Is it hard to adjust to a HRM?

[Becky]

Oooo....definitely strap comfort! You won't use it if it's uncomfortable to wear.

My Suunto has one of the nicest chest straps I've tried. Occasionally, I'll find myself still wearing it a couple of hours after a workout becasue I've forgotten that it's there. My older Timex was ok, but not "forget about it" comfortable.

I don't really use the whole zone thing and alarms. I'm lazy, I guess. I roughly know where I "blow up", so i'll check the display if I feel like I'm getting close to that HR and make adjustments to my effort to keep from "self-destructing".

[OakLeaf]

Not quite sure what you mean about adjusting - but if you mean programming zones and setting alarms, I think it's a lot easier to do that when you're not in the middle of a workout. Some watches let you do it on your computer and sync it to the watch, others you have to do on the watch itself.

FWIW, a lot of people report problems with the new "premium" Garmin soft strap. I have the older "hard" strap and don't find it uncomfortable at all. I sometimes get a tiny bit of chafing under the clips on long runs, but not enough or often enough that I consider it a problem, and never on the bike. The strap I have, the battery is under one of those eighth-turn covers that you open with a coin. Not sure about the soft strap, but I believe you have to unscrew a cover to get to the battery in that one.

Whatever you go with, when it comes time to replace the battery, get a medical-grade one, they last about three times as long as the regular batteries that are supplied with the straps.


ETA: not sure why you're replacing your Sigma either - but if it's just that you can't find the manual, here's a link from their German site (in English) (thanks Google).