bike computer, heart rate monitor

cosman9373

hey need some help choosing a new computer/hrm. For the past while i've been using cadence on my bike comp and more recently using HRM too. I've started doing triathlon and am now looking for a computer to take from bike to run. I'm torn between two!

The polar RS800 G3 and the Garmin 405. Each have their own qualities and I have to admit I'm more confused now than before I started.

The polar seems a quality hrm and works primarily on heart zones and v02max to optimise training but does have gps for speed and altimeter and optional foot pod for stride length and cadence and will give you info on stride efficiency. The main drawback for me is that this doesn't have a cadence sensor for the bike but this could be on the way as other polar produts do seem to have them.

The garmin has opt bike cadence, has hrm and gps to give speed & distance. It too works within heart zones but doesn't seem to be as specific. It also has virtual competitor which i presume will be motivational as all this training is alone. this seems to be a good all round device but i just feel the polar is designed more for fitness and training.

Ok i've gone on too long, has anyone used one or both of these or any polar or garmin products?? Can anyone let me know what these are like to use??

kenmc

I have the forerunner 305, although I mostly have it due to my love of gadgets, and the ability to view stats and routes taken. I've never used it for training like you wish to do, but I know it does have alarms for all sorts of things like heart rates, cadences, paces etc to let you know if you're dropping out of zones. You can set the zones up as you wish. The screen is very configurable in terms of what you can display - you can choose up to 4 fields on each of 3 screens which cycle through. Although I think the 405 has a much smaller screen so I dunno what it's like in this respect.
I know that Raam has the 305 also.

crashoveroid

polar is the only way to go best trainning tool i have ever had

cosman9373

have actually read that although the 405 is smaller, where the strap meets the watch is rigid as the gps receiver is located there. This in turn means it doesn't really fit properly especially on smaller wrists(like mine). The screen is also smaller as you point out and it is sugested to actually look at the functional variances between these (which i haven't) before choosing as the 305 still stacks up strongly against the 405 especially considering the 100euro plus dif involved.

cosman9373

crashoveroid wrote: »

polar is the only way to go best trainning tool i have ever had

any reasons, what polar do you use. I've a fear it's a great training tool but not so good on the bike.

Raam

kenmc wrote: »

I know that Raam has the 305 also.

I do indeed, and it's a great piece of kit. A friend of mine uses his one all the time for some very specific heart based running training and he finds it invaluable.

tunney

crashoveroid wrote: »

polar is the only way to go best trainning tool i have ever had

I've had multiple polar watches. My one at the monent is an S625x, i just sent it off to be repaired after 3-4 years of use because the buttons stopped working, I basically got a new watch back. It does bike speed, bike cadence via wireless sensors and run speed via a foot pod with a GPS (G1) unit being released in june.

I recently *nearly* upgraded to a RS800 G3 - I stopped when i discovered that the new chest straps are not compatible with *any* other equipment. Polar used to be the gold standard for HRM compatiblity its not now. You can't use the RS800 and any other devices like SRMs, powertap etc etc. Not the way forward.

S625x or garmin.

crashoveroid

cosman9373 wrote: »

any reasons, what polar do you use. I've a fear it's a great training tool but not so good on the bike.

I mainly use cs600 with power but alot of the guy i know doing tri use the Polar S725X is a really ygreat watch here is a link with the features http://www.cycleways.com/store/product/21349/Polar-S725X-Pulse-Monitor/

blorg

I have the Edge 305 (e.g. the bike version) and it's great. I think the Forerunner 305 would work very well for you, cheaper than the 405 and with a bigger screen which you would appreciate on the bike. Make sure you get the bike mount.

One great thing about the Garmins is that they have a completely flexible bitmap display; you can select exactly what you want to see on it and flick through different modes that show (very basic) map, elevation chart, computer display etc.

I have another cheap Cateye that does speed/distance etc on a different display so I just have the Garmin showing what that doesn't do, e.g. primarily Heart Rate, Altitude, Grade, Cadence. This would be particularly to be recommended with the Forerunner as you can only display half the info you can on the Edge.

On the other hand heart rate is what Polar have always specialised in and I'm sure they do it very well. Garmin is pretty basic in this regard, you get your heart rate and the option to set alarms when you go above/below a threshold. You get a chart at the end when you download to the PC but NOT on the device, which is something I think Polar offers. So you can see what your heart rate is right now, but not really get an idea of how much effort you have been putting in over the past X period- I could see this being an advantage of the Polar.

ob

I have the 305 as well, and find it very good. There's a new version out - Edge 705 which looks class, but has a tasty enough price on it.

midonogh

I have a Garmin Forerunner 50. No problem with the watch. But no end of problems syncing with Garmin Connect website to the extent that I am about to give up on it. I am running Windows Vista on a laptop and am sure that the problems lie there. Not really Garmins fault but if I had known about this in advance I would not have bought.

blorg

It could be the Garmin, the PC connection with mine is very flaky and often gives the "there was a problem retrieving data from your device, check if it is connected" error. This is 100% resolved by using SportsTracks instead, suggesting it is a problem with the PC software rather than the device itself.

The other great thing about the Garmin is the courses- you can save existing performance over a course and then race yourself; it will give you a display that shows you are X metres ahead of your previous performance, etc. as well as time to end/checkpoints etc.

cosman9373

blorg wrote: »

The other great thing about the Garmin is the courses- you can save existing performance over a course and then race yourself; it will give you a display that shows you are X metres ahead of your previous performance, etc. as well as time to end/checkpoints etc.

Is this on the 305 forerunner, i know you can race your last lap on the edge but didn't think you could on the forerunner?!

blorg

cosman9373 wrote: »

Is this on the 305 forerunner, i know you can race your last lap on the edge but didn't think you could on the forerunner?!

I don't have a Forerunner, but yes, I think it has Virtual Partner and courses. I have seen screenshots of the Forerunner with little runners instead of little cyclists and I _think_ when speaking to another cyclist/runner who owned one he mentioned the functionality. It's really very good as it is more than a simple "pace" - it takes into account hills, etc. AFAIK the Forerunner is fully multi-sport and supports cycling quite well, indeed I _think_ it does everything the Edge does, with the only drawback compared to the Edge being the screen size (half the Edge.) The Edge is cycling only, you can't tell your Edge you are running, or get a wrist strap

Another factor you might want to be aware of: the Edge (and I presume the Forerunner) have very limited battery life, around the 8-10 hour mark. I don't know how this compares to the Polar, but I was coming from a Cateye with battery life around the 4-5 year mark so it was a bit of a shock to the system ;-) It recharges really easily and quite quickly through USB at the same time you are downloading your data.

cosman9373

k after weeks of looking at every feature and reading every review i am going to go for the 305.

polar looks a great piece of kit but think it's main and probably only issue for me is the lack of cadence for the bike. This is very important to me when cycling.

The 305 has this bike cadence, it's optional but it's possible. It also has virtual partner which can only be motivational in this lonely sport.

The 305 over the 405 why?? Cause it's got routes, bigger screen although it seems it fits better as a watch. it's got a multi sport button to change sports at the touch of a button. oh and about a hundred quid cheaper.

anyone lookin to go into triathlon i'd advise something like this and it's prob better to get it first as last as there is a need to bring it from bike to run so most bike computers do not cut it.

thanks for all your help, not so confused now.