Biking Watches

[wdlewis]

Any recommendation for biking watches?

[Bill Bove]

Tag on the wrist, Polar on the bars.

[Ray]

Any recommendation for biking watches?
What's a biking watch? I wear a plastic timex because I tend to sweat when I ride and the sweat doesn't wreck the plastic like it would leather. Is that a biking watch?

-Ray

[Kevin]

Polar on the bars.

Kevin

[znfdl]

Polar on my wrist.

[Bill Bove]

Polars are very popular but it will be hard to find many people who own them to give them a really good review. Suunto look cool but I know little about them. What do you want this watch to do?

[wdlewis]

I want to be able to maintain a target heart rate.

[pale scotsman]

Since I've stopped using cycle computers I wear a solar powered g-shock to keep track of riding time. They are tough, somewhat cheap, and reliable.

[Jason E]

Polars are very popular but it will be hard to find many people who own them to give them a really good review. Suunto look cool but I know little about them. What do you want this watch to do?

I will give them a really good review... I had an M52 for a few years on my Mtn Bike 6-8 years ago and sold it to a friend when the S-210 came out. I gave that to my wife when the 7 series arrived and have been very happy.

Never had problems with programming or use, and the only time it has ever dropped out on me is on a 1/2 mile section of rt 51 on Long Island near some very BIG powerlines.

NEVER had a problem with sensor (speed/cadence) pickup. Most that do seem to have the watch on the wrong (right) side of the bar and the sensor either upside down or on the opposite side of the bike.

I've ridden the TdGeorgia Route with it and Mt Washington with it and plenty of places inbetween. I love my 7 series.

Back when I was in a shop in NY we used to sell the hell out of them to people that wanted the features but couldn't be bothered with reading the manual. We'd have people come in and try to be hotshots.... They's want me to program it and explain it to them afterawards, even offering money for me to stay late and give them a lesson, but they were too busy making sure their helmet didn't look too silly or talking on the cell phone. Everyone of them got the directions put in their seatbag. No one that read the manual ever asked a question.

Plenty would come back saying that they couldn't figure it out. "no" would be the response when I asked if they looked up the problem in the manual....

They are not for people that do not want to know how they work. The learning curve is more then a timex Ironman or a Cat-Eye Astrale, but once you read the book, they are really great.

Most problems were with people that had more money then real brains for cycling, ymmv, but I doubt they would be a problem for someone on this board that cares enough about their cycling to read a few pages in their manual.

Polars are fantastic.

[67-59]

If your goal is to track HR, polars are great. Durable, and very reliable. I've used them for years...in fact, I still use an old Protrainer XT that I got 7 or 8 years ago while I was still running marathons. The only downside is that you'll probably need to send it to an authorized repair faciility when the batteries need to be replaced -- I've used a good outfit that's located (I believe) in Ann Arbor, MI. Still, I've had batteries last 2 or 3 years, and I use it daily, so it isn't a huge issue.

[Larry D]

I have been using a Polar 720i for the last 4 years and it works flawlessly. I would definitely recommend Polar HRMs. I only use it on the bike as I am not a fan of digital watches. The manual is very easy to undersatnd and the learning curve is not very long. One of the down sides of Polar HRMs has been having to send the watch unit back to Polar for battery replacement, but they had the watch back to me within a week so it was not too bad.

Recently, in a tech upgrade, I have replaced the Ploar 720i with a Garmin 305. Although the Garmin has some added features which I find nice, like the GPS mapping of my routes and the virtual training partner, the Polar has better HRM evaluating software.

As far as the Suunto watches/instruments, they are very well made units and are big with easy to read displays. They perform a lot of functions and the manuals are very extensive and can be confusing and the learning curve is longer.

[SoCalSteve]

I second, third and fourth the Polar 7 series. I own a 725 and love it! Works great and has a great piece of software to go along with it that truly helps my training.

Oh yeah, it also has a watch.

Steve

PS: Its true, to fully enjoy it, read the owners maual. (great bathroom reading material!).

[BumbleBeeDave]

I thought he asked about WATCHES . . . ;)

I've got a $10 digital I got at K-Mart. works great and you can even get them in yellow! ( A BBD must!)

After going down in a crash and scratching up the band on my nice titanium Festina, I decided it wasn't worth it. The cheap digital hs the time, a stopwatch, ec, and if it gets trashed, so what? I have a Polar on the bars but while it's running it shows elapsed time, heart rate, and calories, but not the time. With the plastic POS on my wrist I get everything at once without having to scroll through anything.

BBD

[Ozz]

Any recommendation for biking watches?
Here's what all the cool kids are wearing this summer:
http://cgi.ebay.com/COLNAGO-BLUE-WATCH-PEN-PIN-KEY-CHAIN-GIFT-SET-5636_W0QQitemZ5056120292QQihZ004QQcategoryZ31387QQ ssPageNameZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


(I wear a Polar 510)

[JasonF]

I've got to agree with my comrade Jason E...Polars are great, but you have to dedicate some time to learn all the functions, and the only way to do that is by reading the manual. I just installed a Polar CS100 (bar mounted) computer/hrm and so far, I like its functionality. Some of these units are so complex, they lack an intuitive interface.

[Skrawny]

I couldn't use a polar on the wrist because it was at just the right angle that I couldn't read the LCD screen with my polarized lenses (ironic) and got tired of bending my wrist around to read the time or my HR.

I now use a Polar CS200cad on the handlebar
(see this thread (http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=15445) )

-s

[Brian]

I've been using a Polar S710 on the bar for four years. Never a problem. Had to replace battery after three seasons, but Polar only charged $10 and had it back to me in less than a week. The IR download feature is slick.

[catulle]

Polar is one of the few things I hate in this planet and beyond. Have had a bunch of 'em, all junk. Casio and Timex make great, durable and reliable sports watches.

BTW, Roland Murphy from Mount Joy, PA, of RGM Watches international fame, will soon be launching a very exclusive and high quality mechanical sports watch to commemorate his sponsorship of the RGM-Richard Sachs Cyclo-Cross Team. His will be a unique horological piece that will allow the discerning few to own a limited production mechanical watch, while contributing to the noble cause of the team. Roland manufactures highly coveted mechanical watches with Swiss movements modified by him to improve performance and aesthetics, and cases and dials designed by him. If you want to get more tail than Sinatra and Spencer together, you must buy an RGM watch, atmo. Be on the look out, and get lucky, atmo.

Hey, cheers...!

[Frankwurst]

Since I've stopped using cycle computers I wear a solar powered g-shock to keep track of riding time. They are tough, somewhat cheap, and reliable.

And I thought I was the only one who gave up cycle computers. i just want to know what time it is and how much longer I have until I have to be home.
If I have all day or longer I eat when I'm hungry,drink when I'm thirsty and quit when I feel like it. :beer: