It's up to how you define "accurate", to 0.01% of the actual heartbeat at 99.9999% of the time?
As an aspired non-competitive cyclist solely seeking good cardiovascular exercise, I don't look at my meter all the time, in fact nowadays I only look at the meter at the end of the ride or When I suspect I am over the limit… So total duration I lay my eye on the meter is less than 30second over 30km ride... Hence, to within +/-5 BPM is imho sufficient. But this is just me, you can have a different requirements…
There are those who favour "the feel" of either type. There are also weight Winnie's whose say chest strap is too heavy…
I wear chest strap. when I ride hard enough to sweat, usually I forget it's even there.

This post has been edited by KenC: Feb 4 2018, 02:24 PM

haha.. i lol when u wrote about those who think that chest strap are heavy

yes, i agree ken. different people have different requirements. for me, on the contrary to your usage, when i ride hard enough, that is when i pay most attention to the heart rate data. im particular not to over exceed my heart rate limit (max heart rate) when i push the gas. doing that way, i can maintain to pedal at faster speed for a longer period of time, and aware of when i have to slow down. hopefully that way, i can avoid being another statistic of the fallen cyclist. hopefully lah.

isnt cardio also related to heart rate exercise? AFAIK we need to reach certain heart rate zone to get the most effective result of our cardio workout. HIIT also focuses on certain heart rate zone.

+- 5BPM is not that much of a difference. but, if for someone like me, depending on the HRM to show the current data of max hr during riding, +-5BPM is a lot! . for example, max heart rate is 180bpm. device A shows 180bpm, device B shows 175 and device C shows 185bpm (let's say B and C is the +-5bpm). on B, I'll run out of breath because i over exceed my max without knowing (of course by 'feel' sure know you're bonk! ), and on C, i'll be wondering why I still have the gas when i over exceed 5bpm of my max. to be honest, i'll run out of breath even i over exceed 1 or 2 bpm of my max hr, let alone 5bpm.

and for this reason alone, for cycling, im opinionated that chest heart strap works better than wrist sensor. but if for tracking fitness, any fitness tracker with a descent wrist sensor will do the job just fine. it really depends on the priorities on what are you going to use it for.

Sorry for my ignorance, but measuring your heart rate does not prevent you from getting a heart attack, if your heart has an underlying issue?
If so, your maximum heart rate should be different to someone of the same age but with a healthy heart. So, how do you know what this number is for you?

I bought quite a number of GPS units before and still have two, a 800 and a 510 (my wife's) and both of them came with cadence sensors and HRMs. I sold them all I don't use them at all as I usually ride according to my mood. If I feel energetic, I am faster but most of the time, I ride leisurely. If I feel if it is too fast for myself (this also means the heart rate is faster) , I mean you can feel it although we don't know the actual rate precisely, I will stop and if it is too much , I stop to rest.

Sometimes, like the one mentioned, they become too absorbed especially when in a group and especially when they are very competitive, they actually forgets that their heart is burning! Anyway, it happens at badminton as well. Our body tells us a lot, you just have to listen to our body signs.

Usually when they start using, they set a max for themselves. What they do is, they will exert fully with the intended HRMs and they ride till they are pale and then set their max from there.

desastar, this is how the Birdy looks like now. Still has many components to collect before actually riding it. The RD hanger is stuck but I didn't bother trying to take them out. I sprayed the new color over them. Also the roller bearings at the rear pivot was stuck too but after a wash with WD-40 and some work , they are turning smooth again. Also, this frame can't accept a 20 inch wheel but I have already got the 20 inch front fork. SO, still figuring what my next step will be.







This post has been edited by etigge: Feb 5 2018, 01:00 AM

See how the Thais make their Dahons. They want a suspension system for their front fork and you have a few choices actually. You can get the Kilo fork, or the RST capa 20 (not available here) or the chokia 20 inch .China brand suspension fork which can get from one seller in BBS. OR you can get the Birdy or Rhine's front fork

This fork actually works well. You can see the fork absorbing the bumps and you don't feel them when riding. More friendly to the wrist when riding long.



This post has been edited by etigge: Feb 5 2018, 01:07 AM

Again one must emphasise one cycle for cardiovascular exercise outdoor.
Now HRM is my the "red line" alert. But it wasnt always so… In the 1st few months of my cycling, I was in a hurry to get fit… Push like hell… every time! There comes my free used Decathlon strap HRM, after some reading and experiments, guess what, I was doing 180~190BPM, most of the time… and at my age, theoretical max is 170BPM… Scare to death! Immediately pull hand brake and reduce to 80~90% and things went for the better, recovery faster, average speed improve, stamina better, weight also drop like a stone.
Now I stop chasing and return to cardiovascular exercise. 140~150BPM is my target. Sweat like a pig and pan like a dog. Happy me!
1 hour ++ every session, speed fast enough to cool the body enough.
I am definitely too old for competitive cycling…
Tried very hard to ride for leisure… maybe I just to young for that now
Yes, lots of factors affecting your heart rate, such as sleep deprived, poor diet… etc, but a glance at your heart rate and you know if you are still not exceed the "red line". If you think you are too suffering even before the red line, take a break have a KitKat.
#kiasibutnotkiasu

This post has been edited by KenC: Feb 5 2018, 01:40 AM

yes, heart rate differ from person to person, and age as well. max heart rate can be tested at the lab, or for me, i just follow the max heart rate test already pre loaded factory setup on my 530. can do it at home on a trainer or stationary bike. got LTHR, MHR, FTP test as well. how accurate is the test, i dont know. but it seems the numbers are working fine for me.

about the heart rate attack, maybe it's my ignorance also. but, i try to take the precaution step. prevention is better than cure. hopefully those hr data would provide early warning signs before the attack. hopefully lah

Going over your Max heart rate in long run may damage your heart over a period of time.
It is especially dangerous for those who never exercise for decades suddenly decide to pump their heart out.

In saturday that case, I would assume it was a cardiac arrest or heart attack. We really don't know as the deceased seems to have time to stop and park the bike before collapsing. I would certainly think it is heart attack as usually cardiac arrest is sudden and unannounced.

Either way, for cardiac arrest, CPR has to be administer within 1-2 min to maximised the survival rate, AED has to be attached within the golden few minutes too, in this senario, survival chance is slim.

for heart attack, they may be slight better chance, blood thinner drugs- aspirin, etc etc. but if the blockage is severe, susah also la..

poor stand. now already yellow

Wow, so fast?? I've got to "tapek" you. Full set of stickers as well!

The frame can't take 20 inch wheels? What is the problems? Front or back?

**Edit** Sorry, you mentioned the 20" front fork, so the problem is the back. Didn't know there's been a change in the rear? So, despite using skinny tyres?


This post has been edited by desastar: Feb 5 2018, 03:14 PM

Yes, the Birdy is a comfortable bike. The front absorbed the bumps well, so no jarring.

Yeap, I have decided to move the rear stay bracing an inch higher so it can accommodate a 20 inch wheels. I still prefer 20 inch over the 18 inch. My wife has a Rhine now which is also a 20 inch, so no need to carry a different sized inner tube when riding. After riding the Rhine, she's all thumbs up To be frank, to get an original Birdy is a bit steep. After fiddling with the Birdy and Rhine, they are SO SIMILAR One is RM6000.00 while another is RM3,500.00 from Taobao. What's more suprising is the Rhine actually gives better spec-ed components and they are all inter-changeable with Birdy.

Also, once you tabulate the components on the Birdy Classic, the OEM components is less than RM1,500 and even less if they are OEM from suppliers. My guess is Riese and Muller gets a big chunk too. Imagine you get a Rhine, full frame set with handle post, fork and frame from Taobao. Other components get locally, slap a 11 speed Deore XT right hand side shifter, Sunrace 11 speed 11/40 cassette, XT RD, Lite pro 53T chainring, 11 sped chain, Avid SD 1.1 brake calipers with FR5 levers, 20 inch wheelset........let's say a Machete set with Schwalbes, cables and handle bar, it is still much much lower than the cheapest Birdy.

The darn Birdy frame is very expensive

Anyone here knows any aluminum fabricators? I can take out the rear stays bracing but need someone to TIG weld it back. Just 2 circle along the end of 3/4 inch tube.

A photo of your rear stay would be most helpful.

I was going to suggest that but you need someone who CAN Tig weld, not just claim they can. Get them to show you a sample of their weld before they touch your frame. I've had someone destroy my frame once, and he assured me beforehand that he can do the job.

An inch will enable you to also fit wider tyres!!

But, you will have to touch up the frame after?

same problem bro..😅

long time i didnt cycle into green environment and lovely hills. but yesterday i really enjoy the view

Not just TIG weld, also must have post welding heat treatment oven. Aluminum. What grade aluminum is that?

What??

No!!!!

I just upgraded my d8 with those setting. Bike still at lbs. Hopefully my mech friend can produce some wonders with it.

Wishful thinking.😅

This post has been edited by fatani: Feb 5 2018, 11:36 PM

From memory that is 7075 aluminium, no heat treatment required.