Pretty darn accurate- matched it up with a time trial ride on a computrainer and the average wattage was pretty close. Tracks power(ave,max,min), HR, speed, cadence, etc. etc. Can program your own workouts with the Polar Pro Trainer software, then upload. When your done, download the captured exercise data back to your laptop/PC for analysis.
One of the cheapest Power options out there!!!!
Cons:
-Setup can be a little testy, but being an engineer, I was pretty anal about it anyways. Since Polar measures power by chain tension and chain speed, you may have to measure chain length and chain weight of your chain, and enter that data. I did this just for accuracy's sake.
-When you program an exercise for a specific day, and that day goes by (without you actually doing the exercise,) you have to reprogram the exercise back into the unit- a little annoying only if you skip regularly scheduled workouts.
I've had this thing for about 8 months now, and I purposely held off writing a review because I wanted to pit this thing against a computrainer to see how accurate it is in terms of power. Well, I just rode the computrainer today, and the ave watts are pretty close. I really like it because of the workouts I can program- You can program power/cadence/hr workouts with your choice of min and max units. If you go outside this range, the min or max endpoint will blink at you. I think there are audible alarms too, but haven't used them. You can program intervals and the unit takes care of the rest! Its like having a coach with you. Not to mention its one of the cheapest power options out there. Got mine on Ebay for MUCH cheaper than retail.
Polar CS600 w/Power
I've had this thing for about 8 months now, and I purposely held off writing a review because I wanted to pit this thing against a computrainer to see how accurate it is in terms of power. Well, I just rode the computrainer today, and the ave watts are pretty close. I really like it because of the workouts I can program- You can program power/cadence/hr workouts with your choice of min and max units. If you go outside this range, the min or max endpoint will blink at you. I think there are audible alarms too, but haven't used them. You can program intervals and the unit takes care of the rest! Its like having a coach with you. Not to mention its one of the cheapest power options out there. Got mine on Ebay for MUCH cheaper than retail.