Can you hit your max heart rate on a bike?
 

I've seen 210 bpm running up hills (I used the test method recommended by this book: http://www.amazon.com/Heart-Monitor-.../dp/0915297256)

But I've only seen high 190s bpm on my bike. This means that I can only hit approx. 93-95% of my true max HR on a bike.

Has anyone else who has tested max HR different ways experienced similar results? Any explanation? Maybe my legs are too weak...

EDIT: Here is an article that starts to get into some of these issues: http://www.slowtwitch.com/mainheadin...clingrate.html

I read somewhere that your max HR depends on the exercise you are doing. When I run my HR is around 160-170 and I am feeling fine. Same HR on a bike and I am breaking a sweat.

UD

Your max HR is your max HR, regardless of the exercise. It's just harder to reach doing some things versus others. It's easy to reach when running up a hill. It's hard to reach on a bike. And it's very very hard to reach if your exercise is doing arm circles while sitting in a chair!

I've never hit my max HR on a bike. Not too hard running (not fun either).

I'll attempt to explain my case for how MHR depends on the activity. Let's say for example your MHR cycling (arrived at using a given, accepted testing protocol) is 175. And let's say your MHR for running is 185 (again, using an accepted protocol to estimate). To say "my MHR is 185, I just can't reach it on the bike because cycling is too hard" is to say your running fitness is such that you naturally achieve a higher heart rate when running. To say 'it's too hard to achieve 185 on the bike' is saying your MAX is not as high, since MHR is one (and I'd argue NOT the best at all) method of measuring fitness.

I can hit max on a spin bike but not riding outside.

209 is the highest I've ever seen my HR at. It happened on a corner I took too fast, locked the back wheel, and almost skidded into oncoming traffic.

My Garmin will scream at me if I get above 180.