We know that chest straps are the gold standard for training by heart rate. Since HR is a metric I love to use, it was time to checkout the Wahoo TRACKR to go right alongside all the other fun Wahoo gear we’ve been testing.
You might remember last month we told you about the Wahoo KICKR treadmill which can auto adjust your pace based on where you are on the belt. AND in a super exciting twist pairs to your watch so you get exact training data.
The next step in this process, heart rate!
With the Wahoo TRACKR, now your treadmill session is going to have accurate heart rate information and accurate lap splits, etc.
Wahoo TRACKR Overview
You might think all chest straps are the same, but there are actually variations in features. The TRACKR notably is rechargable, instead of having that old school coin cell battery you need to replace.
One of the features I love about the charging are the lights that give me an idea of where it is in the process AND in the Wahoo app I can see exactly how much battery it has left before I ever start a workout. Nothing annoys me more than to be mid-run and realize a monitor dropped out.
Initially I ran in to some issues getting the TRACKR to pair with my Garmin. Turns out I needed a replacement and customer service was great an walking me through the potential solutions before sending out a new unit.
That unit paired immediately and we were off to the races, so to speak. Really we were off to the treadmill for a variety of workouts to see how it fared with fit and tracking.
The second feature that makes the TRACKR different from many other models is the ability run up to 3 connections at the same time.
I admit I was trying to think of 3 I would need. I’m connected to the Wahoo Treadmill, which is going to feed data to my Garmin or I’m connected to my Garmin so it’s recording directly….I can also connect to the Wahoo app which helps when I’m using that screen for running a specific route on the treadmill.
But the 3rd at the same time eludes me. So I’m not sure that feature is worth the cost, but I’m waiting for a triathlete or another sport to tell me how they’d use it!
Of course you can also pair it with any other watch that uses bluetooth or ANT+, so it’s a universal HR monitor.
Wahoo TRACKR Specs
- Battery life over 100 hours
- Rechargeable with USB-C
- Up to 3 bluetooth connections at once (pair it with your watch and treadmill at the same time!)
- ANT+
- Water rating IPX7 (great for sweating, not for swimming)
- Can be used for HRV tracking
- No data storage
- Available for $89.99
Quick Take
- Rechargeable battery
- 3 Simultaneous Bluetooth connections
- HRV tracking
- Higher price point for a non-swimming model
- Unknown uses for rechargeable battery yet
- No data storage
Once you have it off for about 2 minutes it goes in to sleep mode so the battery isn’t just continually trying to transmit. If you are a super sweater like me, then it’s a good idea to disconnect the pod from the strap so that there’s no false positive reading that might keep the battery running.
Another nice feature, it uses the same cord as Shokz Openrun Pro 2! Tell me you don’t love being able to use one cord, it’s probably one of my bigger annoyances when traveling.
Wearing the TRACKR
One of the reasons many of you won’t use a HR monitor is comfort. What can I say, I know that especially in the summer it’s a potential chafing issue.
But I will say this strap is much softer than others that I use (maybe because it’s new and not stiff from sweat ewwww). It found it easy to adjust to get the right snug fit so that it’s sitting right at the sternum and not really moving around while I run.
And of course you need to slightly dampen the pads before starting the workout to get the sensor to pick up your HR before you start sweating.
While running, I never noticed any issues with HR dropping out or skipping recording. This generally comes down to maintaining good contact and sometimes little moisture on the strap. I sweat plenty to do that.
So far this chest strap is holding up well and we’re happy with the overall comfort and fit.
Do you have a need for 3 connections at a time?
Have you tried the TRACKR?
What to Read Next?
- How to Find Your Maximum HR for Training
- Understanding Running HR Zones
- Running With An Apple Watch – How to Configure it
The post Wahoo TRACKR HR Monitor Review | The Chest Strap that Connects to Everything appeared first on RunToTheFinish.
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