I have played with it on the weekend and while the unit is not 100% there with functions I need it is very promising since Timex can update firmware just as Garmin units do. Plus this can actually be worn as a watch during the day which is what I really like.
Ray did a first look few days ago on
his blog and it is a very good read.
I would recomemd the unit to anyone who likes to try new things and likes to tinker with gadgets. I think Timex is few firmware updates away from having very solid unit for triathletes. On top of my list of missing features is footpod support for indoor running and upload of courses. If those are added I can thin out my HRM collection quite a bit.
Posts
8 comments:
It's interesting indeed...I am keeping an eye on how this goes firmwear wise
Do you think you could really wear it for an everyday watch?
Hi James,
so far I have been using the watch for few days and wear it pretty much all day long. It is not as big on my wrist as it looks on Ray's ;-). I guess it depends how thick your bones are ;-).
Hi Jan,
an interesting watch. I like your write-ups on sport testers. I hope you don't mind a small note on a device that interested me recently. Have you ever tried a cell phone as a sport tester?
I just tried Sports Tracker (http://www.sports-tracker.com) with my new Nokia E52 and was very pleasantly surprised. Now I am tempted to buy the bluetooth HRM belt by Polar :-)
It is of course not for Tri or complex interval workouts, but for plain runs or bike rides...
Cheers,
Pavel
Hi there!
I'm trying to begin a path like yours, from couch potato to running, and trying a triathlon in 2012!
Discovered your blog and one of the things that I liked the most it's the complete analysis of gadgets.
Last week, I bought a Suunto T6D triathlon pack to begin training more intense, but the watch didn't «woke up» from energy save mode, so I've returned it today, hoping for the return of the money.
I thinked a lot in what to buy, read your critics, even in this new Ironman Timex and I decided for Suunto because of the information received from swimming (for what I've read it's the only with accurate info for that exercise).
What do you recommend for a beginner like me, but a really interested in all reports possible?
I'm considering doing the same as you (probably I will have to receive back the T6d fixed), have more than one. Maybe the Polar? Or the Timex? Garmin it seems to me the most poor in information details.
Really great blog!
Best regards from Portugal
Paulo Sousa
Hi Paulo,
great to hear that you are starting with endurance sports. It does not really matter what watch you use as long as it keeps you motivated to get up every morning and keep going. I did use the Timex unit for some time, but I ended up returning it since there is no support for foot pod which I still need on treadmill. I like the combo of GPS and foot pod even if only to get the cadence on the run.
Lately I have been thinking about reducing my stash of watches and I'm going to stay with just few units. Here is short list:
Polar RS800cx with S3, G3 and bike pods (speed/cadence) - great unit with lots of customization and options. Excellent for geeks that do not mind to read a bit about how to use it.
Garmin 310xt - excellent unit for running and riding. Not only gives you pace, but also pairs with foot pod, bike sensor for speed/cadence on trainer and ANT+ based power meters. I do not use it with power meter, but it is great for new routes I map out up front and then load to the unit to follow. Especially useful for my long rides. Can not be worn as a watch.
Polar CS600 with power - my primary bike computer. It works well and I have been happy with it - no need to change it.
Garmin 210 - I kind of switched Timex for this one - it is small enough to be worn as a watch and has basic functions to support my needs when I travel. It is really a secondary unit for triathlete - it is not graded for swimming so forget about it if you want to use it as only unit for tri training.
Suunto T6c - I still like this unit for its simplicity, design and fit. I'm not 100% sold on the EPOC/TE for training. I tend to rely on TSS/IF model rather than EPOC/TE. But I do use this unit with foot pod. I do not recommend their GPS pod after brief bad experience with it.
So I did get rid of the following units - Garmin FR405, FR405cx, Polar S625x (slowly dying as swim only unit), Timex Global Trainer, and few others I no longer remember.
Still I do believe that it is more important to have the motivation to get up in the morning for that 6am swim than having the best watch ;-). Good luck in your new endeavor.
Thanks so much for your response!
Just one thing, the only one that can track our performance in swimming, it's the Suunto, isn't it?
Thanks again! Your indications are just fantastic! Continue this great blog!
Paulo Sousa
Paulo,
I'm not sure what you refer to, but if you are concerned with monitoring your HR during swim you can do that with following units:
* Suunto Memory Belt (can work with or without T6c/d)
* Polar RS400 (basically any Polar training computer except RS800 line that uses WIND protocol for sensors communication)
But quite frankly the HR is in my opinion redundant in swimming. I find that it is much more important to swim by feel and relative perceived exertion (RPE) since in race conditions you will not likely check HR, but you can feel how much effort you are putting into your swim. This took me about 1 year to figure out - during that year I went to the pool 3-4 times a week and once I got the swim technique down I realized that it is more about the technique than the effort when you swim. Yeah I'm slow with some things...
Post a Comment