tc83

Forgive me if this is a bonehead question, but I am having a hard time finding a concrete answer.

I received a Garmin 500 as a gift, without the heart rate strap/cadence sensor. I have a Polar heart rate monitor that is on its last legs, and so I am looking at replacing it. I'd prefer to not just buy the Garmin strap, because then I've got nothing if I were doing something besides cycling. Essentially, I'd like to buy another relatively cheap watch/strap combo.

My understanding is that Polar is not ANT+ compatible (haven't been able to try it with my garmin because the polar is failing). I read somewhere that Suunto's ANT does not mean that it is compatible with garmin, etc.

Can anyone help me make sense of this? Do I have to buy the garmin strap? Am I making this more complicated than it needs to be? Is there a watch/strap combo out there that will work?

kuf

You could get a Garmin HR watch that comes with a strap.

pacificaslim

FWIW, the fancier version of the garmin heart rate monitor is softer and quite a bit more comfortable than the one with the large, hard pieces in front.

tc83

Yeah, but then I am paying for GPS when all I really need is a HR monitor. But, if it comes down to it I'd probably do that rather than have 2 separate HR monitors.