dannwilliams

I stopped wearing my heart rate monitor a couple weeks back. Enjoying my rides has become a little easier not checking to see if I am "in the right zone" on every hill and flat. I consider myself a "recreational rider." Not sure if I'll go back to wearing it next year. I am not training to race or anything, just riding for fitness and recreation.

After growing up riding a bike everywhere until I got my first car at 18, I resumed cycling in '03 because I had ballooned to 235#. (I graduated high school at less than 165#) I am now holding fast around 190#, give or take a couple. So now, I am just enjoying the ride!

John E

You will probably do just as well without the monitor. Before we had all of the technology toys, we used the "conversation test" -- push yourself to the point at which you are just barely able to hold a conversation with someone. If you are breathing so hard you can't talk, you have broken into the anaerobic zone.

Congratulations on the weight loss, which has probably added a few years to your life. You are more than halfway back toward your high school weight.

tg16

I sometimes leave the Garmin at home when riding. I do the same when running about once a week. It does feel different!

BobbyG

I've never used a heart rate monitor, and stopped worrying about my average speed while I ride (I commute). I still keep the weight off and I still feel great!

79pmooney

I see one great use for heart monitors as a non-competitive rider - to ensure I don'[t go to hard on the early hills of say a century with a mountain pass. I did this years ago on the Barlow Century. I had ridden that winter on the trainer and mapped out my zones. For the century, I made it a point to not go over 155 on the early hills, then 164 on the biggie. I had to let a lot of riders go on the early hills. Settled into the 164 for the biggie and held it to the top. After that, I was tired and never looked at it again, But I did pass a bunch of those riders who left me hours before and were now cooked.

I would do this more (wearing the monitor for long, hard rides to keep HR in check) but for the fact that I have never met a monitor that liked being put away and pulled out for a ride 18 months later. I don't know if it is dead batteries, the units not talking to each other or what, but it almost a given that I will not be able to get it to work. I now have a box of dead ones. At $75 per and one use only, it's not worth it. Now if I could get a reliable $20 unit that just read heartrate, nothing else, I'd love it.

Ben

h2oxtc

There's a time and place for HR monitoring. I used mine with the Garmin almost without fail for two years, and initially while riding the trainer with training videos. I've come to have a pretty good sense of where my heart rate is at, and now pay more attention to recovery time than actual heart rate. Similar to the OP, l've ridden more without it this year, and lucky for me when I have pulled it out of the drawer it works as good as it ever has.

downtube42

Sometimes it's a fine line we walk between the joy of cycling and feeding the desire to improve. Cyclocomputers and GPS and HRM and power meters can help us in our quest to improve (or not get lost), but can also rub the joy right out of cycling. Heck, sometimes getting lost can enhance the enjoyment of a leisurely day on the bike. On the other hand, setting, working toward, and achieving a goal can be extremely rewarding. Electronics can help that happen.

I think unplugged rides are great fun. Instrumented rides can be fun, in a different way.

Jim from Boston

Unplugged

Dittoes to all the above congratulations for your weight loss. I have never used a HRM or power meter, but I pretty much ride to train for general fitness and weight management, mostly by mileage. This year I made great strides by emphasizing intensity/speed. Rather than heart rate, I monitor myself with Relative Perceived Exertion as described in my:

I do check resting HR for overall assessment; currently about 48 bpm. Regarding technology while riding, I previously posted to this thread on the commuting Forum, ” Commuting with bike computer.”

Though IMO continuously monitoring real time HR is TMI, I do also use cadence as a training tool.

Tony Marley

I ride the same way -- unplugged, and enjoy my rides more.

Viking55803

For me, almost 3 years post cardiac bypass surgery, wearing a heart monitor is a safety feature and I have used it consistently to improve my fitness steadily without suffering any setbacks. On October 11th I'll be riding my first "competitive" event in probably 30 years - a 50 mile gravel race, so I've been pushing toward that goal all summer. Since the RPE (rate of perceived exertion) lags a bit behind the heart rate, the monitor is still useful to get into the zone I know I can sustain over a long distance, and then RPE for hills etc. I do agree, however, that most of the time RPE is a perfectly good indicator of effort and heart rate.

One of the interesting things to me is that even within the natural limits of age (almost 67) and with a damaged heart, the principles of training for cardio, strength and endurance are exactly the same as for any other athlete. If I had trained as consistently and carefully with planned periods of rest when I was a young bike racer in the late 1960's and early 70's I think I would have seen much better results. Of course, we didn't have heart monitors, cadence sensors, or GPS - we just rode hard and often and hoped for a good result. I now know that I was often over-trained to the point of forced layoffs due to illness etc. Oh well, now my goals for the big race are 1) to finish and 2) not finish last!

qcpmsame 

Shoot, I thought you were going to tell us you had done an acoustical set, rather than your usual hard edge, amplified and fuzzy stuff.

Actually, I think you are smart to do the simpler riding thing. Too many distractions are creeping into just riding and enjoying things, using a HRM, or a power meter, GPS, etc, can be helpful, and for some entertaining, while riding. I am riding to get away from all the electronics and stuff that adds stress to the workday, and to simply get more fit and feel better about things, in general. I think its from having been hooked up to monitors and such, for a long period of time with my past decade of serious health issues. If they help you to ride, by all means use them, not looking to be a Luddite proselytizer. I still have my wireless computer on the stem for the time, mileage and speed information.

Bill

RISKDR1

The HR monitor is a tool that is useful when you want to make your training very specific. It has its place. Sometimes it is a nice break just to ride with a perceived effort regime. We cycle as a form of play. Not every ride has to be "training".

c.miller64

I always wear one, but have recently removed HR from the display on my Garmin. It's nice to be able to track avg heart rate over time to assess fitness, yet not be distracted or influenced by HR while riding. I also like/need the max hr alarm to keep my HR from climbing too high.

Rick@OCRR

I wear my heart rate monitor whenever I ride; commuting, club rides, mountain rides, whatever (well, okay, not on rides to Trader Joe's and back!).

Not that I'm always checking my heart rate but after my (fake) heart attack my cardiologist advised me to limit my heart rate to 165 bpm based (mostly) on my age (65) so the heart rate display on my Garmin is good for keeping an eye on that.

Contrary to posters above, I don't think it detracts at all from my enjoyment of the rides. I still look at the scenery (traffic conditions, etc.), converse with other riders and enjoy all the aspects of the cycling experience in general far more than I ever look at my heart rate display.

Rick / OCRR

Funny; I thought the same thing at first!

chasm54

If you ride just for fun, and aren't using HR either for health reasons or to train specifically, then it's just data and there really isn't any point in having it.

When I'm touring I don't bother with the Garmin. I don't care if I get lost for a while, and I'm certainly not riding to a HR target. And frankly, if you're spending 30 hours per week on the bike you're going to get fitter whether or not you are monitoring your zones.

When I'm at home, and spending maybe 10 hours per week on the road bike, I've gone back to having the chest strap on. I find that I need structure if I'm going to be as fit as I want to be - a few months of just riding around saw me lose a lot of fitness. So training with HR zones keeps me honest.

And it doesn't detract from my enjoyment. Actually, I rather like the additional focus it brings.

Jim from Boston

Same here. For my training regimen based on Relative Perceived Exertion (RPE):

Cychologist

On vacation (like I am on currently) I take my Bike Friday. I can't read my rpms on my Garmin with the Bike Friday, and I also don't wear my heart rate monitor (never thought about why I don't). So I have only speed, ave. speed and distance showing on the Garmin. But it's a fun ride.

My average speed on vacation is about two mph less than when riding the same bike at home, but again it's an enjoyable ride.

YogaKat

Aint' that the truth. I started out halfway through last August just wanting to get out and get some sun and was so proud of myself for finding that I did 'almost a mile' on my mapmyride app.

I'm a fairly competitive person in general and have found myself pushing and pushing for more mileage. Now I get home and jump up and down because I did 20 miles, then 30 miles, and lately a 40 mile ride. I do try to remember to stop and enjoy the scenery though.

Yes, I am now completely addicted.

To the OP, awesome that you dropped the weight!

Fredster

My cardiologist (heart attack last summer) wants me to keep my HR<=140 so I monitor somewhat reluctantly when I jog and ride. For me it is difficult to run at all with that limit so I usually do a bit of a jog and walk. I guess it's for the best but I often feel I can easily go higher without much bother. Next visit I'll get a stress test so maybe I can renegotiate that limit. Anyway, I've come a long way since the attack and that's good.

ltxi

I also think heart rate monitoring has it's place. I still use one with my recumbent fitness trainer 'cause the system interacts to adjust resistance to my preferred settings. Also probably useful for "learning" on a bike, but I'm active/experienced enough to be able to just listen to my body.

MinnMan

Yeah - this. I want the data in the long run, but looking at it whilst riding can take away some of the enjoyment.

Also, there have been times when even having a basic spedometer has lessened my enjoyment - coming back from a long layoff or injury, when I'm not that fit, it's dispiriting to look down and see how slow I am going even though I am working hard. When that happens, I may leave the garmin at home entirely. However, someone once suggested taking it and putting a piece of masking tape over it. This has some value - you can't see it whilst riding, but a few weeks later you can look at the data and see the improvement.

Also, repeating what others have said, the HRM is actually of most use on easy/recovery rides- helping me make sure not to work too hard.

irwin7638

I don't use a HR monitor, power meter or computer. Recently at a group ride I was asked how I know my mileage, I replied that I ride as often as I like. When asked how I know my speed; "I ride as fast as I am comfortable riding." There are better things to think about while riding a bike.

Marc

BikeArkansas

I quit wearing the "BRA" a few years ago. I ride hard in events. When I am breathing very hard and very tired, I slow down. Have not found I really needed electronics to tell me that.

fastcarbon

I always use my heart rate monitor function on my Garmin Edge. It alerted me when I developed A Fib which was "burned out" and something called polymorphic ventricular tachycardia which can end in a "below ground" result. So I won't ride without it. So I ride with antiarrhythmic drugs and ICD now but still do my intervals on hills and ride weekends with the "fast guys" for awhile at least. I love the data and will add one of the left crank arm power meters which can be read by and downloaded from the Garmin. I don't see the conflict between Heart Rate and enjoying the country side. Personally I like riding mid week when I don't have to focus on the rear wheel ahead of me.

DowneasTTer

Well another one with an ICD (also Downeastter on icd board as you are). I think for most people a hrm is just an extra. Great for those that like to monitor HR or love tech stuff. But for people like fastcarbon and myself knowing the rate can accelerate anywhere near our ICD max setting is knowledge we would like to have access to. So far I haven't been on the receiving end of an ICD shock and would like to keep it that way. So I monitor on my edge.