Heart Rate Monitor in Strava

Coaster

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Hi Guys,

First post in the fitness section so I must be getting serious....... or guilty.

I'm a mid pack type rider and have been looking to get a bit more serious about my riding this year (no, not a New Years resolution!). To date I use Strava on my iphone as a training tool, using it against segments to beat my best times plus overall time, so it's pretty basic but been a good approach for me so far.

I've looked at starting to use heart rate data to train a bit smarter so thought that rather than rush out and buy a garmin type device with HR I would look at getting a band that paired with Strava. This was a nice plan until I saw that Strava doesn't actually show heart rate when riding (please correct me if I'm wrong there).

If that's the case, what is the point of having HR data on it? I thought the idea was to be able to target different HR's over time during your ride depending on goals. After the fact HR data is nice but too late for your training surely? Have I got this wrong? Does anyone use a band with Strava direct rather than with a "proper" GPS device like a garmin?

Cheers,

Coast
 
strava does show the heart rate whilst you have the strap synced but checking would be a PITA, you need an audible signal to tell you if you are operating above or below the limits you set

my watch does this so i haven't investigated whether strava does it or not

I only use strava as a motivational tool, I used to be a financial analyst in a previous life so it probably satisfies my desire for numbers, how exciting.
 

0psi

Eats Squid
Can't directly answer your question as I just use Garmins and upload stuff rather than using the app but I will chime in with my 2c.

You'll have to buy a HR strap and also an ANT thingy that plugs into your phone to work the HR strap. By the time you do that you are probably just better off getting a proper Garmin. I've got a Edge 500 and can't fault it. It will be more accurate than your phone and you can set up multiple screens which is great. I've got one screen set up for general riding with time, distance, speed in big numbers, etc. One screen for use on the stationary trainer with average cadence, average speed and a screen set up for climbing with gradient, HR, current cadence. Is all very user friendly and will give you more information and more accurate information than the Strava app.
 

Coaster

Likes Bikes and Dirt
strava does show the heart rate whilst you have the strap synced but checking would be a PITA, you need an audible signal to tell you if you are operating above or below the limits you set

my watch does this so i haven't investigated whether strava does it or not

I only use strava as a motivational tool, I used to be a financial analyst in a previous life so it probably satisfies my desire for numbers, how exciting.
Best username yet!

Darn, hadn't even thought about that. So you then mount it on the bar / stem like a Garmin but it's 5 times the size. Haven't seen too many MTB'er with their phones like that.
 

pharmaboy

Eats Squid
Strava with HRM for iPhone is pointless stuff. There are mounts available but it will suck power from your iPhone so fast a 1hr ride will be the maximum you'll get.

This is the devil that we know in garmin and why you see so many of these overpriced, hard to use pieces of shit on bikes everywhere. If just for training, and you could spend money better elsewhere, then a watch with HRM is way cheaper.

Now the downside of that is discovering where your zones are. I use strava to monitor my average heart rate during a full on race lap of 30min after a run in period of 20minutes. This gives me a good estimate of my threshold, so that when training if I'm below that I know I'm slacking and can go harder, and if I'm above it by more than 5beats, I know I only have 4 or 5 minutes I can sustain at that power output, so if it's a 4 minute hill, all good, if it s a 10min hill, I need to control myself a little.

The other thing that monitoring your hr during a ride is good for, is simply seeing if it is climbing. Sometimes you feel like you are at your threshold but HR is going up by a beat every 10 or 20seconds - this is also a hint that you are outputting above your threshold and cannot sustain that pace for long ( you will come crashing down if you reach your max)
 

Coaster

Likes Bikes and Dirt
<snip>.....I've got a Edge 500 and can't fault it. It will be more accurate than your phone and you can set up multiple screens which is great. I've got one screen set up for general riding with time, distance, speed in big numbers, etc. One screen for use on the stationary trainer with average cadence, average speed and a screen set up for climbing with gradient, HR, current cadence. Is all very user friendly and will give you more information and more accurate information than the Strava app.
Thanks Opsi. The 500 is what I am looking at as the alternative. Too many good deals going around right now on them. I was just thinking of using a band with Strava as it a cheaper way of getting into it (around $35) so I could see if it works for me. The ability to actually see the screen while riding is a bad oversight on my behalf!
 

markb84

Likes Dirt
I find the HR plot on strava quite interesting, especially how the average HR changes as you get fitter (or how bad it is after spending the festive season doing SFA).

I use the wahoo bluetooth HR monitor, it's cheap, syncs with all iPhone apps I've tried it with so far.

The best results I get are from using both strava and runkeeper when I go for a ride, they're using the same GPS info and bluetooth signal so no extra battery drain from using both. The advantage is that run keeper can be set to give you HR audio cues at regular intervals. I have my iPhone in the top of my camelbak with the audio turned up 3/4 and I hear it fine throughout the ride. I then pretty much ignore my run keeper data afterward and use Strava to analyse my ride.

Works for me.
 

Coaster

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Thanks for the replies. Really good info, just what I was after. Haven't made a decision but it will all help. The mounts look great, but theres just something about sticking my phone on the stem/ bar that says "smash me".
 
Sorry guys, for those Strava users out there where is the HR shown when in an activity?
On the page where you hit record.

As for where I carry it I just use one of those arm band things, I hit record and then put it to sleep and only look at it once I have finished.

I'm really only interested in my times and distance, the hrm thing is just more analysis for the sake of it for me. I ride the track best I can, my hr is product of that. Perhaps I will use it more effectively on the road bike coz I find it's not really possible to regulate my hr on the tracks I ride. If so I will use my polar watch that beeps slow if I am under my target range and beeps fast if I am above it.
 

Grundos

Likes Dirt
I have a Garmin Forerunner 910 watch which comes with a heart rate monitor, and supports both riding and running. The watch enables you to set alerts based on distance, time and heart rate, although I don't think you are able to set multiple alerts for any of those on it. Either way, I'm absolutely loving mine, and will often take a look down to see what the ticker is doing during a run/ride. Loving the HR data on Strava as well, although I'm a little bit skeptical about some of the zones it has put me in; gonna have to get tested to find out my zones to get a better reading.
 
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driftking

Wheel size expert
Can't directly answer your question as I just use Garmins and upload stuff rather than using the app but I will chime in with my 2c.

You'll have to buy a HR strap and also an ANT thingy that plugs into your phone to work the HR strap. By the time you do that you are probably just better off getting a proper Garmin. I've got a Edge 500 and can't fault it. It will be more accurate than your phone and you can set up multiple screens which is great. I've got one screen set up for general riding with time, distance, speed in big numbers, etc. One screen for use on the stationary trainer with average cadence, average speed and a screen set up for climbing with gradient, HR, current cadence. Is all very user friendly and will give you more information and more accurate information than the Strava app.
Not a strava user myself but just wanted to +1 the garmin 500.
Been using it for a while and a great monitor very accurate and you don't get any of that interference people experience with polar. You can set it up pretty well and if your set on data the 500 has lots of tracking with data on the computer when you plug it in.

The only thing I found was when my hr would get over 120 the strap didn't work below my chest so i found i needed to move it onto my chest.
I have a very thin chest so I think maybe it was too much pick up at once? No idea or it may have been chest hair or maybe even just the position I was riding in.
Got it checked by garmin who btw were great with support and it was all good.

Since I put on weight and shave my chest now it works fine below the chest.
I have been using it for running too which works fine but I'd your into running I'd get a forerunner or something that can do both cycling and running.
 
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