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TECH NEWS
Wahoo TRACKR ChargingWahoo ditches coin cell batteries and goes rechargeable with new Trackr heart rate monitor
Wahoo has introduced a new Trackr heart rate monitor (officially known as the Trackr Heart Rate), ditching coin cell batteries and offering a rechargeable unit instead. Marking the first product in the brand's new Trackr line of accessories, the unit promises 100 hours of battery life on a single charge. While that is significantly less than the 500 hours the coin cell batteries promise, Wahoo says this "solves long-standing consumer, environmental, performance, and safety pain points associated with HRMs".
At a quick glance, the Trackr Heart Rate doesn't look too dissimilar to the outgoing Tickr heart rate monitor, but it is actually quite thoroughly revamped. The actual strap is much smaller and has "a non-invasive side closure" and Wahoo says that though the strap is shorter, it will stretch to fit up to 127cm circumference chest. That is slightly more than the 122cm quoted for the outgoing Tickr.
The pod that continues to clip onto the chest star with two buttons houses the magnetic charger point, and features LED lights that indicate battery level and connections.
In terms of weight, the Trackr Heart Rate is said to weigh 51g, which is 5g more more than the Tickr, and it continues to be IPX7 rated which means it should be fine with being submerged in water up to 1 meter for 30 minutes without any damage.
The Trackr can track beats per minute (BPM) in activity as well as Average Heart Rate, Max Heart Rate and Total Calories in the activity summary in the Wahoo App. It also provides heart rate variability (HRV) with a compatible app.
You can then use that data by connecting the strap to your watch or cycling computer. The Trackr Heart Rate has both ANT+ and multi-Bluetooth connectivity, and syncs with cycling computers, GPS smartwatches, smartphones, and apps such as Apple Watch, Zwift, Strava, Peloton, and the Wahoo ecosystem.
The price for the Trackr Heart Rate is set at £79.99, which is about double the price of the Tickr – but it does seem Wahoo will phase the Tickr out quickly as it's not even available on their website anymore. In its press release for the Trackr HRM, the brand said the wider Trackr lineup of accessories will expand later this year and into 2025, "featuring a range of newly designed sensors tailored for endurance athletes".
Find out more at Wahoo's website.
Suvi joined F-At in 2022, first writing for off-road.cc and then road.cc and ebiketips too until August 2024. She contributed to all of the sites covering tech news, features, reviews and women's cycling content. A lover of long-distance cycling, Suvi is easily convinced to join any rides and events that cover over 100km, and ideally, plenty of cake and coffee stops.
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14 comments
Mildly surprised that the Tickr was still coin-cell battery powered.
I moved from an early Tickr to the arm-band optical Tickr Fit a good while ago, and that is rechargeable. Battery life seems near-infinite, mine must be 4 or 5 years old and I probably remember to charge it every few weeks, possibly months.
Is this an environmental improvement? All batteries wear out eventually, even a rechargeable one.
So you've got to weigh up the cost and complexity of recycling a unique product every X number of years versus recycling a ubiquitous battery every Y number of years.
I can easily recycle a CR2032 via my household waste collection and they are cheap to replace:
How are batteries recycled?
All batteries collected in yellow battery bags are sent to furnaces where they are melted down, the metals and acid are extracted to be made into new recycled products, including new batteries.
You can't stop progress!
Not sure this is big selling point. I've had few problems over the years with HR sensor batteries. The CR2032s tend to last for ages. The power consumption of HR is so low that sensors Garmin say the batteries in their sensors can last up to 3.5 years.
I can't help thinking that the problem will be forgetting to charge the sensor. If a coin cell runs out you can just shove a new one in a ride off. With a rechargeable battery you're going to have to wait for it to charge - training disrupted. Or have a back-up (that uses a coin cell!).
Given that other manufacturers haven't made the switch to rechargeable batteries yet suggests there isn't widespread agreement that it is a problem that needs to be solved.
I think the argument is slightly different with power meters because they are doing more calculations but even so there are several manufacturers still using coin/button cells.
I don't know anyone that takes a spare coin cell with them, and many people won't have any lying around the house, so rechargable for most will likely be a faster way of getting back out with a working sensor. Plus, if my (lower end) garmin watch is anything to go by, the battery will likely be tiny and take very little time to get decent level of charge.
You'd take a spare one if you needed to, and CR2032s are almost as ubiquitous as AA batteries.
They go in my speed & cadence sensor, my doorbell, my computer, remote controls, I've lots of spare CR2032s my problem is always trying to remember where I put the last batch I bought.
Rechargeable, simply builds in obsolescence, as after x many battery cycles, you'll be forced to buy a new one. I'm sure this in no way impacted Wahoos design choice here.
I have 3 Wahoo HRMs with battery covers that don't work, all broke when I went to replace the batteries. This sounds like a welcome response.
Just had a Tickr replacement under warranty - very fast response and delivery. The battery cover "tags" breaking seems to be a widespread problem and no doubt this is the main driver for Wahoo, although they could have just redesigned the cover and sold them for the cost of postage (for those with out of warranty units)???
I have had 2 replacements, as you say quick and efficient response, but both have gone the same way. Ebay replacement covers haven't been much better.
In my experience, buying as cheap as possible heart rate strap is the way to go. They all die eventually due to sweat. £80 for a disposible sensor is rough.
My Garmin HRM lasted a few years but then failed due to water
I contacted support and they sent me a new one, no questions asked.
Happened again a few years after that (just a few weeks ago)
So I paid once and now I have the new HRM Pro Plus
I guess if people keep doing that they'll improve the longevity to save money eventually
So it can give me appropriate tempo music for my activities?
I think you've just hit on the unexploited use case for these sensors, although I'd suggest the cadence sensor would be a better one to start with - i.e. I'd prefer to have music synced to my pedalling than my heart rate
Wahoo: The new TICKR is now rechargable!
Me: Yeah, just like my cheap Garmin watch which was bought from all the cash saved from not replacing sweat-killed TICKR.
You have a point, unless you want accurate heart rate tracking.