HRM advice...

Trevor S said:

I have been thinking about getting one for awhile, mainly for curiosity, am I working as hard as I
think I am 🙂

Anyhoo... Not particularly after anything "flash", I do the HR check manually, when I remember and
when I can.

What I don't want to do is purchase something and then 6 months later, regret it and wish I had
gotten something with more features, so I am looking for advice from any "casual" riders out there,
like myself, who may have already gone down this path. eg logging of heart rates to computer is not
something I would consider useful for myself but is it something I woudl be likely to use further
down the track ?

On the flip side, I don't want to fork out $650 + the extra $ for all the paraphernalia that hangs
off it, unless I am going to get some sort of benefit from it. eg the Polar S720i

phantomcycles.com.auproduct.aspOpen ↗

I had been thinking of the Polar S510 but the reviews on mtbr.com seemed less then flattering.

mtbr.comproduct 87251.shtmlOpen ↗

I would like something for cadence monitoring as well, once again more out of curiosity then
anything else. Most of my riding is X/C MTB so is this going to be of any use ? I use the MTB on
trasport sections to get to the XC trails, I actually enjoy riding the trasport sections, as
opposed to some XC guys that always carry their bikes in a car to the trail.

As an aside, I already have an Cateye Enduro bike computer

Suggestions and sources ? (phantomcycles.com.au is who I normally use for online purchases + my
LBS aside)

I have taken note of a recent thread about using the HRM.

Trevor S

I've got a Polar s150, cost me $320 from Cheeky Monkey (cheekymonkey.com.au). It's not as flash as
the 510, but at the time I couldn't justify spending the extra $200 as I had never used a HRM
before, and wasn't keen on spending $$$ for something that may prove useless. I'm glad I got it, and
I'm still not sure if I should have saved up the extra $200 for the 510. The 150 is a good entry
level HRM with some cycling functions (speed, distance) but doesn't have a cadence sensor, a light,
or some of the more frivilous features. If you are going to use a HRM to improve your fitness, and
are on a budget, then the s150 is probably the way to go. If you think you will actually use the
data from the cadence sensor then get the s510. I know I said it in the previous thread, but it is
important to get (and read!) a good book on HRM training, maybe you should get the book "/Scientific
Heart Rate Training/" by Neil Craig *before* you buy a HRM, and have a think about how you will
structure your training, then buy the model that will best suit your style of training. Book is
available here: pursuit-performance.com.aupolar library.htmlOpen ↗

Blissett

Trevor should have added he loves techno gadgets and anything that can be connected or downloaded
to an iPaq.

--

"Trevor S" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I have been thinking about getting one for awhile, mainly for curiosity, am I working as hard as I
think I am 🙂

Anyhoo... Not particularly after anything "flash", I do the HR check manually, when I remember and
when I can.

What I don't want to do is purchase something and then 6 months later, regret it and wish I had
gotten something with more features, so I am looking for advice from any "casual" riders out
there, like myself, who may have already gone down this path. eg logging of heart rates to
computer is not something I would consider useful for myself but is it something I woudl be likely
to use further down the track ?

On the flip side, I don't want to fork out $650 + the extra $ for all the paraphernalia that hangs
off it, unless I am going to get some sort of benefit from it. eg the Polar S720i

phantomcycles.com.auproduct.aspOpen ↗

I had been thinking of the Polar S510 but the reviews on mtbr.com seemed less then flattering.

mtbr.comproduct 87251.shtmlOpen ↗

I would like something for cadence monitoring as well, once again more out of curiosity then
anything else. Most of my riding is X/C MTB so is this going to be of any use ? I use the MTB on
trasport sections to get to the XC trails, I actually enjoy riding the trasport sections, as
opposed to some XC guys that always carry their bikes in a car to the trail.

As an aside, I already have an Cateye Enduro bike computer

Suggestions and sources ? (phantomcycles.com.au is who I normally use for online purchases + my
LBS aside)

I have taken note of a recent thread about using the HRM.

Trevor S

Hey Trevor,

A HRM is a very useful tool, but you need to ask yourself what are you really going to use it for. If it's just out of curiosity, then you don't need to be looking at anything fancy, however, if you intend to race (or take up racing sometime in the future), then you might want to consider getting one with a few more features.

Having said that, I have an S710 which has been great and I would thoroughly recommend it. It has everything I need, and I especially like the fact that I can download it to PC and see in an instant how well (or not) I am doing. I can also plan interval sessions in advance so that all I need to do is go out and ride and not worry about pushing a certain button at a certain time.

It has some great functions, but if you don't need them consider an S150 or S510.

Don't worry too much about the reviews on mtbreview. I've learnt over the years to read them and look for trends in what others are saying before making up my mind.

My advice would be to do your research on the HRM's that interest you most, decide objectively on what you plan to do with it and then take it from there.

All the best,

Buddha

Luther Blissett <[email hidden]> wrote in :"]news:[email hidden]:

<snip>

Quoted message said:

I've got a Polar s150, cost me $320 from Cheeky Monkey (cheekymonkey.com.au). It's not as flash as
the 510, but at the time I couldn't justify spending the extra $200 as I had never used a HRM
before, and wasn't keen on spending $$$ for something that may prove useless.

Which is exactly where I am at and why I wanted advice from somewhone who had been down there 🙂

Quoted message said:

I'm glad I got it, and I'm still not sure if I should have saved up the extra $200 for the 510.

DOH !.... I was hoping you would be more definitive <grin> The thing that "bothered" me with the 510
was the bad feedback at mtbr.com, I wondererd if the 510 was a compromise and you needed to go to
the 7 series to get something that worked, or stick with the basic models.

Quoted message said:

actually use the data from the cadence sensor then get the s510. I know I said it in the previous
thread, but it is important to get (and read!) a good book on HRM training, maybe you should get
the book

Yeah, I noted that and bookmarked the thread. My swiming coach has been on my back about getting
one as well.

Just got back from some hill work (I am no good at them...sigh) though I do like the downhill MTB
trail off the side 🙂. Anyhoo, thought I was going to pass out after riding up the third time, would
have been interested to see what my HR was.

Trevor S

I bought a HR1000 bike computer with a HRM built in to it for $35 US from Supergo a few months ago.
supergo.comsupergo.comOpen ↗

It cost me about $80 Aus. by the time I paid for freight and it's excellent. I use it on solo
training rides to keep me motivated to push. It has upper and lower limit setting and flashes with
an arrow to show if you're above or below your zone. The computer has all the functions of good bike
computers except cadence and it has a large, easy to read screen. The only detraction is that it
can't be used off the bike as it needs the wheel rotation to keep it in "On" mode.

They also have watch style HRMs with bike mounts from $39.95 US.

supergo.comitemlist.aspOpen ↗

I've found the hrm is useful when I'm riding alone, but irrelelevant when I'm riding with friends as
I match my pace to the group. It is interesting to see how high my heart rate goes when racing
friends up a hill.

Cheers,

GregW.

"Trevor S" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I have been thinking about getting one for awhile, mainly for curiosity, am I working as hard as I
think I am 🙂

Anyhoo... Not particularly after anything "flash", I do the HR check manually, when I remember and
when I can.

What I don't want to do is purchase something and then 6 months later, regret it and wish I had
gotten something with more features, so I am looking for advice from any "casual" riders out
there, like myself, who may have already gone down this path. eg logging of heart rates to
computer is not something I would consider useful for myself but is it something I woudl be likely
to use further down the track ?

On the flip side, I don't want to fork out $650 + the extra $ for all the paraphernalia that hangs
off it, unless I am going to get some sort of benefit from it. eg the Polar S720i

phantomcycles.com.auproduct.aspOpen ↗

I had been thinking of the Polar S510 but the reviews on mtbr.com seemed less then flattering.

mtbr.comproduct 87251.shtmlOpen ↗

I would like something for cadence monitoring as well, once again more out of curiosity then
anything else. Most of my riding is X/C MTB so is this going to be of any use ? I use the MTB on
trasport sections to get to the XC trails, I actually enjoy riding the trasport sections, as
opposed to some XC guys that always carry their bikes in a car to the trail.

As an aside, I already have an Cateye Enduro bike computer

Suggestions and sources ? (phantomcycles.com.au is who I normally use for online purchases + my
LBS aside)

I have taken note of a recent thread about using the HRM.

Trevor S

Trevor S said:

I have been thinking about getting one for awhile, mainly for curiosity, am I working as hard as I
think I am 🙂

Quoted message said:

Anyhoo... Not particularly after anything "flash", I do the HR check manually, when I remember and
when I can.

Quoted message said:

What I don't want to do is purchase something and then 6 months later, regret it and wish I had
gotten something with more features, so I am looking for advice from any "casual" riders out
there, like myself, who may have already gone down this path. eg logging of heart rates to
computer is not something I would consider useful for myself but is it something I woudl be likely
to use further down the track ?

Quoted message said:

On the flip side, I don't want to fork out $650 + the extra $ for all the paraphernalia that hangs
off it, unless I am going to get some sort of benefit from it. eg the Polar S720i

Quoted message said:

phantomcycles.com.auproduct.aspOpen ↗

Quoted message said:

I had been thinking of the Polar S510 but the reviews on mtbr.com seemed less then flattering.

Quoted message said:

mtbr.comproduct 87251.shtmlOpen ↗

Quoted message said:

I would like something for cadence monitoring as well, once again more out of curiosity then
anything else. Most of my riding is X/C MTB so is this going to be of any use ? I use the MTB on
trasport sections to get to the XC trails, I actually enjoy riding the trasport sections, as
opposed to some XC guys that always carry their bikes in a car to the trail.

Quoted message said:

As an aside, I already have an Cateye Enduro bike computer

Quoted message said:

Suggestions and sources ? (phantomcycles.com.au is who I normally use for online purchases + my
LBS aside)

Quoted message said:

I have taken note of a recent thread about using the HRM.

Quoted message said:

Trevor S

I bought a Sigma HRM A few years ago, like you just out of curiosity.

It is about as basic as they come. It shows current HR and you can set an upper and lower limit (ie.
one zone). It also has a stopwatch and an audible alarm (for when you're outside your zone limits)
and of course, a clock.

It's been really useful but now I wish I had one that stored max HR and average HR.

I don't care about downloading data to a PC so that's not woirth extra $ to me. And the bike
computer I have already has cadence.

I'd say it's definitely worth getting one with max and average, but the other features depend on
whether you think they're worth the extra dollars.

Also, I've found that since mine doesn't store any info I don't actually use it much any more
because I'm now able to estimate my HR quite accurately. Sort of like once you've hada cadence
computer fora while you know what your cadence is without looking at the display.

Cheers
--
Nick

Luther Blissett ... wrote ...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

What I don't want to do is purchase something and then 6 months later, regret it and wish I had
gotten something with more features, so I am looking for advice from any "casual" riders out
there, like myself, who may have already gone down this path. eg logging of heart rates to
computer is not something I would consider useful for myself but is it something I woudl be
likely to use further down the track ?

On the flip side, I don't want to fork out $650 + the extra $ for all the paraphernalia that
hangs off it, unless I am going to get some sort of benefit from it. eg the Polar S720i

FWIW, I have a Polar Sport Tester that cost me around $600 about 8 years ago. I have used it almost
daily and it has never missed a beat. Polar in South Australia have given fantastic service for
battery replacement and guaranteed waterproofing. I have also owned a couple of other Polar HRMs and
my advice is to get the simplest reliable HRM or to go for the best. Intermediate models will leave
you frustrated as you will always regret you did not outlay the few additional $$$s for the extra
functions. I really appreciate the ability of the Sport Tester to record up to 8 hours of heart
beats (at 15 second intervals in up to eight files). I download these into an Excel spreadsheet and
graph my performance. It is amazing to see the graph of my HR looking like a contour map of the
terrain. Useful, too, if I replicate a row, ride or run to compare myself over the years.

They are very useful - but you still have to do the work! No magic. Just don't believe that nonsense
about "220 minus your age" - it has no basis in science, just convention.

Keith