# Edge 810 chest strap fakes heart rate



## Abagrizzli (May 28, 2012)

My chest strap lately started to fake, going from 35 bpm to 250 bpm, and sometimes vanishes at all. 

It goes like this. When I start pedaling, it gives me correct heart rate values. It can be so all the trip. But sometimes it goes mad and then the results it shows are out of this world - it can be 35, 145 when I'm hammering up (should be around 170-180), and then 250 on descents. When it goes mad - it doesn't come back, until I end the ride.

I tried and checked everything:

1. Changed batteries - fresh inside
2. Lick the shiny surface before putting it on, so the sensors will be tight.
3. Checked the tightness of the hold - not too tight, not loose.
4. Checked the moisture inside - seems like there is no moisture.

What troubles me, is that the strap does show correct results for most of the time, so I can't just throw it away, although may be I should.

What would you suggest, can it be fixed somehow, or just get another one?


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## cfanto (Oct 13, 2010)

Abagrizzli said:


> My chest strap lately started to fake, going from 35 bpm to 250 bpm, and sometimes vanishes at all.
> 
> It goes like this. When I start pedaling, it gives me correct heart rate values. It can be so all the trip. But sometimes it goes mad and then the results it shows are out of this world - it can be 35, 145 when I'm hammering up (should be around 170-180), and then 250 on descents. When it goes mad - it doesn't come back, until I end the ride.
> 
> ...


I had exact same issues w/ my Garmin chest strap as well. I replaced batteries, used electrode gel, tightened & moved strap around on my chest to no avail. Then I read DCRainMaker's troubleshooting tips: Troubleshooting your heart rate monitor/strap HR spikes | DC Rainmaker
I believe my technical shirt(s) were the culprit... as I noticed I had less issues when I'm shirtless on the treadmill.

I've since stopped using chest straps & now using a Scosche Rhythm+ HR monitor... so far, it's been flawless for me (ie: no more drops), more comfortable, & supports both BLE & ANT+.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Use electrode gel, for one.

It does seem like flapping jerseys are a major problem with HRM straps.


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## Abagrizzli (May 28, 2012)

cfanto,

Thanks for the link, but I've tried everything DC wrote... Besides, the problem with my strap, that besides wrong readings, it also disconnects from the device, and shows empty readings... The Scosche looks good, but won't work for me because of the location where the elbow pad is located...

Nate,

The conductivity is hardly a problem, since I lick it good before putting on, and due to a hot climate, I start sweating pretty immediately...

From what I see, new chest strap...


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

electrode gel is still more reliable than sweat and saliva, fwiw.


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

Went through three Garmin chest straps and never had one work for more than a week.

Timex chest strap, now three years old, works just fine, either with the included transmitter or the garmin transmitter. 

Pronounced jersey flapping early in the ride may still cause spikes, but rarely.


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## Abagrizzli (May 28, 2012)

Dunno what to say, this Garmin chest strap was OK for a year or something. I have some Sigma chest strap will try it with this one...


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## Terra YSN (Apr 15, 2013)

Recently started having problems with my garmin chest strap as well. This was about the same time I started using a specific Bluetooth headset with my iPhone. Still not sure this is the problems but since I stopped using it I haven't had a problem.


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## Abagrizzli (May 28, 2012)

Well, Sigma strap doesn't work with Garmin, although according to their website it should.

Concerning the BT connectivity - I have nothing new connected in recent 2 years... Actually, nothing at all - the device connected to the phone and to the chest strap, as always.


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## PainkillerSPE (Feb 15, 2009)

I found that my jerseys affect heart rate errors. I have two shirts that the heart rate strap will not work with at all.

I have experienced the same issues as you. i was so fed up once that I tried the optical Heart rate helmet form Life-beam and even it was inaccurate


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

I think DC Rainmaker actually mentioned this - the Magellan heart rate strap seems to be better. They're available separately, not much more expensive, and the one I'm using with my ForeRunner 610 is doing really well.

Apparently there's an anti-static layer over the sensors that helps.


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## ziscwg (May 18, 2007)

Although the soft straps are more comfortable, they seem to be inconsistent.

I had a Garmin soft strap, but it was not that reliable. I switch back to my Blackburn "hard" strap and it's nearly flawless. I have a garmin hard strap with the the same consistent results


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## Abagrizzli (May 28, 2012)

This ride the strap worked perfectly... It is the first time after 2 rides, that it was horrible. Don't know what's the reason, didn't change a thing.

Does Garmin hard strap perform more reliable? I'd appreciate if people will share.


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

One of my teammates swears his soft strap is more reliable if he never washes it. My guess is that having some salt on it already means it gets a little better connection early in a ride.


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## watts888 (Oct 2, 2012)

What other electronic devices do you have running? wireless speedometer, phone, music, lights can all affect the HRM signal. 

Since it occurs more when you're hammering up a hill, I'd say it's more an issue with connectivity across your body. The gel should help a lot with this.


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## Abagrizzli (May 28, 2012)

watts888 said:


> What other electronic devices do you have running? wireless speedometer, phone, music, lights can all affect the HRM signal.


None of these. Just the strap, connected to the 810, connected to the smartphone. No speedometers, no lights, no music.

I remember I rode both of the times the strap gone bad in Endura jacket, and this time didn't. But I rode in Endura jacket before, and it worked fine...


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## ziscwg (May 18, 2007)

Abagrizzli said:


> This ride the strap worked perfectly... It is the first time after 2 rides, that it was horrible. Don't know what's the reason, didn't change a thing.
> 
> Does Garmin hard strap perform more reliable? I'd appreciate if people will share.


You don't have to buy Garmin
Any ANT+ strap will work. My Garmin and Blackburn hard straps just seem to work.

The only time I have seen odd results is when the battery is low and I am riding near power lines.

You do still have to wet them a tad.

The biggest things is they can be cold putting on if you store them in the garage around your bike/helmet/shoes.


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## BrianMc (Jan 5, 2010)

My old sigma strap would go flakey near the interstate. I assumed truck CB's RFI.

The iBike one was fine until the iBike died. 

The ride today with a brand new Edge 500 and though I wet it as well as the other bands, It refused to read in the same position where the others were best. A small shift got me pulse readings of —, 60, 72. Nope. More water and some repositioning got me readings that I think were 10-20 low. The iBike died too long ago to compare readings. I have altered heart medications so maybe these are correct, but the effort felt more like 75%+ at the peak that barely squeaked above 60%. So I will try some gel as this band seems to need more for an electrical connection.


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## Bituman (Jan 28, 2008)

Garmin soft strap, periodic problems. Garmin hardstrap always works for me. I have collected several due to numerous Edge purchases the last few years. I have one that has been used at least 3 times a week for the last 4 years. Changed batteries twice I think and it's still going strong. 

Bob


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## Abagrizzli (May 28, 2012)

Well, two rides the strap was fine, then on today's ride it was completely wasted. No reading at all, or something in 60-70 range. To a garbage it goes.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

There are a couple of things to try if you have a Garmin Premium soft heart rate strap and are having problems.

You can get salt buildup on the strap contacts from sweat over time. Have you tried washing the soft strap in a washing machine on a gentle wash cycle. (Just the strap not the sensor pod). If you put it in a net bag first it will protect it.

With the Garmin heart rate sensor taking the CR2032 battery out and then putting the battery back in the sensor backwards for a few seconds will reset the sensor. You then put the battery back in the sensor normally and it can sometimes sort out connectivity issues. This revived my Garmin heart rate sensor when it would no longer connect to my Garmin at all.

The sensor that comes with a Garmin Premium soft strap will fit into other straps besides just the Garmin one. The Polar soft strap is well regarded and people often find that when used with a Garmin sensor it is more reliable than the original Garmin strap.

Polar soft strap:

http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2010/08/solution-to-heart-rate-dropoutsspikes.html


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## Abagrizzli (May 28, 2012)

Yes, I do wash the strap every 2-3 rides. I put it into shorts zipper pocket and wash on delicate program.

I never tried flipping the battery though. Will try it.

And thank you for the Polar cheat. I was about to order Garmin hard strap, now I'm reading about this Polar strap...


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## Roaming50 (Apr 30, 2009)

cfanto said:


> I've since stopped using chest straps & now using a Scosche Rhythm+ HR monitor... so far, it's been flawless for me (ie: no more drops), more comfortable, & supports both BLE & ANT+.


+1 on the Scosche. First HR monitor that I actually enjoy wearing. Sometimes even wear it while asleep just to see what my resting HR is...


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## Abagrizzli (May 28, 2012)

Well, the mystery is solved, at least in my case.

After few of you guys mentioned "salt" I started to experiment with the strap. After washing it in a laundry machine, the strap all of the sudden worked great and gave steady and consistent results. I tried to wear it with different jerseys, Endura vest over jersey, layers upon layers - nothing unusual, the strap gave good results in every ride.

Then came the ride in a particularly hot day, we had about 48 Celsius in the sun (I like these rides, 'cos it's like swimming in a hot chocolate, and nobody's around. Just I, the trails and the sun). A lot of sweat, which due to the high temps evaporated pretty immediately. I also noticed the sweat was very salty. The strap started to false after an hour into the ride.

After that, I started to pay attention. When the sweat is very salty (due to nutrition or very hot weather), at some point the strap starts to give false results. It depends on how fast the sweat dries - in a hot dry weather the strap will almost certainly fail before the end of the ride. When a little bit more humid and the sweat does not evaporate fast - the strap will give steady results until the end of the ride, but on the next ride, if not washed, will fail.

When the rides ain't very demanding weather-wise, and the sweat is not too salty, the strap can hold for about 2-5 rides without washing it.

Bottom line - keep the strap clean and fresh. I wash it in a laundry machine on delicate program at 40 degrees Celsius closed in a shorts pocket. I used to wash it before, but not as frequently, because I was afraid of ruining it. I also washed it by hand, which clearly didn't work (because it's quick and superficial wash).


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

dry salt - poor conductor
wet salt - okay conductor

I think that summarizes your troubles. I still say that a contact gel will improve things more.


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## pspycho (Aug 31, 2005)

Interesting. I've had tons of issues with the Garmin chest straps and use a Motorola one from my old MotoActv. It looks almost identical to the Scosche (they probably OEM'd it for Moto). It's very comfortable and I've had no accuracy issues.


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## ziscwg (May 18, 2007)

Abagrizzli said:


> Well, the mystery is solved, at least in my case.
> 
> After few of you guys mentioned "salt" I started to experiment with the strap. After washing it in a laundry machine, the strap all of the sudden worked great and gave steady and consistent results. I tried to wear it with different jerseys, Endura vest over jersey, layers upon layers - nothing unusual, the strap gave good results in every ride.
> 
> ...


Glad to read you resolved the issue. However, to me, this is a design flaw. I'm talking sending it back to Garmin and tell them to give you one of their plastic banded ones. Sure it's a downgrade, but you don't have to babysit the thing and talk nice to it hoping it works. The "plastic" banded one just works. It works all day even in stupid hot weather.

I don't recall how long you said you have had it, but if Garmin will take it back, I certainly would be exchanging it.

HR monitors should be like your brakes. They take a bit of attention here and there, but in the grand scheme of bike maint, it's very little.


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## Abagrizzli (May 28, 2012)

ziscwg said:


> Glad to read you resolved the issue. However, to me, this is a design flaw. I'm talking sending it back to Garmin and tell them to give you one of their plastic banded ones. Sure it's a downgrade, but you don't have to babysit the thing and talk nice to it hoping it works. The "plastic" banded one just works. It works all day even in stupid hot weather.
> 
> I don't recall how long you said you have had it, but if Garmin will take it back, I certainly would be exchanging it.
> 
> HR monitors should be like your brakes. They take a bit of attention here and there, but in the grand scheme of bike maint, it's very little.


That would be a logical thing to do, if I live in US ))))) However, in our province, as usual, we have one exclusive importer, which in this case lacks any customer support service. I've already dealt with them before, and it is really hopeless. I have to waist a whole day just to get to the store where I bought it, leave it there and wait for a week or two if somebody will contact me (or not). Garmin, on their side, just redirect emails to local importer and that's it. Yep, it sucks, and this is the best we got. Since I got this device over a year, they probably even won't except it.


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## upstateSC-rider (Dec 25, 2003)

Having problems with my Garmin soft strap that came with my 500 bundle, first time in over 1.5 years.
Fresh battery and still getting regular readings of >220 when my max is about 180.
I'll try a few soft washes then either a new soft strap only or hard plastic strap. As long as it works I don't mind.


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## upstateSC-rider (Dec 25, 2003)

Last two rides showed very erratic readings again.
Kind of scared to just get a soft strap in case the center part is the culprit.


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## trauma-md (Nov 22, 2004)

Garmin Heart Rate Chest Transmitter Strap Set HRM1B/G: HeartRateMonitorsUSA.com

The older Garmin HR strap will never fail you. I have had so many problems with the soft straps over the years and this 10 year old Garmin has never failed, nor given an erratic reading. It is NOT uncomfortable and will cure all of your HR woes....I actually bought several just in case they stop producing them.

I have tried absolutely ALL of the "fixes" for the soft straps as listed and more, never worked consistently for me though.


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## thasingletrackmastah (Nov 15, 2005)

trauma-md said:


> Garmin Heart Rate Chest Transmitter Strap Set HRM1B/G: HeartRateMonitorsUSA.com
> 
> The older Garmin HR strap will never fail you. I have had so many problems with the soft straps over the years and this 10 year old Garmin has never failed, nor given an erratic reading. It is NOT uncomfortable and will cure all of your HR woes....I actually bought several just in case they stop producing them.
> 
> I have tried absolutely ALL of the "fixes" for the soft straps as listed and more, never worked consistently for me though.


True !
Softstraps cause problems. Polar, Garmin etc.


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## Abagrizzli (May 28, 2012)

I personally gave up. No more soft Premium straps, as it continues to lie, despite all the washing, caring and love. Chest strap shouldn't be a center of the ride, so I'm going to get hard Garmin chest strap. And the perk is that it's cheaper.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

I used to wear the hard plastic heart rate straps whilst riding for many years. You forget just how uncomfortable and restrictive they are until you wear one again.

If you're trying different things I'd say go for a Scosche Rhythm+ optical heart rate sensor. This is a fabric band that you wear on your arm (or ankle apparently) and is supposed to work quite well.

http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2014/05/scosche-antbluetooth-optical.html

.


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## thrash_273 (Apr 24, 2013)

been using the garmin hard strap for almost 2 years now. 0 issues


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## Abagrizzli (May 28, 2012)

WR304 said:


> I used to wear the hard plastic heart rate straps whilst riding for many years. You forget just how uncomfortable and restrictive they are until you wear one again.
> 
> If you're trying different things I'd say go for a Scosche Rhythm+ optical heart rate sensor. This is a fabric band that you wear on your arm (or ankle apparently) and is supposed to work quite well.
> 
> ...


Scosche's arm/ankle location doesn't work for me (((( Interferes with POCs on both places. And I don't ride without pads.


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

Heart rate monitors and body armor, together at last.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

Abagrizzli said:


> Scosche's arm/ankle location doesn't work for me (((( Interferes with POCs on both places. And I don't ride without pads.


There's also the Lazer Genesis Lifebeam helmet. This has an optical heart rate sensor integrated into the helmet.

http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2014/05/lifebeam-helmet-integrated.html

Claimed weight for the newest revised version is 280g for size Medium and 300g for size Large:

http://www.lazersport.com/product/bike-adult-road/genesis-lifebeam-white-silver

http://life-beam.com/product/smart-helmet/


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## upstateSC-rider (Dec 25, 2003)

trauma-md said:


> Garmin Heart Rate Chest Transmitter Strap Set HRM1B/G: HeartRateMonitorsUSA.com
> 
> The older Garmin HR strap will never fail you. I have had so many problems with the soft straps over the years and this 10 year old Garmin has never failed, nor given an erratic reading. It is NOT uncomfortable and will cure all of your HR woes....I actually bought several just in case they stop producing them.
> 
> I have tried absolutely ALL of the "fixes" for the soft straps as listed and more, never worked consistently for me though.


Finally picked up a Garmin hard strap, about $33 from Amazon.
Maybe not as comfortable as the soft strap when I first put it on but after a few miles I forgot it was there.
Probably a little heavier too but, then again, so am I.


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