HR monitor that lasts more than a week?

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warthog101
Posts: 872
Joined: Wed Sep 25, 2013 10:05 am

by warthog101

Tried a few HR monitors and straps over the years.
Polar, garmin and wahoo.
Gave up for years before the wahoo.
The wahoo tickr seemed ok for a while but now it sits on 225bpm and will no longer connect to my wahoo app on the phone via Bluetooth.
Connects to the garmin 1000 but reads 225 :roll:
Tried connecting to hopefully update the software and fix it. No go.
Has anyone who rides regularly found one that is reliable?

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vinny
Posts: 124
Joined: Sun Nov 17, 2019 5:17 pm
Location: california

by vinny

i got a

Scosche Rhythm+ Heart Rate Monitor

and it connects reliably and seems to work pretty well. dc rainmaker did a review and thought it was accurate

fruitfly
Posts: 187
Joined: Sun Feb 09, 2020 1:40 pm
Location: Wet coast

by fruitfly

I have had a Garmin, a Polar, and a Giant. The Garmin died after a year, the Polar only works on my trainer, and the Giant has never failed me. So I use the Giant.
Factor Ostro

AJS914
Posts: 5397
Joined: Tue Jan 28, 2014 6:52 pm

by AJS914

My Garmin is over 5 years old.

TribesMan
Posts: 132
Joined: Sat Oct 19, 2019 5:51 pm

by TribesMan

I have great experience with both Polar and Wahoo HRM.
Polar is 6 years old, and Wahoo 4 years.
I mostly use Wahoo since I use Elemnt Bolt on a bike, but for running I use Polar along with Polar watch.
Battery life is great on both, strap quality is better on Polar.
Also the way the device feels I would say Polar is built better, Wahoo feels a bit "hollow".

But so far no issues with either of those. And I use them a lot. Over 700h per year combined.

I would say the main thing with these devices is to wash and dry them as soon as you stop the excercise, and extreme caution should be taken when changing the batteries. Seals must be cleaned and checked thoroughly (or replaced if any anomaly is found).
I have seen a few failed HRM devices from my friends, and it is always the same issue... corrosion of the circuit caused by sweat...

ooo
Posts: 1590
Joined: Sat May 21, 2016 12:59 pm

by ooo

vinny wrote:
Sun Jul 18, 2021 3:55 pm
Scosche Rhythm+ Heart Rate Monitor
I like it too
'

TobinHatesYou
Posts: 12455
Joined: Mon Jul 24, 2017 12:02 pm

by TobinHatesYou

If your chest straps are dying, it’s most likely because you aren’t washing the sweat/salt off enough. Handwash your strap after EVERY ride. Machine washing your strap in a delicates bag also won’t hurt it.

Also the Wahoo TICKR design which incorporates the sensor as a buckle is bad. It puts more stress on the button-snaps. Luckily all you have to do is buy a replacement strap from another brand and it should work with the Wahoo sensor pod. I like the Polar Pro Soft Strap because it’s the most comfortable strap available.

Optical HRMs are a decent alternative too, but I have to wear mine on my bicep rather than my forearm on bumpy roads, dirt/gravel. The constant shaking messes with their accuracy. They also aren’t quite as responsive and will round off peaks and valleys.

ghostinthemachine
Posts: 780
Joined: Thu May 07, 2015 9:18 pm

by ghostinthemachine

I've got 10+ year old Garmins that still work. A polar from the mid 90s that still worked last I looked and a 3 year old tickr that's still going strong.
What are you doing to kill them?
(Some of the Garmins must have thousands of hours use)

TobinHatesYou
Posts: 12455
Joined: Mon Jul 24, 2017 12:02 pm

by TobinHatesYou

ghostinthemachine wrote:
Sun Jul 18, 2021 10:29 pm

What are you doing to kill them?

They never wash them or wash them very infrequently. Frankly my straps start smelling funky after just two rides or one very hard ride if I don't wash them with at least handsoap. Then I hang them to dry near some moving air.

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Hellgate
Posts: 189
Joined: Mon Mar 27, 2017 8:49 pm

by Hellgate

Don't know about hand washing after EVERY ride as that's a bit obsessive compulsive, but given the source...

I've had Polars last 5+ years, my current Wahoo is on 9 months. No fuss, muss.

Not sure what to tell you OP, bad run?

MoPho
Posts: 767
Joined: Sun Jul 10, 2011 7:48 pm
Location: NorCal

by MoPho

I am desperately clinging to my old Garmin hard strap that I've had closing in on ten years now, even had to glue it together after my dog got it. The soft straps don't work for me, I've tried a bunch and they all last a few months and then die, a couple even lasted only a few days. I am convinced it has something to do with my PH balance or something since it is not an issue that everyone is experiencing, the snaps just rust out. I don't know what I am going to do when this hard strap finally bites it.

shotgun1
Posts: 136
Joined: Thu Aug 06, 2020 4:33 am
Location: Manila

by shotgun1

Detach the sensor after your ride and wipe the buttons with dry towel, and dry out the strap separately. I hand wash the strap every few uses. The sensor lasts me around 2 years, with the strap a little less than that if I run more fequently. Sensor/strap gets around 3-5x a use a week.
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TobinHatesYou
Posts: 12455
Joined: Mon Jul 24, 2017 12:02 pm

by TobinHatesYou

Hellgate wrote:
Mon Jul 19, 2021 1:08 am
Don't know about hand washing after EVERY ride as that's a bit obsessive compulsive, but given the source...

Do you wear t-shirts that you’ve sweat in more than once before washing? What about underwear? Wash your straps…it takes seconds. I also use that soapy water to rinse the inside/pads of my helmet.

Anyway if you think I’m a nuisance and OCD, don’t take my word for it:
https://support.polar.com/us-en/support ... tile_strap

warthog101
Posts: 872
Joined: Wed Sep 25, 2013 10:05 am

by warthog101

Yeah dont wash the strap often.
Cbfed tbh.
It aint the strap.
I was advised to do a factory reset as per here;
https://support.wahoofitness.com/hc/en- ... -Can-I-Do-

Reset the TICKR -

Remove the battery

Flip the battery upside down and reinstall

Leave battery installed upside down for 3 seconds

Remove the battery and reinstall correctly

Replace the battery cover


No go. Lights come on but will not pair with phone app.

Meh. I have raced and ridden enough not to really need it as a pacing tool anymore and I no longer race.
Back to no HR

by Weenie


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tjvirden
Posts: 540
Joined: Sun Nov 22, 2020 9:21 pm

by tjvirden

For the last three years I've used 4iiii Viiiiva and more recently the Wahoo Tikr. The Viiiiva straps fail for me regularly - I get about a year maximum (500 hours). That's with hand washing after almost every use. That's annoying, but worse is that 4iiii don't sell a replacement strap on its own in Europe. So Wahoo for me, who do.

For about 7 years I used the 'hard' strap monitor that came with the Shimano SC7900 Flightdeck computer - it was a fantastic HR monitor. Eventually the plastic started cracking which finished it off.......*

*edit: and that, being proprietary, it only worked with the SC7900

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