Heart Rate Monitor/Computer Rec's



Aztec

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Jul 8, 2003
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I've had my HAC4 for probably 6 months now, and I've had it. The software just sucks. The HR reads for only the first instant I put it on, then goes blank for a few minutes, then kicks out odd values scaling up and down from 0 bpm to 200. On cooler days, this lasts for as long as 15 mins. Then it began reading temps all wrong (either that or it's apparently 36*F in my house right now), and flashing random values for altitude. I replaced the battery, reset it, etc. No matter.

Whoops, I better turn up the heat. It's now just 21*F in here. :)

Then I dropped it last week and busted a corner off. Some superglue fixed that. But Ciclosport never returned either of my emails on the topic of a new case. Thanks Ciclo A-holes.

OK, with the rant over, what the heck to do? Eventually I'm going to need to get a reliable, friendly HRM/computer. Really, I found myself mostly using the HRM, the recording of time in zones (i.e., it tells you how much time you spent between certain HRs), air temp, the stopwatch for intervals, miles ridden, time riding, time of day. Once in awhile I look at gradient and altitude. I rarely look at speed (only after). I used the recording a lot initially, but found it too much of a hassle. I planned on using it more later as my fitness improves.

What do you recommend for a replacement? And anyone want to buy a like new, perfectly operating HAC4? ;-)
 
I have a new Polar S610i. It's not cheap, but it's a relative bargain within the Polar line of downloadable HRMs. (It's NOT the cycling model that gives you avg speed, distance etc. - I have a Flightdeck for those functions - but Polar has a model that has all the functions your HAC4 has, I believe.)

Software it comes with gives me a calendar which tallies % of time in each heart zone by week, and calories. There's a diary feature to plug in the weather for that day, how you were feeling, weight and resting HR that morning, exercise notes, etc. Every download gives me max, avg, and min HR, plus a line chart of my HR, and a bar chart of time and % in each zone.

I can give you a website link if you're interested; their price is almost $100 less than MSRP.
 
Thanks. I just looked on their website.

Just curious, but why would you want to have two separate pieces of tech gear on your bike when you could have just one? That was why I originally chose the HAC4 -- it's a very good bike computer as well, and looks right at home mounted on the bars.

The more I look at competing products (and the associated re-learning), the more I think I should just buy another damn HAC4 and be grumpy about it. :)
 
The S710/720's logging of everything is handy; e.g. your heart rate over time as you ascend a mountain is useful, but being able to see that against the current speed, cadence, temperature and altitude is going to paint you a clearer picture.

The Polar computer software is incredibly good, and has free updates. Keeping a training log using the recording feature is simple, too. (Even with all the functions I've mentioned above logged at 5-second intervals, you still have about 9 hours' worth of recording time.)
 
Originally posted by Allen H
I can give you a website link if you're interested; their price is almost $100 less than MSRP.

I am interested on the site, for the future I plan to buy either a 520i or a 720i
 
Originally posted by Aztec
Thanks. I just looked on their website.

Just curious, but why would you want to have two separate pieces of tech gear on your bike when you could have just one? That was why I originally chose the HAC4 -- it's a very good bike computer as well, and looks right at home mounted on the bars.

The more I look at competing products (and the associated re-learning), the more I think I should just buy another damn HAC4 and be grumpy about it. :)

I got the Flightdeck when I got my new bike; only decided I needed an HRM a couple months later. I don't mind having both (keep the HRM on my wrist, so it doesn't "clutter up" the handlebars).

BTW, Polar DOES make a model like the HAC4:
"The Polar S725 is the most trusted monitor among professional cyclists. It is the only complete cycling system that combines heart rate with speed, distance, altitude, ascent, cadence and power output. Mobile Connectivity feature enables you to review the training data with your mobile phone. Carbon look design. "
 
Originally posted by Aztec
OK, with the rant over, what the heck to do? Eventually I'm going to need to get a reliable, friendly HRM/computer.

I'm not sure exactly of what features are critical to you, but I just set up a Vetta V100HR with cadence on my ride, and it seems to work very well. I opted for the long wire kit with cadence as opposed to the wireless kit, and everything works flawlessly. I like the fact that I have speed, cadence, and HR all being monitored in real time on one screen, one piece of equipment.

The unit has HR logging capability, but I have not yet used it.
 
Originally posted by Rominger
I am interested on the site, for the future I plan to buy either a 520i or a 720i
If you're thinking of using the data logging, get the 720.. the 520 doesn't really have enough memory to be very useful at the more frequent sampling rates (5 sec.)
 
Anyone figure out how to attach a cadence magnet on crank arms like my FSA Carbon Compact?
 
Originally posted by jstraw
Anyone figure out how to attach a cadence magnet on crank arms like my FSA Carbon Compact?

Yep. My Vetta V100HR wiring kit has a small cylindrical cadence magnet that has adhesive on one end. I found it fit neatly in the groove of the crank, closer to the BB.
 
Originally posted by Ted B
Yep. My Vetta V100HR wiring kit has a small cylindrical cadence magnet that has adhesive on one end. I found it fit neatly in the groove of the crank, closer to the BB.

Thanks for the tip. Wireless cadence on that one?
 
Originally posted by jstraw
Anyone figure out how to attach a cadence magnet on crank arms like my FSA Carbon Compact?

I used double-sided foam tape (3M 1/8" thick) to put it in the recess at the pedal axle. So far so good.
 
Originally posted by jstraw
Thanks for the tip. Wireless cadence on that one?

The unit comes with the wireless speedo unit and the wireless cadence can be added at any time. I chose the fully wired speedo/cadence setup, but you can go completely wireless if you wish.
 
The 720... can you change the display so that you don't have to look at elapsed time? Every picture I see of the display has those big fat digits staring at me!
 
The 720... can you change the display so that you don't have to look at elapsed time? Every picture I see of the display has those big fat digits staring at me!

Yes...there are 3 lines of info and the top line and the bottom 2 are independant. Typically I have HR on the bottom line with speed, lap time or elapsed time on the second line in large digits and cadence, distance or elapsed time on the top line in small digits. But you can also have HR, altitude or other info as the display on the second line.
 
Originally posted by nhorscro
Yes...there are 3 lines of info and the top line and the bottom 2 are independant. Typically I have HR on the bottom line with speed, lap time or elapsed time on the second line in large digits and cadence, distance or elapsed time on the top line in small digits. But you can also have HR, altitude or other info as the display on the second line.

Ah, good, thanks. I've read through the reviews on it (mtbreview.com). Most sure are negative about it as a bike computer. What do you think? Is it a pain to reset the trip odometer each time?

Thx.
 
The neat thing is that even if you forget to reset the trip meter before a ride, the downloaded info will have the mileage for just that ride. So it's only really a big deal if you need to know how far you have gone while you are still out riding. Even then you can figure out how far you have gone using your average speed and trip timer, neither of which need to be reset each ride.
I did have problems with mine in the beginning and it wasn't until someone suggested that I move the speed sensor higher up my fork so that it was closer to the receiver that my problems went away. I added a cadence unit at Christmas and it has worked perfectly from the first set up.
The software is pretty good....it is easy to keep track of work-outs and zones. But like most software it takes a while for you to become familiar with it.
What I don't like about my 710 is that the pause function is so short. I believe that it has been lengthened in the 710i and 720 so that may no longer be an issue.
 

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