Submitted by
RickN
a Cross Country Rider
from Lakewood, CO
Date Reviewed: September 24, 2003
Strengths: Easy to read display. Interval training and timing functions are easy to use. Minimum interference with other monitors. Weatherproof. Comfortable chest strap. Handlebar mount and velco strap stays put. Long battery life.
Weaknesses: display face scratches somewhat easily.
Bottom Line:
Maybe the best thing about this monitor is the customer service. I had a problem with one of the functions and my chest strap had stretched out after almost 3 years of use. Sports Instruments replaced the monitor and strap promptly and free of charge. Having a company support its product in such a prompt and professional manner makes for a happy customer.
If you can find one of these, buy it. You'll save money and still get a great product and great support if you ever do have a problem.
Submitted by
Piet Smits
a Racer
from Zuidland, the Netherlands
Date Reviewed: June 15, 2002
Strengths: Service
Weaknesses: didn't work
Bottom Line:
I bought the hrm on impulse at the local bicycle shop, as a discount, hence the price. When I came home the manual was missing, so after some searching on the Internet I found the e-mail adress of the Italian importer for Europe. I sent them an e-mail, asking them to update the link to the manual on their website, but this didn't seem possible, but they asked for my adress and sent me a complete manual by mail. Having received the manual I found out the HRM-functions were not working. Again I sent an e-mail and they gave me some advise, and offered to repair or replace the set. I sent them the HRM and within a week I received a enveloppe and a letter telling they could not repair the set, probably because of a software error. However they sent me the top model of their present line ECG5, and man this really worked terrific. The functions are a little less than the Circuit 7, but I didn't need them anyway. Can not really rate it however, because I have not really used the model, but just wants to express the warm feeling I got from this terrific service. So kept it in the middle.
Strengths: I bought this for features although I am not a racer. My cardiologist suggest I wear a heart monitor while training and my wife picked this one up.
Weaknesses: A bit hard to get through the setup with out the manual although the watch face shows features it can be impossible to program unless you frequently make changes.
Only other peeve is the velcro.
Bottom Line:
Great price excellent features but not the best for a guy who isn't electronic friendly
Submitted by
Jerry Kern
a Racer
from Newport, Or, USA
Date Reviewed: April 4, 2001
Strengths: It really does not have any as it is undependable.
Weaknesses: You cannot record split times and times in zones at same time. It has not been dependable. I get readings all over the place. Nothing that is good.
Bottom Line:
I have owned other monitors for less than $60 that are a little flakey, but one can doe adjustments to make sense out of the workout. There is nothing I can out of the readings coming from this unit. Do not bother buying this unit.
Submitted by
Adam Fetterman
a Cross Country Rider
from Asheville, NC
Date Reviewed: March 9, 2001
Strengths: see below
Bottom Line:
follow up to my previous post below - heard from Sports Inst within a day of my last post and sent my HRM off to Bill Corliss who said they would repair or replace. I sent it off to them with a request that I get it back ASAP (by today actuallY) because I'm leaving on a trip for AZ tomorrow and wanted to be able to have the HRM for riding out there. Got the HRM back yesterday via UPS 2day air brand new and worked great on last night's ride. I'm very impressed as most companies take forever on turnaround and few if any that I've dealt with will cover the extra few bucks for expedited shipping without a complaint. Kudos to you Bill - Thanks!! Update my previous review to 5 flaming piles for value and 5 for overall rating.
Strengths: PRICE, interval features, time in/above/below target rate, loud beeper, two year warranty, free handlebar adapter/software
Weaknesses: watch band (velcro? velcro???!!!) face scratches easy
Bottom Line:
60 bucks man, just 60 bucks!!! picked this up from supergo a couple weeks ago and have been using it to coach me through a long long lonely winter on the east coast--indoor training suck and i never get as good a workout inside as i do outside, so i needed something to help me get more out of indoor rides. for the price, this fits the bill perfectly.
i bought a refurbished polar protrainer last year on clearence from performance and it was a piece of junk--never gave me consistant readings, always crapped out, etc. the curcuit 7 (so far) works a lot better. if you think spending more for a polar will get you better quality, IT WON'T!!! Save yourself 100 clams and get this one instead. it's got all the feature's of the pricey models (in/above/under target and 2 interval modes) and works better to boot.
on the trainer, the reading are always there (except for when i sit up and get more than a couple feet from the receiver--i have a loooong torso). outside, i had it give me a "0" reading once when crossing through some power lines, but i've heard all monitors do that on occasion under the same circumstances. other than that, it works great.
set up is easy since the on-screen prompts tell you which buttons to push. the alarm is LOUD, which is good, if you use it. the interval training seems usefull, but its too early in the season to be doing that crap. i'm sure i'll use it in the summer though.
didn't like the velcro band, so i spent 5 bucks on a cheapy plastic one instead. the velcro one was comfortable, but cloth bands get stinky somethin' fierce when you sweat in them day after day. also, the training software that comes with it for free sucks; but hey, it was free, so take it or leave it. it also came with a handlebar adapter which works great, so that's a plus.
the rubberized coating on the face of the watch makes it look a little cheap, and it scratches easy. But for 60 bucks i'll live with it. as long as it keeps working the way it was been over the last 2 weeks, i'll be happy.
one last thing--you can replace the batteries yourself--you don't have to send it back to the manufacturer w/ a 30 dolar check like with the poloar models.
Submitted by
Adam Fetterman
a Cross Country Rider
from Asheville, NC
Date Reviewed: February 27, 2001
Strengths: price - ease of use - good display - like the backlight
Weaknesses: stopped working after one muddy ride
Bottom Line:
Was given this hrm as a gift recently as I'm beginning to train for my first mtb race (nice to see on my wrist when I'm about to drop dead). Anyway - ways really happy with it for the first week and was just starting to figure out the software (which seems to have some bugs in it). Wen tout for a ride SUn afternoon - it had rained most of the night Sta and therefore the trails were pretty muddy and the air fairly humid - halfway through the ride the thing just quit on me - still displaying numbers on the screen but does not respond to pushing any buttons. Have emailed the company (yesterday) and have not received a response (granted it's only one day, but in this day and age I think any reputable company should be checking its email at least daily if not multiple times a day and respond immediately to customers' complaints and issues). So if anyojne from Sport's Instruments is reading this please get a hold of me!
Other comments - fits nicely, appears to be good construction but face scratches pretty easily. Like how it looks.
gets 4 flaming turds for value undetr the assumption that it wouldwork as intended but so far only 1 overall because I only got one week of use outof it and have not received a response form the comany - will update when I get a response and hopefully a solution.
Submitted by
Terry Keenan
a Racer
from St. Louis MO USA
Date Reviewed: January 31, 2001
Strengths: Finally, a heart-rate monitor that I like, that didn't cost a month's rent. Chest-strap feels great. Buttons are easy to push, and the computer software is an extra bonus, even though I haven't figured it out completely. Very east to program for workouts, Interval Coach is nice too.
Weaknesses: Not able to download information onto the computer.
Bottom Line:
What a deal. 60 smackers. Eat your heart out Polar. Polar was such a ?itch with the warranty. One day in the drizzle left water drops under the crystal. It still worked okay, but then the crystal broke when I tapped it against a door. Polar wanted to charge me an arm and a leg to repair it. I used to money to help pay for my flight home from Europe instead. The Cardiosport was okay. Good for the money. But the transmission wasn't very good. This was a '97 model, hopefully they've improved with the encoded transmission signals. The P-Brain is a good idea, especially if you spend 99% of the time on the bike. It would be nice if they made it into a wrist watch though, so you could wear it to bed or during winter cross-training. The transmission signal seemed to work well. But the feedback is very limited without the download option. And then unfortunately, the computer software is very dated, maybe made for a Commodore computer back in the 80's? It doesn't incorporate the functions of heart-rate, altitude, limits, speed, distance, etc. very well. It's alot of guess work. And finally, the Circuit 7 costs alot less, seems durable, versatile, easy to push buttons, and the transmission is great. Buy this, and still have money for the girlfriend.
Strengths: Great (comfortable, stretchy) chest strap, good sensitivity, good handlebar mount, quality look and feel to the unit.
Weaknesses: Features. It has no multiple zone programmability. I'd like it to say that I spent x ammt. of time in zone 3 and 2 etc. It lets me set my upper and lower, then the memory function recalls my time in, above and below those limits.
Bottom Line:
Obviously, I'd be shopping for a very simple heartrate monitor in this price range. I wanted certain features but I found more expensive (Polar) monitors daunting. Also, my experience is that often these things just don't work. So I thought I could risk sixty smackers and so far I'm happy. The Circuit 7 comes with training software on floppy disk that I'm using. Spend some time developing your program so you'll know what heartrates to shoot for and you'll find the Circuit 7 an able companion and guide. I plan to use the interval feature this spring.
Bike Setup: Mandaric Genius road frameset with mishmash Dura ace from '92 thru '99. Classics Pro wheels
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Kenton E
a Weekend Warrior
from Kansas
Date Reviewed: November 29, 2000
Strengths: Price - that's why I bought it, but ease of use and advanced functions make it nice. I've never owned a heart monitor, but haven't had a problem getting this one to respond. Functions are also simple to configure, and you don't have to send it in to replace batteries.
Weaknesses: Like the other reviews I've read, I wish the backlight was brighter. Don't like the wrist band for wearing, but works great with the handlebar mount that was included. If I was using it strictly for running, I would probably buy a regular watch band.
Bottom Line:
For the price and functions, so far I'm completely satisfied. I would buy it again "in a heartbeat".
This is a followup to my review from 2 yrs ago. HRM still works great. I had to replace batteries in the monitor and in the transmitter once; the same, cheap battery is used for both applications and replacement was simple. I haven't pampered it and now the face is a little scratched - a harder material here would be an improvement. I love the interval coach/recovery timer. My needs and knowledge have changed in the past 2 years, so now I do wish it had more than one target zone (it has time below/in/above). Download capability would be nice too. But you can't have everything and it does what its supposed to do very well... so 5 chilis.
This is a preliminary review as I've only had the HRM for a few weeks. I was initially leaning toward a Polar or Cardiosport because both have been in the HRM business for a while but my LBS, who generally offer good advice, suggested the Sports Instruments over Polar (which they also carry). Better value and improved chest strap, they said. And apparently Sports Instruments stuff is carried by an excellent distributor, so my concerns about being stuck with a bad product and out of business company were mostly alleviated.So far the $195 Circuit 7 appear to be an excellent value for the money. It has more functions than top of the line Polars (minus the ability to download data to a PC, and bike computer functions). In other words, too much to mention. Simple to program because it provides flashing prompts on the screen. The beeping zone alarm is loud. The large three line display means that nearly all the information you could want is displayed at all times, but the buttons are easy to press while riding if you need to. Also includes an Interval Coach which is useful in structuring your workouts. Sorta like having a livid Europro team manager bellowing at you to get your arse in gear or lose that million dollar contract... ok,its only a beeping watch, but its a welcome feature -- and _loud_ beep. The chest strap is really comfortable (best I've tried) and the battery can be replaced at any watch store or jeweller. Very steady HR readings on the bike. I haven't tried it running yet. High voltage lines shut it down but thats expected. Cons: construction of the case seems a little cheap. That may just be an appearance issue - so far nothing has broken. The manual provides only enough info to operate the HRM, no training info. Sports Instruments makes cheaper models too. If you're LBS doesn't have 'em, check with REI.Five starts if it keeps working like it currently is, four for now.
