Polar Cycling computers and Heart Rate Monitors

The cycling computers have built in heart rate monitor. It reads your heart rate wirelessly from a chest strap to the monitor. When it is attached to your bike it, it can tell you your speed, cadence and distance. It can give you an ETA of a distance that you have entered based on your speed. With the data you enter into it about your height and weight it can determine how many calories you are burning. It can also tell you how many calories you ar

e burning per kilometre and hour. All this information is recorded and can be unloaded onto a computer, where you can track how you are going and manage your training. This computer can also tell you how your speed compares to your HR. On the more expensive models there are altitude and temperature monitors, pedalling monitors to see if your power is produced constantly through the stroke and a left right balance indicator to see how if you are pedalling with the same power on both sides. You can also get power output add ons to see how much power you are producing.

These products vary in price from $230 to $1200.

For elite athletes this product can be used to see if the training that is currently begin done is working and making the athlete fitter. You can measure your resting heart rate and the general rule is if you are getting fitter it will get lower. It can also be useful to see how many calories are being burnt so the rider knows how much food he/she will need. Keeping a high cadence is important so knowing what it is at certain times is useful. Also measuring your resting HR everyday can be useful to see if the rider is overtraining or getting a cold. Putting the information on the computer is good for finding out if your training is working, by seeing your average HR for the same ride. With the higher models you can see the data second by second on the computer, so you can see what your HR was at a certain time, how your HR changed when the altitude or temperature changed or how your HR is different with different speeds. All this data can be used to find out what training program works for you and how different conditions effect you. All these features can be used by the general population as well as the elite athletes