Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - computer recommendations?

Time for a new computer -- looking to upgrade to cadence. I'd also like heart rate, but I've heard there's interferance with the wireless heartrate straps.

So -- should i go with cadence only and get a wrist-mounted heart monitor?

Probably wouldn't look to have it be downloadable.

Thoughts welcome.

cateye astrale 8 and a seperate heartrate monitor

HRM's are interesting but I don't see the value. First of all the Max Heart Rate is not a good guide. See Denver's posts on this issue for the skinny on MHR and it's problems. Second, it seems like too much info. It might be of value for people at the top levels of training that need to push and push their bodies on each and every ride to be competitive. But is that really what you want? Go talk to long distance runners and see how they train. It's about stamina and building all muscles and not just heart muscle.

I don't know about you, but if I have to push it on every ride, then I ride less.

Back to original question. It depends on what you want. For cheap and cadence you can't beat the astrate. But it won't last forevery and the wires look messy. When mine broke after about 18 months, I picked up a cateye wireless. Everything about it is very good except the display is just a tad on the small side. Besides cool wireless, you don't have to switch modes to see what you want to know.

Time for a new computer -- looking to upgrade to cadence. I'd also like heart rate, but I've heard there's interferance with the wireless heartrate straps.

So -- should i go with cadence only and get a wrist-mounted heart monitor?

Probably wouldn't look to have it be downloadable.

Thoughts welcome.

You might check out the Garmin Edge 305, with the cadence and HR options. Kinda pricey, but it does a lot more to boot.

cateye astrale 8 and a seperate heartrate monitor


+1 Best bang for the buck and the wired Astrale won't interfere with the HRM.

Also, I find the HRM even with all of its flaws helps me to keep from overdoing it on my recovery rides and ensures I push hard enough on my hard rides. Just keep in mind that there is a 30-60 second delay in HR from an increased effort. Wattage is a far better measure of effort, but that is talking about serious moola.

A wrist mounted HRM will be fine. You can even get a handlebar mount and put it on your bars.

The value of an HRM comes in the following ways:

1. You can target specific training zones - if your goal is to burn fat and lose weight you should keep yourself around 65-75% of maximum heart rate for optimal burning.
2. You can see when you're overdoing it, and change your ride accordingly.

Most of the marathon runners I know use heart rate monitors and have been doing so for years; they all know that the best way to get endurance and stamina is with sensible training rather than going out and over (or under) doing it. We have a fairly active running (and cycling) community here in Gainesville, and this is not new cutting edge rocket science.

cateye astrale 8 and a seperate heartrate monitor
+1

I just got a new astrale 8 and it has worked great. The wires don't look too bad if you take your time installing it.

You might check out the Garmin Edge 305, with the cadence and HR options. Kinda pricey, but it does a lot more to boot.
+1

FWIW, I can comment on both the Astrale 8 (which I have mounted on my "trainer" bike), and on the Polar CS200cad, on my Giant TCR. The Polar is awesome, has cadence, HR, memory for last 8 rides, and you can download the files to your cpu if needed. Both are great computers; the Polar is all wireless, and as others have stated, the Astrale is hard wired. I like using HR for training, you'd be surprised how much it can help you maintain a specific "range" or zone on rides. Eventually I am going to get a 2nd Polar bike mount for my Giant, right now I just use my wife's Polar HR watch (the HR transmitter works w/both).

you should keep yourself around 65-75% of maximum heart rate
How does one determine their maximum heart rate? Is it a standard formula based on age/height/weight, etc, or do you do some type of test to determine it?

How does one determine their maximum heart rate? Is it a standard formula based on age/height/weight, etc, or do you do some type of test to determine it?
The standard is 220 - your age (ex: If you are 52, it would theoretically be 220-52=168*0.65=HR109 for your weightloss threshold @65% MaxHR), but there are variables for individual health, and level of fitness as well as pulmonary health. The best way to determine what your exact MaxHR is to have a stress test. Your Dr can give you a fairly reliable estimate as to what he or she would recommend for a MaxHR.

Garmin Edge 305--just took mine for it's first test ride--works just as advertised--fantastic--best unit on the market--check out this thread, it will answer all your questions.

http://bikeforums.net:80/showthread.php?t=173587&highlight=computers

Best deal on Edge 305 http://www.geomangear.com/

Hey guys, anymore HRM recommendations? I'm looking for an HRM-only unit, I already have the cateye astrale 8.

And how big are those chest straps?

Hey guys, anymore HRM recommendations? And how big are those chest straps?

I have a Sigma PC14. Works like a champ (buy the sending gel though), never know it's there, and the strap fits me easy, and I have a 52" chest.

Thanks, I'll check it out!

Garmin Edge 305--just took mine for it's first test ride--works just as advertised--fantastic--best unit on the market--check out this thread, it will answer all your questions.

http://bikeforums.net:80/showthread.php?t=173587&highlight=computers

Best deal on Edge 305 http://www.geomangear.com/

Thanks, Paul, appreciate the support.

GM

I have two astrales, one older version, one on my recently redone beater.

Never skipped a beat for me, plus they work on the trainer for speed (if you want that, I guess not everyone goes ahead and counts those miles).

The older one on my Cannondale has at least five years of life experience, which is good enough for me (though a few years in there were distracted and lazy with other pursuits :()

just put an astrale 8 on SWMBO's bike. The beautyof the Astrale is that it reads the back wheel so it works on a trainer.

Sigma Sport 1600 series.
Numbers are easier to see than the Astrale, and the sensors are not as bulky.

+1 for separate HRM

Sigma Sport 1600 series.
Numbers are easier to see than the Astrale, and the sensors are not as bulky.

+1 for separate HRM

Yeah, I've been running the Sigma 1606 wireless w/Cadence for about 8 months and love it. I use a seperate HRM (basic Polar).

I have used a Polar F6 wrist mounted HRM for a year in conjunction with a Cateye CD300DW wireless cyclocomputer and an Astrale 8 wired unit. They work well together and do not interfere with each other. The Polar has a coded transmitter which is supposed to keep it from interfering with any wireless unit.

I have noticed some limited interference with the Cateye Wireless from electric fence transformers, large power lines, aircraft and CB radios. The Polar units (I also have a more expensive Polar CS200) seem much less vulnerable to outside electromagnetic/radio interference.

The best price will be the Astrale 8 for about $25-$35, then the CD300DW at $130-$150. You will spend additional money for a HRM to use with these. The Polar CS200 all in one unit is a better deal at $130-$150, if you can do without a wrist unit for non-bike activities.

For use off the bike, the Polar F6 is a nice choice. I use it at the gym and the transmitters (both the T-31 and Wearlink) work with most of the machines that have integral HRM's, such as Precor elliptical trainers.

I find that a HRM is a useful tool for keeping your heart rate in a desired range and it provides good feedback on your rate of recovery as well. The published formula for determining maximum heart rate is just an estimate and is probably not "right" for anyone. There is a sticky (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=43102) in the Training and Nutrition forum that tells how to determine your personal anaerobic threshold. There is a wealth of info over there... just search on heart rate monitor, HRM, maximum heart rate and similar terms.

Here is a recent thread (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=263407) that focuses on Heart Rate Monitors but has some limited info on cyclocomputers.

I am looking for folks who are using the Polar RS800 Heart Rate Monitor. Want to compare notes. Thanks.

Hi,
I had cadence one year, and after a couple weeks, ignored it.

I have a middle of the road HRM that came with a bike mount and I like it better than my 2 expensive ones.


If you combine the functions when it goes wrong (and it will) you have a problem. I can pick up a cheapy computer at the bike shop any day of the week. And cheap HRMs are easy to find these days. I have had 4 over the last couple decades, never had one die on me. I did have one problem, but then I probably shouldn't have sat on it... (it was in a gym bag, but still..)
Speaking of problems, the one time I went wireless, I had a problem. But...
if I was going to go wireless I would prob get the Strada. I have a basic Strada;
haven't tried it yet. But it is slim and light and will fit unobtrusively on the stem.
That I like.

Occasionally fits of insanity seize me. I plan on getting one of the new Garmins
once the price comes down a bit. The older ones didn't do routing. I think they even have cadence on one. There are some trips in rural Maine that would be a royal PIA without a GPS. Pretty country, no street signs...

cateye astrale 8 and a seperate heartrate monitor

That's what I use as well. I love the cadence feature & w/ a separate HR monitor you can use it for other activities.

FWIW, I can comment on both the Astrale 8 (which I have mounted on my "trainer" bike), and on the Polar CS200cad, on my Giant TCR. The Polar is awesome, has cadence, HR, memory for last 8 rides, and you can download the files to your cpu if needed. Both are great computers; the Polar is all wireless, and as others have stated, the Astrale is hard wired. I like using HR for training, you'd be surprised how much it can help you maintain a specific "range" or zone on rides. Eventually I am going to get a 2nd Polar bike mount for my Giant, right now I just use my wife's Polar HR watch (the HR transmitter works w/both).

A word of warning on the Polar. I have gone through tree of that model. On was a warranty replacement. They are not sturdy. The other thing I hated about it was the top was curved. Riding in the middle of the day it would drive me buggy because it would pick of the sun and one of the numbers would be obscured. I hated the bike mount that came with it and when the tabs broke off the computer on my last one I swore off Polar products forever. I am going to get a Blackburn Delphi 5.0 as a replacement. I played with one at my LBS and I liked it. It is only $80 through Nashbar compared to the $150 for the Polar.

Nashbar has the Astrale 8 on sale right now for $29.95.

I had my HRM (Polar, mid range) before I got my bike computer, so I went with the Polar CS100 to take advantage of the HRM strap I already have. I love it, no problems with the wireless cadence, HRM and speed.

As for the 'value' of an HRM for riding - I use it to track my training not direct my training. I like to log my rides and see the gently sloping line showing that my heart rate is decreasing even when my ride length and difficulty is increasing. Also, since I am doing semi-serious triathlon training (my bro just completed his first I-man and is helping with my training) it helps to have some data that I can send him to tweak the intensity.

Bottom line - good tool good reference but not something that I allow to dictate my rides. I fully agree with earlier posts about not wanting the joy of riding to be overtaken by the feeling that I must achieve a specific heart rate for the ride.

The standard is 220 - your age (ex: If you are 52, it would theoretically be 220-52=168*0.65=HR109 for your weightloss threshold @65% MaxHR), but there are variables for individual health, and level of fitness as well as pulmonary health. The best way to determine what your exact MaxHR is to have a stress test. Your Dr can give you a fairly reliable estimate as to what he or she would recommend for a MaxHR.

+1 on the Astrale 8 and separate HRM. That's exactly what I use. My feeling is that it's best to not combine too many features in one electronic gizmo, since something newer and better for one of the features will come along next year, or something will just break, and you won't have to spend so much money for the replacement or the upgrade.

Regarding usefulness of the HRM - I just spoke to my doctor about this last Friday. He agrees that the 220 - age formula is not very accurate. I'm 55 years old, so my max HR according to the formula is 220 - 55 = 165. 80% of 165 (which I understand is supposed to be the "target" HR during exercise) is 132. This is GREAT, as I can hit 132 walking to the refrigerator!

However, my doctor says that what's really important is recovery. For instance, I'll sometimes see an HR of 172 or 175 while climbing a hill. But, after topping out and spinning along on the flat or during a coast downhill, my HR will, within a minute or two, drop into the lower 120's. My doctor was quite satisfied with this.

By the way, the HRM I have is an inexpensive Timex brand that I bought from Campmor, if I remember correctly. Only paid about $30.00 U.S. for it. Works great for my purposes.