Product: Garmin Forerunner 50
Prices: $200 (watch + HR monitor + food pod + USB ANT stick), $90-$100 (for other combinations without food pod OR without HR monitor)
Rating: Good 7.4/10.0
Pros: Easy-to-use watch interface. Less expensive than most of its competitors. Can purchase components “piecemeal”. Reliable HR monitor. Fairly accurate foot pod. PC upload with USB ANT Stick is VERY fast and easy. Work with free desktop software (Garmin Training Center) and/or free online community (Garmin Connect).
Cons: Fewer features than its competitors. Watch displays only two measurements at a time. Can find more advanced Garmin 305 units at comparable prices.
Overall: Compared to its peers (Suunto Running Pack, Polar RS800sd), the Garmin Forerunner 50 is a less expensive, relatively “no-frills” fitness device. The fact that it has fewer features than its competitors makes it a bit easier to use and also less expensive. All-around performance was solid.
When I think “Garmin“, I automatically think “GPS“. For this reason, I was a little surprised to find about Garmin’s latest fitness monitor, the Forerunner 50. It measures speed and distance NOT by GPS, but rather by a foot pod, similar to the Nike + iPod Sport Kit, Suunto Running Pack, and Polar RS800sd. This is a deviation in how most people perceive Garmin, but they are well-respected in general for all of their products. Would the Forerunner 50 follow suit?
Design - 7 - Out of the box, the Forerunner 50 consists of a sports monitoring watch, a USB ANT stick, a heart rate monitor (optional), and a foot pod (optional).
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Product: Polar RS800sd Running Computer
Prices: $469.95 (watch + HR monitor + speed sensor), $50-$70 (adiStar Fusion top), $120 (adiStar Fusion shoe)
Rating: Very Good 7.6/10.0
Pros: Very intuitive, easy-to-use watch interface. High amount of functionality and features. Very reliable, accurate heart rate monitor. Low-profile, easy-to-use speed sensor. Comes with Polar ProTrainer software. Can be used with or without Adidas adiStar products (versatile).
Cons: Very expensive. Stride sensor yields inaccurate values when your stride changes. Different calibrations needed for different types of running.
Overall: This is an expensive, high-end personal training system. In general, you get what you pay for. I loved how easy the watch was to use, especially considering its vast array of features. The heart rate monitor was superb, and reported very reliable values. The only weakness of the system involves the Stride Sensor. Although it is accurate and reliable when running at the speed it was calibrated at, it becomes less and less accurate as you increase or decrease your speed (which changes your stride), up to 10 seconds/mile. For many, this relatively small “drift” is either not applicable (if you generally run the same speed every day) or unimportant (if you are not concerned with 10 seconds/mile). But runners who regularly vary their stride through speed work, or are concerned about obtaining their precise pace, may want to look instead at other GPS units.
Garmin, Suunto, Timex, Adeo, Polar… and the list goes on and one. In today’s saturated market of fitness toys there is a plethora of gadgets available that can measure running stats such as pace, distance, heart rate, and more. The gadget companies respond by releasing increasingly innovative products that offer features of increasing quality and quantity.
The Polar RS800sd (speed+distance) may have just trumped them all. Using a foot pod to measure speed and distance, and an ECG-accurate transmitter to measure heart rate, the RS800sd running computer offers enough features, analyses, and bells-and-whistles to make your head spin. I recently had the pleasure of taking this unit for a “spin”.
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Product: Suunto Running Pack (T3, HRM, and Foot POD)
Price: $269.99
Rating: Good 6.7/10.0
Pros: Accurate, stable HR monitor; POD is non-obtrusive and lightweight; POD works indoors and outdoors in any terrain or tree cover; 15-day training log built into T3 watch; Training Effect is great concept.
Cons: T3 watch is difficult to use with a steep learning curve; Need to continually recalibrate food POD; Foot POD accuracy can be variable, especially if position on shoe has shifted.
Overall: This is a nice concept, as the accelerometer (POD) will work indoor/outdoor and with any sky visibility, unlike GPS units. The heart-rate monitor is among the best I’ve ever used, and is in itself a great product. However, the T3 watch is not user-friendly. In addition, although sometimes the speed/distance readings are extremely accurate, too often they become systematically erroneous. The Suunto Running Pack would be a good buy for those who do a lot of indoor or trail running and/or want a training log within the watch itself. Others may want to consider adding Suunto’s GPS POD and/or just opt for a completely GPS-based training device.
In the growing world of athletic speed/distance monitoring, runners are presented with two primary choices: GPS units (ie - Garmin 305, Timex Bodylink, MotionLingo Adeo) or accelerometers (ie - Suunto Foot POD, Polar Foot Pod, Nike+iPod). I have trained with several different fitness GPS units and had variable success, and “foot pods” provide an intriguing alternative because they can be used indoors, under any sky condition, and boast of potentially high accuracy. I had the opportunity to try out the Suunto Running Pack (T3, HRM, and Foot POD), and put it to the test over three rigorous weeks of training.
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Product: Timex IRONMAN Bodylink System
Price: $275.00
Rating: Very Good 8.3/10.0
Pros: Accurate; stable GPS; good battery life; intuitive and easy to use; great watch features; good value
Cons: Data-logger & PC upload functionality not included; GPS external from watch; HR monitor unstable at times
Overall: This device is effective because it is easy and it works. GPS initialization is fast and reliable; GPS connection and accuracy is very stable. It’s best for runners who want to hit the road quickly and view results immediately. Analysis and mapping junkies may want to defer to a GPS unit that automatically comes with computer linkage - but otherwise, when it comes to reliability, value and simplicity, the Timex Bodylink is hard to beat.
Out of the box, the Bodylink comes with a beefy manual, the performance watch, the heart rate sensor, the speed + distance sensor (GPS), and an adjustable strap for the mounting the GPS on your arm. Despite neglecting to read any of the ample instruction manual, I had the watch and GPS figured out within minutes and was out the door. Before I even hit the road, the primary strength of the Bodylink System was evident: it’s ease of use.
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Thank you for all of your interest and participation in The Final Sprint’s Re-Launch Contests. Today begins the fourth and final phase of this month-long celebration (Don’t worry - we’ll be launching another exciting contest in January!).
This week and back by popular demand we will once again be teaming up with MotionLingo to give away . . . Adeo GPS Fitness Trainers! Two lucky winners will receive the Adeo (retail value $150); a personal training companion that gives you motivational audio updates on your pace, distance, calories burned and much more!
This contest is now closed. Stay tuned for the next giveaway contest and thanks for entering!
TO ENTER: All you have to do is comment on this post with what features of a training assistant device, like the Adeo, are most important to you (i.e. audio updates, GPS, etc.) and/or what you would put on your “wish list” in terms of ways to improve these types of devices.
This will enable you to have a real voice in the design and re-development of these types of products as we will be sending the final accumulation of your comments to all of the major training assistant manufacturers (i.e. - MotionLingo, Garmin, Timex, Polar, Suunto, etc).
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