Log every mile and every minute with FR60, a sleek fitness watch plus workout tool that tracks your time, heart rate and calories burned. When bundled with the wireless foot pod (not included), FR60 also tracks speed and distance, indoors or out. Use FR60’s training tools to get the most out of your workout. Then, FR60 wirelessly sends your workout data to your computer for later analysis. Flexible digital heart rate monitor provides instant feedback about how hard you’re working. Once you’ve logged the miles, FR60 automatically transfers data to your PC or Mac, wirelessly when in range. Garmin FR60 Fitness Watch (Women’s Lilac) Also available in Women’s Black Train Indoors or Out In the gym or on the road, FR60 t [Read More...]
Buy Garmin FR60 Women’s Lilac Fitness Watch at Amazon
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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.
I had been looking at this sport watch for 6 months, and had read the reviews in Runners’ World. I felt I had researched well, and my husband ended up purchasing this for me for Christmas. I have yet to be able to use the watch while running because it is very difficult to figure out. I have a master’s degree, and use electronics frequently, so one would think I could easily figure this out. I tried several times, and my niece also worked on it for a week. No luck. I had one more person to try, and he had gotten other runners’ watches working. It took him several hours, but he did get it working. I have not yet had the time to try it out, but I will say that if I still can’t get it to work, it goes back. All I am interested in right now is my time, pace, and distance. Another MAJOR complaint is that the owners manual is not packaged with it! There is a quick start guide that was worthless. I did what it said and got nowhere. I spent over $200 for the watch and footpod, and then I am expected to print out the owners manual on my printer (40 pages!)? So, I hope that once I can use this watch, it works, and that I have to rewrite this review.