Cycling Fitness / Training Advice

Decathlon do one for £24.99.

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/hrm-belt-heart-rate-monitor-belt-ant-bluetooth/_/R-p-346657

I haven't checked this iteration, but the previous one they did was identical to the Wahoo branded one.

ANT+ is shit though, am glad it's going to die.

I NEVER remember Decathlon when buying stuff. Thanks.

Then again, I think I've got the same HRM somewhere else. I bought it when I was doing regular HRV measurements. HRV is a waste of time though so I'm getting rid of the thumb sensor and I just need to find the HR strap.

I'm still using ANT+ I don't really have any issues with it but at the same time if everything moved to BT and it works, I don't really care. So long as whatever head unit I've got will still work with my old Powertap stuff until that dies, I'm ok.

Anyone wanna buy an 808 Powertap wheel before I send it to Oz to live with my old TT bike? :)

£35 for
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/405418411340

https://www.lfgss.com/comments/17628109/

Ta. I wonder if anyone has tried their rechargeable option (above)

So you can charge your phone or Garmin with your heartbeat? Clever idea!

I had the previous gen Decathlon sensor on a Polar strap when Decathlon sold the pod separately but lost it in a house move, so just got the Polar H9 on Amazon for £40 or so which has been more reliable with no dropouts or spikes and battery change does not involve tiny screwdrivers

Why would I buy a (£150) Garmin watch when I could just use a cheap(er) strap?

Garmin Forerunner 45 will be £50 second hand.

I have sweated to death:

• H10
  
• H11
  
• original Tickr (twice)
  
  

Got the Trackr on offer and it's been great so far (3 months no dropouts, long battery life) and having dabbled in Zwift racing for the first time this winter, being able to broadcast multiple BT has been helpful. But mainly not having to keep buying coin cell batteries is the win.

Better than £56 anywhere?

https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Garmin-Dual-Heart-Rate-Transmitter_213112.htm

I would have recommended the Garmin because the battery lasts forever but it broke apart
when I took it off the strap this week.

I have that one and use it with a strap because the built in one is a bit slow.

Yep that's exactly what I thought when I recorded alongside my strap monitor. Adequate for most of my needs apart from intervals, in which case power is probably more appropriate due to HR lag anyway 🤷‍♂️

I get wildly diff readings on the watch OHR and chest, mind you I have a lot of wrist hair

Yeah, I don't really care about accuracy. It's just some extra data and I don't mind wearing the HR strap on the turbo. I almost never use HR outside though, but I might change that as more of my bikes aren't powermeter equipped.

why bother?!

It's extra data for not much trouble. It can sometimes be useful to look at HR vs. power when pondering "am I shithouse or getting sick" and, as I mentioned, I might start wearing it outside on bikes with no PMs and that can be used with TR, etc to get a better TSS for rides than RPE estimates.

Yeah having consistent HR for every ride (rather than different power meters) is helpful, especially as you say for long rides on bikes without power which is most of my outdoor riding - the TSS calc in TP is pretty useful and I have uploaded the same ride with and without power as a test, and the hrTSS is pretty close.

That's good to know. I'm doing most of my riding on the Surly these days so I have more 'need' to estimate TSS if I'm going to actually follow a training plan.

I'm kinda backwards to most people though in that I load up my training plan and then remove and/or chop and change as I need to. Most people that do that either quit because they can't do the high volume or move to a lower volume plan and then add stuff back in. I've tried both and tend to prefer loading up the plan and removing workouts if necessary.

I'm still nothing like the load I was doing during Covid though. I crushed the turbo during 2020 :D

I've ordered the rechargeable one to try. £27

I was going to bin them but if anyone wants the used and "probably working with a new battery" Powertap HR chest straps, let me know.

Will they pair with Zwift and a standard Garmin? If so I’ll grab them

I don't use Zwift. I pair one of them with an ANT+ dongle for TR and my Garmins. The other one has "wired" written on it but I don't know what that means. Probably I used with my wired Powertap.

Interestingly I've largely ignored my HRV status until this month. My HRV declined steadily throughout the second half December and dramatically at the start of January. I'm currently suffering from horrendous flu and have had to take my first ever sick day in 32 years of School, University and Work.

I had continued to train over Christmas when in hindsight as my HRV began to decline I should have started to rest. My resting HR has also been 10 BPM higher than normal for the last month. So had I looked at the data signs something was wrong was there.

I shall pay attention to my HRV in future to try and avoid getting this ill again.

"had to take my first ever sick day in 32 years"

Hello Dad!
That just means you infected people with your illnesses for 32 years when it would've been better for everyone if you'd taken your sick days and recovered instead.

If you ignore obvious signs of illness, what makes you think HRV would've stopped you riding?

That's kind of why I stopped bothering with it. HRV often said I was fine when my legs were trashed and the only times it said "no train today" was after I'd been on the piss all night and my resting HR was about 160 anyway :D

Essentially, I know more about what I can and can't do (or will and won't do) on a bike than some HR sensor.

Anyone with a BC Gold membership willing to share the TrainingPeaks discount code?

No I genuinely have a very good immune system, the last time I was ill was 14 years ago.

I had no obvious signs of illness which is why the HRV metric is interesting, it's the only thing that could have pointed to me being unwell.