My HRM is about to die . What is the verdict on the Polar power adapter? is it accurate, user friendly, or just a waste of time and money?
cheers
bounce. anyone, bueler?
No response. I was actually waiting to see what people thought as well. I’ve rea a couple of reviews on the Polar power monitor, but no specifically for the 625X. None of them were raving adn none of them were terrible.
As far as memory serves. Accuracy was considerbly lower than the Powermeter and SRM. Installation was supposedly a complete bitch and reliabilty was somewhat below thw other two. All in all it worked, was a bit cheaper, but didn’t come highly recommended.
~Matt
Check out http://www.midweekclub.com/powerFAQ.htm for some more info or power stuff etc.
I belive the polar has issues when used on a trainer.
Instantaneous accuracy is about 10% and average accuracy is around 5% while under 1000 watts. This assumes it is set up correctly. The value of it depends on your goals. All of the power meters require a certain mechanical aptitude.
don’t know about the 625x, but i’ve used it with my 720i, and sold/got rid of it quickly. Yes, the install is a pain as it involves taking apart part of your derailleur, then routing wires very close to LOTS of moving parts (derailleur pulleys, chain, movement of derailleur when shifting), which made me generally uneasy. Once it’s installed though, you’re good. The part that pushed me over the edge and made me get rid of it was that in order for you to actually be able to use the power function the watch has to be essentially zip tied to the mount in order for the readings to be continuous. On the back of your watch you’ll see two small reset-button-looking holes. These match up with the two prongs (?) on top of the (bulky) mount, which is how the measurements get into the watch. The problem is that the prongs are very small and the watch will move off them at a moments notice…even when you’re trying to use the side buttons to change functions. VERY annoying.
Save your $, get a power tap.
I’m actualy saving my money until someone comes out with a decent all in one. Power/HR/Pacedistance combo. I would think the easy way about it would be for one of the GPS people to hook up with one of teh power people and Voila! I saw a new GPS, non Garmin, that looked like a regular watch. Something like that with HR and a Powertap…sweeeeeet.
~Matt
I have both the PT and the Polar. I use my PT on the road bike where I don’t worry about wheel selection. I use the same rear for all road riding. Because I switch wheel on the TT bike from a 404 to a disc and because I now always race with power I have installed the Polar power on the TT bike.
Everything that everyone says has some truth to it. Installing it is a bit of a chore, but not totally overwhelming. The watch mount does require that you tighten the watch strap tight, or the pins on the base will come out of the watch, and you’ll get a zero reading.
As far as relative accuracy, when I had the PT and the Polar both on the bike, they tracked very close. It’s hard to tell when you’re riding because the update rate is different. When you can get a flat section of road, and you are steady, the readings on my units track within +/- 1-2 watts. Thats good enough for me.
Given the advantages and disadvantages of all the systems, I’ve found that the Polar Power, despite it’s drawbacks, is still a good device for the race bike.
Racing with power in long course events with whatever system you choose is Huge.
FWIW
DB