Which HRM is Right for Me?

[Tracer Traceless]

X-No-archive: yes

So, I've been doing endurance sports for quite few years now, with
just the intention of finishing. But I think it's time to bring it to
the next level.

And since I don't have the money to pay for a private coach, I think a
heart rate monitor's the right way to go. But I'm not sure what to
get.

The Polar s520 was really appealing to me because it had some great
features: cyclocomputer, and an ability to download info to the
computer. But it's also the bottom end of the Polar line with these
abilities, so it's the cheapest possible one I could get -- and that's
a good thing.

A balance -- lowest price for all the features I could possibly want
without having to upgrade a few months down the line.

But now I find out that the Polars only download to PCs, and I'm a
Mac-only sort of guy. So the s520 isn't for me. I'm going down in
models. Any suggestions? Is the s520 too much heart rate monitor for a
newbie anyway?

Thanks!

Andrew

 

[Brian Drake]

Get the 720..... best HRM I have owned

"Tracer Traceless" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> X-No-archive: yes
>
> So, I've been doing endurance sports for quite few years now, with
> just the intention of finishing. But I think it's time to bring it to
> the next level.
>
> And since I don't have the money to pay for a private coach, I think a
> heart rate monitor's the right way to go. But I'm not sure what to
> get.
>
> The Polar s520 was really appealing to me because it had some great
> features: cyclocomputer, and an ability to download info to the
> computer. But it's also the bottom end of the Polar line with these
> abilities, so it's the cheapest possible one I could get -- and that's
> a good thing.
>
> A balance -- lowest price for all the features I could possibly want
> without having to upgrade a few months down the line.
>
> But now I find out that the Polars only download to PCs, and I'm a
> Mac-only sort of guy. So the s520 isn't for me. I'm going down in
> models. Any suggestions? Is the s520 too much heart rate monitor for a
> newbie anyway?
>
> Thanks!
>
> Andrew

 

[Steve]

Tracer Traceless wrote:
> X-No-archive: yes
>
> So, I've been doing endurance sports for quite few years now, with
> just the intention of finishing. But I think it's time to bring it to
> the next level.
>
> And since I don't have the money to pay for a private coach, I think a
> heart rate monitor's the right way to go. But I'm not sure what to
> get.
>
> The Polar s520 was really appealing to me because it had some great
> features: cyclocomputer, and an ability to download info to the
> computer. But it's also the bottom end of the Polar line with these
> abilities, so it's the cheapest possible one I could get -- and that's
> a good thing.
>
> A balance -- lowest price for all the features I could possibly want
> without having to upgrade a few months down the line.
>
> But now I find out that the Polars only download to PCs, and I'm a
> Mac-only sort of guy. So the s520 isn't for me. I'm going down in
> models. Any suggestions? Is the s520 too much heart rate monitor for a
> newbie anyway?
>
> Thanks!
>
> Andrew
....not quite right, depending on how savvy you are with computers.


http://www.ieeta.pt/~tos/software/polar_s410.html for linux

http://www.otag.co.uk/TrainingLog/Beta/ for Max.

I'm playing with the linux stuff now, but cannot comment on the Mac
stuff. My s510 is all I need... 3 years of abuse, the big red button's
been cracked for years, it steams up in the rain, and still works fine!
The only problem I've got is gettng the cadence working on my softride!

Steve

 

[Billy Boone]

I got the 410 (wanting the dowload to PC feature). My wife got the 210. I
downloaded pretty regularly when I got it (2 years ago) - now I rarely
download any of the data - its mostly just for feedback during my
training/racing.

I would have been perfectly happy with the 210.

"Steve" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Tracer Traceless wrote:
> > X-No-archive: yes
> >
> > So, I've been doing endurance sports for quite few years now, with
> > just the intention of finishing. But I think it's time to bring it to
> > the next level.
> >
> > And since I don't have the money to pay for a private coach, I think a
> > heart rate monitor's the right way to go. But I'm not sure what to
> > get.
> >
> > The Polar s520 was really appealing to me because it had some great
> > features: cyclocomputer, and an ability to download info to the
> > computer. But it's also the bottom end of the Polar line with these
> > abilities, so it's the cheapest possible one I could get -- and that's
> > a good thing.
> >
> > A balance -- lowest price for all the features I could possibly want
> > without having to upgrade a few months down the line.
> >
> > But now I find out that the Polars only download to PCs, and I'm a
> > Mac-only sort of guy. So the s520 isn't for me. I'm going down in
> > models. Any suggestions? Is the s520 too much heart rate monitor for a
> > newbie anyway?
> >
> > Thanks!
> >
> > Andrew
> ...not quite right, depending on how savvy you are with computers.
>
>
> http://www.ieeta.pt/~tos/software/polar_s410.html for linux
>
> http://www.otag.co.uk/TrainingLog/Beta/ for Max.
>
> I'm playing with the linux stuff now, but cannot comment on the Mac
> stuff. My s510 is all I need... 3 years of abuse, the big red button's
> been cracked for years, it steams up in the rain, and still works fine!
> The only problem I've got is gettng the cadence working on my softride!
>
> Steve

 

[IronmanStu]

I have the 720i and it is AWESOME for all around Triathlons. I may
switch to the 625x as it has run pace on it, but I agree the 720 is so
dependable even for a new guy. They are not cheap, but well worth the
investment. Not sure if you can download to a Mac, but if you can its
the way to go.