My first Tri will be next week. When I bike and run, I really like to know my heart rate at any given times, really helps to know wheter I’m pushing too much or not enough (or just enough…)
I do not have a HRM-Tri or HRM-swim, and quite frankly, I’m a bit dissapointed to see that the HRM-tri isn’t that good in a pool, and that the HRM-swim isn’t very confortable for biking and running (The swim part of that first Tri will be in a pool).
What are my options? Can I wear my normal Garmin HRM strap (without sensor) during the swim, and quickly snap the sensor on the strap during th first transition?
Any other ideas, or do I really need to buy that expensive swimproof HRM if I want HR info during the bike and run part of my triathlons?
Thank you!
The standard HRM is waterproof as well… I just put it on and it starts picking up the heart rate as soon as I get out of the water.
Still working 
You can wear your HRM for the swim, it just won’t send data to your device while swimming. No need to leave the sensor off, it’s water resistant to 30’ even on the older style.
I wear the non-swim HRM for the entire race, never an issue.
Thank you! Didn’t know the standard HRM was safe to wear while in a pool or open water!
One bit of advice from prior experience…I need to wear my strap a little tighter than usual for a pool swim or it tends to slide down while pushing off the wall (even when worn under a trisuit).
The HRM-TRI does everything you need for your race, bo need to buy the swim HRM!
The only reason to buy the swim HRM is to get data during swimming only as it is not meant for biking or running.
Also HMR-TRI is perfectly fine for pool swim as long as you’re not topless! If you’re not wearing a shirt then it might slide down but only happen mostly during powerful wall pushoffs.