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Another typical HR recording from Garmin's "premium" soft strap

Former Member over 11 years ago

I use electrode gel to get it to work before I build up a sweat.
Downhill or if it dries too much due to chilly temperatures, it stops working.
If I sweat too much, so it gets too wet between the chest sensors, it stops working.

It works 60% of the time on a good day.

Are there any good alternatives to this non-functional product? I think I'll go back to the very first Garmin strap. It's not very comfortable, but it works maybe 80-90% of the time.

0 JSRUNNER_ over 11 years ago

Do you have the HRM Strap that is fabric with a gray portion as per this link or the all black one

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Garmin-Premium-Products-including-Forerunner/dp/B00BI9X1QM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1401948745&sr=8-1&keywords=garmin+heart-rate+monitor

If you have the earlier one then I also had many problems with it until I purchased the new strap. Since having this strap my HR tracks are very consistent with few spikes or dropouts.

0 Former Member over 11 years ago

I have the gray one, with an Edge 510. I had the black soft one as well, that came with my previous 310XT. It was unusable from the start, and would record only a few samples now and then, which is why I got the much older hard plastic version. The gray one is OK for shorter rides with consistent sweating, it is unable to handle longer rides with varying conditions with too little or too much sweat. I can't exactly stop and add moisture or dry it off every time it stops working...

0 ExperimentalRunner over 11 years ago

How old is the strap? Could the battery be in final stages of life? Also, did you try resetting the strap by removing the battery, inserting it backwards for 30 second and then re-installing it? Reversing the battery for a few seconds shorts the connection and resets the transmitter. You may need to rescan for it from the wrist unit once you're done.

0 Former Member over 11 years ago

The strap is just 3-4 months old - a replacement I received when I called and explained my woes to Garmin Support.
I did a 2 hour ride today with the oldest strap I have, just a few short dropouts. The problem is that it's not very comfortable. I have some protruding bumps on my chest from stainless steel wires after an open heart surgery to replace a heart valve damaged by radiation treatment. Maybe those are the reason the improved strap does not work well on me in particular. It's unfortunate, I really like to keep an eye on my heart rate for obvious reasons.
Thanks for your advice - which I will try before my next ride.

0 ExperimentalRunner over 11 years ago

First off, congratulations on your recovery! Or should I say recoveries? I'll think of all you must have been through when I'm considering complaining about anything. Very impressive.

I have found that the premium strap is more comfortable, too, but I think comfort comes at the price of reliability. I still go back to my hard strap when running conditions are bad. It seems tougher and less susceptible to the gremlins that occasionally plague electronic devices. Let us know how things go.