Heart monitors

jjiam25 said:

I have looked up HRM's on search and saw some old posts. Well now I wonder which HRM's would be good for the money, I see that watches are out, we should have a strap around our chest, so saying this is right which HRM's do you guys use and like? I'm not rich by any means, but my heart skips a beat every once in awhile so the doctor wants to know about my heartbeat riding, so I need one that is very very accurate but for decent money.

So do you need one that stores data from the ride so that you can download it to a computer and print it off to show your cardiologist? Or do you just need to be able to tell them what you average heart rate for your rides is? The former will cost quite a bit more. The latter can be had for under $40.

Doctor Morbius said:

So do you need one that stores data from the ride so that you can download it to a computer and print it off to show your cardiologist? Or do you just need to be able to tell them what you average heart rate for your rides is? The former will cost quite a bit more. The latter can be had for under $40.

Well downloading would be a plus I could show him, cause when they did a sleep study, my heart "frequently" skipped beats, and it kinda puzzles him, how my heart can be so strong cycling, and wants to know how it reacts, but which two would you suggest? the undownload or the download one? and the difference in price?
Thanks

I use a Polar heart rate monitior thats has the ability to download to my computer, it also came withthe required software and once downloaded graphs my heart rate information for me for the period the monitor was in use. By doing this and printing it out your doctor will probably have half his job already done for him, as it would be extremely east to look at.

Polar invented the wireless transmitter technology, but they all use it now. In fact, they are interchangeable. I've got Polar, CicloSport and PowerTap computers, and they all read each other's wireless transmitters. But, take a look at the recording frequency and data storage capacities of the computers. Some of them record at a higher frequency, whereas others record less frequently and average the data. With some models, this is a variable that you can control. And, you definitely want a model that can transfer the data to your PC (either hard-wired or wireless). Also, get some of the gel for better contact, especially if you're interested in whether you're missing a beat from time to time. Normally, natural perspiration serves the purpose, but if it was critical I'd use the gel. When you're looking at the file after your ride, you don't want to be trying to figure out whether you missed a beat or whether the transmitter strap just didn't have good contact. Finally, some of them have some cool additional data. I like the temp and altimeter features of my Ciclo.