Which HRM is best?

starship said:

I want time in zone, and max HR. Multiple zones would be nice.

Perfer bike mounted computer/HRM.

What do you have and do you like it? What should I get?

I have been looking at Polar myself, I looked at some of the cycle computer versions but settled on a runing version (RS200). I won't get it for another week, it's my birthday present.

I ended up choosing the running version because I figured the cycling style would be redundant since I already have a cycle computer. I can get an optional foot pod for the RS200 and then measure my running speed too.

Not sure if Polar is the best but I believe they are quite good and they have a wide selection so you should be able to find one to suite your needs.

Prices range from $90 to around $500 Canadian.

Most have optional bike mounts or come with a bike mount. A few even have optional power meter attachments.

I have the Polar S725 and it is awesome. You can program your own zones into it and it tells you how much time you spent in each one, among many other things. It costs about $380, plus $40 for the cadence sensor if you want it, plus $40 for the Infrared Transmitter which makes it very easy to download all the info onto your computer. The information you can download to a graph and print out are awesome. You can see your cadence, speed, heart rate, and altitude at any given time (in 5 second increments) during your ride. And temperature too, somehow. I don't use a cyclecomputer, i just have this. A training log is easy as pie because after you download each ride it's stored on your computer. One thing I don't like too much about it is that there is a little more lag time than I'd like on the speedometer reading. Everything else it great if you want to spend the money. I guess you can also get a polar powermeter that is compatible with it, but I've heard mixed reviews about it.

starship said:

I want time in zone, and max HR. Multiple zones would be nice.

Perfer bike mounted computer/HRM.

What do you have and do you like it? What should I get?

Look at the CS200 with Cadence. VERY good for the price(150$)

netscriber said:

Look at the CS200 with Cadence. VERY good for the price(150$)

Agree. This is what I have. Found it on-line for $140 with the cadence sensor. It only gives you time in one zone, not several like the S725, S721i, and S625, but it ends up costing about 1/3 the price, so....how much are the additional features worth to you? I'm sure I'd keep all the statistics I can gather on my training, but this is all that I think I really use to train better/smarter without going for the PowerTap.

Wow, some of you are willing to spend more $ on an HRM than I am. Here's what I have...

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=94&subcategory=1054&brand=&sku=13997&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=

"Functions include heart rate, max heart rate, current heart rate as % of max, average heart rate, time, stop watch, lap counter, time alarm, date, calories burned, backlight. Also, you can set an upper and lower heart rate limit with an alarm for out of zone occurrence. Includes wireless transmitter belt with replaceable battery and handlebar mount for the monitor."

Not bad for $35 before shipping.

Polar S725X its awsome. I would recommend Polar no matter which one you get.

I just went out for a ride with my polar cs200cad. I thought "what a great product. It has both the cadence and HRM." But I don't know now, it kept pausing on me so I had to switch out of the OWNZONE and went manually. It still was pausing in the middle of my training. I was going great, but I had to stop to fix it. So my ride was horrible!!! I was using the cateye 300. I liked that one A LOT, but the interference with my HRM was too much. I might have to switch back and just deal with the interference. Unless someone knows what I need to do to fix it!?!

starship said:

I want time in zone, and max HR. Multiple zones would be nice.

Perfer bike mounted computer/HRM.

What do you have and do you like it? What should I get?

Take a look at the Garmin Edge 305. Wireless cadance and HR. Multiple zones for HR and GPS speed and tracking ablility. A bit of an expense between 300 and 400 dollars.

buffspice said:

I just went out for a ride with my polar cs200cad. I thought "what a great product. It has both the cadence and HRM." But I don't know now, it kept pausing on me so I had to switch out of the OWNZONE and went manually. It still was pausing in the middle of my training. I was going great, but I had to stop to fix it. So my ride was horrible!!! I was using the cateye 300. I liked that one A LOT, but the interference with my HRM was too much. I might have to switch back and just deal with the interference. Unless someone knows what I need to do to fix it!?!

Recommend you double-check the distance between the sensor and mag and from the sensor to the computer, just to make certain it's getting a good signal. If that doesn't help, I'd send it back as defective for an exchange. I've been using mine for a few months now without any such incident. Of course, I don't use the autostart or the OwnZone because I'm picky about my zones and because I don't want any hassle when I use it as just a HRM for indoor spinning.

Doctor Morbius said:

Wow, some of you are willing to spend more $ on an HRM than I am. Here's what I have...

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=94&subcategory=1054&brand=&sku=13997&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=

"Functions include heart rate, max heart rate, current heart rate as % of max, average heart rate, time, stop watch, lap counter, time alarm, date, calories burned, backlight. Also, you can set an upper and lower heart rate limit with an alarm for out of zone occurrence. Includes wireless transmitter belt with replaceable battery and handlebar mount for the monitor."

Not bad for $35 before shipping.

It also calculates average HR for recorded laps and average HR for total laps time. The only flaw is that it looks pretty ugly on a wrist.

vascdoc said:

Take a look at the Garmin Edge 305. Wireless cadance and HR. Multiple zones for HR and GPS speed and tracking ablility. A bit of an expense between 300 and 400 dollars.

I use a Polar 720 and am happy with it. I was intrigued by the Garmin, however you had select either HR or speed/cadence...bummer. Why not both?

tourdelivermore said:

I use a Polar 720 and am happy with it. I was intrigued by the Garmin, however you had select either HR or speed/cadence...bummer. Why not both?

I have both. You can buy with one or the other or both. It is very programable.

dot said:

It also calculates average HR for recorded laps and average HR for total laps time. The only flaw is that it looks pretty ugly on a wrist.

True. It's not too chic. But I'll never make the cover of GQ anyway. :o

vascdoc said:

I have both. You can buy with one or the other or both. It is very programable.

That's not clear from the website.

How's the mapping software?

starship said:

I want time in zone, and max HR. Multiple zones would be nice.

Perfer bike mounted computer/HRM.

What do you have and do you like it? What should I get?

the best are the kind that come with powermeters😉 really