been testing the new unit and I must say that it is an unbelievable training
tool.
Let me just start by saying that if you have no interest in finding your
real heart rate zones, or you simply want to see how fast you are going, or
if you do not have the time and patience to figure out how a device like
this works. Then please look elsewhere. There are plenty of good cheap bike
computers on the market that can tell you everything you need to know about
how fast you are going. If you are serious about training and improving your
performance, then you have come to the right place.
In the box.
The bike version ships with the following;
1 X RS800CX Watch unit
1 X W.I.N.D Speed sensor and magnet
1 X WEAR Link Chest strap.
1 X Infrared USB Dongle
1 X Bike mount bracket for unit
Polar Protrainer 5 software CD
CD with drivers for the Infrared USB Dongle.
Several Cable ties.
The new wrist unit is extremely attractive. Think of the old 625X/725X as
Kathy Bates and the RS800CX as Cameron Diaz. You will really want to wear
this as your watch everyday. It looks like it just landed here from space.
For the most part the features are pretty much the same as on the previous
units. I am not going to explore each feature, you can log on to
www.polar.fi for a full list of features. I am going to concentrate on the
new bits.
The display has 3 sections, this is much the same as before, but now, these
are 100% customizable using either the unit itself or, even easier, using
the Protrainer 5 software. You have 5 screens that you can scroll through
and you can see any configuration of data that your heart desires. Some of
the cool things are the graphics that show your heart rate. And possibly the
greatest improvement for me is that you can now see how much time you have
spent in zone, while you are training! For me this is invaluable. I have
very limited time to train and I have to be effective while I am out there.
This new feature really helps me to make my training goals for every
session.
And speaking of training goals. The new unit can actually hold your daily
training program and you can see graphically, each day how you are
performing against the program. You might be unfamiliar with the new
Protrainer 5 Software but you are able to use it to actually plan the
details of an exercise, all the way down to how much time in each zone, or
even intervals can be followed for a session.
What is not so cool?
This is a very short list. I am not mad about the side buttons for
scrolling, they are difficult to push. Having said that, they look so cool,
I don't care.
In summary; I am a huge fan of this unit! Everything that I did not like
about the previous models has now been totally sorted by the new unit! In
conjunction with the comprehensive software, it is in my opinion the
complete training system.
