heart monitors - purchase suggestions

[bmccasland]

So I survived two spin classes, but #2 was fustrating. My lungs were having a bad day I suppose. Will have to talk to my Doc.

Anyway - the instructor wanted us to be in a certain cardiac zone, but I found it impossible to take my pulse and ride at the same time. So I figured I might need to buy a heart monitor. Any suggestions on what to get? I'm not into tons of bells and whistles, and large print on the view screen would be helpful. I don't want my reading glasses to see the silly thing.

[aicabsolut]

I've got a Polar F11. There are some that are slightly less fancy. I like that the chest unit has its own battery that's replaceable. And it's not supposed to get "crosstalk" with other monitors in the gym. Good for crowded spinning rooms.

[uforgot]

I have the Polar F11 also. I love it. I like that I can connect to the Polar website and upload my info. (using sound and a microphone). It tells you the time in each zone, calories and you can input info also. I can use it when I bike, and now that I started running, I use it then, too! Only thing I hate is that huge plastic wristband...

You can go on websites such as Amazon and epinions and find user feedback. I never make a major purchase without checking out reviews on these sites. Hope this helps.

[LBTC]

Hi, Beth

The first HRMs that DH and I had were basic like that. They didn't record anything, so we couldn't see how we did later, so we opted for ones with all the bells and whistles. We found that while out mountain biking the basic ones were difficult to read as we were out there riding and, well, I need all of my attention on keepinkg the bike on the trail! I can see these working fabulously in a spin class.

We still have them somewhere around that house and will try to find them if you'd like one of them. How quickly do you want to have one?

Cheers!
~T~

[SouthernBelle]

I seldom wear my monitor/watch part on my wrist. When on the bike I strap it to the bars. At the gym it gets hung on what ever piece of equipment I'm using.

[bmccasland]

LBTC - Kewl! Used works for me. I can procrastinate with the best of them, so if you find it in a week or so, let me know.

[equus123]

So I figured I might need to buy a heart monitor. Any suggestions on what to get? I'm not into tons of bells and whistles, and large print on the view screen would be helpful. I don't want my reading glasses to see the silly thing.

Depends on how much you want to spend.

I use the Nike Imara HRM for $99. It works and does the job. Yes, now that I'm much deeper into training and racing and all that fancy stuff since I initially bought this HRM I would like to know more data on what I'm doing but this still tells me what I want to know:

What's my HR right now?
How long have I been riding/doing this interva/etc?
And if I want to be fancy - How many calories did I burn?

That's all I use it for at this point in time and it does the job for me.