Fifty Plus (50+) - Heart Rate Monitor

OK OK OK ... I want one. Should I get a chest strap equipped device or are those wrist watchy things adequate?

I think you need both. The chest strap measures the heart beats and then you need a device to capture the measurements and display them... hence, the "wrist watchy" thing.

Oh ... OK. Duh. Can you tell I'm a lazy researcher ...? Actually I'm not - it's too tempting with such a powerful tool as this forum - to just post a question and presto ... an answer! Thank you BTW!

Keep in mind too that the wrist-watchy things can be mounted on your handlebar so you don't have to keep checking the wrist-watchy thing on your wrist!

Rick / OCRR

Good because my wrist expands when I excercise and I stopped wearing my watch a year ago because it was uncomfortable.

Anyone know if this is something useful for weight training sessions?

Not so much.

There are two types of HRM. The ones that utilise a chest strap send a signal to the monitor all the time so that you get a current reading of the heart rate rate permanently displayed. There is another type that does not use a chest strap and they require you to push a button to display the heart rate. They work off the wrist pulse and are not the best for cycling. One hand twisting so you can reach the button with the other hand does not make for accurate steering and it only displays the heart rate when the button is pushed.

I use a Garmin edge 305 now and the monitor is on the bar stem and it utilises a chest strap. Previous to this I had a polar and the monitor is like a wrist watch. Mounts are made for mounting on the bars so you can permanently see the reading- but I used to have it on my wrist as I had one of the later bar mounts that I did not like.

Get the chest-strap one. Polar makes good, durable, foolproof ones.

Get the chest-strap one. Polar makes good, durable, foolproof ones.

+1 and cheap to.

There are two types of HRM. The ones that utilise a chest strap send a signal to the monitor all the time so that you get a current reading of the heart rate rate permanently displayed. There is another type that does not use a chest strap and they require you to push a button to display the heart rate. They work off the wrist pulse and are not the best for cycling. One hand twisting so you can reach the button with the other hand does not make for accurate steering and it only displays the heart rate when the button is pushed.

I use a Garmin edge 305 now and the monitor is on the bar stem and it utilises a chest strap. Previous to this I had a polar and the monitor is like a wrist watch. Mounts are made for mounting on the bars so you can permanently see the reading- but I used to have it on my wrist as I had one of the later bar mounts that I did not like.

My situation exactly. I now use the Edge 305 to monitor all my exercise, especially since it is so easy to upload data to the PC. I like to log all my exercise; ymmv.

My polar CS200 (bike computer and hrm) has been reliable over 2 and a bit years including some very heavy rain and rough roads. It doesn't like train line signals though and some internet hot spots have me recording some weird things (like dead or hyper or both :eek:)

Richard

Good because my wrist expands when I excercise and I stopped wearing my watch a year ago because it was uncomfortable.

Anyone know if this is something useful for weight training sessions?

If you are doing a high rep/cardio lifting session where you might be lifting 50% of your 10 rep max x 25 reps and need to know when your heart rate returns to Z2 so you can move to the next machine, the HR monitor is invaluable.

Who knows if it will last but I bought a cheap (about $45.00) Sportline HRM that has a strap but will also work w/o the strap by touching the watch near the dial. Seems to be accutate and easy to work.

Who knows if it will last but I bought a cheap (about $45.00) Sportline HRM that has a strap but will also work w/o the strap by touching the watch near the dial. Seems to be accutate and easy to work.

I bought a cheap wrist HRM (different brand) that worked like that and it was rubbish - it'd give a reading easily enough but it never bore any relation to my heart rate. I'd rate these as a 'check before you buy' item ;)

Richard

I have a Polar F6 that I got last year after Christmas (with gift cards) and it worked great for time and calories, which is what I really like. Anyway if you get a Polar be sure and register the warranty on-line. I had a problem with mine in December and went online and did a warranty claim and mailed it into them, it still cost me about $20. for battery's and postage but I got it back in a week and a half and they kept me posted with e-mails on when they recieved it, when they fixed it, and when they sent it back. I was very satisfied.

Just to confuse the issue now.

Polar are a good make so a good one to start with- but do you need a basic one -or an all singing dancing version?

I do have a polar CS200 and this also acts as a bike computer. Couple this in with riders weight and age and how hard you reckon you work and it can give you enough details to really confuse you if you can reckon out what buttons to push.

Or just go basic and get one that shows your current HR and what the max was you reached on the ride.

Just wait until he asks how to determine his max HR (heh heh heh)......

HRMs fall into a few rough categories. There are basic ones. Then there are those that have a few functions, like keeping track of how much time you spent in each Zone. I like that feature. Then the next category adds other training options of various kinds. If you need them, you need them, if you don't...
Then the last category you might call super-HRMs. They can talk to computers so you can keep a training database and analyze your progress. Or it could be part of a GPS. Or all of the above and more.

If you are thinking of a HRM, you are prob thinking of getting on a training program, and knowing your Time In Zone is helpful.

I've been through several over the years from cheapos to Polars. Hated them all. Most quit working or never were totally functional. The Polar was difficult to set up and use due to a poor manual and intermittent buttons.

I finally hit paydirt with the Forerunner 305 which is the smaller wrist version of Stepfam's Edge. I wanted to record in at least three zones simultaneously and got 5 plus GPS for the price of an almost equivalent Polar.

It's very user friendly due to 7 well marked buttons which simplifies the menu structure and it has a large display.

They are about $160 now at Amazon with free ship. It can be handlebar mounted as well.

The Suunto monitors look well designed as well.

The only way to buy a monitor is to google for owner reviews (over 600 on Amazon for the Forerunner) and download the manual and study it before ordering.

Al

I bought a cheap wrist HRM (different brand) that worked like that and it was rubbish - it'd give a reading easily enough but it never bore any relation to my heart rate. I'd rate these as a 'check before you buy' item ;)

Richard

I guess I lucked out. Readings with the strap to the watch, just using the watch and the strap to the computer on the YMCA spinning bike w/o watch were all within one or two beats each of the three times I tried it.

I guess I lucked out. Readings with the strap to the watch, just using the watch and the strap to the computer on the YMCA spinning bike w/o watch were all within one or two beats each of the three times I tried it.

I think it's more a case that I had bad luck. The comment probably applies to anything cheap - check before buying, especially with the internet's ability to sell rubbish at prices that make it worth a chance.

Richard

Do you guys really use your HRMs a lot? Do you put on your *cough* bra *cough* chest strap for each ride? ;)

Do you guys really use your HRMs a lot? Do you put on your *cough* bra *cough* chest strap for each ride? ;)

Yep, every single time. And that includes xx skiing, treadmilling, walking, and shoveling snow.

For me it's a motiviation and tracking issue. I find it very easy to just plug my Garmin 30 into the PC when I'm done and upload to Sport Tracks. I can see where I stand with my exercise for the day/week/month. My goal is 5-6 hours of exercise per week and I know whether I'm hitting that goal!

Do you guys really use your HRMs a lot? Do you put on your *cough* bra *cough* chest strap for each ride? ;)

I only wear my bra for serious rides. I don't bother with it if I'm just goofing around.

I recently acquired a garmin 50. $80 with including the optional foot pod from costco. It downloads to your pc using the same software the more expensive garmins use. So far I'm thrilled with it. Even though its from garmin its NOT a gps, just a HRM with optional foot pod and bike speed/dist/cadence pickup. Unlike a polar you can change the batteries yourself. Also, the chest strap is coded, which while mostly a good thing, means it doesn't work with gym equipment.

btw, its my 3rd HRM, and the first one I'd actually recommend to someone else!

I'm a big fan of the Edge for cycling. The only time I don't wear the strap is for commuting or grocery/utility type runs. Or if I forget to put it on when I've layered up for riding in the cold! :roflmao2:

I have a forerunner question. Does it record mileage like an edge? The edge doesn't record below a certain speed if I remember correctly. I would like to record distance on hikes plus see a map like I can with the Edge.

I've only been riding on my trainer indoors and there the HRM is invaluable. I've finally got it dialed in for zones and so forth. That way for aerobic conditioning I'll go right up to but stop short of zone 5. I've also noted that when I spend much time in zone 5 I feel like blowing, so it's helping me to calibrate my internal regulator as well.

BTW: I just got around to installing my cadence monitor (I use a Garmin 305). I have discovered the folowing principle:

Perceived cadence = actual cadence + 20 +/- 10.

Do you guys really use your HRMs a lot? Do you put on your *cough* bra *cough* chest strap for each ride? ;)

Yes, nearly every ride.

Don't use it that often in the winter as I only go out to keep in trim. The HRM has another use for me though. I know when I am working hard enough- but to get back into trim I have to work hard. The HRM will tell me when I have slackened off and not working in my "Zone" for getting fit.I have a tendancy to to working just below par- but one look at the monitor and it proves to me that I could be doing better.

Do you guys really use your HRMs a lot? Do you put on your *cough* bra *cough* chest strap for each ride? ;)


Yes.

Though it's not as fashionable as some other makes, I've been pleased with my Timex. Reasonably comfortable, easy set-up, completely reliable. The battery in the chest strap is easy to access/change. I understand this can be an issue with some monitors.

The model # is either 5H911 or T 5H911 F5. MSRP is $85-90. I bought mine on ebay for under $60 shipped.

But if you want a HRM that interfaces with your PC, this won't do.

Do you guys really use your HRMs a lot? Do you put on your *cough* bra *cough* chest strap for each ride? ;)

Yes, both my wife and I use it every ride. I keep a log of all my rides/HRs/distance/average speed/ etc and have for years.

Al

I use my HRM any time I'm doing a ride that's going to last over half an hour or so, to stay at between 155 and 160 beats per minute. That's easy early in the season, harder as the season progresses. Four or five hours at that heart rate and you'll have done some work.

The great thing about this is it keeps you from slacking off, as stapfam indicated in post 28 above, but it also keeps you from going too hard on climbs. Judging from my peak condition last year (at 57 I was nearly fast as I was when I was racing at 21), avoiding overdoing it on climbs is crucial for getting the most out of my training rides. Wish I'd known that years ago; or, more accurately, wish I'd emulated the European pros who were putting in all those long, steady rides in the early season.

If you've going to do complex charting of rides that include intervals and the like, you should get one of the data-downloadable HRMs mentioned in the earlier posts. Me, I'd be just as happy with the Giant HRM on closeout at icyclesusa for ten bucks (http://tinyurl.com/7ps69t). The batteries (CR2025; usually around $4.00 each, I think) have expired on those, evidently, so you'll have to spring for a couple of those, too.

I just noticed that icyclesusa has the batteries available for $1.90 each.

Another thought on the question of using one. If you don't see the need, then your fitness objectives don't require one and it will be useless to you. There are many scientifically based reasons for using a HRM for both fitness and/or performance. There's also the motivational factor.

There are many media resources that go into depth on these reason's including the book Younger Next year which has a current thread on this site. Another, Spark, describes a 20,000 member county school system in the Chicago area which has revamped their phys ed program away from team sports to individual activities and training. Each student uses a HRM in gym class.

It appears that Florida's governor Crist is considering such a change for the Florida schools systems; at least he was before the down-economy.

Al

I'm a big fan of the Edge for cycling. The only time I don't wear the strap is for commuting or grocery/utility type runs. Or if I forget to put it on when I've layered up for riding in the cold! :roflmao2:

I have a forerunner question. Does it record mileage like an edge? The edge doesn't record below a certain speed if I remember correctly. I would like to record distance on hikes plus see a map like I can with the Edge.

I use the Edge 305 for recording walks all the time and do not have any problem with the distance recorded. Make sure you have the auto-pause feature set to "off" and the data recording to every second.

I'm a big fan of the Edge for cycling. The only time I don't wear the strap is for commuting or grocery/utility type runs. Or if I forget to put it on when I've layered up for riding in the cold! :roflmao2:

I have a forerunner question. Does it record mileage like an edge? The edge doesn't record below a certain speed if I remember correctly. I would like to record distance on hikes plus see a map like I can with the Edge.

I believe there is a setting for the mph at which the Edge quits recording. Check it and see if you can set it to zero.

I have a forerunner question. Does it record mileage like an edge? The edge doesn't record below a certain speed if I remember correctly. I would like to record distance on hikes plus see a map like I can with the Edge.

My Forerunner does everything at a even a slow walk. However, the distance is not accurate as it only measures horizontal distance which is the case for all GPS. So if your going up and down hills, it'll be a little short. On the bike, I use my cyclometer for distance for that reason. You may also get an error (on the bike) at the low sampling rate if you have a lot of tight turns.

GPS elevation estimates are very inaccurate. Something like +/- 200 ft (?). So any true distance calculation would be erroneous anyhow.

If I remember correctly from reading both manuals (you can download them free), the Edge and the Forerunner have the identical functionality.

You have a map? My Forerunner only does a track. I use an Etrex for a topo map.

As mentioned, there is a low speed stetting. I use 2 mph so it quits recording when I take a snack break.

Al

I use my Garmin 305 for walking and hikes with no problem. Maps and records speeds as low a 1 mph (actually, it stays on while you are stopped).