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training aids COMPUTERS, WATCHES advice please

hello everyone, im after peoples advice and experience please

im trying to decide on what setup of cycle computer and heart rate monitor or all in one to go for.

So far i am leaning heavily towards Garmin, but will a fr60 survice (no gps! and is it really that useable on bike?) or a forerunner 305 (but what to do with it during swim?) or just go the whole hog and splash on the forerunner 310xt? (but is it worth the price jump?)

is all in one the best way to go?

help appreciated

Tom

Comments

  • QuitterQuitter Posts: 160
    biccy wrote:
    hello everyone, im after peoples advice and experience please

    im trying to decide on what setup of cycle computer and heart rate monitor or all in one to go for.

    So far i am leaning heavily towards Garmin, but will a fr60 survice (no gps! and is it really that useable on bike?) or a forerunner 305 (but what to do with it during swim?) or just go the whole hog and splash on the forerunner 310xt? (but is it worth the price jump?)

    is all in one the best way to go?

    help appreciated

    Tom
    Firstly any watch/HRM you get is only going to be any good if you use it! Sounds silly but do you REALLY need to map your route and elevation changes? If not then the FR60 does everything you need...yes I have one! The bike kit really helped me find a good cadence to the point I barely look at it now that I have the "feel".
    The FR60 is very much a training watch tho....in competitions I set it to General mode and then just use the lap button to record splits. The HR belt dos nt work underwater and if you try to move between general to bike or run it ends the session so like I said I leave it in General.
    I got mine from Amazon of all places with the bike sensor and footpod (which is actually quite accurate and also very useful) for £160..I think!
    After all the above if I could have afforded the 310XT I would have bought one cos ALL the cool kids have them!
  • ZacniciZacnici Posts: 1,385
    Problem with the 310 is how do you swim with one hand in the air to maintain a satellite fix? Solution do like you would with the 305 wear it under a swim cap.

    305 can be had for £130 with HRM strap - 310 is £220 and HRM is additional £40? so basically the 310 costs £130 more - you could buy two 305s

    Significant practical difference I can see is battery on the 310 lasts 20hrs
  • blaze1235blaze1235 Posts: 64
    I had this same dilemma but after some extensive research and a lot of hunting on google i found the 310xt with HRM for the very good price of........wait for it .......£229 +delivery

    http://www.handtec.co.uk/product.php/19 ... itor--hrm-

    I thought to good to be true anyhoo i ordered and the next day it dropped on my desk.

    I have used it almost every day since for runs and rides must admit i have not used it in water yet.

    Here's what i think........
    Best bit of kit i have bought to date...i was struggling running at 5-6 km's as my HR was rocketing i have found that i was pushing to hard for the distances i was trying to achieve. By using the Garmin to set a pacer (per KM ) and regulating my pace after a few runs i knocked out a 13KM run average HR 150 and had more in the tank. Maybe it's a placebo i don't know but it works for me. I'm looking forward to my next event on 22nd August now as i know this is definately helping me and my pacing is better starting to understand how my body performs now.
    My bike is steady anyway just throught years of riding.
    The computer software is simple to use and very satisfying to look at the results and see where things changed. also be able to spot where you slowed HR increases and know why.
    I agree with the GPS comment to a degree but the accurate pacing from the GPS is one of the things i find most useful. Also the self amusement of spelling rude words out on the floor in park land in the middle of runs and then seeing it on the little red line on the map is not growing tiresome.

    Hope this helps.
  • ShaggyShaggy Posts: 140
    Also the self amusement of spelling rude words out on the floor in park land in the middle of runs and then seeing it on the little red line on the map is not growing tiresome.
    Now I want one of those. You could spell rude words OW swim too, now there's a sighting practice session.

    Ade
  • blaze1235blaze1235 Posts: 64
    Yeah proper sighting session.

    although as Zac said seems you need to look like you got your hair in a bun under your swim hat for that to work.
  • Morg007Morg007 Posts: 54
    a good "cheap" option for those with GPS on their mobile phones is to download the free app "endomondo" its very basic but it measures your distance, speed and time. At the end it will calculate your average speed and upload the data to their website. you can also view a map of the route taken and it has split times for every mile or KM you do depending on what you prefer to see. As said above a 310 is only useful and worth the money if you use it properly and I was only ever going to use it to measure distance and speed and HRM so with this free app and a basic polar HRM I was in business.

    although I'm now looking at measuring my cadence so will be looking at a budget bike computer with this option as wireless... any suggestions?
  • the self amusement of spelling rude words out on the floor in park land in the middle of runs and then seeing it on the little red line on the map is not growing tiresome.
    genius.
  • RSRS Posts: 8
    Problem with the 310 is how do you swim with one hand in the air to maintain a satellite fix? Solution do like you would with the 305 wear it under a swim cap.
    FYI the 310 has an open water mode to solve that problem:
    http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2010/06/new- ... water.html
  • biccybiccy Posts: 9
    thanks everyone for your thoughts.

    Re: training aids COMPUTERS, WATCHES advice please
    by blaze1235 » Wed Jul 28, 2010 7:35 am

    I had this same dilemma but after some extensive research and a lot of hunting on google i found the 310xt with HRM for the very good price of........wait for it .......£229 +delivery

    http://www.handtec.co.uk/product.php/19 ... itor--hrm-

    am having a look into this ^ currently not in stock, but i might see if anywhere else will price match. at that price i think its prob best option.
    i take it its standard hr strap, not premium?
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