What is best to measure heart rate?

[Andre]

Is the chest strap more accurate than a helmet that measures your heart rate? What are the pros and cons of each?

 

[King Boonen]

Chest strap is the industry standard. Pros and cons are what you would expect, you need to either always wear the chest strap or always wear the helmet. I use a chest strap for longer rides or harder training sessions and I have a wrist based monitor I wear and use for commutes etc.

 

[Andre]

Chest strap is the industry standard. Pros and cons are what you would expect, you need to either always wear the chest strap or always wear the helmet. I use a chest strap for longer rides or harder training sessions and I have a wrist based monitor I wear and use for commutes etc.

Thank you King Boonen

 

[King Boonen]

No problem. I should have also said that a chest strap is independent of any other equipment, a helmet monitor either ties you to that brand/one it'll retrofit to if you can remove it or has to be replaced when the helmet is, means you can't wear different helmets, has a much lower battery life etc. For me personally, the simplicity over the chest strap would be outweighed by having to remember to charge the thing.

 

[Andre]

I see. It looks like I'll go with the strap then. I'll also change the speedometer. I had a wahoo but it was quite unstable. Kept giving me problems. Thanks for the great info.

 

[zwalker]

My choice is also the chest strap. It's the most popular, reliable, durable, and affordable. But it could make it difficult for obese people (BMI over 30) and women.

 

[42x16ss]

Polar chest strap and HRM

 

[SydZ]

I have a Polar H10 chest strap and a Polar Verity Sense which fits on the arm.

Having done a few running and cycling comparisons the Verity Sense performs well against the H10 and has become my default choice, particularly during running, where I find chest straps too restrictive.