From Newsgroup: rec.bicycles.tech

I like the initial Garmin heart rate monitor because it is very easy to change the battery on. The latest on requires you to remove 4 tiny wood screws, replace the battery into a holder that must be repositioned properly, the cover snapped down and the screws properly replaced.
The older version you simply turn a small lever pop the cover out and shake the old battery out, replace with a new battery, put the cap on and turn the lock over.
Now the newer version does have a longer battery life but it is such a pain in the ass to replace the battery in that it is a good thing.
I put my older heart rate monitor on this morning and tested it and it worked find. But that was the last gasp of that battery and I spent all ride trying to guess my heart rate by speed. That wasn't a particularly good way of estimating heart rate.
--- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: rec.bicycles.tech

On Sun, 01 Feb 2026 00:13:53 GMT, cyclintom <cyclintom@yahoo.com>
wrote:

I like the initial Garmin heart rate monitor because it is very easy to change the battery on. The latest on requires you to remove 4 tiny wood screws, replace the battery into a holder that must be repositioned properly, the cover snapped down and the screws properly replaced.

The older version you simply turn a small lever pop the cover out and shake the old battery out, replace with a new battery, put the cap on and turn the lock over.

Now the newer version does have a longer battery life but it is such a pain in the ass to replace the battery in that it is a good thing.

I put my older heart rate monitor on this morning and tested it and it worked find. But that was the last gasp of that battery and I spent all ride trying to guess my heart rate by speed. That wasn't a particularly good way of estimating heart rate.

I understand the reluctance to use an optical watch HR monitor if you
are thrashing your arms about. It might be a problem for cycling
offroad, but how much arm thrashing does one do while riding a bicycle
on the road?

I probably still have an old chest band HR at the bottom of a drawer
somewhere, but I'll never use it again.

If I live long enough for my old Fenix 5X to stop working, I'll get
another Fenix. It's 7 years old and still looks and works like new
even though in my clumsiness I've bashed it against stuff many times.
The Vivoactive 4 works just as well, but the battery does not last as
long. I alternate them for everyday use but prefer the Fenix for
cycling.

--
C'est bon
Soloman
--- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: rec.bicycles.tech

On Sun Feb 1 04:37:33 2026 Catrike Ryder wrote:

On Sun, 01 Feb 2026 00:13:53 GMT, cyclintom <cyclintom@yahoo.com>
wrote:

I like the initial Garmin heart rate monitor because it is very easy to change the battery on. The latest on requires you to remove 4 tiny wood screws, replace the battery into a holder that must be repositioned properly, the cover snapped down and the screws properly replaced.

The older version you simply turn a small lever pop the cover out and shake the old battery out, replace with a new battery, put the cap on and turn the lock over.

Now the newer version does have a longer battery life but it is such a pain in the ass to replace the battery in that it is a good thing.

I put my older heart rate monitor on this morning and tested it and it worked find. But that was the last gasp of that battery and I spent all ride trying to guess my heart rate by speed. That wasn't a particularly good way of estimating heart rate.

I understand the reluctance to use an optical watch HR monitor if you
are thrashing your arms about. It might be a problem for cycling
offroad, but how much arm thrashing does one do while riding a bicycle
on the road?

I probably still have an old chest band HR at the bottom of a drawer somewhere, but I'll never use it again.

If I live long enough for my old Fenix 5X to stop working, I'll get
another Fenix. It's 7 years old and still looks and works like new
even though in my clumsiness I've bashed it against stuff many times.
The Vivoactive 4 works just as well, but the battery does not last as
long. I alternate them for everyday use but prefer the Fenix for
cycling.

Sounds good, I'll look into getting one.
--- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2