Well, I was in an ER during that period. How much running do you think I got in ?

Well, not going to happen anytime soon as my Cardio Doc sees no need now for a follow up a year as result from a clean angiogram.

Congratulations! I now have to see my cardiologist two or three times a year. I'm still OK, but I need to be checked.

that’s a good thing!

but if you really want the most accurate - but still “consumer grade” HRM data for your personal workouts, just get a chest strap. Inexpensive, easy to use, durable, reliable.

The only acceptable alternative I have found to a chest strap HRM (for monitoring vigorous exercise) is the Polar OH1 optical sensor, worn on my upper arm. I find it more convenient than a chest strap. It has a far more powerful optical array than any I’ve seen on any watch or fitness tracker.

DC Rainmaker has very detailed reviews on all HRMs worth mentioning. Most of the wrist worn optical sensors found on watches and trackers have issues when cycling or high intensity intervals.

What does paying a $60/year get you.

I pay $0/year for using my garmin device when cycling.

The only subscriptions in my life are my cell phone and Netflix.

that’s really impressive! no car insurance, home/renters insurance, electric/gas/water/trash?

I suggest you read this page on their subscription levels so that I don't give inaccurate information.

Not listed on their chart is the ability to distinguish rides by the bike I use. I want to know what I was riding when I read the record. That might have been the feature that convinced me to pay.

A friend of mine has the premium plan which is $80/year. I don't remember why, but he's glad he has it. He recently crossed the country on his bike, so he probably used some of the extra features.

I have the rwgps premium plan because their route planner is unusable for brevets without it. I was always a bit pissed about that. I technically don't need it now, but keep it for the good memories.

Garmin Connect and Strava both do that....For FREE.

Here's a screenshot from Strava from a recent ride. Every ride I do has a bike assigned to it. I currently have 5 different bikes I ride...2 MTBs, Road Bike, Gravel Bike and Fat Bike. The Spot Mayhem is one of my mountain bikes.

The route planner is free in RWGPS. I use it all the time. No subscription plan required.

1.) Create route in RWGPS.
2.) Export the TCX file
3.) Import the TCX file into Garmin Connect and then POOF! It's available on the Garmin bike computer for navigation.

I only use the RWGPS route planner because the Garmin Connect software for creating routes is clunky.

The free version works well enough for your use case, simple routes with no extra features. The features needed for brevet route planning are only in their "advanced route planning and editing" and custom cue sheets. This is because these routes will be used by other people. I have access to those tools through organizations now, I probably should downgrade my plan.

What extra features are you referring to? I've used the free version for planning 100 - 120 mile routes.

I think there's a differentiation between necessities and non necessities.

Basic existence, unless I want to live in a tent and walk/bike everywhere, requires that I have insurance for my house, car etc and that I pay the utility bills.

Subscriptions to apps or streaming services on TV are optional luxuries. I'm not required to have them to exist day to day.

Even then...if there are apps that have a subscription to access the premium features I have found that there are hacked versions online for download. For example....Pandora wants $6/month to stream ad free music. I have the premium version downloaded from some android website I found and I pay no monthly fee to have the premium version. I refuse to pay monthly subscription fee for any app.

It's a shame that when smart phones and apps first hit the market you paid a one time charge to have all of the premium features. Then the developers got greedy and moved to a subscription based service. What pissed me off even more is that there are certain apps back in the day that I paid $20-$30 for. Then they went to subscription based service and I lost all of the functionality. Probably should have been a class action lawsuit for everyone that paid for there apps with the understanding that the premium features were paid for when you bought the app.

Good to know. I think there are some features of RWGPS that Strava lacks which helped me decide. I think the statistics are more extensive, but I could be wrong.

This discussion has veered or evolved into one about which ride logging service we like best. I don't mind if others don't. I'm still happy with my decision, and I'm not likely to change it soon, though I might change one day.

Correct, free version works fine for any distance if you are just going to design a route. There are a lot of features in the premium version that are nice if you are making routes for others to ride, but are mandatory for a randonneuring route. The main ones surround cue sheet editing and being able to add information about stops. I don't expect you to find it to be worth $80 a year, I thought it was b.s. when they changed their free plan to exclude those features. I think it was mainly intended to get money from pro organizers. I don't run organized rides at all, but I still have to pay.

That might be the difference. Nobody I ride with uses cue sheets. We just use the navigation feature on the garmin. Also Cue sheets can be printed from the free version of RWGPS if one absolutely needs one.

And once you import the TCX file from RWGPS into Garmin Connect you can add information to the route about stops (aid stations, gas, food etc) and then the Garmin cycling computer will give you an alert prior to the stop. Saves me $80/year.

Not sure what specific statistics you are after, but my heart rate data and all sorts of other data are uploaded from Garmin into Strava plus additional data in Garmin Connect.

Nice. Is it possible to use this Garmin service without a Garmin device? I have no bike computer.

Yup. I bought the lifetime membership for Maps With Me, Pro version. They changed their name to Maps.Me and went subscription for their full feature system. I sent them a testy e-mail complaining that I paid for the lifetime membership. They responded (which surprised me that the actually responded) and said that I must have done that a few years ago and that I certainly should not expect to have a lifetime of free upgrades for that one time fee that I paid.

I refuse to pay subscriptions for any electronic devices. I am willing to pay a one time fee for software on my computer, but not a monthly fee. That said, I consider cell service, land line (voice over internet or VOIP), or internet service to not be a subscription. I have an antennae for tv and radio. I pay for Turbo Tax once a year for my taxes, I suppose you could call that a subscription, but I consider it a substitute for an accountant.

I find it ironic the same individuals who advocating for replaceable batteries are the same that are vehemently against paying a subscription fee. I have no issue paying subscription fees with products and services where I see value.

i find it ironic that individuals readily admit to simply stealing things they don’t feel like paying for.

or maybe ironic isn’t the word?

It seems that Garmin Connect Plus is not playing out well for Garmin ... Starts at 14:54.

Downloading illegal hacked software from some dubious website sounds like a great way to introduce malware and viruses into your system. But I guess you save $6 per month, while the legit App users pay the product developers for the premium service you are taking advantage of.

The basic problem with paying a one-off lifetime fee for an Aop is that most Apps have a relatively short lifespan and require considerable ongoing resources to stay up to date. When you purchased “Maps With Me” did you really expect them to keep their software up to date for several decades? At least the subscription model allows for potential software longevity and you are literally paying as you go.