Well, I have to say thank you to The Bicycle Place for their help on getting my Polar CS200 CAD computer repaired/replaced. Several weeks back my Polar CS200 was not working properly and I couldn't start or reset the computer properly. I believe that one of the buttons on it was broken. I brought it back to The Bicycle Place in Silver Spring, on Grubb Road and they contacted Polar and sent it back for me. Yesterday I received a call from the shop and they told me that they had received a replacement for me. I asked them how much it cost and they said it was under warranty! On Polar's website they recommended a $75 repair cost to include with return. I have to say that Polar definitely stands behind their products and thank The Bicycle Place for helping on my behalf.
I have it mounted back on my bike after I cleaned the bike from my wet ride yesterday. I really have to say that I did miss having the ability to see what my heart rate is while I ride and to be able to track my on going statistics online. I only wonder what a power meter would be able to do for me. Well, not if I have to spend over 1,000 bucks for one. Anyway, I'd recommend that anyone who is looking for a decent cyclocomputer with HR to take a look at the Polar CS200 CAD (for cadence) or 400 or 600.
My old Cateye Wireless computer still worked great in a pinch, however I did miss the HR monitor and the Cadence monitor. (interesting new device by Cateye which makes Cadence and speed wireless and it can be mounted on the rear so that you can use your bike on the trainer:
If you're in the market for a new bike, accessories, service or just want to chat, go by The Bycycle Place or join the 8:30am Sunday ride. Ask for Mike, the owner, Pepper, a great mechanic, or ask for Greg who works up front. They are all good people.
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3 comments:
Going into my season season with the Powertap, I have to credit it as a useful training tool though I have barely tapped it's potential. It is most useful when on a trainer as it:
(1) Has lots of buttons to keep your attention at least until the writer's strike ends.
(2) Accurately gauges effort in watts to measure intervals.
(3) Records your heart rate.
In my experience the heart rate monitoring is spotty on the road, leaving you with a skewed readout or with no data when you're wondering if you're blowing up or not.
(4) Bicycle Place Rocks!
FM
Frogman,
Hopefully you didn't buy a new Powertap cause you'll be trading it in for an SRM, Ergomo or the new fangled Quarq as we keep hearing about the HR issues of the powertap.
If you want to see your heart rate for every second of the ride, then yeah the PT is not perfect. But given that cardiac drift occurs regularly and perceived effort is a reliable gauge, then the rare heart rate drops aren't a problem. The best part of the PT is that it's the most affordable of all the options, until Quarq starts dropping its price...for the record I've never had problems with my PT, and I've had it for over two years now. Check the wattage listserves and you'll see everyone complaining about every manufacturer, one way or another.
John(ny)
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