Since there are several parts to the ''kit'', I''ll try and nutshell each piece. The watch is a normal Ironman watch with all the bells and whistles that we have come to expect. It''s pretty easy to navigate thru the menus once you get used to it.The HRM ''strap'' is comfortable once it''s adjusted correctly. It''s made from a soft elastic material (some straps are a hard plastic and I''ve heard are uncomfortable to wear). I suggest you wear the strap around to see just how loose you can wear it and still have it relay info. What isn''t mentioned is that the HRM strap has two snaps on either side of the HRM device. These snaps make it much easier to put on. The HRM links up to your heart on wet or dry skin pretty easily, I''ve had it drop off (lose data) rarely. If it does drop off, moisten your skin under the HRM device. I bought the HRM because the gym equipment was giving me inconsistent HR data. Now I feel that I''m getting consistent data that''s recorded for review later.
Next is the USB device which is a wireless connection between your watch stored info and the online website. I spent a good two hours setting up my website info, there are many, many options once you start cruising thru the sub-menus. How detailed you make it is up to you. Transferring the data from the watch to the website is quick and easy and seeing the data displayed in graphs really helps. Also you can see how many calories you burned and how many calories you consumed. You can compare one workout to another workout using factors like mood, stress and even what footwear you were wearing at the time. There''s a feature that you can send yourself a reminder for a workout. And after you''re done tweaking and reviewing your workout, you can share it with your buddies.
Overall I''m very happy with all parts of the ''kit'' and would suggest it to all levels of training. For the ones just starting their workout programs it gives you a good indicator to your overall heath and especially your heart. It also gives you a visual as you progress, which can motivate you to continue. For the serious athlete this device gives you the flexibility to track your workouts with a great amount of accuracy, shows your progress before a race or event. It can also track your calorie intake/output and lap splits. I haven''t tested it in water, but I''ve heard that it has issues with that.
1. It will not transmit a signal while submerged physics wont allow it.
2. The watch saves your workouts up to ten times and deletes the oldests after the tenth has been reached.
3. Setting up the PC to transmit data was a hassle and if your not tech savy it can be trouble.
4. The watch itself is very user friendly however, the user guide is not jumps around a lot and wording is confusing.
5. The elastic band wears out quickly mine lasted about two months and I have to keep adjusting it to fit.
6. I never had to use electrode gel or water for a good reading but it recommends that you use one or the other.
7. The clips for the elastic band are beginning to show oxidation, not a good sign if youre a swimmer or sweat a lot (sweat probably causes the oxidation more so than water).
8. Has multipile timezones and plenty of other features.
In conclusion, I think the watch and HRM are well worth the price comparitively to other brands like Garmin. The watch is well made and should suit any athelete that needs to save a little cash.
Buy Timex Ironman Race Trainer Digital Heart Rate Monitor Watch Now
Timex makes excellent heart rate monitors, and they are generally less expensive than other brands. This is the second Timex Ironman Race Trainer heart rate monitor that I have purchased. Other HRM brands I see in the running stores are hundreds of dollars. Can''t understand why anyone would pay that much when they can get one of these for half the cost.Read Best Reviews of Timex Ironman Race Trainer Digital Heart Rate Monitor Watch Here
I recently purchased a Timex Ironman Race Trainer heart rate monitor, so purchased the Race Trainer Data XChanger to download data from the watch to my computer (MacBook Pro). I could not get the XChanger to work after more than an hour of numerous attempts. The site claims the system works on my OS (10.6.8), but could not get the watch to recognize the sending unit at all. Instructions booklet in unit and on website are confusing, and no way to trouble shoot. Can''t find a help line to call to find out what the problem is. What a bust. The watch itself is okay, looks nice and is not big and bulky like many other HR monitor watches, does what it needs to do, but working through the settings and readings is not intuitive and sometimes take several tries to get the information or reading I want. Instructions in booklet are confusing to follow, so consequently I am not using all the features since its so difficult to get all the settings right. Heart rate signal will not work while swimming, but picks up soon after getting out of the water so don''t plan on tracking your HR during the swim leg of a Triathlon. Also note that if you lose the HR sending unit or it stops working or breaks, you can''t order a replacement. You have to buy the entire watch and sending unit all over again. Still, for the price it''s a decent watch...just don''t count on the Data XChanger.Want Timex Ironman Race Trainer Digital Heart Rate Monitor Watch Discount?
I decided to try Timex after my last HRM died. I bought this after reading the reviews, even though some mentioned that it was difficult to set up which I found very true. What isn''t mentioned was that there is no way to just have it set to view heart rate and time at the same time and to see heart rate you have to fiddle with the watch constantly. If your used to using a HRM where this is a feature it''s very irritating not to have this ability. After a week of using it I only got the heart rate monitor portion to work one time no matter what trick I tried and directions I read. I''ve given up and will never use Timex again. I decided to go back to using my previous HRM.
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