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Garmin HR strap quit - any alternatives?
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jklingensmith
Feb 17, 12 9:09
Post #1 of 56
(4692 views)
Garmin HR strap quit - any alternatives?
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I've had my 310xt for 2.5 years now and overall I am happy with it. However, the HR strap has had some serious problems. After the first 1.5 years, it just started transmitting garbage data (it wasn't the contacts with my chest, I know those were good) like constantly over 220+. Then, after a round of troubleshooting with their tech support on the phone (master reset, etc.), they finally agreed to send me a new strap.
The new one (the soft strap) worked well for about a year and then just stopped transmitting one day. I have been going through the troubleshooting process with Garmin - change the battery, do the master reset, etc., but to no avail. It has come down to them suggesting I get another strap.
However, I don't want to be in the same position. Are there other 3rd party HR strap options that can transmit to my 310xt head unit? The Garmin straps have been frustrating and I am looking for something more reliable. Anybody found other options?
Aralo
Feb 17, 12 9:40
Post #2 of 56
(4673 views)
Re: Garmin HR strap quit - any alternatives? [jklingensmith]
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I had a soft strap which quit working after 2 months. The reviews are also not too great. Unless they fix this issue I won't be buying anymore of the "Premium" HR monitor. I'm back to the clunky garmin which works great. Looks like the 2.5years you got out of it isn't too bad. After all they're only ~$20 if you wanna buy used. Also consider ditching HR for majority of your training. I only take my HR monitor with me on like ~20% of my rides (only when I actually wanna evaluate the HR data). All the other 80% I just care about power. Same should probably go for running IMO.
Cajuntriguy
Feb 17, 12 9:43
Post #3 of 56
(4671 views)
Re: Garmin HR strap quit - any alternatives? [jklingensmith]
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Some people have had success with the Polar heart rate monitor strap. Basically you use the Garmin transmitter on the Polar strap, it snaps right into place. I bought one and tried it but have not had much success. Initially it works fine but after about an hour my heart rate drops to zero. I cleaned the contacts on the Garmin soft strap and I am getting better readings now but I am not convinced that they are as accurate as when the Garmin strap was new. Perform a search and you will find plenty more information on this site. Hope this helps.
jklingensmith
Feb 17, 12 9:49
Post #4 of 56
(4660 views)
Re: Garmin HR strap quit - any alternatives? [Aralo]
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Yes, fair point, I will consider the other strap - it wasn't all that uncomfortable.
And yes, I train mostly by power and pace, but like to use HR at times to track how I'm doing with respect to HR/pace and HR/power correlation. Plus, at times, there are races (i.e. hot conditions) where I like to pay attention a bit more to how my HR is doing.
In any case, thanks for the reply and the input.
jklingensmith
Feb 17, 12 9:51
Post #5 of 56
(4653 views)
Re: Garmin HR strap quit - any alternatives? [Cajuntriguy]
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Great, thanks for the input.
TriDevilDog
Feb 17, 12 9:53
Post #6 of 56
(4648 views)
Re: Garmin HR strap quit - any alternatives? [jklingensmith]
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with regular use, the HR straps just wear out - especially the soft 'premium' ones.
I figure to get about 2 years of use. I assume the delicate wires in the sensors get frayed/broken
and there done.
I have seen better durability with the firm plastic units - I've got ones I've had for 10 years or more that still work,
although not daily.
If you want a 5ish year life span, get a new plastic one. If you want a 2-3 year span, get the premium.
.
" I take my gear out of my car and put my bike together. Tourists and locals are watching from sidewalk cafes. Non-racers. The emptiness of of their lives shocks me. "
(opening lines from Tim Krabbe's
The Rider
, 1978
Travis R
Feb 17, 12 13:18
Post #7 of 56
(4594 views)
Re: Garmin HR strap quit - any alternatives? [jklingensmith]
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If I'm not mistaken, the Garmin straps are ANT+, so other brands of ANT+ straps should work, in theory at least. Somebody will probably be able to prove me wrong.
Paging DCRainmaker...
_______________________________________
"Don't believe everything you read on the Internet." - Socrates
jklingensmith
Feb 17, 12 13:22
Post #8 of 56
(4588 views)
Re: Garmin HR strap quit - any alternatives? [Travis R]
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Yes, they are ANT+ and I guess I was just looking for any comments/experience on other brand ANT+ straps that might work well. I have not had the best luck with the Garmin straps.
mrwoodhouse
Feb 17, 12 13:24
Post #9 of 56
(4587 views)
Re: Garmin HR strap quit - any alternatives? [Travis R]
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Travis R wrote:
If I'm not mistaken, the Garmin straps are ANT+, so other brands of ANT+ straps should work, in theory at least. Somebody will probably be able to prove me wrong.
Paging DCRainmaker...
Yeah, that's correct. I just got a 910XT this morning that wasn't shipped with the transmitter so I used one from a 305 during my noon run and it worked fine. It just automatically found the transmitter signal, though for the 305 I remember having to manually pair it. Baically, as long as it's ANT+ which shows up on the back side of the transmitter, it's compatible.
LacticAcidBath
Feb 17, 12 14:34
Post #10 of 56
(4549 views)
Re: Garmin HR strap quit - any alternatives? [jklingensmith]
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Garmin support regarding this issue really irritates me. Too many people having this same exact issue and the problem is nearly always a faulty HR strap. They make you jump through hoops for the .5% chance it isn't actually the strap.
FWIW, mine just went out last week...same exact problem. 220+ HR. Borrowed a buddy's extra strap and it fired right up. Moved the transmitter over to the old strap and 220+.
jklingensmith
Feb 17, 12 14:37
Post #11 of 56
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Re: Garmin HR strap quit - any alternatives? [jheebner]
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The transmitter/firmware they use must have issues because, as you point out, just about everyone I know that has one eventually has problems. I pay attention less to HR than to power/pace, but I still use HR and would like some reliability.
Power13
Feb 17, 12 14:37
Post #12 of 56
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Re: Garmin HR strap quit - any alternatives? [jheebner]
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jheebner wrote:
Garmin support regarding this issue really irritates me. Too many people having this same exact issue and the problem is nearly always a faulty HR strap. They make you jump through hoops for the .5% chance it isn't actually the strap.
FWIW, mine just went out last week...same exact problem. 220+ HR. Borrowed a buddy's extra strap and it fired right up. Moved the transmitter over to the old strap and 220+.
Yeah, just went through this a few minutes ago with them. Made me do the software update, etc. Uh....if the HR works just fine on the bike and is only a problem when running (and you guys acknowledge there can be a problem with static buildup when running), why are you making me jump through freaking hoops?
And of course I now have to re-program all my screens because of the software update. Meh....
__________________________________________________
“I want to tell the world of cycling to please join me in telling Pat McQuaid to f##k off and resign." - Greg Lemond
manitou820
Feb 17, 12 14:53
Post #13 of 56
(4531 views)
Re: Garmin HR strap quit - any alternatives? [jklingensmith]
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I've had an old style Garmin HRM that has work well for years. The elastic final wore out and instead of buying a new elastic band I decided to "upgrade" to the soft strap premium HRM. The premium lasted about 9 months. Same problem as everyone else. 220+. Tried all of the fixes etc. I end up getting a new elastic band for my old school HRM and it still works perfectly.
talderson
Feb 18, 12 19:10
Post #14 of 56
(4427 views)
Re: Garmin HR strap quit - any alternatives? [manitou820]
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Same problem after 3 premium straps. They all tend to last 3 month s then get less accurate then die. Total bullshit.
dcrainmaker
Feb 18, 12 21:27
Post #15 of 56
(4400 views)
Re: Garmin HR strap quit - any alternatives? [Travis R]
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Travis R wrote:
If I'm not mistaken, the Garmin straps are ANT+, so other brands of ANT+ straps should work, in theory at least. Somebody will probably be able to prove me wrong.
Paging DCRainmaker...
Sorry, late to the game. Yes, any ANT+ strap will work with any ANT+ device. Of note however is that Suunto ANT straps are not ANT+, and thus don't work with ANT+ devices (everyone else).
Below is my semi-canned 'my HR strap is gimp' advice:
For all things related to heart rate strap issue resolution (somewhat regardless of brand, though mostly Garmin focused due to issues with earlier straps), I suggest seeing the following:
Troubleshooting your HR strap issues Part I:
http://www.dcrainmaker.com/...your-heart-rate.html
Troubleshooting your HR strap issues Part II:
http://www.dcrainmaker.com/...weather-erratic.html
An interium solution using the Polar strap with the Garmin transmitter:
http://www.dcrainmaker.com/...-dropoutsspikes.html
The best possible solution:
Pickup the new Garmin 2010 Premium Soft Strap HR strap. Any of the individual straps you buy off of Garmin.com will be the correct/new version. And in 99% of the cases, if you buy it off of Amazon.com it'll be correct too. The new strap is pictured here (in the accessories section):
http://www.dcrainmaker.com/...epth-first-look.html
(Or, I suspect that Chris/Wayne from Polar would say to pickup a Polar unit insead. Some truth to that as far as HR issues go - they've done a bit more work there to clean up data. Similiar to what the Wahoo guys did on their BlueHR BTLE strap. Though, some individuals will just have poor connectivity no matter the strap, hence why HR gel can be awesome - see first two links).
-
My tiny little slice of the internets:
dcrainmaker.com
talderson
Feb 19, 12 9:12
Post #16 of 56
(4327 views)
Re: Garmin HR strap quit - any alternatives? [dcrainmaker]
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I personally believe all of the garmin soft straps are faulty. I have had several just die or become so unreliable. Search of many forums and there are countless people who experience identical issues. Garmin should be recalling the product or replacing them for no cost when they create a strap that actually works and last longer then 1 yr. quite frankly I would be happy if I got anywhere near a year.
steveandbarb1
Feb 19, 12 9:27
Post #17 of 56
(4316 views)
Re: Garmin HR strap quit - any alternatives? [talderson]
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Ten's skin prep or something similar (prep for EKG's) help sometimes. Could be a good market for using simple EKG electrodes that would connect to a sensor, and having it self stick, eliminating that stupid strap.
Any investors?
talderson
Feb 19, 12 9:35
Post #18 of 56
(4311 views)
Re: Garmin HR strap quit - any alternatives? [talderson]
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Any chance someone can organize a poll to see howany people expirence probs with HRM and how old it is before it starts to be faulty.
SallyShortyPnts
Feb 19, 12 9:56
Post #19 of 56
(4293 views)
Re: Garmin HR strap quit - any alternatives? [dcrainmaker]
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dcrainmaker wrote:
Travis R wrote:
If I'm not mistaken, the Garmin straps are ANT+, so other brands of ANT+ straps should work, in theory at least. Somebody will probably be able to prove me wrong.
Paging DCRainmaker...
Sorry, late to the game. Yes, any ANT+ strap will work with any ANT+ device. Of note however is that Suunto ANT straps are not ANT+, and thus don't work with ANT+ devices (everyone else).
Below is my semi-canned 'my HR strap is gimp' advice:
For all things related to heart rate strap issue resolution (somewhat regardless of brand, though mostly Garmin focused due to issues with earlier straps), I suggest seeing the following:
Troubleshooting your HR strap issues Part I:
http://www.dcrainmaker.com/...your-heart-rate.html
Troubleshooting your HR strap issues Part II:
http://www.dcrainmaker.com/...weather-erratic.html
An interium solution using the Polar strap with the Garmin transmitter:
http://www.dcrainmaker.com/...-dropoutsspikes.html
The best possible solution:
Pickup the new Garmin 2010 Premium Soft Strap HR strap. Any of the individual straps you buy off of Garmin.com will be the correct/new version. And in 99% of the cases, if you buy it off of Amazon.com it'll be correct too. The new strap is pictured here (in the accessories section):
http://www.dcrainmaker.com/...epth-first-look.html
(Or, I suspect that Chris/Wayne from Polar would say to pickup a Polar unit insead. Some truth to that as far as HR issues go - they've done a bit more work there to clean up data. Similiar to what the Wahoo guys did on their BlueHR BTLE strap. Though, some individuals will just have poor connectivity no matter the strap, hence why HR gel can be awesome - see first two links).
After reading both of your posts on HR strap issues, I thought I'd chime in with a helpful suggestion. I perform metabolic testing for a living and after paying for HR gel, we switched to aloe vera gel, which is readily available at any drug store (we get it for $2-3 for a large tube). Las Vegas, where I live, is extremely dry most of the year and having clients use aloe vera gel on their HR strap has increased conduction for virtually all users.
Wag More, Bark Less
atomic916
Feb 19, 12 10:03
Post #20 of 56
(4289 views)
Re: Garmin HR strap quit - any alternatives? [talderson]
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It seems I may be the outlier to your poll. 8 years and not a single problem!
talderson
Feb 19, 12 10:15
Post #21 of 56
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Re: Garmin HR strap quit - any alternatives? [SallyShortyPnts]
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I have used a product called buh bump. Used to work. But eventually strap just is inconsistent. I have tried gels, new batteries, straps, spit, summer, winter, dry, wet. No matter what the same thing is it consistantly works in begining and gets worse over time. I think this is most peoples experience. Maybe i am wrong but garmin forums have many post describing exact issue as me.
SallyShortyPnts
Feb 19, 12 10:27
Post #22 of 56
(4272 views)
Re: Garmin HR strap quit - any alternatives? [talderson]
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talderson wrote:
I have used a product called buh bump. Used to work. But eventually strap just is inconsistent. I have tried gels, new batteries, straps, spit, summer, winter, dry, wet. No matter what the same thing is it consistantly works in begining and gets worse over time. I think this is most peoples experience. Maybe i am wrong but garmin forums have many post describing exact issue as me.
As I also recommend and sell HRM's to people, my experience is predominately with new units. I have just today learned that Garmin head units work on Polar straps. The Polar strap is definitely a superior quality strap versus the Garmin strap. Chalk another one up to what I learn on Slowtwitch...
We use the Garmin hard rubber strap for testing purposes for several hours every day and they appear to be more durable than the soft, premium strap, if not as comfortable.
Wag More, Bark Less
Aralo
Feb 19, 12 10:32
Post #23 of 56
(4264 views)
Re: Garmin HR strap quit - any alternatives? [dcrainmaker]
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dcrainmaker wrote:
The best possible solution:
Pickup the new Garmin 2010 Premium Soft Strap HR strap. Any of the individual straps you buy off of Garmin.com will be the correct/new version. And in 99% of the cases, if you buy it off of Amazon.com it'll be correct too. The new strap is pictured here (in the accessories section):
http://www.dcrainmaker.com/...epth-first-look.html
I ordered one from Amazon in October last year and it died within ~1 month. It was the latest version. It was pretty easy to return it for a full refund to Amazon. Personally I wouldn't bother with a Garmin Soft strap. It's not worth the hassle. I will buy one if they release a new version, until then I will use the old clunky one.
talderson
Feb 19, 12 11:10
Post #24 of 56
(4250 views)
Re: Garmin HR strap quit - any alternatives? [SallyShortyPnts]
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I had similar result with polar wearlink strap with garmin hrm. Worked great in begining and degraded over time. Hand washed, cleaned electrodes, etc. seems that no soft straps are as durable as we would like. Thats my experience at least.
talderson
Mar 11, 12 17:20
Post #25 of 56
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Re: Garmin HR strap quit - any alternatives? [talderson]
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Any good options? What has everyone had long term success with that can still be purchased. Anyone tried the wahoo soft strap?
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