Heart rate monitors for bicycles

The heart rate monitor is an instrument that can measure the cyclist's heart rate while training or simply while cycling with friends at the weekend. This data, combined with speed, distance travelled and a lot of other information that can be stored during a cycling trip, makes it possible to know the cyclist's state of health, his training level and also how many calories he has burned.

But why exactly is it important to know your heart rate? This value, also known as bpm (beats per minute), makes it possible to define when our organism passes the anaerobic threshold, in other words what its energy reserves are and, comparing the body to a car, how many laps the engine ‘run’ at, precisely through the heart rate. In fact, the heart rate monitor, integrated in the heart rate monitor or smartwatch, then communicates the number of beats per minute to our cyclocomputer via ANT+ or Bluetooth in real time. 

The bpm varies greatly from cyclist to cyclist depending on numerous factors, including age, gender, genetics, training level, breathing quality, nutrition, and even weather conditions.

Heart rate monitors without bands are available on the market: these are smartwatches or fitness bracelets equipped with a sensor that can measure the cyclist's or sportsman's heart rate during a training session. Cyclists often prefer to monitor their heart rate through these devices because they are practical, rather reliable and because some people consider the heart rate belt on their chest to be annoying, especially during intense training sessions.

How does heart rate measurement via the wrist smartwatch work?

An optical sensor located on the back of the case, directly in contact with the wrist, analyses the volume of blood inside the vessels, which varies with each pulse. The heart rate monitor system uses an LED light and a photo-sensor to record changes in blood flow and transforms them into heartbeat information.

The best heart rate monitors with Bluetooth for cycling, among which we mention Garmin HRM-Dual™ heart rate band for example, are able to store and transmit the data collected during your workout to your smartwatch or cycle computer precisely via Bluetooth: with it, you will receive linear and accurate heart rate data directly on your device/bike computer or on your workout monitoring app.