I’m considering purchasing a HRM/GPS/Watch combo. Anyone use the Timex Bodylink? What do you think?
I’ve got one of the “older” Timex systems. Works fine IMO, but the GPS receiver on the arm is a bit annoying. I’m looking forward to upgrading at some point in the future…to the Garmin 301 unit which is all on the wrist. Good luck.
I bought it a year ago and think it works good. I’ve heard others talk about losing their signal, etc. but that hasn’t been my experience. You do have to wait 30+ seconds for it to lock in, but once locked, I’ve only lost my signal once or twice. It does jump around a bit and it takes some time to react to changes in pace, but the smoothing feature helps with the jumpiness. I have mine set up to automatically record each mile split and it’s nice to be able to review my pace & Ave HR, etc. for each mile after a faster paced run. I do wish the HR monitor recorded Max HR like my Polar does and I wish the GPS unit was a bit smaller.
I’ll admit that when it was new, I used it on virutally every run. Now I use the HR monitor and rarely strap on the GPS (since I occupy that arm space with my Ipod these days). I like the data, but when using it a lot, I sometimes found myself pushing harder than I should just to keep the pace number up. There is a lot to be said about the freedom to just run. If you’re a data geek, you’ll probably like it. If I had it to do over, I probably wouldn’t spend that much $$ on it. It’s a fun tool, but may or may not be worth the money to you.
Mine sucks. The HR monitor worked for the first month. It can’t hold a signal anywhere. Generally I run on rolling to hilly trails and I never get a signal. I’ve even tried it on flat open areas and it still doesn’t work. Maybe it’s just the area where I live-- in PA. If I didn’t spend so much on it I would have thrown it far into the woods long ago. But, I’ve talked to others who love theirs and have had no problems.
If I get another one it would be the Garmin Forerunner.
E
E-man
Ever tried replacing the HR strap battery? Otherwise, Timex has been good about service on the Bodylink systems…you might consider sending it in for replacement. Good luck
Not anymore. I picked up the Garmin 301 and will not go back. The timex uses 4 parts, watch - HR starp - GPS unit - Meomory triangle thing. You have to remember all 4 parts every time you go out and all can run out of batteries at different times. The 301 has 2 parts, the “wrist unit” and the HR strap. The unit recharges every time you plug it into the UBS port so I don’t have to buy the Costco mega pack of AAA batteries to keep the GPS running. The battery life is 13hrs and I have nver run out even after several days of use.
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Dave
I’ve used mine for about 3 years now. Seems to work OK most of the time. Some beefs…
-The battery level indicator is meaningless. As soon as it indicates anything less than full, you need to change the batteries 'cause that sucker is going to die on the next run.
-I’ve had a bunch of incidents of it turning itself off with fresh batteries. Had to resort to taping batteries down with electrical tape.
-On a few occasions the distance has jumped quite a bit…it seems to start working fine, and then before you’re even close, its registering a mile traveled. This has admittedly been pretty rare…
I am considering going with a Polar S625X this fall as I really didn’t like the GPS unit strapped to my arm for long runs in the summer…not a big deal with a sleeved shirt on, but not so much fun on bare skin.
Spot
AR,
Yep, I changed the battery, but to no avail. I should check on sending it back for a repair or whatever it needs-- I love the watch part. I just had a great experience with Powertap/Garber and their service last week.
it works fine, and timex has an excellent replacement service should anything go wrong. But I quickly outgrew the gadget. Ask yourself: How many different run routes do you run, and how often. I do the same 3 or 4 runs, all the time. Go to google earth or ride the run with your bike and note the k or m splits, then just take the splits with your lap counter. Pretty soon you will develop a sense for how fast you are going in any case. For the rare long runs in uncharted territory i just use googleearth afterwards to calculate distance and average speed.
So, it is a very non-essential gizmo. If you are jonesing for a GPS, then Garmin seems to be the market leader.
BTW I think the bodylink wristwatch and HRM are superior to polar and use tham all the time. If you get those 2 and want the gps unit I will sell you mine.
My experience is that in hilly terrain, the distance feature gets WAAAYY off. I’d suggest saving the money and measuring distance (if you need to do that for every run route) with a car or bicycle. Even before I knew it was innaccurate in the hills, I only need to measure a route once to know the distance and calculate splits…
Mine works in Iraq, so I’m sure it should work anywhere in America. I use it on occasion when I want to know an exact distance, but generally don’t care what my paces is when I am running. It was a spur of the moment thing that I used for a week and realized I didn’t care what the numbers said.
Chad
I use mine a lot, and do like it. I had an older unit which didn’t do as well, and ate batteries, but Timex was great with service and upgraded it. They are very good about that. I had a Polar HRM, but when I went to the Timex, I found I liked the HRM unit much, much more, as it was much easier to keep a signal. My Polar had the factory guy work on it 3 times, and still wasn’t right, and they never upgraded it. As far as the GPS, I love it as many of my long runs are on trails, which google earth doesn’t do so well. I like to “freelance” on my runs, changing them all the time to keep away from boredom, racing the previous runs, etc. Get the system…you’ll like it.
I have used mine for the past 1.5 years with no problems. The data recorder is a bit of overkill for everyday use unless you are a data freak, but it is cool to strap on for some interval workouts. I like mine, but Garmin has introduced new products since I bought mine, so I would survey the whole market.
I’ve had mine for 2 years and only ever use the HRM these days as the GPS always kicks out and shuts off the unit. Doesn’t seem to matter how fresh the batteries are.
Essentially, if it worked flawlessly I would use it a lot, but I never use it as it is more trouble than it is worth. If I’m going to lug that thing around on my arm for 2 hours, it would be nice to get some meaningful info or to not have to stop every 15 minutes to fiddle with it to try and get a signal.
Also, the pace function seems highly variable, ie if you are doing 7 minute miles it will give readings from 6:15 to 7:45.
Try the Forerunner 301- It’s awesome and durable. I have used (vicariously through a training partner) the original forerunner for 2 years and it kicks ass. Plus, the 301 comes with very useful training software, all for under $200 buy it now several places on eBay.
I’ve had mine for about a year and a half and really like it. I am contemplating using it during the IMFL marathon portion of the race. I have used it exclusively during training and I like the idea of being able to watch my pace with heart rate. Now I live in an open area without lots of tall trees and skyscrapers so I never have anything getting in the way of the GPS like others have complained about. The Garmin 301 also looks interesting but for now I am very happy with my Timex Bodylink.
I enjoy mine a bunch, had it for over a year now. No problems with signal. No problems with it turning off. Battery life has been very good. No problems with any added/lost distance. My only experience with customer service was excellent when my monitor strap broke after the warranty.
I use it for running and biking. It’s worn on my waist when I run or in my jersey when I bike and worn in all kinds of weather. I quickly switched from wearing the GPS on my arm to my waist because I didn’t feel free enough. It’s not noticeable on my waist. I wear the HR monitor for every workout. I wear the GPS for about 3/4.
My decision to buy it was a balance of gear to be worn vs. data available. I’m not willing to settle for what my approximate HR and Speed were when I’m trying to track improvement, so a GPS of some sort was necessary. The counter-balance was then to not get the 4th memory module and settle for using splits along my course to get more defined data sets. I’ve never used the Garmin, but chose the Timex because a bulky object on my wrist seemed too much. But again, this was just my decision process.