That is basically what I do. I use the KISS (Keep it Simple Stupid) approach. SInce I have been unable to use the HRM for exactly one year, I don't really know how I am going to use it from here on out. It will depend on how I adjust to my heart finally being back in rhythm.

Right now I am using my heart rate to keep my heart from going too fast as I don't want it slipping back into atrial fibrillation. Also, since I am still on a beta blocker, it won't go real fast anyways!

Sorry about my rant and the redundant bit. It just seems that everyone continuously takes the 220-age as gospel without ever questioning "Is it really possible to have one formula that so neatly fits everyone?" Especially when we all know our resting HR's are so different - then why wouldn't our MHR's be different also?

That was a good article, and thanks for referencing it again.

For the first time in one year, almost exactly, I was able to wear a HRM on my ride today.

I had to stop wearing the HRM when I developed atrial fibrillation in 9/2004. My pulse was so erratic that I could not get any consistent or stable readings.

So, since my wrist bands are broken on my receiving unit, I placed industrial velcro on my goose neck, and the opposite side of the velcro on the back of the receiving unit, and it works great. Much better than the wrist band as you can see it constantly without removing your hand from the bars. Also, I can place velcro on the other bikes for the same purpose.

Anyway, I was able to monitor my rhythm just fine, and it did great. With the beta blocker I have used, my heart will not get very fast until I go off the drug. But, I was able to see a consistent regular beat up to about 124 bpm. I found it hard to go above that, and a couple of time a "double beat" sent the rhythm up to about 128 bpm.

It is well known in exercise physiology that generally you get enough oxygen in your blood to feed your system, and the breakdown occurs in the mitochiondria (of which a fit person has more) and the production of ATP, not in oxygen deprivation. I think now that I have developed a large number of mitochondria during this period of Afibrillation, as I was going quite fast just before my heart repair, even with 30% less heart output.

I seem to be able to pedal at a pretty good clip, including hills, with a heart rate in the 120-130 region.

Interesting.

Oh, and I got a flat today. First time on this particular bike. It was a glass cut, and I am using the cheap original tires, so little protection from cuts.

Good day, despite the flat.

Wow! I got my Sigma Sport HRM today and I had to take it out for a spin. The chestband was very comfortable and it reads great. I didn't have to use any gel on the chestband - I sweat a lot. It really helps you get more in touch with your body to know exactly what your heart is doing.
I don't know exactly how to use it yet and I didn't personalize my settings yet but I was able figure out how it works basically and found it very interesting. I did a 5k run today and stayed in the 175-180 BPM range for most of the run, I finished up around 185 BPM. I actually took it a little easy on myself today because I also did a 5K yesterday. Tomorrow I'm alternating with on my mountain bike with about an hour workout. I can't wait to compare my readings.
All in all it's a great little piece of hardware for $46.00 and well worth the money compared to the other units on the market. It's also very easy to change batteries on both the chestband and the watch itself. There's no need to send the watch back to the manufacturer just to replace a battery. I like it so much that I'm probably going to wear it during the day also. Great buy.