Altitude functions on Polar S720i



Randybaker99

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Nov 13, 2003
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I just found out that the 2004 Fitness Reimbursement program at my work will reimburse me up to $250 for an HRM! (They consider it "exercise equipment", just like a treadmill or stair stepper - gotta love it!) :D

I am very interested in the Polar S720i, as it gets good reviews and seems to be well loved, but I wanted to know more about the altitude functions. I am hoping I can get measurements of "current grade", and "total climbing", but the manual is a bit sketchy.

I also checked out the Specialized Turbo Pro computer ($100) and the Specialized P.Brain HRM/cyclocomputer ($199) - both have an "inclinometer" reading and "Alt. Gain". Anything like that on the Polar unit? Any other units with an HRM and good altitude features?

It may sound silly but I get frustrated reading race coverage that refers to percentage grades, when I have no clue what a 5% or a 10% grade actually feels like! BTW, I know that I can calculate the avg grade of a hill if I know the distance and the start and end altitudes, but all that calculating would get tiresome pretty fast... :eek:

Anyone have any info they can share? Thanks!
 
what did you end up buying? Like/dislike what you have? Please share pros/cons
 
karun said:
what did you end up buying? Like/dislike what you have? Please share pros/cons

I got the Polar s720i from Nashbar and I am really liking it. Now that I am starting to understand some of the more advanced features I am getting pretty excited about using it in 2005. Some of the advanced features like the 5 different Exercises - each one can be based on time or heart rate, should help me structure my training a bit better. I have always had trouble doing intervals, but I think the Polar will help with that.

Also, the analysis tools that run on the PC are excellent. It is rare to see software this good from a hardware vendor. The data is useful for analyzing individual rides, and for looking at weekly data, to see if I am sticking to my training plan.

I am not sure if I will get the power option, but that is a definite possibility.

I can't think of any negatives - the $250 I paid is a very reasonable price given all the features.
 
Also, for finding out the grade of hills, I found an analog inclinometer, called a "Sky Mounti" made in Germany. It is very simple but effective - just a bubble level that mounts on the handlebars, with marks in 1 degree increments for 0% to 20% of grade. So far the steepest hill I've climbed with the inclinometer mounted was about 11-12% - a big hill for sure!
 
Randybaker99 said:
Also, for finding out the grade of hills, I found an analog inclinometer, called a "Sky Mounti" made in Germany. It is very simple but effective - just a bubble level that mounts on the handlebars, with marks in 1 degree increments for 0% to 20% of grade. So far the steepest hill I've climbed with the inclinometer mounted was about 11-12% - a big hill for sure!
The 720i altitude is very good I think, especially when combined with the PC software. I find the altitude needs to be re-set regularly as it's not completely accurate and gets out of calibration quickly.

The accumulated "ascent" of a ride is useful information and the unit can measure the grade of a climb. Just press the lap start (the main button) at the beginning and again at the top. This defines the climb as a "lap" and when downloaded to the PC you get get specific info about that lap, including grade %.

If you forget to press the button, you can also use the software to add (and/or remove) lap points when you download the data.

Interesting stuff.
 
s720i no longer have cummlative altitude !
Add that to the fact that the s725i does have it but doesn't have autostart stop like the s720i had and
I will be looking at an HAC4 as my next bike computer.
 
Gerr said:
s720i no longer have cummlative altitude !
Add that to the fact that the s725i does have it but doesn't have autostart stop like the s720i had and
I will be looking at an HAC4 as my next bike computer.
The 720 I purchased in Australia about 10 months ago does have the feature. Some else has suggested the 720 imported into the US does not have the CA function due to a US patent issue. So it might be that you have to source a 720 from somewhere other than the US. It is a useful function.