Have just been advised that a certain HRM company want £32 to fit a £1 battery and post my chest-transmitter band back to me.

Am wondering if I can get a half-decent HRM for this money?

hrm…………. 🙄 😉

possibly not but in my experience the chest straps seem to be fairly compatible across different units so it might be worth investigating getting a cheap hrm you can just use the strap from with your existing unit?

and if you're going to bin it why not just dismantle the strap yourself and fit the new battery – if it all goes wrong you've not lost out.

Cheers wws, it's a coded strap and I already had a poke about for the battery! Wondered if it might be worth something on ebay, it was high end in its day.

Google or check on you tube often you'll find people have taken these things apart in how to guides.

agree with tails
if they got the battery in, it's got to come out somehow.

Hmm hadnae thought fo that, will google.

F**kers will want paying to wsend it back to me though! Worse than Mr Tourette!

Hey Al

Is it a Polar pre-WearLink +?

you can get a new heart rate monitor from tesco for 14 quid ( i've no idea tho if they are any good and google doesn't seem to turn up any reviews )

I've had a heart-rate monitor from Aldi for £13 or so. I've never had a "good one" so I don't know if the Aldi ones are "good" or not, but it has always appeared to do what is was supposed to

thebikechain – Member
Hey Al

Is it a Polar pre-WearLink +?

It's a polar T161.

Seems straightforward:

http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=108158&highlight=Polar+battery

A mate of mine who rows has successfully butchered his plastic strap.

Alternatively, you could just get the fabric one (is that called wearlink?). They have user replacable batteries

I think you mean a T61 which works with the more modern ones, as quoted you could get a wearlink one for that with a replaceable battery for the same money and you can get a battery really cheaply

Cheers all. To their credit they are not charging me for sending it back – they'd have had an argument if they'd tried, they are a nightmare to speak to!

Think I'll go for £1 on a battery, a stanley blade and a dab of sealant before I shell out £30 on a new strap.

Well I opened it up and it seems much as per the guide above, albeit slightly different.

Battery needed is a CR2354, not CR2032.

Polar would probably just send you a new t61 for your £30 anyway, as the battery in the older straps isn't replaceable.

ac282 – Member
Alternatively, you could just get the fabric one (is that called wearlink?). They have user replacable batteries

did that somewhere on the polar site there is/was a chart xrefing compatability

Dibbs – Member
Polar would probably just send you a new t61 for your £30 anyway, as the battery in the older straps isn't replaceable.

Apart from the thread above and the fact that I've just taken the battery out of mine?

The small battery company sell the cr2354 for £5 online and you can change it yourself, just make sure you use plastic tweezers to put the battery in

good tip on the tweezers, the battery's £3!!!

I GIve up! Found it impossible to relocate the battery contact, then realised I'd scratched through some of the pcb connections and couldn't remember which way up the batter went :lukeb:

Oh well, are those ciclosport HRMs any good?