Heart rate monitor

[rlovatt]

I have just upgraded to a PM5, I am thinking about getting a heart rate monitor.

Any recommendations?

Any advice is much appreciated.

thanks

[Carl Watts]

The Garmin hard strap version, the same one Concept 2 sell.

https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/10996

[jackarabit]

I agree with Carl's recommendation of the Garmin HRM 1G ANT+. Reliable connection to PM5, very few signal dropouts, integrated sensor/strap design (hardstrap) more comfortable to wear than are snap button softstrap models imo, and long batt life. Heavily discounted on ebay; current offerings 16-20 USD w/ free shipping.

[mitchel674]

I just ordered a scosche rhythm + HR monitor to use while rowing. It should arrive today. Supposed to be as accurate as the chest strap monitors but easier to place. It has both ANT and BT. I'll report back after a trial this weekend.

[lcantey]

I have a Wahoo TICKR and a Scosche Rhythm+ Both work nicely using either BTLE or ANT.

[Dangerscouse]

I use a Beurer watch and strap. Not sure of the model but it's circa £30 on Amazon if you live in UK, but you can't beat Garmin and especially if they are that cheap.

I find them useful but I also notice I am getting too caught up in a specific HR range so I'm using it only for my ultra sessions otherwise you will become a bit of a slave to It, but it depends what you want to get out of it. It will make you less likely to go for a PB as it makes you too conscious of the effort

[Remo]

I've been using a Garmin Soft Strap for several years. The C2 PM5 recognizes it just fine. The Garmin is Ant+ which sychs up to my bike stuff.

I like soft straps. They feel better. Notwithstanding, one drawback is that I had to replace the belt (not the transmitter) when my HR suddenly stopped making sense. Turns out that all soft belts have a tendency to short out if not rinsed regularly. The cause is salt buildup in the fabric which creates a short circuit. As the transmitter worked fine, I replaced the belt with a soft strap from Polar, which recently started going bad. So I just bought the new version of the Garmin belt which is advertised as an upgrade. My first impression is that it is an upgrade and I expect it to last longer. (transmitter still works)

That said, one of my kids is rowing and I bought him a Wahoo Tickr. The Tickr advantage is it does both bluetooth and Ant+. The PM5 will synch to both; however Smart Phones usually sych only too bluetooth. The Tickr is more versatile.

Lastly, it is really nice to erg with a heart rate monitor. If you have a smart phone, you should also download "Ergdata" which C2 distributes for free. It will record your pace, watts and HR and produce nice graphs. (Note: It does not matter whether you use an Ant+ or bluetooth transmitter to monitor your HR. The PM5 gets the data then transits it to the Smart Phone via bluetooth.)

[Dangerscouse]

Thanks Remo. I have been using a USB to record my sessions, albeit only done that without fail for the past four months, so I assume that ErgData app will do it all wirelessly? I'll give it a go tomorrow as I have downloaded it now. I assumed that it only worked with a compatible HR monitor

I had to reformat the USB a while back and lost some of the data as I hadn't bothered to upload it so that is always a nagging doubt that it will happen again.

[JerekKruger]

Thanks Remo. I have been using a USB to record my sessions, albeit only done that without fail for the past four months, so I assume that ErgData app will do it all wirelessly? I'll give it a go tomorrow as I have downloaded it now. I assumed that it only worked with a compatible HR monitor

I love ErgData. It basically gives me a second, backlit monitor freeing up my PM3 to display the force curve for my stroke; it displays and stores additional data (I really like the stroke counter so I can get a more accurate average stroke rate, particularly useful if you do strictly rated workouts); it acts as a Bluetooth receiver for a heart rate monitor so that, if you have a PM3, you don't need the cable and pickup that Concept 2 sell; and it can upload your workouts to the Concept 2 log along with a nice graph displaying stroke rate, split and (if you use it) heart rate over time (and your workouts are always verified if you do it this way).

If you've got a PM3 you'll need a cable to connect your phone to your monitor (not needed for the PM5), and you'll probably want a phone cradle to allow you to see the read out on the phone whilst you're training (Concept 2 sell both, although if your phone is very big the cradle might be too small).

[lindsayh]

I have just upgraded to a PM5, I am thinking about getting a heart rate monitor.
Any recommendations? Any advice is much appreciated. thanks

Have used both the Garmin and the Wahoo Tickr and would vote for the tickr - seems to link more consistently but not tried with a PM5 only a 4

[Pie Man]

Another vote for the wahoo tickr. Works great with a pm5 connecting via ant+

[Dangerscouse]

Cheers Tom. The USB verifies them too but it's prone to malfunctions with formatting and the connection working loose over time, as I am generally too lazy to get up after a long session to pull it out so that doesn't help.

ErgData sounds loads better and more intuitive too, Looking forward to my session tomorrow and giving it a go. I'll have a look at the cradle but as I use a gym rower it will have to be robust enough to be reattached each session.

[JerekKruger]

The cradle's pretty robust. So long as your phone fits in it I think you'd be fine to bring it to the gym with you. That said, if you're linking it to a PM5 wirelessly you don't actually need it to be near the monitor so if you don't mind not being able to see it during a row it's not needed. I just like to see my stroke count and things like drive time or length.

[Pie Man]

I put mine under the erg roughly level with the monitor so I can see it if I want to but it is tucked away so none will step on it. Great for the occasional glance at drive length etc.

[Remo]

Thanks Remo. I have been using a USB to record my sessions, albeit only done that without fail for the past four months, so I assume that ErgData app will do it all wirelessly? I'll give it a go tomorrow as I have downloaded it now. I assumed that it only worked with a compatible HR monitor

ErgData app can be used either wireless or wired. I tend to use wired because I often use it at the Gym -- which has 30 ergs and getting it synched up wirelessly to your erg is sometimes a problem. But wireless work great at home.

Most heart rate monitors are compatible with the PM5. They will usually be either ANT+ or Bluetooth, both of which the PM5 can handle. ErgData gets the HR data from the PM5, not the HR monitor. In other words, you have to sync the HR monitor to the PM5.

I had to reformat the USB a while back and lost some of the data as I hadn't bothered to upload it so that is always a nagging doubt that it will happen again.

That happened to me too. ErgData solves the problem. Just push the sync button and it goes to the Concept2 logbook in the cloud.