Am interested--but thought it too spendy. What are you looking to get for it?

Does it include heart rate monitor?

Bia did not include a heart rate strap with the product, but it will pair with any standard ANT+ strap (Garmin, Timex, etc). It is capable of monitoring heart rate when paired with a strap, though.

Hi Ladies:
I worked with BiaSport last year to develop their neoprene wrist straps.
Have a couple of very cute prototypes I am happy to send (free)to whomever decides to purchase this unit.
I would appreciate your product feedback.
Karen Sing
Queen of Neoprene
Slowtwitch Concierge and Chief Party Officer

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Karen ST Concierge

I'd be interested in your prototypes if the no one else takes them. I ordered my Bia (through Kickstarter) back in July 2012 (holy crow that was a while ago!) and have been waiting anxiously for them to finally ship to Canada. Shouldn't be long now I hope.

Anyone else out there have a Bia and using it yet? Curious to hear your thoughts.

Cheers.

My bia finally arrived a few weeks ago and so far I really like it.

I was pleasantly surprised with how comfortable it is on my wrist. I really don't like having things around my wrists/arms- not even watches- but the Bia is really light and the strap keeps it against my skin (rather than bouncing around like a plastic watch).

The Go Stick is only a little bit heavier than my iPod nano.

When I first got the Bia the battery life was only about 4-5 hours. They sent the update last week and I haven't used it for more than 2 hours since then, but I'm hoping it's closer to 17 hours now.

I'm not sure about the current pace feature- I did a long, steady run a few weeks ago and I noticed that my pace per Bia fluctuated between 6ish/mile and 14ish/mile- even within a few seconds and when I was being ultra conscious of maintaining a steady pace. My fiance said it has to do with how they calculate signals from satellites [insert techno speak here] and that a programming change could help smooth it out. I just decided to time my splits between 1/2 miles.

The distances with the Bia seem to be pretty accurate except there has consistently been about 0.2 miles missing from the first mile of each run. For example, last week I ran 9 miles with a friend along a bike path with markers at every mile. She used MapMyRun on her phone and I used my Bia. When we got to the first mile marker her phone said exactly one mile but my Bia read 0.82 miles. At each mile marker after that, my Bia read 1.82, 2.83, 3.82, etc. My fiance thinks this has to do with satellite signal acquisition- even though the Bia picks up a few satellites pretty quickly it might not get a very accurate reading until it has picked up more, then the distance measurements become more precise.

I haven't used it in bike or swim modes yet.

I added my fiance and my mom as my emergency contacts and sent a test SOS. Even though I told her it was a test, my mom freaked out "because how will I know what to do in real life??" She has a good point.....I think the SOS feature is cool, but without being able to indicate the severity/urgency it's hard for contacts to know how to respond. Did I break my leg and does she need to call 911 and request Mountain Rescue? Is some meth-head trying to drag me off into the forest? Did I just lock my keys/phone in my car at a trailhead 10 miles off the beaten path and I'm safe but stranded?

If anyone has ideas of the best way to utilize this feature I'd love to hear them!

feel free to ask more specific questions.

-L

Memorize your moms phone number. If you break a leg or something that is NOT life threatening sit tight and borrow a phone to call her. Use the Emergency for real (life threatens) situations. If you make a point of telling people where you are running they should hopefully be able to tell if it's a mountain rescue of a meth head.

Well of course I have my mom's phone number memorized, but how does that help if I've locked my phone in the car in the middle of nowhere? I am NOT saying that's an appropriate use of the SOS function- I actually think this function has the potential to cause a lot of ridiculous false alarms... Look at all the problems national parks are having with people setting off their SPOT alarms because they are thirsty.

http://ramkitten.squidoo.com/...ite-messenger-misuse

BUT- at least the SPOTs have emergency and non-emergency functions built in, whereas the Bia only has one signal.

When I initially read about the SOS function before I ordered the Bia I thought "great- I won't have to carry my phone anymore." But now having thought about it, I should still carry my phone, and there's really no added benefit of the SOS signal. It's a nice idea, but seems a little gimicky.

I guess I didn't clearly explain that I do a lot of my running alone in moderately remote areas where there are variable weather conditions, wild animals, and occasionally unruly humans. I always tell at least two people where I'm going and when I'll be back, then I let them know when I'm back safely.

Do you still have it for sale? If so, I'll take it off your hands. I like tne work they are doing at Bia and have been following them. I'd love to play around with one of their watches.

Sorry was offline for a couple of days. You can email me at concierge@slowtwitch.com so I can get your mailing address.
Best,
Karen Sing

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Karen ST Concierge

Coolio! Will do. Thx!

Just a quick update:

had a few issues with the Bia yesterday. First, the mileage way about a quarter mile off in the other direction (overestimated). I was running my regular route along the local bike path and none of the splits lined up to where I know they are. At the turn around point of the run I decided to stop that workout session on the Bia and start a new one, hoping the measurements would be more accurate on the way home. I pushed the button to stop and the next prompt was something like "push and hold to save workout." It was early and I hadn't had coffee and I accidentally pushed and held the button, not the touch screen.

This set off the SOS alert. As soon as I realized it I pushed it again to cancel and got a message "phew, glad you're ok," and resumed my run. I got home to find that both my mom and my fiance had gotten the SOS but neither had gotten a cancelation message and my mom had called the police, who were en route to my house.

I have deleted her from my SOS contacts and will probably delete my fiance too. I think this SOS thingie is going to wreak some havoc and I don't want to be a part of that.

Aside from that and the screwey distance/pace, I like the watch still.

--L

This has been an interesting thread. I ordered a Bia in January and am still awaiting its arrival. One thing I have noticed is that the company assumes we are interested in every detail of the production, assembly and shipping process when I am personally much more interested in the functionality of the watch. I really don't care about how many watches are sitting on a dock in China and how many days it takes for the boat to sail from China to the U.S. I just want info on the watch and that has been hard to come by. I initially ordered based on DC Rainmaker's positive review, but I haven't come across much other info since then.

I just got mine, I've got some big workouts coming up in the next few days and will post a report as soon as I've for a swim, bike and run completed.

A couple of new developments I hadn't realized were already in the Bia -- it will already measure open water swims, and a "coming soon" feature is swim distance in a 25 yard or 50-meter pool. Other future features are indoor ride, indoor run, run/walk intervals, and laps. It looks like it already talks to Ant+ heart rate monitor, and I've seen a Facebook post about someday getting bike climbing distance.

Anyways I only just got this, so I'll report back. Full disclosure, I know the CEO whose project this is, and was in on some of the focus group Crowdsourcing about the features it should have. So I am not a neutral observer, more of an invested fan.

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Sharon McN
@IronCharo
#TeamZoot
Clif Bar Pace Team 2003-2018

I have a Bia GPS Multisport Watch that I am going to list for sale. I have used it about a half dozen times. Everything works great, looks slick but I just use my Garmin more frequently. Mostly out of habit. Paid $280, looking to sell it for $205 including shipping. It comes with two bands, one black and one silver. The watch itself is black with a silver back. Includes watch, 2 straps, go stick and charger. Cheers.

potentially interested. Have you found it to be reliable on distance in the water? Any other problems you've encountered?

Haven't really done much research into them all at the moment, really only know that the Garmins work well & I can't get the swimmers to focus on a workout using a pace clock on the wall because they're all so obsessed with their little buttons & the interval on the watch.

I do a lot of open water swimming and am considering picking something of the sort up.

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AW

Actually I have never used it in the water so can't speak to the accuracy of the swim feature. I just posted that query on their FB page and will let you know if I get any feedback. Cheers.

Since you the concierge, we certainly hope to see you in your job descriptive capacity at the women's camp!

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DFL > DNF > DNS

What is an ST concierge?

Among other things, I help multisport enthusiasts (including those who are still contemplating a multisport experience,) navigate their way through the labyrinth of tri world. Usually, it's finding a pool or swim group, running group or shop, good bike shop or something obscure. Very similar to what I did in my roles at Quintana Roo, Zoot sports, and Profile Design.
You guys have been to Xantusia and Club Monty before, so you already know the gig there. Probably don't need any Concierge services, I'm thinking...
KS

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Karen ST Concierge