Runningmachine
Reviewed: 14 August 2010
AN EXCELLENT PIECE OF KIT WHICH IS HELPING ME IMPROVE MY PERFORMANCE. I HAVE S3, GPS AND BOTH BIKE SENSORS.
- Ultimate flexibility (S3 sensor and/or GPS for running, bike sensor and/or or GPS for cycling, up to 3 shoes and 3 bikes).
- A wealth of useful data while exercising and on analysis afterwards - includes run/bike cadence and stride length.
- Pressure operated elevation info useful.
- All batteries user changeable. No recharging required (GPS sensor is heavy on its single AA (15 hrs). About to try AA Lithium as Polar recommends.
- Google Earth link gives useful heart rate zone colour-coded route overview so I can see where I was pushing, and where I could have pushed more and lap markers.
You get a basic manual, but can download (and print off)the full 59 page user manual. There is a separate book of Help for the Pro Trainer software with an enormous easy to use comprehensive index which is a big plus.
I am non-IT literate and it took a while for me to work out how to download to my PC info via infra-red. You have to download an update on 1 element before you can get going.
No easy transfer from Pro Trainer 5 to Polarpersonaltrainer.com (PPT)where my last 4.5 years records are kept which means I download twice.
Fewer downloadable training programmes than on PPT.
Expensive.
I have the 2010 Chrome (N) model.
The logic of the system, using a series of sensors to feed information to the wrist unit at the heart of it and then download all of it to the Pro Trainer 5 software and/or PPT makes perfect sense.
I thought about a Garmin 310XT but did not like the idea of remembering to re-charge it (I prefer user changeable batteries) and did not like the 2 pronged strap on the Garmin.
I also liked the idea of the better data which the Polar records over the Garmin.I wanted to continue to build on all my records on PPT over 4.5 years and I thought (wrongly) that I could change watch screens by bringing the wrist unit to the heart monitor sensor as on my previous Polar. I chose the Polar and am very pleased that I did.
I never appreciated how useful all the info on the RS800CX actually is in practice - particularly the interaction (and effect on speed/exertion levels) between cadence, pace and stride length when running. It is no gimmick - I am learning from it.
The elevation feature is really useful as it provides data recording your ascents and descents even if you forget to set it and find you have been running below sea level! It is really very simple. It works off barometric pressure so you have to set it from a known elevation before your exercise if you want correctly to record your elevation throughout the exercise. Again this is all useful info because on the graphs produced later you can view the correlation with HR, pace, stride, cadence etc.
