FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

The simplest answer is to pick up the phone and call us on our national toll-free line at 866-586-7129. We are the experts, heart rate monitors and bike computers are all we sell and review 24/7/365. We will ask you a few related activity and preference questions and make a few suitable recommendations. We understand that it looks complicated and confusing so let us take the mystery out of it for you.

We are so confident that we can help you find the right product, that is best suited to your needs, that we offer a 30 day money back guarantee minus a 10% re-stocking fee. Most manufacturers warranties are between one and two years for defective merchandise.

In our testing you lose functionality because without continuous heart rate you can't perform zone training. The accuracy is compromised and you have to stop to depress sensors for 5 seconds or repeatedly, so it is distracting. With many of today's super-supple and comfortable chest straps there really is no reason not to have a strapped version in our opinion.

Most watches count calories these days. The degree of accuracy depends upon the refinement of each manufacturers formula because metabolic rates, and therefore caloric consumption are going to vary from individual to individual. A good rule of thumb for aerobic exercise is 600 to 800 calories per hour but this is only a rule of thumb because someone going at close to anaerobic threshold with a higher metabolism could be well in excess of 1,000 calories per hour. This is why formulas based upon continuous heart rate, like those used by Polar, Garmin and Suunto are likely to be more accurate.

GPS is an accurate way to measure speed and distance outdoors. GPS also gathers hot-fix points that leave a bread crumb trail of latitude and longitude location, so with some devices you can download these hot-fix points to map to programs like Google Earth, Map my Ride, or Map my Run. One bike computer gives you GPS quality full color maps - the Garmin Edge 705. With this exception all other GPS is used for accurate speed and distance.

Without exception the Garmin Forerunner 110 because you just push a start button when beginning activity and a stop button when you are finished.

Based upon our testing data, as well as product return information, we believe Polar, Suunto and Garmin make the best quality products that are the most accurate, have the best features, and are the most durable. The old adage that you get what you pay for holds true in heart rate monitors. Polar has the best heart rate features, Garmin makes the best GPS watches because they require no external sensors, and Suunto has the nicest watch designs for fitness watches that will be used as day-to-day watches.

Several of the manufacturer's, Polar, Garmin and Suunto, make women's specific designs with smaller and more tapered wrist straps that should be able to meet your needs. We created a women's-only section of our website that showcases most of these watches all in one location.

Just click on the bike computer tab at the top of our website. The drop down menu displays all of the features-related categories so you can select a bike computer based upon speed, distance, cadence, heart rate, or its ability to display power output. This makes selecting a bike computer based upon desired features real easy.

Without exception the Polar Wearlink, the Suunto Comfort Strap and the Garmin Sofstrap. They are all flexible and supple throughout. These straps are more comfortable and slip resistant that any previous straps and have eliminated the hard, plastic fronts typically associated with heart rate monitors from the past.

Polar, Garmin and Suunto all make very nice multi-sport watches that measure heart rate, speed, distance, and sometimes even more. The Garmin Forerunner Series, the Polar RS Series and the Suunto t3d and t6d are all good places to start. Our favorite triathlon watch is the Garmin 310XT but the Suunto t6d is also a very nice package. The Polar RCX5 series is also tremendous for multi-sports.

The Polar FT fitness series was specifically designed for the gym, but Suunto and Garmin heart rate monitors all have coded chest straps, to avoid cross-talk with other monitors. Some gym equipment manufacturers even make equipment that will pick up heart rate from your chest strap. Talk to your local gym about compatibility or consult the gym equipment manufacturers website.

Because getting a continuous pulse from the wrist requires too much pressure and would create discomfort. The existing sensors force you to depress buttons that attempt to obtain pulse with varying degrees of accuracy, thus their exercise benefits are somewhat limited to gathering a resting pulse or a recovery pulse. New strap technology is so comfortable that there is literally no reason to not use a strapped monitor these days.

We normally find that 90% of the time you can just change the user replaceable batteries, either in the watch or in the chest strap, and this usually will solve the problem. If it does not fix the problem than you need to refer to the manufacturers warranty and arrange to return the product for either repair or warranty replacement. The Heart Rate Watch Company does not accept product returns after 30 days meaning we must receive the product back within 30 days for it to be eligible for any initial refund.