You are hereForums / Preparation / Geek Gear (GPS/Comps/Lights/etc.) / Wahoo TICKR Heart Rate Monitor with Bluetooth & ANT+
Wahoo TICKR Heart Rate Monitor with Bluetooth & ANT+
NB: Originally posted elsewhere on the Global Riders Network and appears via syndication.
Looking to buy a wahoo to use with Strava and my iphone 5. woild like to hear from anyone that uses this setup and how it all works?
[Mod. moved to Geek Gear]
- Login to post comments
- Bookmark & share
I've gone through two of the BlueHR which was the bluetooth only version of these. In short I'd have a hard time recommending them as they can be pretty unreliable. I use the full Wahoo bluetooth combo of the speed/cadence sensor and RFLKT+ display as well at the HRM.
They worked but chew through batteries (buy 10 in bulk online) and often required a reset by pulling out the battery. For some time I couldn't get a single ride completed without it freezing at some random HR (it thought I did the last 2 hrs of the 3 ring circus at 180 BPM, that was a huge suffer score in strava). Both of them died after about a years worth of moderate use.
This time I've gone for a $30 Bluetooth ebay special. I've only been using it for a few days and it seems to work fine but drops out about 2 in 10 seconds, still records fine for Strava but not perfect
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/360985667369?ssPageNa...
I'll keep searching for the right solution, there's plenty of alternatives and I've got to assume there's a reliable and stable BT HRM out there
I have the wahoo Bluetooth & ANT+
works like a charm on the garmin. It does also work on the iPhone.
I think I paid $65 for it. Much more reloiable than the gatrmin HR monitor.
I also have just the Bluetooth version of the wahoo HRM & used it for several years very successfully on the iphone before swithching to garmin.
The reason I switched to Garmin was the battery life.
Since loosing my Garmin HRM and replacing it with the Wahoo one its been rock solid.
ooops. sorry DP
My previous Wahoo BT HRM just died. Battery compartment tabs on the monitor broke and sweat got in there.
No fault of Wahoo. It took loads of use/abuse and battery changes over the years.
Got a Tickr ~2 weeks ago. Didn't need the extra features of the X.
So far so good. Simultaneous BTLE and ANT+ is great as on the road as I ride with multiple head units. I also use the Wahoo app on my iPhone 6. I've used the app for the past 2 years on my iPhones and its extremely stable.
On the BTLE side, a sensor must be paired and can only transmit to one device at a time.
Once the pairing is saved, the app will automatically connect to any saved devices in range.
Basically put on the strap and start the app. Done.
Also have/had a garmin with both standard and premium strap. While the actual unit is fine, the straps don't seem to last or make contact properly and I've had nothing but issues to the point where I haven't used it in about a year.
I bought the whole package incrementally - starting off with the original Wahoo bluetooth HRM. I used the HRM with my iPhone 5 mostly for running (paired to Strava) and it was quite good, there was the occasional drop out and difficulty pairing but it was no more annoying/intermittent then any other Bluetooth pairing arrangement*.
Seeing as though the above combination was pretty good, I decided to get the speed/cadence sensor and put it on my bike, I think I purchased the RFLKT+ at the same time as the S/C sensor.
The first half a dozen rides or so it performed really well but problems soon started to occur (I think after a major iOS upgrade) and the RFLK+ would freeze causing all ride metrics to stop recording and everything to fall over. I carried out all of the usual fault finding steps - reset, master reset, things you normally do however the problem never went away.
What is supposed to happen is that the devices connect via bluetooth to the phone and the phone redistributes the information back to the devices. You can set up the RFLKT+ screens via the app to show the information you want to see on pages on the RFLKT+ device (similar to Garmin). The Wahoo app records the data and the RFLKT+ shows the info that you choose real time.
If you ride epic half day marathons the iPhone battery will not last long with the stuff paired to it and the app running which could be an issue if you want to use your phone in an emergency.
I contacted the support people and they were genuinely happy to help and really tried to sort out the issue, so much so that they were sending me beta firmware and I was sending them ride/data logs in an attempt to work out the issues (I don't think I was the only one with a non functioning device). Although this was great customer service and a genuine crack at rectifying the issue, the reality was I was doing their fault finding for them, the equipment still wasn't working, and I was stopping and stuffing around with the gear so much that I wasn't having fun riding anymore.
Ultimately after a few weeks of data logging etc. I decided to return the whole lot because I couldn't really see any progress with the problems I was having, furthermore I didn't want to have the same issues again when Apple released the next iOS version!!
As soon as I got the refund I purchased a Garmin 510 bundle with the SC sensor and HR monitor and it has been flawless since the first time I used it (even the bluetooth connection!!) and I could not be happier.
Additionally the Garmin 510 has a livetrack feature so the wife can see where I am and if my heart is still beating (via HR monitor!!) when I ride alone. The livetrack feature is awesome and a whole host of metrics are available to view real time by anyone you email the link to...it also uploads automatically and seamlessly to Strava when you end your ride..
I know you only asked about the HR monitor and I've gone way off topic but the point I'm trying to make here is that IF you are considering buying additional parts in the future like I did I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS PRODUCT!!
On reflection the heart rate monitor worked well and did what it was supposed to do. It was good enough that I recently purchased the TCKR X for my wife for her running/netball/swimming/bootcamps and it does everything it is supposed to do reliably.
I hope this helps you with your decision!
*I am a gadget lover, I have a high pain threshold for unreliable electronics!!
I use a RFLKT+ with the TICKR HRM and a Quarq ANT+ power meter. The connection between the TICKR and the phone works pretty reliably, less so the connection between the RFLKT+ and the phone. The key is to keep your phone in one of the side jersey pockets, which seems to help the connection.