Scosche rhythm + optical HR strap

Tom Box

Anyone use one of these? I see they are discounted (25% ends today) and dcrainmaker gives it a good review. I like the idea of not always putting on a chest strap but I'm concerned about battery life. Looks like it's good for about 7 hours which means I couldn't use it for ironman racing or even a long day of training.

Thoughts?

Joe Matchette

Where are they discounted?

Kane Murphy

Tom,

I have had one of these for maybe 6 weeks now. I generally like it, but wasam concerned about the battery life as you mentioned. The thing works well and it works as soon as you turn it on (no more licking the heart rate strap or getting screwy numbers the first few minutes in cooler weather). Accuracy and tracking seem fine. I don't like that there's not even a battery indicator anywhere (maybe there's an app for it, I haven't looked yet). I typically can't remember the last time I charged the thing, so it's a bit of a crap shoot for me if the battery will or won't make it through the workout when I start. I did have it die mid way through a workout twice, which isn't a huge deal for me, just frustrating. I wish I would have logged how many hours it took to go from fully charged to not working, but I'm not that analytical. 7 hours seems to at least be in the ball park.

It seems to easily pair with anything I have tried pairing it with (iPhone, treadmill, Garmin, etc.) so I think the blue tooth and ANT channels work as advertised. It's easier and less restrictive than the chest strap for sure. The straps that come with the unit are very soft/supple. I'm not sure how long they will hold up, but mine haven't shown any wear at all yet and replacement straps seem cheap enough should the need arise.

The bottom line for me is that other than a couple of test runs to check consistency between the Scosche and chest strap, I have not used the chest strap since the I've had the optical heart rate monitor. I have not come up with a solution for longer training days yet other than reverting back to the chest strap.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Chris Davis

I've got one, and I really like it. Yes, battery life is a problem. About 7 hours seems accurate, but I haven't actually timed it either.

As for using it on race-day, I was reading in the slow twitch forums that one possible way of using it would be to turn it on for about the last hour of the bike, and then keep it on for the run. If you're using power on the bike, then HR is really only a back-up anyways. Of course, with the EN focus of HR on the run, it would be nice to be able to see your HR for about the last hour on the bike, thus turning it on about an hour before you get off the bike. If I decide to do that, I'll probably throw my old HR chest strap in my T2 bag, just in case my bike PM dies, and I have to turn on my HR monitor earlier in the bike than I want to.

Tom Box

Discounted at clever training through the dcrainmaker site for sure. May be other channels as well.

tim cronk

@Tom , I hate the chest strap's and gave them up a long time ago as being not reliable, chafing, annoying .... I thought these new fangled optical HR's would be the answer... Tried the MIO and the Scotche.... Both gave me very erratic readings at the beginning of wko's similar to chest straps, and then later in the wko when good and sweaty they were way off... so again no reliability for me ... I tried them on both arms , low on the arm , high on the arm , inside the arm , outside the arm , tight, loose, on the bike in aero with no arm movement vs. running with lots of arm movement, under clothes to block out even more light etc... Maybe my blood pressure is too low? I use my Scosche in the am now for HRV.... Recently bought the STRYD run PM which came with chest strap HR and has actually worked well on me... But now I am back to chest strap... Fun to get some HR data again after going years without it but I wont be racing with it.

Clark Mitchell

I like mine and have found it to be quite accurate, but it does not have the battery life for full distance racing. I use it for my day to day training up until the last 4-6 weeks and then I switch back to the dreaded chest strap.

Tom Box

Thanks everyone for the feedback.
@Chris, my PM did die at IM Choo at mile 15 so I've experienced that possibility.
@Kane, it paired with your treadmill? Most treadmills only pair with polar straps. What kind of treadmill do you have?

Dawn Cass

Tom, I have not heard about that one however I use the Mio and love it. No more worrying about chafing around the chest. I used it for training and then on the run for IMWI this summer and worked perfectly. Issue as you mention is battery life. I predict that garmin will come out with one in their watches soon but it's not there yet. Only option if you want one for full IM is to have two...or as someone mentions put it on late in the bike. Alternative is for the bike still use you chest strap and just pull it off in T2.

Brad Marcus

I also have a Mio link. I've used it now for about 8-9 months and rarely have any issues with bad readings. I wear it on the same wrist as my garmin 910xt while running but also works fine with my garmin head unit on my bike. I make sure to wear it very snug. I'll take it any day over the old chest strap which gave me erratic readings and chafing too. As stated though, the battery life is a major problem for full distance races or even long training sessions on the bike. I'm hoping this will change at some point soon....it doesn't seem like it's an impossible task for the manufacturers to figure out.

Kane Murphy

Tom, I have a NordicTrac treadmill. It came with a Bluetooth chest strap that I never tried on, but since this Scosche is Bluetooth I gave it a go. No issues, the treadmill picked it up as soon as it was turned on. It's nice to see on the display and the Garmin records the info for me.

Mike Westover

Too late for the sale, but I've been using the Scosche for over a year and it's working well for me. Much more comfortable than a chest strap and very reliable. I do have to remember to charge it 1-2 times a week, but as long as I do that I haven't had any problems with the battery dying. From my overnight tests it lasts a bit over 7 hours.

I wear the Scosche around my bicep, pointing roughly forward, and get reliable results including the warm up. The velcro on the strap eventually failed, but Scosche quickly sent a replacement.

I'm still figuring out what I will use for an IM length race (I started the ST thread on this). I like having HR early on the bike (since my HR tends to be high leaving T1). And with the HR focus for the run I want HR data at a minimum for the first hour of the run, and ideally for the whole thing. I could switch straps in T2, with one strap paired to the bike computer and one to the watch for the run. Or I could just deal with a chest strap for IM length races.

Tom Box

Thanks for the input everyone. I ended up ordering one yesterday to get the sale price. I'll cross the battery issue for longer races bridge when I get to it.