Garming FR60 GPS Not Really.. HRM Yes Sir.

I Purchased the Garmin FR60 Bundle W/ Foot pod to Help me learn run pacing and for Triathlon Training. My old HRM just gave up but the chest strap works still works with most of the equipment at the gym without the watch. But there is no need since I have the FR60 but there are some "Issues" to deal with first. The Look and function is very good. However since I'm new to Garmin the menu's took a little getting used to and programing was a little bit difficult but from what I've heard this is typical. Once you do get the menus down it's very intuitive and similar to other models they offer. The other reason I picked the Garmin unit is the Manufactures of other HRM's in this price range had non replaceable batteries. IE you had to send them back to the factory to be replaced. This is something I really wasn't fond of since I use mine daily. This unit fits nicely on the wrist and can be used as a "Sport Watch" and no-one would know you a Workoutaholic if they didn't know you.



Packaged in the box were the Owners manual and Watch Foot-pod HRM-Strap USB Ant+ stick. There is no software to speak of since it's self loading on the Ant+ Stick. You also need to set up an account with Garmin to download your data and analyze it. BEWARE: Firmware Updates will erase your data and settings on the watch and they need to be set back up!!! There is no Off-line option to review your data :-(. This means you upload your data to Garmin then re-download it in Excel or TCX format then upload it into a training website like Training Peaks(Online) or Sport Tracs(Stand Alone Runs Offline). Granted it takes only a few minutes to do but is a little bit of a pain. Also when uploading you have the option to leave the data on your watch for you to review or when the download is completed the workout date is erased. It takes a little bit of faith to let your data go. When setting up your account you can set up your Heart Rate zones based on age and resting Heart Rate. You can add as many zones as you see fit. For Simplicity I just use 5 now when you look at your data though the amount of time in each zone is not displayed on the website on your HR Graph. The graph look really good but the only data given is Avg HR Max HR. It would be nice if the time in each Zone was given as well. My old HRM(Which was $40) displayed these with times and % in zones on the watch and didn't need to upload the data. Other data that is Give is Workout Time Avg Speed/Pace Max Speed/Pace Avg Cadence Max Cadence. All good Data that is essential for training/racing purposes.



For Running the Foot Pod Sensor tracks steps pacing and speed very accurately out of the box. Pick a spot on your shoes to mount the sensor and pair the device with your FR60 I did a test run at the track and it was spot on after a 1 mile test run. You can either adjust the stride length automatically or manual adjust. There are supposed to be shoe on the market that the Foot-pod will mound directly into the sole under the shoe insert. I believe Nike makes one. Mounting in the laces are just fine for me. The advantage the FR60 has is It can be used indoors without a GPS signal. The combination of the Foot-Pod and HRM gives you very accurate Calorie data when running of a treadmill. I have found that most treadmills are off speed wise to the FR60 for example I warm-up at 10:00 indicated pace on the treadmill and my FR60 shows anywhere from a 9:20-9:35. No a big deal since I'm logging the information for later retrieval.



Since I Cycle I use the GSC-10 Speed and Cadence Sensor for my Bicycle. Same setup as the Foot-Pod with regard to pairing. This can be used indoors as well during winter months on Stationary Fluid Trainer or Rollers to track speed and distance. The downside is NO FREAKING Odometer!!!!!!! what was Garmin Thinking. You get everything else Distance Current Speed Calories Avg/Max Speed Avg/Max Cadence Time Lap/Distance/Time/AvgSpeed/MaxSpeed/LapCalories blah blah blah... I had to add my old Speed sensor back to the front wheel to capture Overall ODO distance.



Functionality: The FR60 is pretty easy to set up once you figure out the page layout and logic. You get your data input(AGE HEIGHT WEIGHT ACTIVITY Class(read the manual for this one) into the devise under SETTINGS/USER. After pairing your footpod and Speed/Cadence sensor You can then set up your "TRAINING PAGES" This is where the FR60 really shines. You can take all the data collected from either your Run/Bike/Other and display up to 3 pieces of data on the screen and have 5 pages to display the data. You can have one screen for Time only and another for Distance and Pace then another for Heart Rate HR Zone Calories and so one. If only One line of info is displayed it fits almost the entire screen and gets smaller from there. the Dot Matrix LCD Screen is fairly easy to read at a glace either running or biking.



The FR60 HR Chest Sensor Foot-pod are all waterproof to 3 Meters so they can be worn during the swim portion of Triathlons or during off road runs that cross creeks or during Steeplechase events. I've worn mine during the swim of a sprint Triathlon. For Triathlon the F60 is not Tri Friendly meaning you cannot change sports easy. I just set it up in Other and Just Press Lap during transitions in and out. Since I'm only concerned with overall time and HR. The FR60 can be set up to scan for Pods so it will pick up either sensor when you press the lap button during T1 or T2. If your set on sport specific Timing press and hold the MODE button and you can then change sports.



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Mostly excellent

I was drawn to the Garmin FR60 as it represents one of the least expensive full-featured heart rate monitors which can download training data to a computer. Since I do a good chunk of my training indoors on a treadmill particularly in the winter a GPS based system was not required.



My experience with the Garmin FR60 has been mostly positive. First it's important to point out this watch is sold in at least 3 different bundles. There's the basic heart rate monitor only (all black watch) this version (red) which includes an ANT+ Stick used to download training data to a computer and a more expensive version which includes a foot pod for measuring distance. When shopping for this watch be sure you know which bundle you're ordering I had to return the black version after ordering it without realizing it didn't include the ANT+ Stick.



The watch itself is a nice form factor smaller than the large Polar S120 I'm replacing. Initial setup is easy the included quickstart guide walks you through the procedure in straightforward fashion. The screen is easy to read and navigation between menus and setting adjustments is easy. My only gripe with the watch is the placement of the Lap/Split and Start/Stop buttons. Quite simply these should be reversed. The Start/Stop button is a large white button centered just below the display area it's quite easy to press. The Lap/Split button is a small button on the side of the watch and takes a firm touch to trigger. When I'm running hard it's takes a bit of concentration to record a lap certainly more than I'd like. I expect I'll get more comfortable with this as I use the watch more.



The heart rate strap fits comfortably and is in most ways quite similar to my familiar Polar T31 chest strap with one important exception it has a door through which I can replace the battery. The Polar strap has to be sent back for a new battery and a replacement strap is $30-40. The replacable battery on the Garmin is a nice upgrade. As for function the heart rate is recorded accurately and I've yet to see it interrupted by interference. Of note the Garmin HR strap does not appear to be compatible with any treadmill I've seen the watch still records HR accurately but the treadmill will not display HR on screen. Polar seems to have cornered the market here.



Once a workout is complete recorded heart rate data can be downloaded to a computer via the ANT+ Stick a simple USB stick. Once setup the download process is quite easy. Garmin offers two options for logging your data the desktop-only Garmin TrainingCenter (which must be downloaded) or the web-based Garmin Connect. I've tried them both and find the TrainingCenter software easier to use particularly when viewing heart rate data graphs. If you spring for the footpod the software will correlate HR time and distance. Workout notes can be entered making this a nice all-around training log. It seems like development is on-going for the web-based Garmin Connect so it's possible it will get improved features in the future. Note that the data can be exported from either program as XML-based TCX files which can be processed into Excel sheets (with third party software) or uploaded to other third-party training log software. If you're comfortable with the format the TCX files can be edited directly to include data not recorded by the watch (distance if not measured by the foot pod calories burned etc).



Overall this setup has allowed me to do exactly what I had hoped; accurately record my heart rate over training runs and download it to a computer for review and analysis and comparison with previous workouts. I'm excited enough about the system that I'll be adding the SDM4 Footpod to record distance as well. If the Lap and Start/Stop buttons we're swapped it would be the perfect non-GPS based running tool and an excellent value as one of the least expensive heart rate monitors which can download to a computer.More detail ...

Impressive Hardware Poor Software Non-Existant Support

Update: after two months of using the 405 I have some additional observations. Based on my experiences I would lower the star rating to 3 stars. The decrease in rating is due to incredibly poor software and support from Garmin. The hardware is still extremely impressive despite the software failings.



Software and Support:



The Garmin Connect (which allows you to track your training progress) is nothing more than a beta with limited functionality and slow response times. Moreover it is still very buggy. The software which automatically uploads the computer data to Garmin Connect just suddenly stopped working a month ago.



Hold times to get in touch with Garmin telephone support is 45 minutes. Email support is terrible - it has taken a full MONTH to have two email exchanges with support. All this and the problem has not been fixed.



Moreover the software is poorly designed. You have to constantly monitor Garmin's website for software updates (there is no "Check for Update" feature). If a problem occurs in the software there are no features to aid in resolving the problem.



Hardware:



First impressions: the form factor is nice but you need to be aware that the watch is somewhat "thick". If you are wearing a button down shirt the 405 will not fit comfortably under a sleeve cuff. However looking at it from above it looks like a normal watch. Wearing it while running will probably not draw a second look from other runners. This is also a downside since you want people to notice your shiny new 405.



Setup - this took only a few minutes and was very easy. TThe 405 walks you through a brief tutorial. Overall setup was very easy.



Navigation - this takes a few minutes to get the hang of. Once you have the buttons down it is quite easy to navigate. The sensitivity of the touch bezel is adjustable for your taste. I've played with the 305 in the store and the 405 actually seems more intuitive to navigate.



Initial lock - finding the satellites takes a few minutes the first time. It will lock on much faster if you are not moving. Subsequent times to find the satellites was much quicker.



Use - After you have turned on the GPS and gotten a lock all you need to do is press start to begin your workout. It was very easy to use. I basically forgot about it while I was running other than to check my pace every mile or so. Kept a lock the entire time (keep in mind this was in Chicago's Lincoln Park - roughly 2/3rds of the sky is clear (except for trees) so achieving constant lock-on should not be a problem for any GPS. I have not tested this downtown).



For those worried about water resistance my first usage of my 405 was in the pouring rain. It didn't seem to notice (or care) about the rain. It can handle a good amount of water without issue.



Syncing - you need to download the software from Garmin (it's actually a web plug in). However the manual was clearly rushed out the door. Not only does it contain typos (at one point it refers to the wrong step) but it is not clear from the manual that you need to download the USB drivers. DO NOT put the ANT USB key into the computer until you have downloaded the specific ANT drivers from Garmin (so you have to download two different pieces of software - the plugin and the USB driver). If you plug the ANT key into the computer w/o the Garmin USB driver Windows will find what it thinks is the correct driver (which is the wrong driver). The syncing will not work if you do this. Just a heads up.



I wish I owned a 305 to compare it to. In the Garmin store the 405 did not see that much smaller than the 305 although the 405 was clearly more elegant. Functionally I hear that they are extremely similar. You just need to personally evaluate whether the 405 is really worth the increased cost over the 205/305. Personally I plan on keeping the 405.



Battery Life - After playing with it for 30 minutes taking it on an hour's run and syncing it with my computer it only used 12% of the battery life.More detail ...

Misleading: Not a Triathlete watch

This device has been represented as a triathlete's watch and the first swim proof GPS watch. If you watch the video from Garmin or see any of the advertisements Garmin leads you to believe that this watch will collect reliable data for all 3 multisport events. It is reasonable for someone to assume this watch can be worn in a race and collect GPS data in the water since of course SWIMMING is the first event in a triathlon.



If you are considering buying this watch realize the following:



-This device does not collect usable data in the water period (other than time which any $20 waterproof watch can collect in a much smaller form factor). No heart rate data and totally unusable and inaccurate GPS data while in the water.



-There are preset modes for run bike and "other" in which "other" shows a person on skis (explain that one?). They intentionally omit a category for swimming despite advertising that this watch is for triathletes (see the photo I added under product photos).



-You will need to purchase a separate quick release kit if you want to use this watch on a bike. It does not get accurate data on a bike if you are wearing in on your wrist. It auto pauses then unpauses for most of the time I am riding if I wear it on my wrist -- even if I have it set to only auto pause when completely stopped. The quick release kit IS NOT the more common one for the 205 and 305 Garmin 010-10889-00 Forerunner 305/205 Quick Release Kit so do not buy that one. They have made a new one for this watch and most places do not have it in stock yet. As of the date I am writing this review it is not yet available on Amazon.com. Go to Garmin's website and look under the accessories tab for this watch. You will see a different model number. I have confirmed this with customer service. The part number for the proper quick release kit is: 010-11215-00. Google it.



-If you want foot cadence or the ability to track distance indoors and assume you get it for spending $400 on this device think again. You will have to buy a separate foot pod which costs $80-100 depending on where you buy it (earlier Garmin Forerunner watch kits included foot pods). Garmin Foot Pod SDM4 (ANT+)



-The watch is large and sits high on top of the wrist (they packed 20 hours of batter life into this watch) so to wear it under your wetsuit will let water in the wetsuit or you will have to wear it on top of (or crammed in front of) the wetsuit which will not allow you to remove your wetsuit without first removing the watch (thus adding time to your transition and sort of negating that whole "triathlete" angle). You can see a photo of this watch on my wrist under the photos section of the product.



-There is no way to turn off GPS tracking for only one of the 3 events in multisport mode. Therefore you will always either have incorrect GPS data recording for the swimming mode (or actually "other" since there is no "swim" mode as previously mentioned). I have called customer support and they confirm this. Their solution was to turn off GPS while I am swimming then reset and manually start a new timer and mode during transition 1 for my bike event. I'll let you be the judge of how to take that advice.



So in conclusion if you want to setup this watch for a bike and run and want the ability to wear the watch in the water before hand (and no start it unless you want some incorrect distance data included) you will need to buy:



$400 - the Garmin 310XT with HR

$25 - quick release mount kit (for wrist and bike) (no link in Amazon yet)

$80-100 - foot pod (if you want cadence)

Garmin Foot Pod SDM4 (ANT+)

$35-50 - speed/cadence sensor (if you want cadence for the bike)

GARMIN 010-10644-00 Speed/Cadence Sensor



You'll be into it for $575 retail. Garmin you did us wrong on this one. Some of us are willing to spend this kind of money on a product if it proves to do what it advertises itself to do. We're not asking it to do anything more than perform as advertised. I realize your fine print saves you from lawsuits but it doesn't gain you repeat customers. It sends them over to Polar.More detail ...

Great watch for running indoors or outdoors

After using the Forerunner 305 for over two years I decided to replace it with the 405cx and am very happy with my decision. But first let me address the main criticism of the 405cx and its predecessor the 405--the bevel and touch system.



Garmin is not Apple so the bevel and touch are not on par with the scroll wheel on an Ipod or the touch on an iPod Touch--but they still work fine. Granted if the bevel gets sweaty or I touch it with sweaty fingers (not something unexpected for an exercise watch) it becomes nonresponsive until I wipe off the sweat. But this is not a big deal for me. When I run I simply use auto scroll which is unaffected by moisture. And if I want to override auto scroll by using a manual touch it takes only a second to wipe the sweat off the bezel or my fingers. So don't be discouraged from buying this unit based on the bevel and touch.



While the 305 is a great unit here is why I like the 405cx better. Note: I use this on an Intel powered Macbook running the latest edition of Leopard without any problems.



1. Although the 405cx is as thick as the 305 it is noticeably smaller and lighter.



2. I like the wireless ANT technology that automatically transfers data rather than having to place the unit in a USB cradle as with the 305 (though doing so is not a big deal) and also effortlessly pairs with my heart rate monitor and foot pod (which must be purchased separately).



3. The 305 has no power save mode and I inadvertently drained the battery a couple of times when I forgot to turn it off after running or put it in the charger. The 405cx not only has an automatic power save mode but you can turn off the GPS when running indoors to further save power. With the GPS turned off barely any power is used. Also this ability to turn the GPS off makes it easier to use the footpod when running indoors (the 305 first has to search for a satellite signal before realizing you are indoors and that can take several minutes).



4. I find the bevel and touch system on the 405cx much easier to use than the buttons on the 305 in order to change various features. But I like electronic gadgets and as I said above the sweat issue is not a big deal for me.



Here are some tips:



1.
Rinse the unit the heart rate monitor and the strap after each use with plain water.



2.
Keep the unit in the charging clip after each use to ensure you always have enough power. A simple touch of the bevel will tell you the percentage of power left. The charging clip can be powered via a USB port on your computer or via an electric outlet using an AC adaptor. The included AC adaptor with the 405cx is very clunky; I use the Apple travel charger for the iPod instead. Make sure the charging clip is properly attached to the unit or you will drain the unit instead of charging it (already happened to me).





3.
Although the unit lists three training fields there are actually four if you have the heart rate monitor--by default only the heart rate shows up in the first field but you can modify that to include two additional data items.



4.
Unlike the 305 where you can move forward and backward between data fields the 405cx lets you move only forward. Therefore when I run indoors I turn off my "outdoor only" data fields--grade elevation etc.--so that I don't waste time looking at them.



5. For a first time purchaser to whom cost is important I would say get the 305. My reasons for switching to the 305 may not be important to you.



6. Buy the new version of the footpod rather than the old version (I have reviewed both on Amazon) for running indoors.



7. I use a Mac software program called Ascent that I think is far superior to Garmin Connect and Garmin Training Center and unlike the former does not require an internet connection to upload data.



Bottom Line: I have had this unit for three weeks and run over 100 miles both indoors on a treadmill and outdoors in all kinds of weather--light rain cool nights and hot humid days. I really like this unit. Due to the bevel and touch issues I would have rated it 4 ½ stars if I could but since there are no ½ star ratings I gave it 5 stars despite those issues because for me they are negligible compared to the rich features on the 405cx. If you are a serious runner you will love this unit.



Update July 22 2009: I have now been using this for about six weeks and logged over 200 miles. In that time I have had the bevel lock up due to sweat only twice: once in the gym and once outside. The point is that this is even less of a problem than I thought and should not discourage you from buying this unit.



A more serious issue is with the ANT technology. Sometimes I will get a message on my laptop that the transfer of data to the laptop from the 405cx was not successful. I then quit the Garmin Ant Agent on my laptop (and sometimes remove and reinsert the ANT USB stick as well) restart it and have to go through this process three or four times before the data finally transfers to my laptop. The problem began after I updated the ANT software and I see from Garmin forums that other users have experienced the same problem. Hopefully this is just a bug that Garmin will fix in a later update. While I would not let this discourage you from buying the 405cx just keep in mind that a wireless transfer of data while convenient is not always problem free.



Update August 21 2009: Garmin released an update for Macs (and I assume for PCs as well) that solved the download problems using the ANT technology. Now the data transfers work perfectly.



The more I use this watch the better I like it. Here are my latest comments:



1. The backlight is far superior to that on the Forerunner 305. It produces a much brighter light that I appreciate when running at night either outdoors or on the treadmill at my gym (the treadmill area is kind of dim at night).



2. The battery life is excellent. Even with BOTH the backlight AND the GPS on for a couple of hours battery capacity is still 75% when I am finished running. What this means as a practical matter is that if you forget to hook this watch up to the charger after a long run you will still be good to go for your next run. The battery life per charge on the Forerunner 305 is not as good and sometimes when I forgot to charge the 305 between runs the battery would die during the second run.



3. The "sweat issue"--i.e. the watch becoming non-responsive when the bevel gets sweaty--has become a non-issue for me since I haven't experienced any problem in months. Perhaps that is because I periodically "towel off" the sweat on my wrist and forearm during a long run.



Update January 9 2010: I continue to recommend this watch as the best GPS watch for serious runners. Using it this winter has been a pleasure. Here is why:



1. I have run in sub-freezing temperatures where the "real feel" with the wind has been as cold as zero. I keep this watch around the outside sleeve of my running jacket so the GPS function is not impeded (as it would be if the watch was covered up). The bitter cold has had no adverse effect of any kind so far.



2. When I take a break during my run at a local convenience store the watch does not fog up when I go inside and after I have warmed up it does not fog up when I go back outside.



3. I have run in light snow which I just shake off the watch periodically without any adverse effect (and I did not expect any since I have run in light rain during warmer weather without any problems).



In short this watch is performing great during a very cold winter in the Northeast.



Update May 24 2010: I have been using this for almost a year and it still works great. On a recent vacation to Mexico the satellite signal was picked up quickly and without any problem and the same was true when I returned home to New Jersey. Also I ran outdoors in very hot and humid weather and was drenched with sweat. It just took a couple of seconds to wipe it off the unit so that it would function properly. Here is a cleaning tip: At the end of each run I stop the timer then touch the Time/Date at the top of the unit to switch to the time and then lock the bezel before I rinse the watch off. I found that if I tried to lock the bezel while the unit was still on the exercise screen sometimes I would accidentally restart the timer. But that doesn't happen if you switch to the Time/Date before locking the bezel.



I still believe that this is the best GPS watch on the market for serious runners.More detail ...

Excellent workout tool

I like this thing quite a lot. I've had it for about three weeks and have used it on 12 workouts so far. I use it primarily for running with biking a secondary usage. The main reason I wanted it was for the instantaneous readout of distance running pace and heart rate the latter needed for the speed work I want to do this running season.



The core functionality (distance and heart rate monitoring) works perfectly. There's none of the signal drops I've had with other heart monitors. Once the satellites are initially acquired I've only had one dropout when I was outside. The initial acquisition of the satellites can be quirky and can take some time. The accuracy (according to the readout) is +/- 25ft depending on how many satellites can be found. I've compared the distance measurement on the GPS with a known measured distance on one of the trails I run on (the Chicago lakefront path). The GPS always increments a mile when I'm within 5 or 10 feet of the mile marker sign on the path. Well I guess that's the least I should expect from a $350 GPS unit! Of course it's bigger than a normal running stopwatch but that hasn't bothered me at all. The heart rate strap is also very comfortable and well-designed.



The display is crisp and has one outstanding feature: The information presented on the various pages can be completely user-customized. The default screen layout is rather poor but in just a few steps I could replace it with the information I wanted to see while I run. There are almost 40 different data fields you can choose from for display. Examples: current pace average lap pace average run pace heartrate distance.



The only disappointment is the point-in-time (instantaneous) pace measurement: It varies wildly during a run. I see swings as big as +/- 3 minutes/mile. I'm a marathoner and I know my pace is fairly consistent during a run. I just looked at my run today and according to the data the first mile varied from 5:57/mile to 12:06 mile. I suspect the problem is either in the averaging algorithm (too short a distance?) or in the uncertainty that results from different satellites coming in and out of view. The variations seem to get worse under tree cover compared with an open area. Luckily there's a lap-average pace that can be presented and at least that value is useful and more accurate. The bottom line is that you can't look at the watch and say "right now I'm running 9 mins/mile". There is the ability to specify a pace smoothing factor but I have it maxed out and still see the variations. The elevation readout also seems inaccurate but that isn't important to me.



Upload of workout data to the PC software (Training Center) is transparent. The PC software is very good for presenting time/distance/pace/heartrate/calorie data. However the maps it shows are very crude. I've worked a bit with one of the online subscription services (MotionBased). That looks really good and provides some additional functionality beyond the included Training Center software although I still haven't decided if it's worth the $$$ yet for long-term data storage. MotionBased allows export to Google Earth and it's tremendously cool to see your running path superimposed on a satellite image. You can recharge the unit through the USB port on your computer although it's slower than using the dedicated recharger.



I had hoped that owning this device would prove motivational for me and indeed it has. I can't imagine running or biking without it. Updating my training log is trivial now: Plug this thing into my computer and it's done. My hope is that a future software update will do something about the pace calculation (maybe a few additional levels of smoothing?). If so the Forerunner 305 would earn 5 stars+++.





Positives:



Flawless heart rate sampling

Great distance measuring and lap-average pace calculation

Seamless integration with a PC

Fully-automatic training log update

User-customizable display





Negatives;



Wildly-varying pace readout.

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