Polar CS300 Cycling Computer and Heart Rate Monitor

5 Comments

1. TPop says:

   July 25, 2010 at 7:48 am

   I feel I really have to write a review… after all, I felt I took a bit of a gamble on this product given some of the negative previous reviews. Yet this HRM had all the features I wanted – an HRM that can be used to keep track of cycling exercises and could also be used independently of the bike at the gym or when running.

   I’ve used this product for about 3 months now. I’ve biked close to 400 miles and have completed over 40 exercises with it (both biking, gym, and running). I am very happy to say that it has functioned flawlessly in all conditions… it has been used:

   - in the rain
   
   - in freezing conditions
   
   - in the city
   
   - in the gym

   The watch has not frozen or restarted. I was very afraid of this from a previous review.

   I have confirmed the distances it has calculated by GPS – and have used it on 2 of my bikes. Each time after setup it worked well.

   I have also used this HRM with the optional cadence sensor which has worked fine as well.

   So the roundup:

   *** PROS
   
   - Has worked flawlessly in all conditions and during all workouts
   
   - Provides all features as documented
   
   - Intuitive and easy to use interface
   
   - Free Polar web software to track exercises and stats

   *** CONS (all minor)
   
   - Wireless data transfer can takes time to setup – It took me a while to get it to work with my laptop. I think I spent about an hour futzing with it, but once I got my setup it works every time.
   
   - Polar website is slow and doesn’t export data to CSV or Excel.
   
   - The buttons feel a little cheap (but hey, they work fine).
   Rating: 5 / 6
2. G. Rogers says:

   July 25, 2010 at 8:17 am

   I’m very pleased with the CS300. I purchased mine with the optional wireless cadence sensor.

   I’ve used a number of generic, low-end, heart rate monitors for cycling in the past. When I decided that it was time to step up to a cycling specific HRM, this is the one that I picked.

   I used the CS300 to not only upgrade my HRM, but also to replace my existing cyclometer and cadence sensor. It’s slightly bulkier on the handle bars, but getting rid of the wires to the speed and cadence sensors on the old cyclometer is a real plus.

   PROS:

   –Very reliable. Had trouble with it displaying apparently erratic heart rates at first, but that turned out to be the fact that I wasn’t wetting the contacts on the chest strap enough before starting my ride. Now I just run it under water before putting it on, and it has never had another problem.

   –I love the “OwnZone” function, which selects an appropriate target heart rate zone every time that I ride based on my max heart rate, heart rate above my resting rate, etc. I find it to be very accurate. If it says that I haven’t fully recovered from the hard ride the day before, it is always right. In the cases that I’ve tried to overrule its judgement, I’ve discovered that my legs really weren’t ready for another intense workout. And on the days that I want to just go out and crank, I can set my own manual limits.

   –Distances are extremely accurate. I’ve checked it against GPS, and it is dead on.

   –The upload to the Polar training diary website works well, once you fiddle with it a bit. Polar training website allows you to record and chart a huge variety of data elements.

   –The wireless speed and cadence sensors work very well.

   –I like the fact that it differentiates between cycling workouts and non-cycling workouts, and is still able to run the estimated calories burned for each.

   –The VO2max estimation function is great!

   CONS:

   –Only a single target heart rate zone. I wish that it had multiple zones, as other more expensive units have, but that’s a tradeoff that I made knowingly.

   –I wish I had the ability to pause recording during a ride (such as when stopped at the mini-mart for a Power Bar) so that the stopped time didn’t dilute my average speeds, heart rates, and cadence. It’s possible that the unit will already do this, but I haven’t found it yet. I’ve only been riding with it for a few weeks, and the multiple functions of each button, depending on mode, can be a bit confusing at first.

   –I wish that the volume on the audible alarms went up just a little bit higher. In a strong headwind it can sometimes be difficult to hear.

   –I really wish that when I uploaded the stored workouts from the HRM to the Polar training website, that the website would recognize workouts that had previously been uploaded and deduplicate them. At the moment I have a number of workouts on the HRM that I don’t want on the training diary. It automatically uploads all stored workouts every time, and I have to go into the online diary and delete those workouts. It would be nice if it didn’t upload those workouts again the next time. Minor irritation.

   SUMMARY:

   Overall, a very, very good cycling heart rate monitor. It doesn’t have the features of the $700-$800 dollar units. But it doesn’t have the price tag either. And it does everything that I realistically need it to do. I’m not Lance Armstrong. I’m just an over-40 guy who likes to ride a couple hundred miles a week, and improve his general fitness level.
   Rating: 4 / 6
3. Marcelo Couto says:

   July 25, 2010 at 10:50 am

   I believe that my not so good experience with this product have been kind of unique based on what I have heard about the CS 300. Nonetheless, I think I should report it in this review. I had problems with my CS300; the computer simply restarted itself several times during my cycling and workouts. The unit was sent to Polar technical assistance in NY for test /review, so fair I am still waiting for their response. Another issue with this product is related to the data transfer through “sound link”, it does not work smoothly.
   
   My older Polar, which I have been using for about 3-4 years, works very well.
   
   Rating: 2 / 6
4. H. T. Reepmeyer says:

   July 25, 2010 at 1:18 pm

   If this product worked as advertised I would be very happy, but Polar has replaced the watch three times in six months under warrantee because of defects. First the watch would not produce audible sound (chirp) in order to transfer data to my computer; then it acted erratically displaying clearly erroneous speed data and turning off while riding (among other things). This last watch could not be reset to work with the speed and cadence sensors so it would not accept any speed or cadence data.

   It it worked the CS 300 would be great, but Polar’s quality control problems make me wish I had purchased from another company.
   Rating: 2 / 6
5. K. Garroway says:

   July 25, 2010 at 1:42 pm

   I have had this Polar CS300 watch for almost two years now. It does keep track of the vital information after a ride is complete. I use it every weekend all year long. So I get plenty of use out of it. At times it will loose connection with the watch for Heart Rate and Cadence. The numbers will go to Zero. Then all of sudden kick back in. I have replaced the battery in heart rate strap. Didn’t make a difference.

   I have been only able to update to the web site once. Polar support stinks. I have contacted then more then a few times. The reason I had purchased this watch was to keep a log of my exercising with out me having to keep a spreadsheet. The weblink software just doesn’t work properly.

   The next time I purchase another cycling Heart Rate monitor I will look at other products before considering another Polar product. A lot of the cycling clubs in Miami / Fort Lauderdale area recommending the Garmin products. You get a lot more useful information while you are riding and easier to read when getting bounced around on the road.
   Rating: 2 / 6