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Im sure this is a topic that has been beating to death up here but I am anew user and new to heart rate and gps monitoring. I am looking for the best heart rate and gps monitor to use for motocross as well as off the track. Any suggestions and detailed information would be greatly appreciated.
If you want a watch with a good GPS, get Garmin.
If you want a watch with good heart rate data, get Polar.
The Vivoactive hr seems like a good cheaper option but may not be rugged enough for mx. A few reviews that I watched / read stated the same thing about the Vivo ruggedness.
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Simon
I like my garmin because I play an assortment of sports from time to time. Tennis, mountain biking, road biking, running, MX, golf, and the garmin is easy enough to use across all sports. That's my concern with the litpro.
Monitoring HR while training off the dirt bike can be useful if done properly and with consistency. The KEY work being consistency.
I am still not sold on GPS for use on the track. I saw show a number of years ago when GPS was being used in Formula one. The computer would analyze the track and provide the fastest line around the track. I remember the race car driver stating he could beat the time the computer put out and proceeded to do just that. They compared the two lines and they where quite similar. The driver went on to state the computer does not know track conditions (slippery turns, "cheater" lines, slight elevation irregularities) and driver experience.
All kidding aside, here is my current setup:
Heart Rate Monitor- TICKR ($49.99). This is the chest-strap type that you wear under your gear and sync, via bluetooth, to your cellphone.
https://www.amazon.com/Wahoo-TICKR-Monitor-iPhone-Android/dp/B00INQVYZ8…
Here's how it looks on a hot model
App: "Strava" - I use this app for cycling and for motocross. It logs your heart rate, GPS, etc over the duration of your activity, as long as you use the paid version (i think its like 50 bucks for a year, worth it). I really like this app because it will keep track of all of my cycling routes and lets me know how I am improving and shows me how other Strava users perform on the same segments. For motocross, you can create custom segments to track your lap times and compare different sections of the track. I found it to be pretty accurate.
Cellphone Mount: I have a Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and use a sports armband mount strapped around the barpad. Just make sure you get a good one with strong velcro. Mine has never come off. I use this:
https://www.amazon.com/iXCC-Armband-Arm-Size-Pocket-Samsung/dp/B00OVT2W…
Here's a screencap of one of my moto sessions:
And here's a direct link to the strava data:
https://www.strava.com/activities/607366930
Great for running and cycling, haven't tried moto yet but I think I'll just shove my watch into my backpack when I go offroad and record my enduro laps with the chest strap on. Should work great!
First, the HR data from a moto tells me my average heart rate and max heart rate. I track the data over time to see how my heart rate is changing, i look at things like the range of my heart rate during a moto, etc. Also, as you said it, I look for consistency.
Secondly, when cycling i try to push myself hard enough to maintain a heart rate just above my average motoing heart rate (so, for me, thats about 165...which is tough on a bicycle!). This has benefits both in my cycling performance over time as well as my moto'ing endurance (which is my ultimate goal).
Pit Row
it will do all the things the OP is asking for, syncs up to your Android, iPhone, or Windows phone (fuck apple)
only thing i don't like about this one is it's not water-proof
I use a Garmin 910XT when on moto, and also for mtb, road, hiking, snowshoeing, xc skiing, etc. Works great. Polar has really fallen out of favor in recent years. I haven't had any of their products since the mid 90s.
I also have a Polar M400 I use for cycling and walking.
But i think its more on personal preference and design on the high level HR/GPS products.
The topic is: http://www.vitalmx.com/forums/Moto-Related,20/Lap-timer,1299474 and my post is the last in the topic.
Can't comment on which watch is better, can only say that the Tom Tom runner i'm using costed ~90 euro i think when i bought it and it works perfect. i have connection everywhere, the battery lasts long and it can store quite some data (i did 4 1 hour runs without uploading so no deleting data, and the data storage was like only 30% full).
Hope that helps.
Like the garmin 310xt you can get for like 100 bucks now has this feature and. I think the 910 also.
I actually just got a fenix 2 from Costco for 150 that I sent back because the screen was horrible to read. Now I ordered a fenix 3 which is a bad ass watch, much better screen then the 2, a forerunner 230 which I am sending back and a vivoactive which is probably the one I am going to keep because it was 150 bucks on sale from dicks. The 230 has a few more features then the vivoactive but I kind of like the vivoactive better really. I really want to keep the fenix 3 just bas e on how cool it is but I will never use its features and the bottom line is none have auto lap by position on it.
Only disadvantage i see is that you cannot see the laptimes while you are riding (but i wouldn't know why one would want to see that during riding).
I have been most enthused by the Litpro.. Do you know if they make an Android app for the Litpro yet?
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