I quit smoking seven years ago; I went on the wagon two years ago; If I quit anything else, I could apply for Saint-hood. Having given up those vices, my blood pressure is much more consistent and at normal pressure.

I don't foresee the interest in measuring my heart rate while cycling, because over the years, I learned to do ballpark pulse rate counts (count rate for 15 seconds) x (4) = beats per minute. I first thought that the interest in HRMs would dominate in the 50+ forum, but surprizingly this is discussed quite a bit in a lot of the forums.

Why is there such an interest in HRMs? Is the interest for just making sure you don't overexert (i.e., you don't croak) ... or is it for training at levels that are supposed to be at a certain rate of your maximum heart rate (approaching professional training)?

And if you are going to get an HRM, is it best to get a stand-alone HRM, instead of a cyclocomputer that has an HRM bundled into it?