Specialized Allez – Review

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I bought a Specialized Allez in New York from Bellitte bike shop, Jamaica Avenue in New York. I was looking for a good value entry level training bike. My only specification was something that would replicate size and basic performance of my road bike home. The Specialized Allez is in a very different price bracket to my top of the range Dura Ace, Trek Madone – so it’s interesting to be riding a bike at the other end of the spectrum.

I was a little surprised at how good this relatively cheap road bike was. It was an eye opener to the fact you can pay a lot of money for a top of the range road bike, but the improvement in quality is not as much as you might expect for the higher cost. Or looking at it the other way, you can get a pretty good road bike for close to £500.

specialized-allez

The Specialized Allez replaced a very old 1980 steel Trek I had been riding in New York. It’s was a big step up from that so I was really happy in that sense. It replicates the ride of my road bike back home reasonably well. For the money ($820), I’m very happy. It is an excellent value road bike.

It looks good and I like the smooth lines and integration of frame, fork and other components. Specialized certainly do smooth well – I real bonus on a £500 bike. No internal cable routing, but you can’t expect that for this price. It looks like it might pass for a much more expensive bike.

specialized

When I went into the shop, I was determined to buy the cheapest road bike. The cheapest road bike was $500, but I really didn’t like it. You could just tell by looking at it, that it wasn’t going to lastThe Specialized Allez was standing out and looked like a proper road bike. That’s the one I wanted to get. I ended up spending $820 (in UK RRP is £550). If you’re lucky you may get the 2014 model for under £500.

I definitely I’m glad I spent that extra $300 (even if my  bank manager isn’t). There is probably as much difference in ride quality  between a a £300 road bike and a £550 road bike – and the difference between a £500 and £5,000 road bike. I don’t know if that makes sense. But, the absolute cheapest road bike didn’t feel good at all.

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Everesting Snake Pass

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As I mentioned yesterday, after Snake Pass hill climb, I joined Paul and Ben for a lap of their efforts to ‘Everest’ Snake Pass.

Ben emailed me to say Paul Talbot successfully completed the challenge on Sun 11.30pm after 14 hours ‘moving time’. 16 hours after he started. That’s 181 miles at an average speed of 12.8mph. 27 times up Snake Pass.

Ben says he retired after reaching 5,360m (approx base camp). Everesting is even tougher if you’re the better side of 86kg).

paul

You can see Paul’s Strava file here

It’s interesting to see Paul’s times for ascending Snake Pass

  • Climb 1 – 24.56 7.9mph
  • Climb 6 – 16.44 (hill climb entry) 11.8 mph

Then fairly consistent 23 minutes until last climb

  • Climb 27 – 41.33

chapeua!

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New cycling records in New York

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nyc-greenway-cunningham-park

I’ve often written about cycling in New York. Unfortunately, it’s hard to write anything too upbeat or positive. Cycling in Jamaica, Queens is really for the brave / foolhardy. In Manhattan there may have been a growth in cycling – even a cycling revolution. But the revolution is yet to reach the outskirts of the New York borders.

The first thing that strikes you about cycling in Queens is the paucity of any other cyclists on the road. If 0.1% of journeys are made by bicycle, I’d be surprised. Subconsciously you start asking – What do people in New York know that I don’t know? Is cycling illegal in New York?

Union Turnpike
Union Turnpike – 6 lanes for cars. 0 for bicycles

It seems quite a few motorists seem to think so. You can be cycling in the gutter, and big SUVs beep at you  – not because you’re in the way, but, well simply because they can. I was doing some interval training on a wide quiet road near Douglaston. It was really quite frequent that cars would beep their horn. The strange thing is that the road was so wide they could easily overtake without even slowing down. In England you might get beeped if you’re cycling up Snake Pass two abreast – there motorists really do have to slow down for 10 seconds. But, in New York, your simple presence is enough to irritate some drivers.

The other thing about cycling in New York is that it’s very slow. This is because of the road set up and traffic lights. You can wait for ages at traffic lights, even though there are no cars. If America replaced traffic lights with roundabouts, they could probably increase their GDP by at least 1%. Perhaps it wouldn’t be practical in lower Manhattan, but there are many lights where you will wait for nothing.

The standard of driving in New York is shocking. If you stand anywhere at the roadside, you will quickly lose count of the number of drivers who are either eating a hamburger or using their mobile phone whilst driving. I’m only surprised I didn’t see someone doing both at the same time.

Record slow average speeds

My riding in New York was a curious mix of short, hard, intense intervals and slow recovery rides. On the recovery rides, I could come back with an average speed of 11-13 mph. I remember one ride I went to quite a big cycle shop on Jamaica Avenue to buy some cycle energy powder. The visit proved in vain, they didn’t stock any food products because the owner told me the staff just ate them! It was really funny how he said it; he really was serious, he even brought out a fat lad from the workshop to prove his point!

Disappointed not to get any energy gels or energy powder I returned to  Cunningham Park and did some more  riding. 13 miles took me 1.11.12 for an average speed of 11.3mph (even with auto stop / start). By comparison 68 riders in the National 10 mile TT averaged over 30mph. This is an absolute record for the lowest ever average speed recorded on a bike ride. The intervals were pretty intense; it really teaches you how to do a proper recovery ride and not one of those – 20mph, sneak a few KOM type recovery rides.

I remember vividly my first ever recorded bike ride on a mountain bike, aged 13 or 14. I had a speedo and averaged 13.5 mph for a 36 mile ride to Burnsall. The next ride I smashed that average speed and managed 14.5mph. 20 years of intense training later, and I’ve managed to average a paltry 11 mph.

It’s not all bad cycling in Jamaica, Queens. There is an outdoor velodrome at Kissena Park, which is usually empty.

full-turn

There are also some very nice cycle paths near Cunningham Park.

nyc-greenway-cunningham-park
NYC Greenway, Cunningham park. An oasis in the desert.

If you know the roads you can find some alternative routes, which are quite good. I used to suffer cycling along Union Turnpike, but have found a back road way through St Johns College.

Also, if it’s possible to discern, I think there are more cyclists on the roads, than when I first visited 10 years ago.

marathon

Another epic slow cycle was being the lead cyclist for the Sri Chinmoy Marathon at Rockland state Park. It was an early start and I forgot my cycle shoes. I had to ride 26 miles on speedplay pedals, using ordinary shoes. That was a real pain.

I did get some good interval training in – mostly short and fast. It was curious that I could cycle uphill at 18-20mph, but still come back with average speeds of 11-13 mph.

sanitation-hill-rider
‘Sanitation hill’ – a favourite for interval sessions. Also, another cyclist just to prove I wasn’t the only one.

Snake Pass

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Today was Snake Pass hill climb organised by Glossop Kinder Velo. Also, during the day, two Glossop Kinder Velo riders Paul and Ben were making an attempt to ‘Everest‘ Snake Pass – 27 times 326m to get the 8,800m

snake-pass-everest

The hill climb course J9/5 is

  • Distance 3.3 miles
  • Average gradient – 6%
  • Max gradient – 9%
  • Height gain: 326 metres
  • Strava

It is a classic ‘Alpine’ style climb. Long, steady and very little variation in gradient. You can do the climb in the same gear all the way up; it is also a climb where you can sit in the saddle for the whole duration of the climb.

Veloviewer

Strava

1984 National Hill Climb Championship

Crawleyside was the venue for the 1984 National Hill Climb Championship. It was won by Darryl Webster 9.18, Manchester Wheelers.

 

snake-pass

2014 Race

I arrived back in England at 12pm Sat afternoon. Just 23 hours before the start of the race. It seemed like a good idea at the time to enter a day after flying back – though there were times yesterday when a 6.30am start didn’t seem so appealing. Fortunately, the jet lag wasn’t too bad, and I made it up to Glossop in good time. This year there was a good entry with 80 riders signed up to have a go at Snake Pass. I did my usual unscientific warm up cycling around Glossop before about 10 minutes on the turbo and then made off to the start. It’s always nice to get the hill climb wheels out (front wheel weighs 360gram) though for some reason it had a heavy Continental Competition tub on, and I didn’t have time to change.

glossop
Glossop from near hill

I made a steady start holding back a little, knowing that a 12 minute climb is quite different to shorter efforts. Even though I held back, I noticed power still fell away on the second half of the climb, it took increasing efforts to maintain the speed, even though the gradient eases ever so slightly. I was pretty popped at the top, and pleased to get under 12 minutes.

start-hill-climb

I finished in a time of 11.51. My slowest time up Snake Pass, though only 15 seconds off last year. I seem to remember in 2013 there was an even stronger tailwind, so maybe about the same fitness as last year.

It’s always a relief to get first hill climb of the season under the belt. A similar level to last year is a good starting point for next two months.

2nd place was Adam Kenway (Team Zenith – www.buzzcycles.co.uk ) Adam has had a good season on the road, with many top 5 positions and a few good scalps along the way. 3rd was Sam Clark of Buxton CC, who is organising next week’s event up Long Hill. 1st junior was Wilf Sargeant of West Pennine CC, 2nd junior was David Murphy. In the women’s event Joanna Blakely (GB Cycles) again pipped Vanessa Whitfield of Velo Club St Raphael.

(if memory serves me right)

Previous results up Snake Pass

Everesting Snake Pass

paul-wave

No.1 on the startsheet was Paul Talbot of Glossop Kinder Velo. Paul had done a nice warm up for hill climb by doing about 8 rides up Snake Pass – even before he started to race. Paul and Ben started earlier in the day to try and ‘Everest’ Snake Pass. It will require 180 miles and 27 ascents.

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Off to New York

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I’m off to New York for a couple of weeks. Hot, humid, intense roads and happy drivers – not the perfect  acclimatisation for the upcoming British hill climb season. But, as long as a I can do a few hill intervals I’ll be happy.

There’s a lot of interest in ‘Everesting‘ at the moment. I got invited to speak on BBC Radio Surrey tomorrow morning 8.50am about the ‘Everesting’ of Box Hill. Unfortunately, I will be dipping into my first American breakfast of fried donuts and corn syrup muffins.

In my keyword statistics I see someone is googling ‘everesting Cat and Fiddle’ – Good luck with that one. That would be a lot of miles to Everest Cat and Fiddle. on the 3% slope. (and you have to cycle on the way down.)

bend
Cat and Fiddle. One of England’s longest climbs.

To Everest Cat and Fiddle, you’re looking at 27 times * 330m, which is 13.2 miles per lap (up and down). Total of 343 miles. I wouldn’t recommend with a strong headwind.

25 mile time trial

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Today was the North Hampshire 25 mile time trial on the H25/8 Bentley course. The 25 mile TT is considered the ‘blue ribband’ of time trialling. The most popular distance, with the national championship being won by many of the great short distance time triallist – Alf Engers, D. Webster, G.Obree, Chris Boardman, Stuart Dangerfield e.t.c. The National 25 was a couple of weeks ago in the Lake District, where Matt Bottrill won in a time of 48.15, beating Matt Clinton 48.56. Bottrill had been trying for many years to win the event. Just shows, you never know when you might win the big one.

The competition record for 25 miles is 45.43 set by Matthew Bottrill (Drag 2 Zero) CTT – September, 2014

Former Record holders

Michael Hutchinson 45.46 – Set by in 2012.

It was held by many years (1993-2009) by Chris Boardman with a 45.57  set on the A34 near Oxford! The women’s record is 50.01 set by Julia Shaw 2011.

My pb is 49.36 set on the Welsh course, at an average speed not much faster than my pb for 50 miles. For various reasons I haven’t done a 25 mile time trial since last July – over 13 months ago.

I’m moving into hill climb season with thoughts moving to hill intervals rather than one of riding at threshold, but the arrival of a new bike (Trek Speed Concept) was enough motivation to enter one final time trial and get to ride the bike in a race before putting in loft.

Race

New bike
New bike – hope it doesn’t get as many scratches as my car!

I was number 100, off at 16.10. Just before I set off on the startline, I had a very short chat to my old friend Brian James (Brian is about 85 years young) (Brighton Mitre CC) who had started 91 minutes previously and had just finished as I was waiting to go to the startline. He had just enough time to tell me ‘good ride in the 100, shame you didn’t do 12 hour! Then it was time to set off.

I know the Bentley course well, and the prevailing wind seems to be from the West. It makes it a hard drag from the start – uphill into the wind. After the first turn at Holybourne roundabout. You pick up a nice tailwind, making a very fast 10 miles to the Chawton turn. I know from experience to hold back a bit with fast tailwind. I was held back a little by necessity a little – having only a 54 chainring. (my last bike had a 56). It meant I was spinning out at 39mph on the 54*11. It was that fast. I saved my biggest effort for the middle 10 miles all into the headwind. It was a big effort to go up the hill for a second time. The last five miles was so fast, you couldn’t really get everything out. But, I still felt a little sick at 20 miles, which is always a good sign for doing a 25 mile.

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Everesting Great Dun Fell

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In the latest Cycling Weekly, the main feature was on ‘Britain’s Latest Climbing Craze’ – Everesting. If you haven’t heard of Everesting, it is a challenge which involves cycling up and down a hill until you have completed the height gain of Mount Everest – 8.848 metres – that’s 14 times Great Dun Fell, 30* Hardknott Pass and 128* Swains Lane. Amongst other British riders, Laurie Lambeth was mentioned for everesting Great Dun Fell, and only a short while later, Everesting Hardknott Pass. Three weeks after Hardknott he managed his third Everest (an off road challenge) in 160 miles and 17 hours, which Laurie mentioned  ‘…it was a bit of a struggle’.

great-dun-fel

Great Dun Fell and Hardknott Pass are two of England’s most iconic climbs – and in their own way perhaps the hardest too. To Everest both is an impressive feat and just slightly mad into the bargain – just the kind of thing we like at cyclinguphill.com.

When I first heard of Everesting this summer, I nearly ditched all my plans to do the National 100 and plan carefully for the National Hill Climb. It just sounded such a cool thing to do. Well, there’s always time, but it seems British hills are going pretty quick – If you want to be the first to everest the hill of your choice, get training!

Thanks to Laurie for sharing his great report on the day of cycling up Great Dun Fell.

Everesting Great Dun Fell

by Laurie Lambeth

I first heard about “Everesting” on an internet forum around the beginning of June 2014. The idea instantly caught my imagination, 29,029ft of ascent in one single ride! Was this madness or genius? I decided either way I had to find out.

I live up in the North Pennines in a small village called Nenthead. Nenthead is an old mining village sitting at around 1,400ft, it is surrounded by hills, lots and lots of hills! It can be a cyclist’s heaven or maybe even hell depending on what you like? Luckily for me it’s the former.

I set about picking my Everesting hill. It didn’t take me long to decide I wanted to try and be the first to “Everest” Great Dun Fell and claim the highest road in England at 2,785ft. I’d ridden the fell once before, a tough experience in howling wind and so much fog I couldn’t even see the huge golf ball looking radar station that sits on the very top!

cycling-great-dun-fell

The hill climbs up 4.6 miles, it has an average gradient of 8% and in places kicks up to over 20%, by the time you reach the top you will have climbed around 2,070ft. For a successful Everest the hill would need to be climbed 15 times, this would total 140 miles and pass the 29,029ft target. This challenge would mean riding further, higher and for longer than anything I’d done before.

Whilst out on a Sunday training ride a few weeks after hearing about the challenge, I heard a rumour that I wasn’t the only one eyeing up Great Dun Fell for an Everest attempt. In fact I was told two people were attempting it that very same day! Thinking I might have missed my chance, I kept I close eye on the Everesting website for any new entries… two days passed but nothing appeared. The hill was still up for grabs, although with the extra interest, claiming it had now become a race against time.

Tuesday 24th June, Forecast looks ok for Thursday, not perfect but hopefully good enough to have a go. Thursday 26th I’m up at 5am and on my way to Knock at the bottom of Great Dun Fell. I park up at the bottom of the hill and waste no time getting kitted up. 6.30am I start the Garmin and it’s time to go…

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Rules and laws of cycling

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Some notes on the rules and laws of cycling. Though, whatever rules are – there’s a lot to be said for using common sense to stay safe and respectful of other users.

Difference between legal requirements and advisory notes

The Highway code reflects some legal requirements.

At night your cycle MUST have white front and red rear lights [Law RVLR regs 13, 18 & 24)] This is a law.

The Highway code also offers ‘advisory notices’ on how you should behave.

 You should keep both hands on the handlebars except when signalling or changing gear.

The difference is that there is no legal requirement to keep both hands on handlebars – so it is OK to drink a bidon and eat a banana without risk of prosecution… It could be considered ‘best practise’ to keep hands on handlebars.

Generally, rules and laws are there to promote a more harmonious and safer experience on the road. When people ignore road traffic laws it can be both frustrating and dangerous. But, whilst it’s important to be aware of all the legal issues around cycling – you can’t beat plain common sense. If you cycle blindly through a red traffic light whilst under the influence of drink, you shouldn’t need a law to tell you it’s a dangerous thing.

Also, the next time someone beeps at you for cycling two abreast or 1 metre from edge of road, it is quite a comfort to know that what you are doing is perfectly legal and within your rights, even advised by the department of transport.

Common Questions on Cycling and the Law

cycling-pavement-shadow

Is it legal to cycle on pavement?

No, it is illegal to cycle on pavement (footpath by side of road) unless, it is marked as shared use cycle path [Laws HA 1835 sect 72 & R(S)A 1984, sect 129]. Cycling on pavements can lead to a fixed penalty notice of £30.

Can children cycle on pavements?

No. However, children under 16 are unlikely to be issued with fixed penalty notice. In theory, police and community support officers are supposed to use considerable discretion in dealing with people who cycle on the pavement. This is to reflect the difference between a young children seeking a safe passage on the pavement and others who might be cycling at high speed putting pedestrians at discomfort. See more at: Cycling on pavements

Can you cycle on Bridleways and Footpaths away from the road?

The law specifically relates to footways by the side of a highway. In theory, if you are on a footpath away from a road, it is legal to cycle – unless there is sign saying otherwise.

Can you cycle across a Pelican Crossings?

No. The highway code states ‘Do not ride across a pelican, puffin or zebra crossing. Dismount and wheel your cycle across.’ However, you can cycle across a ‘toucan crossing’ A toucan crossing is  a wider version of pelican crossings. It will have an extra light to indicate a green cyclist.

To confuse matters, some pelican crossings have an extra green light for cyclist. A green cyclist light gives the indication it would be OK to cross on the bike.

Can you cycle on Dual Carriageways?

  • Yes, unless there is a specific sign saying cyclists prohibited.
  • Motorways are prohibited to cyclists.

A no cycling sign, might appear on some three lane dual carriageways.

Can you cycle in Bus Lanes?

cycling-bus-lanes

Yes. Most bus lanes are open to cyclists unless indicated otherwise by signs.

Can a Cyclist cycle in the middle of a lane?

cyclist-parked-cars-either-side
watch for car doors opening.

There is no law stating where on the road a cyclist must be. There are different guidelines offered. One guideline is to cycle ‘well clear of kerb. 1 metre on in centre of the left lane (best position on road for cyclists) and (Direct Gov link) However, this would also mean ignoring small bicycle lanes.

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Fat lad at the back

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I just watched a recording of Dragons Den featuring the cycling company – ‘Fat Lad at the Back’ – (FLAB)

I thought there presentation was quite good and was a bit surprised the grumpy old dragons didn’t get the potential of the label and market segment.

Screen Shot 2014-08-13 at 12.53.11

Fat lad at the back on BBC. Photo by BBC

If I was a dragon, I think I would have taken a punt, I think the cycle-wear has a lot of potential. It can carve a niche, amongst those MAMILs who will enjoy the irony of riding the label FLAB – not everyone’s cup of tea, but I suppose it makes a change from Rapha and Sky replica jerseys.

In a way being rejected by the Dragons, is probably one of the best bits of advertising they could get. I think people will like the label even more, now that the Dragons have said it won’t work. There’s nothing better than proving a few millionaires wrong.

tejvan-start-action

Perhaps if I play my cards right, after the hill climb season, I could get my first official brand endorsement deal with  ‘Fat lad at the back’. It would be the ultimate post-modernist irony – whatever that is.

Fat Lad at the Back (FLAB) is a Yorkshire based firm which offers cyclewear to riders with up to a 60inch waist.  Founders Richard and Lynn Bye appeared on TV August 2014. One motivation for Fat Lad at the Back was the difficulty in getting good clothes for cyclists are bigger than the typical ‘cyclist dimensions’.

(though I could add, I’ve never been able to get arm warmers thin enough to stay up! though I can’t see a specialist cycling company being created to meet that niche…)

About Fat Lad at the Back

“1 long weekend, 3 fat lads, 4 alpine hills.

This was the alcohol infused challenge we set ourselves.

Our own Etape du pain, conceived of some misguided idea that 3 middle aged men in lycra, collectively weighing in excess of 280kg’s, could cycle Alpe D’Huez, Col de la Croix de Fer, Télégraphe and Galibier in 3 days.

Who’ll be last up the hills? We joked and laughed about having a jersey printed for the previous days fat lad at the back, a Yorkshire version of the Lantern Rouge.”

Fat Lad at the Back website

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Garmin Premium heart rate monitor

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I bought a Polar heart rate monitor a few years ago (Polar FT1). I didn’t use it very much because:

  • The strap tended to slip down. You would tighten up the strap, but during the ride it would become loose and slip down
  • It took a long time for the heart rate to get detected. Also I often got randomly high heart rates, especially at the start of the ride, this may have been due to some kind of electrical interference
  • I didn’t make much use of heart rate numbers. Obviously when you try hard, your heart rate goes up – with a bit of a lag. But, I never really looked and never thought to make too much use of heart rate numbers. I never looked at it after a ride, and wouldn’t have really known what to have made of a heart rate file after a ride. I got out of the habit of wearing it, and it just sat in a cupboard.
  • I did use it on the rollers in the winter as a rough guide to effort when I didn’t have a power meter, but it often took 15 minutes for the heart rate to get going, and by then I was looking forward to finishing my rollers session.

I’ve been using a Garmin 500 for a few years, but have never thought to make use of the heart rate feature. When I bought, I just bought the Garmin, thinking I wouldn’t use the HR anyway.

For this hill climb season, I’m getting some coaching from Gordon Wright. He is keen on the science of sport and says looking at heart rate can be helpful. I decided to buy a Garmin compatible strap so that I would have power, speed and heart rate all on one file.

A quick look at reviews suggested the Garmin Premium was better and not much more expensive, so I bought that.

garmin-premium-heart-rate-monitor

Wearing strap

It is comfortable for a heart rate monitor. I’ve not had it slip down chest. It is a little complicated to adjust, but once adjusted it seems more sturdy than the Polar. It seems to be made of pretty good material and has a feeling of durability and comfort. Once adjusted it will stay. Once fitted, it was quite easy to forget it was there; I haven’t had any chaffing or problems.

There is a garmin connector which just clips on to the front of the heart rate strap. To wash the heart rate strap, you can just un clip the device

Setting up

It was easy to set up. Just press and hold Menu on Garmin 500,

go to:  Settings – Bike Settings – Heart Rate – ANT+Heart rate. Select Yes and rescan. (Garmin 500 manual)
It recognised heart rate straight away.

So far I have not had any problems with heart rate interference. It seems accurate and quick to get going.

Note: I’m comparing a Polar – bought about three or four years ago. The model may have improved since then.

Using Heart Rate

One thing with heart rate is to check resting heart rate first thing in the morning. An elevated heart rate is one of potential signs of over-training. My resting heart rate this morning was around 45.

I doubt I will be looking at the heart rate whilst training or cycling. But, it may be an indication of something. I may even get to learn more about the benefits of using a heart rate monitor.

Overall

The Garmin Premium heart rate monitor strap is a nice piece of equipment. It fits well and has easy integration with a Garmin device like a Garmin 500.