gattm99

HA HA, I bought a HRM at the salvation army store a few days ago for 2 BUCKS. I put a battery in the reciever and now I'm good to go. I've been riding for a long time but never used one because I don't care a whole lot about training.

My heart rate while coasting down hill was 110, while comfortably spinning was around 120-130, climbing hills around 140-150, and sprinting 170. When sprinting up a hill I was able to hit 185.

My riding buddy said he thought those numbers were high, so what do you think, I'm 27 and overweight and rode about 3000 miles since last September.

waterrockets 

Nope, I think that sounds reasonable. You should talk to your doctor first, then get a max HR. It's pretty tough work, but it will put all those numbers in perspective. If your max HR turns out to be over 200, and that 185 is probably just past your LT, then you're about where I'd expect an intermediately trained cyclist to be.

badkarma

No, those numbers *seem* like they're in the ballpark; but there's no way for me to say for sure.

kensuf

At 37, with a max HR of 202 (yes, that's correct), I think with the exception of coasting, your numbers are a little low.

But seriously, the numbers seem fine to me. However, you should get a stress test done to find out your real max HR and then put those numbers in perspective. At 27, your max HR may well be in the mid-190s, which would put those #'s in the right zones.

damage24

I'm also 27 with a max of about 198, 180-190s on hills, 150-160 on flats and average 170ish over a ride. Everyone is different.

stonecrd

I am 49 and my MHR is 195. On flats at about 20mph I am at 165bpm, on sprints/hills I am at 180-190bpm and average about 160bpm.

recursive

Those numbers sound very possible. I don't know what your friend is comparing it to, but those are about the same as my numbers, and I've got 3 hrms. (I know, I know)

nocondorfx

i just bought a nike HRM. its a fun little tool to play with. Look down at it when the dog starts chasing you.

munkyv22

Those numbers are about on par with mine. I am also 27. Although on a good hill going AE, I can break 200.

SDRider

Those numbers sound just fine. I have similar numbers (my max HR is around 175 though) and I'm 39 and reasonably fit (just completed my first century a few weeks ago). I'd look at how fast you cool down. If your heart rate drops down quickly after a sprint that's good. If it takes you a long time to recover then that's not so good.

fmw

My numbers aren't that far from yours. I'm 62 years old. I generally cruise at around 120 to 125 bpm when I'm out on a solo ride. That would be about a 16 - 17mph average. The group rides will get me up close to 130 and about 19 mph. I start breathing pretty hard at 140 bpm and tend not to maintain that for very long - perhaps long enough to climb a hill. At 150 I'm panting and uncomfortable I'm just thinking about getting to the crest of the hill or slowing down. I hit my red zone around 175. I only get there during dog races with big fast dogs that won't give up - my description of a sprint. I view the heart rate thing as mostly a curiosity. I don't actually do anything with the data. I'm more interested in my average speed and the speed at which I climb familiar hills.

I'm a heart patient. I've had a quadruple bypass so I try to exercise the old ticker effectively. The stress tests we heart patients take is at 135 bpm. That will get many heart patients into trouble. The cardiologist is always amazed at how well I perform at 135. I shrug my shoulders and tell him it is all in the cycling.

slowandsteady

Actually, they seem a little low at least compared to me. I am just a tad older than you and my HR goes a bit higher. 187 or so is the max for me.

gattm99

OK good to know, my buddy was a bit off on his numbers then. I should note that this monitor only outputs current rate and has no other functions so my averages are probably ball park. I'm also glad people are saying these rates are low since I really wasn't riding very hard during the few rides I was using this.