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  • Optical HR monitors.
  • jam-bo
    Full Member

    Are they any good?

    jam-bo
    Full Member

    no one?

    deadkenny
    Free Member

    Hadn’t heard of them, but quick Google and dcrainmaker has a review of one. http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2014/01/mio-link-first-look.html

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    cheshirecat
    Free Member

    I’ve got the Mio Link, working with a Garmin Forerunner 220. Had it for most of this year.

    Pros:
    – it’s not a chest strap.
    – HR seems accurate most of the time
    – rechargeable battery
    – pretty comfortable

    Cons:
    – when running, it needs to be on the same wrist as the watch otherwise it drops out (I guess it can’t communicate well through my body). Opposite wrist is fine when cycling
    – sometimes at the start of a run, the heart rate is too high, and I either leave it and it settles down, or I switch it off and on again and it seems OK.

    Overall I like it (just back from a lunchtime ride with it on). Tend to forget I’m wearing it. However, if I was buying a GPS watch and monitor now I’d go for the TomTom with the built in optical monitor.

    sam_underhill
    Full Member

    I assume they need to be quite tight on your wrist?

    cheshirecat
    Free Member

    Yes, fairly tight so ambient light doesn’t leak in.

    daver27
    Free Member

    I have a Soleus Pulse GPS watch. great for running and general sports where you don’t use your hands.

    UTTERLY CRAP for riding. moving hand positions, even tightening your grip on the bars means it reads your pulse wrong.

    example:
    On the cross bike, riding on the hoods, pulse at a steady 130bpm, move hands to the drops, pulse rate drops to 80bpm and i never managed to get it to read higher than 145bpm on the bike.
    My chest strap garmin would show 160-180bpm for the same efforts.

    Even the manufacturer said it won’t work for cycling and a chest strap is better when i contacted them.
    I can dig the email out if you like?

    Shame as chest straps are uncomfortable for the most part (well, Garmin ones are, my polar replacement strap is fine)

    mogrim
    Full Member

    Shame as chest straps are uncomfortable for the most part (well, Garmin ones are, my polar replacement strap is fine)

    Suunto ones are also considerably more comfortable than Garmin.

Viewing 8 posts - 1 through 8 (of 8 total)

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