Heart Rate Monitor Arm Band

Having a bit of trouble with my Garmin watch attacking my wrist while I’m riding.

I’ve got a bar mount for it  but them the built in HRM obviously doesn’t work.

So I’m thinking a HRM arm band might be a good idea.

Anyone use one?

Better going with a chest strap instead?

Any recommendations for one on the cheaper end of the scale?

Chest strap here. Benefit from proper ecg sensing rather than less reliable optical like armband/wristbands

Much prefer having the watch on the bars, can easily monitor HR if I’m trying to stay in a zone.

Have always used Polar,  v reliable and comfortable (ymmv)

I’ve got a wahoo tickr fit arm band HRM and get on pretty well with it. I did have an issue with the charging cable on the first one I got but wahoo quickly sent out a replacement which has been fine for a few years now.

https://uk.wahoofitness.com/devices/running/heart-rate-monitors/tickr-fit-optical-heart-rate-monitor

I’ve not tried the armband type but I am using a Magene chest strap HRM which seems to do everything my Garmin one does and us lasting well. Coospo is another brand that is in common use and is at the less expensive end of the market.

Polar OH1 here. Used for several years and certainly adequate for my use. DCRainmaker doesn’t seem to think there’s much difference in chest/arm monitors.

I also have the Tickr Fit arm band, only use it indoors for Zwift currently but massively prefer it to a chest strap. Not had any bother with mine!

I’ve used both a scosche rhythm+ arm band and a garmin chest strap.  The arm band worked ok when running but couldn’t really track fast enough when running intervals.  It also didn’t work so well if it was cold outside, possibly due to how close blood flow was to the surface of the skin, so I had to have it under a shirt of some sort in winter.  It wasn’t great when riding off road as I’m guessing it didn’t like the bumping too much.  Against that it was more comfortable to wear than a chest strap

The chest strap just works and that is what I use pretty much all of the time unless I’m just out for a long run in which case the hrm in the watch itself works fine.

It’s been a few years since I last used the arm band though so I’m sure technology has improved

I got a cheapo one from AliExpress. In fact I thought I was ordering an arm strap but due to confusion on the web page it turned out I’d actually ordered a chest one. Anyway. It works fine.

DCRainmaker doesn’t seem to think there’s much difference in chest/arm monitors.

I’m impressed you managed to work out what he says. I have to turn on the subtitles if I want to make sense of his babbling.

…attacking my wrist…

In terms of digging in or skin reactions to the stock (silicone?) strap?

I found the simplest solution to the reaction issue was to just change the strap, now using a velcro closing fabric job that is of course infinitely adjustable…

In terms of digging in or skin reactions to the stock (silicone?) strap?

A bit of both but mainly the big red button attacking the boney bit on my wrist.

My watch has a degree of delay on heart rate which I’m sure any arm band would have too.

My chest strap is much quicker to respond to effort, which means those 30s to 2 minute intervals are much better.

Polar OH1 here, so much more comfy/less sweaty than a chest strap for me.
Has a handy side benefit that it doesn’t accentuate my moobs.

My chest strap is much quicker to respond to effort, which means those 30s to 2 minute intervals are much better.

Apparently, the armband type don’t suffer the same delays, but I don’t find the chest type to be a problem so I’ve not tried one.

Optical/arm based HR monitoring did used to be notoriously slow, I’ve experienced it myself.

However the latest sensors are much, much better. My launched-last-year Garmin watch tracks my HR with no perceptible difference in response or reading, to my Wahoo or Garmin chest straps (I tested it).

So I dont use the chest straps anymore.

Polar Verity here, it’s very stable and less problematic to me than a Wahoo Tickr X was, which moved around more on me than the Verity does, and sometimes just didn’t want to pick up from the start Dual Bluetooth on the Verity, which is handy. I’d buy another.

My wife has a Tickr Fit: I’d say the charging cable is likely to be lost than the Verity adapter, and seems to have much better battery life.

I wish both would auto-power off, neither seem to.

I got a COROS Heart Rate Monitor when I started regularly getting heat rash under my chest strap. I really rate it, seems pretty accurate, doesn’t get in the way and fits well. I was as bit worried as I have pretty skinny arms but it’s got plenty of adjustment in the strap to make it fit. I don’t use the app.  Connects to my garmin cycling computer no problem. Its also rechargeable (with a cable) so no more batteries which I like.

I’m another one with a Tickr Fit. Wahoo suggests wearing it on the forearm, but I actually use it on my bicep, so it’s more out of the way. I tried it back-to-back with a Wahoo chest-strap and it produced pretty much identical data.

I have had a few issues. One is that the housing has snapped several times where the strap fits, I used epoxy to fix it, and I was maybe a bit clumsy when putting it on and off, but in an ideal world it’d have a more robust housing/attachment method.

The straps supplied aren’t quite stretchy enough, imo, out of the box but eventually give with use and, eventually, delaminate and die. The Wahoo replacements are relatively expensive, but to be fair, the originals lasted me more than five years.

My other minor glitch is that very occasionally it gives oddly elevated readings on random descents. No idea why, I figure something to do with tensed arms and optical sensors rather than extreme terror, but who knows. The first time it happened I stopped and manually took my pulse and the monitor was definitely wrong. It’s only happened a handful of times, mostly it’s very reliable.

It’s USB rechargeable too and lasts for ages. I think it’s a really good alternative to a chest-strap and I’d buy another one quite happily. Far more comfortable and works as well ime. It’s not cheap, but given how long it’s lasted so far, it’s not that expensive either and you don’t have to buy coin cell batteries to keep it going either.