Originally Posted by
ctpres
HI OP Here - Based on comments about runaway heartbeat, I decided that is a good medical reason to get one. Just shopped hard on ebay and amazon for garmin 500, premium hrm and cadence/speed from three US sellers for a total of $282.87 Might add barfly or fliploc later. Thanks for input to my decision.
P.S. Above cost more than my new bike!
I hope you didn't lay down your cash yet. The 500 is a good unit, but their "premium" hrm does not work as well as their "stardard" hrm. This is well known by users. If you haven't placed an order yet ... skip the "premium" one and get the less expensive one.
Myself? My Premium Garmin strap sits unused somewhere because of erratic readings. I've had good luck with a Bontrager HRM strap. It came with my DuoTrap sensor for my Madone, and works quite well with my 500 and 800. In fact, I wore out one Bontrager strap and just purchased a replacement this past weekend.