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[Closed] heart rate monitor for MTB

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[#2442303]

Can some on recomend me a heart rate monitor for MTB under £20 preferably.

Also, how many of you use them out on mtb rides?
And what tra\ining increase do you get from it?

thanks


 
Posted : 06/02/2011 5:04 pm
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Sorry. I can `t recommend a HR monitor under or around the £20 bracket.
Prob best to pay atleast double that for something offering a bit of quality tbh

But I do use them on the road bike. I try to keep my HR within a certain zone so I know how hard I have pushed myself. If I have been in my lower HR zone too long then I know I haven `t been improving my fitness ... prob sound a bit like 10speed guy off Family Guy admitting that though 😕

I never use the HR monitor on the mtb though. The mtb is purely a social/play thing.


 
Posted : 06/02/2011 5:26 pm
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[i]Prob best to pay atleast double that for something offering a bit of quality tbh[/i]

I disagree.

The technology is cheap, the equipment is cheap, paying more gets you very little extra in terms of value. Polar in particular used to be way overpriced and do they still do all that send it back to Finland to get a new battery rubbish?

Decathlon do one for about £20, as do Lidl every so often.


 
Posted : 06/02/2011 5:32 pm
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I tried the lidl one before ..

I stand by what I say.

The cheaper ones are unreliable - so waste of money.


 
Posted : 06/02/2011 5:35 pm
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The garmin forerunner thingy is quite cheap and you can upload data to your PC. And the chest strap will work with a Garmin Edge or Oregon etc.


 
Posted : 06/02/2011 5:37 pm
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Again, I feel I must disagree. Plus, far better to spend £20 to realise that you're not going to use it that much...

(I've got three upstairs; it took ages for me to realise!)


 
Posted : 06/02/2011 5:38 pm
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Personally it is the GPS that offers the most motivation to actually wear the hr monitor and track your progress. Just having hr info is a bit dull and I'm too lazy to take the time to manually record routes.

So I guess my point is, you might get more from simply recording your routes and times, with just perceived excursion if you want to improve your fitness. HR might be overkill.


 
Posted : 06/02/2011 6:02 pm
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HR for windows mobile phone? GPS and heart rate?


 
Posted : 06/02/2011 9:42 pm
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Well,
For under £20 Aldi/LIDL/Tescos are really the only options
To get the best out of it you need to establish your max HR with a ramp test and then look to maintain your HR in different zones depending on whether you are looking to develop base endurance or threshold etc.
For just mucking about on the MTB there is no value


 
Posted : 06/02/2011 9:59 pm