How Long Does Your HR Strap Last?

ibr17xvii

Bought a Wahoo Tickr December 2017 & it's packed up. Changed the battery & cleaned the strap but according to what it's displaying I should be dead. I bought a new strap a year or so ago so don't think it's that so looks like the sensor itself has gone.

2 1/2 years use, is that normal?

New Tickr is out of stock everywhere & if it doesn't come back in stock soon I'll be looking for an alternative or something that lasts longer at least.

Cargobike

Consumer goods aren't built to last these days.
How are companies expected to maintain their profits otherwise.
Sad fact of life these days.

Sutton_Rider

The Garmin straps don't last long, maybe 12 to 18 months. So I now buy a cheap ones on ebay a fraction of the Garmin price and they last 3 years plus.

ibr17xvii

Sutton_Rider said:

The Garmin straps don't last long, maybe 12 to 18 months. So I now buy a cheap ones on ebay a fraction of the Garmin price and they last 3 years plus.

I was thinking of a Garmin premium strap purely as it was in stock but they seem to last less time than my Wahoo.

Defblade

Cargobike said:

Consumer goods aren't built to last these days.

Pulled my old HR and put a new battery in the other day. It saw a lot of work many years back, and a fair bit more a few years back last time I was training for something. Works fine still, original strap, so approx 22 years and counting to answer the OP's question.

Sutton_Rider

I was thinking of a Garmin premium strap purely as it was in stock but they seem to last less time than my Wahoo.

PM'ed you

ibr17xvii

Defblade said:

Cargobike said:

Consumer goods aren't built to last these days.

Pulled my old HR and put a new battery in the other day. It saw a lot of work many years back, and a fair bit more a few years back last time I was training for something. Works fine still, original strap, so approx 22 years and counting to answer the OP's question.

Certainly better than mine.

s_j_pwmb

My original Garmin strap lasted just over a year, the cheap eBay replacement (around £7) has been going for two years now (that’ll be it’s kiss of death!).

My decathlon HRM is still going strong after around 18 months.

It is important to wash the straps regularly so the salt from your sweat doesn’t corrode the internal wiring, the Garmin premium straps seem to be particularly susceptible to this mode of failure.

yellowv2

Original Garmin strap that came with my 500, unit probably 10 years ago is still going strong. I have still got the premium strap which came with my 1000 in the box.

50x11

My strap for my og Garmin 500 is still going, 8-10 years

Charlie_Croker

My Polar strap was still working after 10+ years when I stopped using it. I then decided to use it again after 20+ years but unfortunately it had died

me-109

A good six years for the Garmin premium strap before the rubber sensor strips started peeling away from the strap. Replaced with a cheapie unbranded one from eBay (all the way from China for about seven quid) using the Garmin sensor. I think it's probably even more comfy than the Garmin one, and if it doesn't last as long it's a quarter of the price (or less).

sungod

garmin hrm1g, still fine after 10+ years, battery lasts c. 3 years, but i think it's discontinued now

their 'premium' strap has a poor reputation

bobmcstuff

I found the Garmin and Wahoo sensor units to be rubbish, since 2014 I have got through 2 Garmin units and one Wahoo.

Now I am using a cheapo CooSpo one recommended by someone on here and it's actually turned out to be much more reliable than either of the above.

Strap-wise, just using another cheap one from Amazon.

crescent

Four years and counting for my Garmin HR strap, one change of battery after three years. Washed once a week and wiped down with a baby wipe after every ride.

ibr17xvii

bobmcstuff said:

I found the Garmin and Wahoo sensor units to be rubbish, since 2014 I have got through 2 Garmin units and one Wahoo.

Now I am using a cheapo CooSpo one recommended by someone on here and it's actually turned out to be much more reliable than either of the above.

Strap-wise, just using another cheap one from Amazon.

Where do you get these from?

thistle_

I have a Garmin strap but it's an old one.
The elastic strap fell to bits after about 6 months so I just bought some elastic and made a new one.
Mine (and others) seem to have a problem where they stop working and it's often solved by taking out the battery and putting it back in again.

ibr17xvii

thistle_(mbnw) said:

I have a Garmin strap but it's an old one.
The elastic strap fell to bits after about 6 months so I just bought some elastic and made a new one.
Mine (and others) seem to have a problem where they stop working and it's often solved by taking out the battery and putting it back in again.

IME experience taking the battery out of the Wahoo & putting it back in upside down for 3 seconds springs it back into life for a bit but then it dies again a few days later.

This is the 1st sign it's on its way out.

smethley

Another vote for CooSpo (from Amazon).

cruff

Garmin premium. First one I had lasted two years - I was miffed by this, so did a bit of research and found out you need to wash it more often than I did (ie: almost never). Garmin suggest every seven uses (which seems a bit obsessive) - I chuck mine in n warm soapy water about once a month and it's going strong after four years.

johnnyfartpants

Sutton_Rider said:

The Garmin straps don't last long, maybe 12 to 18 months. So I now buy a cheap ones on ebay a fraction of the Garmin price and they last 3 years plus.

I've had my garmin chest transmitter since 2015....? I ride all year round (UK based) so not always true.

bobmcstuff

ibr17xvii said:

bobmcstuff said:

I found the Garmin and Wahoo sensor units to be rubbish, since 2014 I have got through 2 Garmin units and one Wahoo.

Now I am using a cheapo CooSpo one recommended by someone on here and it's actually turned out to be much more reliable than either of the above.

Strap-wise, just using another cheap one from Amazon.

Where do you get these from?

Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/CooSpo-Monitor-Bluetooth-Waterproof-Compatible/dp/B07D4J5VDK

daniel_b

Garmin traditional I have is probably 7+ years old, and aside from battery changes has been flawless - I just pop the strap into wash once a week.

I had a Garmin premium and that did not fare well at all.

I also have a Wahoo TickR which seems to be very reliable, and gives me the bluetooth option.

bobmcstuff

On the Tickr strap I had, one of the contacts corroded and it stopped working. The unit itself lasted for a while after I changed straps, then it too died.

The Garmin straps I never really had problems with (washing them reasonably often) but I had 2 units die after perhaps 2 years each.

I did consider getting one of the triathlon HRMs (Garmin HRM-Tri for example) on the basis it might be a bit more robust, but they are quite a bit more expensive so I figured I would just use the cheaper CooSpo one instead.

Maybe I have super corrosive sweat or something, but having 3 different units fail while following the manufacturer instructions exactly* seems a bit much to me

*for the second Garmin and the Wahoo, to be fair for the first Garmin one I probably didn't even read the instructions until after it stopped working.

ibr17xvii

bobmcstuff said:

ibr17xvii said:

bobmcstuff said:

I found the Garmin and Wahoo sensor units to be rubbish, since 2014 I have got through 2 Garmin units and one Wahoo.

Now I am using a cheapo CooSpo one recommended by someone on here and it's actually turned out to be much more reliable than either of the above.

Strap-wise, just using another cheap one from Amazon.

Where do you get these from?

Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/CooSpo-Monitor-Bluetooth-Waterproof-Compatible/dp/B07D4J5VDK

Cheers!

teisetrotter

Mine get washed after every indoor session and once a week when I am outside .... easy commuting and a couple of club runs. Never had a problem wi (Garmin) th the strap. I normally go through a unit every couple of years. Last one just went, I replaced the battery but I think the mass of indoor training means the sweat had got in and ruined it. I now have three straps, I can see one is a bit more worn than the others but it works fine.

What is effing annoying is that I paid for a dual and Zwift keeps losing the blue tooth connection so I have to use an ANT+ aerial.

daniel_b

bobmcstuff said:

Maybe I have super corrosive sweat or something

Could this be one of your superpowers?

Have you put it on linked in?

cruff

teisetrotter said:

Mine get washed after every indoor session and once a week when I am outside .... easy commuting and a couple of club runs. Never had a problem wi (Garmin) th the strap. I normally go through a unit every couple of years. Last one just went, I replaced the battery but I think the mass of indoor training means the sweat had got in and ruined it. I now have three straps, I can see one is a bit more worn than the others but it works fine.

What is effing annoying is that I paid for a dual and Zwift keeps losing the blue tooth connection so I have to use an ANT+ aerial.

Bit pointless asking now you've replaced the unit, but when you changed the battery did you invert it (ie put it in upside down) for 30 seconds first? The unit retains a tiny residual charge after removing the battery, which you can clear by inverting it. Worked for me when I had the same problem after changing the battery