Which heart rate monitor?

Equipment
21

Old thread, but adding to it.

  • I have the TICKR from Wahoo, the BLE and ANT+ in one. It’s been great.
  • I also have an older Polar BLE strap which is great for iphone/appleTV connection, but no ANT+ for Garmin 530 connection (I got this back in 2012 or 2013, and only have it still because there’s no point selling it for $5. If I lost it, I would not replace it with another BLE only).
  • Another option is the Magene, which essentially is a Wahoo clone. I’ve seen good reviews and have their speed/cadence sensors which work great.

  • List item
22

Oh, and to add to this.

I would struggle to find my hr strap (I was them after each ride and have a few spares). The black strap disappears in my ride bag or drawers. So I grabbed this.

Works perfectly, is bright and easy to find.

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23

I bought a Garmin Dual a couple of months ago after my 4iiii Viiiiva died. The Garmin has worked fine so far.

24

Polar H10, Bluetooth and ANT With firmware update. I replaced the strap recently (50 AUD), after 3 years off use. Battery life is ridiculous. Always pairs instantly. Has built-in memory for times I want to go for a run or ride without my phone or computer.

As good as an experience can get.

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25

I am on my second Wahoo Tickr Gen 2, in 3 months… so my coach actually recommended the Polar H10, so looking forward to getting something that hopefully works well.

Even more annoying is that my previous Tickr kept going for like two years. And now my girlfriend uses it.

Polar, here we go!

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26

If you’re in Europe/Germany, I can also recommend the heart rate strap from Sigma Sport. BT and ANT+, and costs about 35€ compared to the 50-55€ for a Wahoo or Garmin. I’ve had mine over a year now, it’s been working well so far. Every so often it will get a little finicky, that’s when I know I have to descale the metal contacts.

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27

I now have the older and the new Wahoo Tickr, and neither of the two works anywhere near reliably.
They both worked great out of the box, but while one of them shows 40BPM during intervals, the other fluctuates between 100 and 190 BPM with no change in exertion. Looking for something new as well. Which would you say is the the best the market has to offer…?

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28

What really turns me off about the Wahoo is that the quick-snaps do double duty, both to hold the transmitter, and to hold the strap together. This seems like a crap design to me, placing too much strain on the snaps. I prefer the design that Garmin and Sigma Sport (and most others I think) have, where the snaps only hold the transmitter, and the belt is fastened using a separate hook. If my Sigma were to die today, I’d either get the same again, or possibly give a Garmin a try. I throw my belt in the washer every week with the other sports stuff, and when our coffee maker gets descaled/entkalkt, I try to remember to use a little of the same solution on the snaps, since they tend to collect minerals from the water here, too.

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29

I couldn’t get hold of the TICKr back in March, which seemed to be recommended every where, so I ended up with a CooSpo ant+/blue tooth hrm and 8 months later it seems to have been a good choice. It’s had no spikes or drop outs/ failures and I quite like the beep to tell you it’s working and the flashing LED to confirm it :relaxed:

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30

I am in the same boat - coach recommended Polar H9 or H10, so going with that now to try.

31

FWIW I’ve never had my Bontrager HR monitor (same design as Tickr) come unsnapped on a ride, even through a bunch of MTB crashes.

32

Can you get it to connect to Strava/TrainerRoad or a bike computer? I use the Wahoo Roam. Looking a new HRM and curious about the Sigma Sport since I live in Germany.

33

I have no first hand experience with the Wahoo/Bontrager style, so my concerns may certainly be unfounded. From a long term standpoint though, I thought there was too much potential for corrosion or other issues with having the snaps hold everything together, when there’s another solution that’s better in my opinion.

Yup, I have mine connected to an Elemnt over ANT+ for outside rides, and it connects to my phone via Bluetooth when I do inside trainer rides using the TrainerRoad app. No problems. That should be the case for most newer dual signal monitors that do BT and ANT+ though.

34

I may have to order one then! Now to figure out how to connect via ANT+ to my Roam :slight_smile: Technology is not my strong suit.

35

What I did to force it to connect with ANT+ instead of BT: before pairing it to the Roam, use something else to connect to it via BT, like the TrainerRoad app on your phone. Then, while it’s connected via BT, add it to the Roam. Since the BT signal is already in use, it will only be able to connect via ANT+ on the Roam. It’s a dumb workaround, but that’s Wahoo for ya.

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36

I use a Myzone HR chest belt which is working well for me with TR and the Wattbike Pro.

37

It’s just the strap, though. You can buy one of the cheap 3rd party replacement straps and it fits on those just fine.

38

Thanks for posting your original question. I’m 2021 Ed_mortell about to buy a Garmin HR strap.

Any regrets / issues ?

39

Hi Hanslaut,

Yes I am very happy with the Garmin dual HR strap. It rarely fails to connect and if it has failed its been on the turbo and not synced with my phone and the TR app. It has never failed to connect to my Garmin 830.

Ed

40

Awesome, Ed. I am grateful for your feedback.

Gracias
HL

1 Like