully with a craft knife and it will work.

mamba80

JesseD wrote:

stevie63 wrote:

If you press and hold the on switch for about 30 seconds or so it should switch back on.

Brill tries this and it worked, plus yesterdays ride had saved as well, wasn't expecting it to have.

Anyone know why it does this, is the head unit on the way out?

Do I need to throw it away and buy myself a Garmin 1000?

Make sure your on the latest f/w rel 10.0 i know some people say leave alone but you ll miss out on the little bug fixes they put in.
+ 1 on the Polar strap, works a treat and is cheap too.

bigmitch41

shaw8670 wrote:

These straps are rubbish. I had one replaced under warranty and one by Garmin goodwill after writing to them and now they are all bust!

I now use a Polar strap.

Keep the clip on transmitter and dump the strap and buy a Polar one (about £12). Clip the Garmin transmitter onto the Polar strap. The rubber bits that rise above the strap studs protrude a little too far on the Polar strap. Trim them carefully with a craft knife and it will work.

Good tip re the Polaris strap, been using the polaris/garmin pod combo for a couple of weeks and its been faultless. Cheers!

Sort it Garmin!

JesseD

Update:

Despite updating the software on the head unit, i continued to have issues with the HR not registering, registering way to low or registering fine then dropping out intermittently, then the same started happening with my power meter.

I called Garmin and they said that it sounds like the head unit was kaput and unfortunately it was out of warranty.

Despite this they said they would recondition or replace it for £45 if I sent it back to them, and most probably they would just replace. I have opted for this and have posted back to them and am awaiting a replacement head unit.

The one I had was 2 and a half years old, so fair do's to Garmin for offering this, great customer service IMO.

Just have to hope that this solves the issues and its not the HR strap as well!!

hsiaolc

JesseD wrote:

Update:

Despite updating the software on the head unit, i continued to have issues with the HR not registering, registering way to low or registering fine then dropping out intermittently, then the same started happening with my power meter.

I called Garmin and they said that it sounds like the head unit was kaput and unfortunately it was out of warranty.

Despite this they said they would recondition or replace it for £45 if I sent it back to them, and most probably they would just replace. I have opted for this and have posted back to them and am awaiting a replacement head unit.

The one I had was 2 and a half years old, so fair do's to Garmin for offering this, great customer service IMO.

Just have to hope that this solves the issues and its not the HR strap as well!!

I bought the Wahoo HR for less thatn 45 at £37 something.

cdrewery

Had issues with my Garmin HR strap - changed to a Wahoo Tickr about 18 months ago - been flawless.....

bobmcstuff

I had the same issues, thought it was the head unit (810) but am getting the same issue on TrainerRoad Android (using my phone as a head unit). Thought changing the battery would fix it but it's still dropping out.

Just ordered a new HRM... That one's lasted bang on 2 years which doesn't seem too awful.

I probably should have got a Tickr or something instead.