Timex Ironman Mens Race Trainer Heart Rate Monitor With Data Xchanger Watch BlackGrey Full Size

Posted In: Log Home Kits

Delta Quillen says...

I'm new to Heart Rate monitors but not new to Timex Ironman products. I have used several Ironman products over the years, including one that would sync from a CGA computer monitor, and I was not disappointed with the quality of this product.



So this particular model operates flawlessly as a watch and HR monitor and will communicate with a computer using a special USB adapter that ships with the watch. Unfortunately, to get the necessary software you will need to go the internet (see last paragraph). When connected to the computer, you can adjust all setting on the watch without pushing buttons. This alone was worth the extra money.



The watch has a number of timing features that make it a very flexible tool for training or simply tracking your daily exercise. While you can use either a chronometer (counts up) with lap capabilities or a timer (counts down), you can plan and monitor your activity. There are also interval and recovery timers and the ability to set up target heart rate zones that correspond to a particular interval.



Use of the watch is straight forward. As you switch through the different modes there text prompts that change to help you remember which button to press to get the desired action. However for most actions, only one press is required. The only time you need more is if you are setting or resetting.



To monitor your heart rate, you need to use a chest strap and transmitter (included) along with the watch. The chest strap has a comfortable fit and a detachable (and adjustable) elastic strap. The watch and transmitter can also be paired so that an adjacent watch or transmitter will not interfere with each other. While I have no need to do this is a very nice feature.



On the face of the watch there are two primary fields, a medium size font across the top that normally displays the date and a large size font across the middle and lower half that normally displays the time. When you are monitoring you heart rate, you can opt to use either field to display your heart rate. If you need to switch, a simple one button push will do the job.



If you want to review the changes in you heart rate over time graphically you need to create a free account at TrainingPeaks.com and load your data there. The process take a few steps to do but it is not difficult. If I had one complaint about the this product it would be that I have to use the website to store and display my data. I would much prefer a local software program or the ability to put the data in Excel but then I'm being picky. However, this is only reason I did not give the product 5 stars; the product is not complete without the use of the trainingpeaks website and that is not in the shrink-wrap package. This is also where you get the necessary driver to permit the watch to communicate with a computer. In spite of my complaint, the website is fairly reliable and has some very nice features, including the ability to map out your routes on public streets.



In conclusion, I am well pleased with the purchase and would recommend this to anyone who is serious about getting back in shape for the purpose of maintaining your health.

Posted on November 15, 2011

Marva Kinseth says...

The monitor works as advertised. It has all the features I was looking form. Getting the monitor to communicate with the PC was a bit of an ordeal. Finding the proper drivers for the USB antenna was difficult.

However, if you CAREFULLY read the manual, you will find the proper URL to download the driver. A link to the driver from [...] would be much nicer.

Posted on November 15, 2011

Johana Noboa says...

This model was for my husband and I bought the womens version for myself.The watches work very well and are pretty attactive for sports type watches.The chest strap is as comfortable as can be expected.The monitor picks up heart rate quickly and seems to be accurate (it matches several pieces of fitness equipment).The ability to save ten workouts is great.The ability to upload to [...] is also really nice.I don't use it a lot yet but may in the future.Overall we are very happy with this purchase.

Posted on November 15, 2011

Vince Staebler says...

Nice all-around watch/HRM that I purchased mainly for monitoring my heart rate during workouts and running. So, after several workouts, a "Memory Full" message is displayed whenever I scroll to the other features. It does not affect any of the operations, but it is annoying to me.



I believe workouts are saved every time you reset any of the timers, and the memory function works on the FIFO principle. There is no option in the menus to clear the workouts held in memory, only to "Lock", or preserve workouts you do not want erased when the memory rolls over. Hopefully, a "Clear memory?" option will be included in future releases.

Posted on November 16, 2011

Lamar Vanaller says...

Very rudimentary tracking but, exactly what I was looking for.It is tied into it's own software so don't look to put this into your own spreadsheets very easily.It does exactly what it says it does.The band is also proprietary which was a bummer as I wanted to get a guard for it but the shape is too broad.

Posted on November 18, 2011

Georgia Heugel says...

I received the watch today and was enjoying the features. However, the PC data link does not work. The watch cannot find the PC and I cannot find any help. Could just be me, but I have tried reading all I can and still the USB wireless connection is useless. The driver installed without any issues, but will not function as advertised. The Manual points to a Link for the software that is dead.



Anyone else?

Posted on November 21, 2011

Robbie Mclane says...

Excellent tool.The software is easy to use and compatible with some GPS data, the strap is as good as any I've used and stays on better than most.The lap split button is right in the middle which makes it easy to use, overall the watch is laid out nicely.



Setup is a little tedious, both for the watch and the software/website, but once it's done it's a breeze to use and very quick.the manual does an adequate job of explaining setup.



This HRM has become a part of my daily training tools, wouldn't ever work out without it.Generates a ton of useful data.

Posted on November 21, 2011

Mollie Pocock says...

Awesome product.I have owned several different brands of HRM and this watch for the price is the best to date.I had the watch up and going after work in time for my nightly workout.The Xchanger delayed me a bit with Windows 7, but I resolved that within a short time.The Timex website will track progress and apprears to be very complete.I have been using serveral other site to store this information.Great job Timex, this could be the part of my workout that I am missing.

Posted on November 22, 2011

Alvera Old says...

It came preset to my timezone and date which was pretty cool, everything else is really easy to setup, this does include the heart rate monitor,watch, and USB transfer drive. I love the look of this watch!

Posted on November 22, 2011

Tari Delamarter says...

The watch works great but the internet connection and web links are crap.You have to shell out a crapload of money to get the best applications.Great product but a scumbag move on Timex's part.

Posted on November 28, 2011