Company – Wahoo Fitness
Product Review – Wahoo Fitness TICKR RUN Motion Analytics Heart Rate Monitor for iPhone and Android
Website – http://www.wahoofitness.com/
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If you’re anything like me, you like data…OK I love data especially about my various workouts. My goto watch is the Garmin 620 and love the data that the 620 provides when worn with the heart rate monitor (HRM), unfortunately when you lose your HRM all that loving data goes away. Well that’s what happen to me, I lost my 620-HRM and was looking to replace it. I started to do some research on HRM’s that would allow me to not only use my 620 but could also can be used with other various other ANT+ and Bluetooth enabled devices. I found out about Wahoo from an another online review. The HRM looked to be exactly was I looking for so I reached out to Wahoo to see would send me one of their HRM’s to try and review, and I happy they did!
The Device
Let start off by saying that I love this HRM. It is not only Bluetooth enabled, but it also works with ANT+ devices – at the same time! I connected it to my Garmin 620 with no issues. However, when I did connect it I used Bluetooth at first, but I also wanted to connect it to my iPhone 4S so that I can use with my Runkeeper app, so I decided to use the ANT+ for my Garmin and use Bluetooth for my iPhone. When I run/bike with my iPhone I use various apps like their Wahoo’s native app, Runkeeper, Strava, etc…I found however that their native app syncs with these other apps quite nicely – more on that later. I did find a few flaws as the unit is a little bulky in width, and it’s about a 1/4 deep, and the strap is made up of a stretchy material like most HRM’s. However, I found that Wahoo’s strap is a it stiff and was not that pliable. Like most HRMs the sensors are recommended to be wet before putting the device on. A few dislikes as the unit comes with snaps, and I feel over time the snapping and unsnapping will wear out. Due to the stiffness of the strap I found that it bunched up a lot and creases began to form. Overall however the unit was very comfortable to wear and stayed snug against my chest during those rainy/sweatiest runs.
The App
I found that app is incredible not only did it sync with the out-of-box HRM but it also allowed me to sync other HRM devices as well. However, when using the other HRM devices I was not able to get my cadence and ground contact time, but I still I love the option. The unit was very accurate as I compared it to other HRMs, yes I wore two sometimes three on my runs so that I could compare. The app provided some key data points I like, such as, my heart rate, cadence, and laps. The app gave me a snapshot of my history when first logging in, and I was able to navigate to my history tab which showed all of my runs. I would have liked to see an aggregated look of the data so that I could see a rolled up view over time or distance. I must admit that I didn’t use the app for the “Burn/Burst” function as I don’t train with that kind of method, but for those that do Wahoo really simplified the process with having only two zones a “Burn” and “Burst”. Wahoo also has online training plans that you can download and follow for this kind of training.
One of the best features I like about the app is the sync capability with other third-party apps like Strava, Garmin Connect, Runkeeper, and so much more. To see the entire list link –>here. Yes! This app is able to share with all these third-party apps…it’s AWESOME!
Conclusion
Likes
- Price
- Snug fit/comfort
- The App with the data and integration
- Ability to sync other HRMs
Dislikes
- Strap I like to see the strap more flexible
- Snaps as noted I think over time these could wear out
- No facebook/twitter integration
- I’d like to have audio cues for pace, HR, and cadence
- No online (website) view of the data
Overall
If you’re looking for a HRM that gives you data, lots of data, and can integrate with almost every running app then the Wahoo Fitness TICKR RUN Motion Analytics Heart Rate Monitor for iPhone and Android
Comment below do you use a HRM, if so which one?