Polar 720i vs. 725

Marcus I. Valdes wrote -

Quoted message said:

Would love to hear some of your experiences with them, and what are
the major differences.

Have a 720i and love it - did not get the power measuring accessory as I
have heard its fiddly and needs a lot of attention.

The cycling functions (speed, distance, cadence) work fine, and the wireless
and speed sensors are simple, elegant and effective.

You may want someone to help you interpret the heart rate results shown up
on the graphs produced by the Polar software - the manual tells you how to
make it work, not how to interpret the results or set training programs -

Particularly liked the easy switchability between bikes, that it can replace
your watch and you can easily alter and reset things in the monitor from
your pc.

There did not seem to be any worthwhile advantage going to a 725 for me.

best, Andrew (remove the .x1 to reply)

"Marcus I. Valdes" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Probably overkill, but I think I'm going to pick one of these up.
Would love to hear some of your experiences with them, and what are
the major differences.

Thanks,
Marcus
[email hidden]

The 720i is a great unit. Best that I have owned to date. It is not perfect
though.

I often find I have to start a workout, wait for the heart rate to show and
then start my ride. Otherwise the cyclecomputer starts up and my heart rate
does not show for the whole ride. Do this a couple of times and you will
want to crush your 720i.

The big reason to get one of these is the PC link IMO. It is fiddly and uses
FIR. The Polar software suite is OK - it looks dated. It is PC only. The
web-based version is nicer, and obviously works on any computer, but you
can't upload your data directly from the HRM to the website. The web-based
version also is quirky. It has dashes in the fields that sometimes do not
highlight when you double-click a field. You can't tab between fields. I
like the idea of keeping my training log online - less likely to get
deleted.

Try and get a deal on one of these. I did so my expectations were lower
($350 CDN new). It is probably best of what is out there now, but way short
of perfect. Lightyears short.

The 725i just shows that Polar has some stupid priorities. I think it adds
the ability to transfer data to a specific Nokia phone - itself very
unappealing. Addressing some of the 720i defficiencies would have been a
better idea. It just proves that a company like Shimano needs to enter this
market.

I think the ideal would be wireless Flightdeck with HRM and PC interface
(maybe some predictive watt measuring).

lewdvig said:

The 720i is a great unit. Best that I have owned to date. It is not perfect
though.

I often find I have to start a workout, wait for the heart rate to show and
then start my ride. Otherwise the cyclecomputer starts up and my heart rate
does not show for the whole ride. Do this a couple of times and you will
want to crush your 720i.

Um, this "feature" is documented in their admittedly less than good
user manual. You need to make sure the watch has acquired a heart
rate before starting the exercise.

But if you lose your heart rate during a ride, or you never got it
in the first place, simply bring your chest transmitter to the
watch. This will make the Polar search again for the transmitter
signal. You'll find this feature documented on pg. M105, under
"Display Symbols" (see what I mean about the poor user manual?).
--
terry morse Palo Alto, CA http://bike.terrymorse.com/

lewdvig said:

The big reason to get one of these is the PC link IMO. It is fiddly and uses
FIR. The Polar software suite is OK - it looks dated. It is PC only. The
web-based version is nicer, and obviously works on any computer, but you
can't upload your data directly from the HRM to the website. The web-based
version also is quirky. It has dashes in the fields that sometimes do not
highlight when you double-click a field. You can't tab between fields. I
like the idea of keeping my training log online - less likely to get
deleted.

Just curious, where can I find this web based version of the Polar software? Do you
mean the http://www.polarcyclingcoach.com site where you create an account and enter
in your data? Or some other site?

J. Spaceman

--
My email address ([email hidden]) is fake. Email sent to it will
only get caught in my spam tarpit.

Terry Morse said:

But if you lose your heart rate during a ride, or you never got it
in the first place, simply bring your chest transmitter to the
watch. This will make the Polar search again for the transmitter
signal. You'll find this feature documented on pg. M105, under
"Display Symbols" (see what I mean about the poor user manual?).

Ummm, stupid question, but how do you do this when the monitor is on
your handlebars? Perhaps you are some sort of a stunt biker?

Someone said:

Terry Morse said:

But if you lose your heart rate during a ride, or you never got it
in the first place, simply bring your chest transmitter to the
watch. This will make the Polar search again for the transmitter
signal.

Ummm, stupid question, but how do you do this when the monitor is on
your handlebars? Perhaps you are some sort of a stunt biker?

Well, it's easier done when the bike is stopped. It can be done when
moving, carefully. The necessary position is very similar to a tight
tuck. If you're not familiar with the position, it's better to stop.
--
terry morse Palo Alto, CA http://bike.terrymorse.com/

Terry Morse said:

But if you lose your heart rate during a ride, or you never got it
in the first place, simply bring your chest transmitter to the
watch. This will make the Polar search again for the transmitter
signal. You'll find this feature documented on pg. M105, under
"Display Symbols" (see what I mean about the poor user manual?).

Did they add this for the 720? I have a 710 and can't get it to find my
monitor after a short break. Really sucks to lose an entire ride's data
because you step away from the bike for a few minutes. I've tried
bringing my strap to the watch but no joy.

Someone said:

Terry Morse said:

But if you lose your heart rate during a ride, or you never got it
in the first place, simply bring your chest transmitter to the
watch. This will make the Polar search again for the transmitter
signal. You'll find this feature documented on pg. M105, under
"Display Symbols" (see what I mean about the poor user manual?).

Did they add this for the 720? I have a 710 and can't get it to find my
monitor after a short break. Really sucks to lose an entire ride's data
because you step away from the bike for a few minutes. I've tried
bringing my strap to the watch but no joy.

The 720 has a 30-minute window where it won't shut off when the
signal is lost. I think the 710's window is only 5 minutes.
--
terry morse Palo Alto, CA http://bike.terrymorse.com/

"Jason Spaceman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

lewdvig said:

The big reason to get one of these is the PC link IMO. It is fiddly and

uses

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

FIR. The Polar software suite is OK - it looks dated. It is PC only. The
web-based version is nicer, and obviously works on any computer, but you
can't upload your data directly from the HRM to the website. The

web-based

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

version also is quirky. It has dashes in the fields that sometimes do

not

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

highlight when you double-click a field. You can't tab between fields. I
like the idea of keeping my training log online - less likely to get
deleted.

Just curious, where can I find this web based version of the Polar

software? Do you

Quoted message said:

mean the http://www.polarcyclingcoach.com site where you create an account

and enter

Quoted message said:

in your data? Or some other site?

That is the one. I like it better than the PC software.

"Terry Morse" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Someone said:

Terry Morse said:

But if you lose your heart rate during a ride, or you never got it
in the first place, simply bring your chest transmitter to the
watch. This will make the Polar search again for the transmitter
signal.

Ummm, stupid question, but how do you do this when the monitor is on
your handlebars? Perhaps you are some sort of a stunt biker?

Well, it's easier done when the bike is stopped. It can be done when
moving, carefully. The necessary position is very similar to a tight
tuck. If you're not familiar with the position, it's better to stop.
--

This is how I mark a completed lap on mine.