Polar CS300 Heart Rate Monitor Review

This device is an all singing all dancing multi function heart rate monitor designed for use across various sports (such as running, swimming hiking etc) but has been designed specifically with the cyclist in time. The Polar CS300 heart rate monitor integrated with an advanced cycle computer and packaged into a wristwatch that means it can either be mounted on the bikes handlebars or worn on the wrist for other sports.

What comes in the box

• Wrist computer unit
• Heart rate strap (to be worn round the waist
• Speed sensor (to be fitted to the bike)
• Cadence sensor (optional extra - must be purchased separately

Polar CS300 Features (This is just a limited list)

• Basic Features: Heart Rate (as number or % of max), configurable workout zones, target zone alarms, Water resistant to 50m, Backlight, volume setting, key lock
• Cycling: Speed (current, Avg, Max), Distance, Odometers, Cadence (with optional sensor), calorie consumption (per hour or per km), auto start stop, 2 wheel size settings, scrolling display
• Watch: Time (12/24hr), Dual time zone, Date, Weekday, Stopwatch, Alarm with snooze
• Recording: 14 exercise history recorded, exercise time, time in target zones, heart rate (avg and max), last OwnIndex, Calorie expenditure, weekly totals

Benefits

Flexibility - This is the huge selling point of the CS300 that separates it from so many other units in the market. It is a watch, HRM and bike computer rolled into one. It's biggest success is that it does all three of these things well and also gives you the option to se the heart rate monitor for other off the bike activities.

Wireless functionality - Thanks to the wireless speed and cadence (optional extra) sensors, set up of the unit only takes a few minutes. The wireless reception seems good with no interference experienced so far. If required you can purchase an additional speed sensor for a spare bike and the unit lets you calibrate (via wheel size) to two different bikes meaning you only need to calibrate the unit once for each bike.

Onscreen displays - There are a large number of available screens that can be viewed during use. These display all manner of thing including speed, avg speed, distance ridden, current heart rate, hear rate as a % of max, cadence, expended calories, expended calories per hour, time, duration of exercise plus a few other things including a neat graphical comparison in cycling mode showing heart rate Vs MHR, speed and cadence. Generally you get about three of the above readings per screen and can easily scroll through to find the data you want with the press of just one button.

Exercise history - The unit allows you to store up to 14 exercises in the built in memory, meaning you don't need to download your workout data to your computer after each workout.

Drawbacks (and potential drawbacks)

Data Transfer - One of the main drawbacks of the CS300 is the sonic link data transfer. This feature lets you transfer logs of your exercises onto your computer which can then be combined with Polar's Weblink training software to store and review your training data. The data transfer works by the watch emitting a quiet chirping noise which is picked up by your computers microphone and transferred back into data. While many users have not had any problems with this functionality, many have reported issues with their computers not being able to pick up the signal. Potential reasons are excessive back ground noise (often caused by your pc's fan) or low microphone settings.

While a new mic or a change of settings may be able to resolve any issues a usb or infa red data transfer feature would have been a much nicer feature for this device. If all else fails you can read and input the data manually which doesn't make this feature a show stopper.

Limited Interval functionality - The CS300 can be used to perform intervals. The Heart Rate can be displayed as a absolute number or a percentage of you maximum meaning that you can instantly see how hard you are working. What it doesn't do is tell you which training zone you are in or let you pre configure interval workouts with timers and set amounts of time to be spent in each zone. For the price you can't really grumble about this so if you want detailed interval training functionality get your wallet out and move up the product ladder.

Altitude meter - One additional feature missing that many cyclists may be looking for is an altitude meter. In order to have one you'll need to move a rung or two up the product hierarchy and spend a few extra dollars!

Handlebar mount - While there is nothing wrong functionally with the handlebar mount the cycling purists (or should that be snobs) may feel that having a watch strapped on to your steed (as opposed to a nice compact computer) may not be the best look. However any minus points from looks are more than offset by the units flexibility and potential to be used for cross training. Beside if you don't like the handlebar mount you can simply wear it on your wrist!

Conclusion

The CS300 is an ideal unit for someone keen on cycling but also other sports, and is perhaps ideal for the budding triathlete. It has a wide range of functions you'd expect to find on all but the very top spec bicycle computers, combined with a nice easy to use interface. Despite the large amount of features the User Interface has been kept easy to navigate and the display uncluttered. If you are after a heart rate monitor come bike computer and feel you'll want to use the HRM for cross training or gym/indoor training then the CS300 may be for you.