920XT Tri HR vs. Run HR

Laura Becker

HI all!!

So the difference between the 920XT tri bundle (tri HR and swim HR) and just getting the Run HR is $100------ is it worth it?? Anyone have the tri HR/swim HR?? Does it work well? Any feedback will be much appreciated!!

KyleK

Good review at below link. 

http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2015/11/...eview.html

Al Truscott

If the question is: "Is there any value in training with HR while swimming?", IMO the answer is NO.

For years, I had a Polar watch which had an HR strap which worked well in the water. I found the information useless. Maybe it was years of swimming using a pace clock and later a pace watch, but I found that following speed was a much better metric than following HR. Lots of reasons for that, starting with the fact that swimming is such a technique dependent activity. Meaning, if you have poor form, you can be raising your HR into the stratosphere, but to no good effect in the metric that matters, "How fast am I going?" 

I also used the HR during races. The only thing I learned was that the fitter I was, the lower my HR was at the same speed. All well and good, but that was after the fact information; while I was swimming during a race, I certainly wasn;t able to change my performance based on my current HR, as I wasn;t about to alter my stroke to look at it during the race.

There is also the question of if the Garmin HR strap, which adds $50 to the base 920XT price, is worth it compared to just using any old ANT+ strap. I;ve been using one for 2 years now. I already had a foot pod, so getting cadence was nothing new. The new metric ground contact time is inversely proportional to speed - the faster I go, the less the GCT. The vertical oscillation is a bit helpful, but I haven;t really found a way to alter my form as a result of the data I get. The only benefit I;ve seen is that it gives *better* data when on a treadmill, in terms of speed and cadence. assuming you have been using it outside a fair amount. Apparently it "learns" your stride length/cadence compared to speed well enough that it can give a very good approximation of actual speed on the treadmill.

Amulya Parthasarathy

I do have HR Run, HR TRI and HR Swim. Honestly there is very little research on Heart rate information while swimming. The HR data is not available until you finish your workout. So there is no instant feed back for each lap while in the pool. The HR TRI does not sit well while swimming in the pool. The HR Swim works slightly better and does not slip as much. ( may work better on women if its under a suit). I stopped using both the HR TRI and HR swim while I'm in the pool. I would use it no more than just tracking HR while swimming on race day using the HR TRI and nothing more. If your not curious about this you are not missing much. There is no science or training tying heart rate information to swimming yet.

Laura Becker

Thank you all so much for your input!! Much appreciated :-)

@ Amulya- do you find the TRI strap fits or feels different than the RUN strap?? One more comfortable than the other?? 

Amulya Parthasarathy

The TRI strap feels exactly the same as the Run strap in terms of fit and comfert.

The Swim strap however is a little wider and has a rubbery inside so that it does not slip. I find that it is also less stretchable than the Tri and Run straps.