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review
Heart rate monitors
Polar CS600 Wireless HRM Cycle ComputerPolar CS600 computer

Polar CS600 Wireless HRM Cycle Computer

9
by Mat Brett
UPDATED Thu, Oct 15, 2015 04:24

First Published Aug 26, 2009

0
£278.45

VERDICT:

9
10
A complete training management system in a user-friendly package
Weight: 
48g
Contact: 
www.polarelectro.co.uk
How we test

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Polar's CS600 HRM is a stunning piece of kit for the serious cyclist who loves a bit of number-crunching to keep their training on track, and it’s really pretty simple to use.

What does it do? Geez, where do you start? Aside from brewing a post-ride cup of tea and giving you a massage, there’s not a lot the CS600X doesn’t do.

You get all your common or garden bike computer functions: speed (current, average, max), distance, duration, stopwatch… all the usual stuff. Then there are a bunch of less expected features like temperature, altitude, gradient, cumulative ascent/descent, calorie consumption… You get the idea. Go to www.polar.fi for the full list: it’s massive. You can measure cadence (crank rpm) too, although you have to buy an extra sensor for that.

Plus, as you’d expect from Polar, the CS600X delivers your all heart rate information. You can set the zones you want to hit and have visual and audible alarms alert you if your intensity drifts, and you can even have your heart rate displayed as a graph to show you how it’s progressing.

If you want to get even more technical, you can use this with Polar’s G3 GPS Sensor WIND to track and record your routes on mapping software like Google Earth. Or you can match it with Polar’s Power Output Sensor WIND which measures left/right leg balance as well as a reasonable power reading – although, in our experience, it’s nowhere near as accurate as a PowerTap hub or SRM cranks.

All of this data is saved so you can scroll through it when you get home or, much more convenient, transfer the files via infrared communication to your PC. There you can analyse away on Polar’s ProTrainer 5 software which comes as part of the package (you need Windows 2000/XP/Vista; sadly, it’s not Mac compatible). This acts as a training diary but also puts all the data into easy-to-understand charts and graphs so you can see exactly how your fitness is developing.

It might sound intimidating but this computer is actually very intuitive to use and all the info is easy to understand. You get used to it quickly and will soon wonder how you ever managed without.

Verdict

A complete training management system in a user-friendly package

road.cc test report

Make and model: Polar CS600 Wireless HRM Cycle Computer

Size tested: 1 size fits all?

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
9/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
9/10
Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
9/10
Rate the product for value:
 
7/10

Did you enjoy using the product? Love it

Would you consider buying the product? Yes, it's our favourite bike computer/HRM/software package

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Overall rating: 9/10

About the tester

Age: 36  Height: 184cm  Weight: 74kg

I usually ride:   My best bike is:

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, sportives, general fitness riding, mtb,

Polar CS600 Wireless HRM Cycle Computer
Mat Brett

Mat has been in cycling media since 1996, on titles including BikeRadar, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike, What Mountain Bike and Mountain Biking UK, and he has been editor of 220 Triathlon and Cycling Plus. Mat has been road.cc technical editor for over a decade, testing bikes, fettling the latest kit, and trying out the most up-to-the-minute clothing. He has won his category in Ironman UK 70.3 and finished on the podium in both marathons he has run. Mat is a Cambridge graduate who did a post-grad in magazine journalism, and he is a winner of the Cycling Media Award for Specialist Online Writer. Now over 50, he's riding road and gravel bikes most days for fun and fitness rather than training for competitions.

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