 Poster: A snowHead
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Any recommendations for the above ? I do have a Garmin Edge 500 which I use for cycling and I really rate it. I've seen that there's a wrist attachment available (which I've ordered)but not sure how firmly it attaches and somewhat concerned that it could come off un-noticed and it's not a cheap thing to lose.
Basically what I want is a device that tracks heart rate, location (GPS), distance and elevation and can be downloaded into something like Strava for mapping purposes
Budget ~ £200 max I guess
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| dsoutar wrote: |
Any recommendations for the above ? I do have a Garmin Edge 500 which I use for cycling and I really rate it. I've seen that there's a wrist attachment available (which I've ordered)but not sure how firmly it attaches and somewhat concerned that it could come off un-noticed and it's not a cheap thing to lose.
Basically what I want is a device that tracks heart rate, location (GPS), distance and elevation and can be downloaded into something like Strava for mapping purposes
Budget ~ £200 max I guess |
an android phone, 50 quid max, plus you can phone with it. Get Android 4.4.4 or later for good Bluetooth low energy support for you hr strap etc.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@davidof, woo, I haven't been keeping up (sic) with all this. My Polar HRM watch is about to die and I shall replace it with a BT strap and the free iPhone app. Much cheaper and better analysis.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@davidof,
Really? I know you're a keen cyclist too and occasionally I've turned on my phone tracking and compared it with that off my Garmon when I've been in the Alps just out of interest and some of the elevation stuff is rubbish. Admittedly that was a couple of years ago. I thought most people on here derided using a phone to do this instead of s more dedicated device which is why I didn't even consider it.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Probably worth keeping an eye out for deals on an older Garmin Fenix model - I bought the Fenix 2 last year for £160 including HRM strap from SportPursuit (was lucky to get a discount off the list price, but think it was listed for ~£200). It tracks all the things you mention (plus lots more) and has several activity modes including both xc and downhill ski. Haven't yet had the opportunity to try it skiing, but have used it for running, hiking and swimming and am happy. It seems robust and battery life is pretty good too - has easily lasted for a full day's hiking using GPS.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Got a Polar M400. Uploads to its own site, but there are ways to sync that to endomondo, strava, etc.
Mine's the one without HRM, and it cost a bargain (barely more than my G10 watch that has 2 hands), but the HRM version is not much more.
Sync via bluetooth and data on the phone at the end of the day while doing apres ski/apres ride pint, knowing that the phone battery will still be full.
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Polar M400 is pretty much best buy at the moment. GPS works a bit worse then on Polar v800, and it's missing few functions (and compatibility with speed/cadence sensors if you want to use it on bike during the summer like I do) which v800 has, but it's less then half the price. Surprisingly (at least for me) Polar's GPS is far superior then Garmin (no idea how is that possible considering Garmin's background), and for biometry Polar is light years ahead of anyone else anyway. I have v800 and my wife has M400, but honestly, if I would be buying it now, I'm pretty sure I would get m400 too, and solve bike stuff (basically cadence only) with simple 20eur worth bike computer.
Personally I would never consider phone option, as with HR, you want to know this data when doing sport, not 2 hours later when watching graphs on computer screen. This means you need to have watch on wrist, and I doubt phone on wrist would work 
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| dsoutar wrote: |
@davidof,
Really? |
The altitude data from a gps is not usually very good, you often end up with +-20% when cycling however that is usually down to either the GPS being no good at calculating altitude or your tracking app making errors. These seem to occur when you are climbing with cliffs on both sides, a few meters error left or right can have you dozens of meters up or down the slope if your app is tracking and you can end up with big errors.
Cross country terrain (and ski touring for the most part) is normally a lot flatter than cycling and more open so better gps signals and the errors don't seem anywhere near as bad, at least not on the routes I do. I'm not so interested in D+/- anyway for cross country skiing.
I'm assuming you want this information for tracking and uploading to Strava as you said in your post but obviously if you want this in front of your eyes you'll need a watch type device, or maybe a HUD for your glasses.
I've got a GPS watch but the instruction manual is like the yellow pages in thickness and I've never been able to use it successfully.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Mrs Jbob uses my old iPhone and endomondo. Elevation data not really relevant. Good for tracking progress over time.
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I have a Garmin Foretrex 401. This includes an altimeter that combines barometric and GPS data. The GPS signal slowly corrects for changes in atmospheric pressure. The whole thing seems fairly accurate but I've not tested it thoroughly. It also supports a heart rate sensor and a pedal cadence sensor but I don;t have either so I can't comment.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I somehow feel that a HUD is not entirely in tune with the spirit of cross country skiing. 
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