Cyclist
Best heart rate monitors 2024 reviewed for cycling
A heart rate monitor still plays a very important role in training and health monitoring, even if power meters may have become the must have training tool for a lot of cyclists over the last decade or so.
Whereas power meters measure our external workload, the work we put out, heart rate monitors measure the internal workload, how hard we are working to produce that power. They can also tell us more about our overall fitness levels, fatigue, even impending illness. When used in conjunction with power meters, you have most of the training data you could ever need to track and monitor progress.
We’ve tested a range of heart rate monitors to see how well they work both outdoors and indoors on high intensity training sessions. You can read our detailed reviews for more info or head to the bottom of this page for our buyer’s guide to how to choose the best heart rate monitor for your needs.
Reviews of the best heart rate monitors
- Coros HR Monitor RRP: £69 — Read our full review
- Garmin HRM Pro Plus RRP: £119.99 — Read our full review
- Polar H10 RRP: £86.50 — Read our full review
- Wahoo TICKR FIT RRP: £64.99 — Read our full review
How do we test and why trust our advice?
All of our product reviewers are avid cyclists who have been riding for many years. They have all built up a huge array of experience from riding in various conditions and testing what kit works and doesn’t work in these situations. Andy, who has conducted all these reviews, is a former pro racer who rode in the Tour of Britain, and is now a coach and physiologist.
These heart rate monitors were tested in a range of temperatures and riding conditions throughout September to November, from freezing rainy epics outdoors, to hot and humid high intensity indoor sessions on the turbo. We’ve tested comfort, practicality, usability, and longevity over the course of dozens of hours.
Best heart rate monitors 2024 reviewed
Coros HR Monitor
£69 | View offer
- Weight: 19g
- Range of colours is fun
- Easy to adjust and use
- Auto on/off works brilliantly
- Appears accurate
- Washable strap
The Coros HR monitor is an optical heart rate monitor worn on the arm and uses four green LEDs to measure blood flow in the capillaries under the skin. In testing against chest strap monitors that use ECG the Coros performs well, tracking accurately across a broad range of intensities. It also continues to perform well when sweaty or wet, which can sometimes throw off optical heart rate sensors. It doesn’t use ANT+, only BLE, but for most users this shouldn’t be an issue and certainly didn’t limit my use.
An impressive feature of the Coros is the automatic on/off feature. When it is worn against the skin, it turns on to start measuring and broadcasting data. Once removed, it puts itself into standby and power saving. With a 36-hour battery life, which appears accurate, it performs better than other optical sensors. Plus the 80-day standby and quick and easy charging make it very practical to just throw on for a ride. A green LED externally is also used to display on/off, connecting to devices, and broadcasting data.
The strap itself is nicely adjustable, however not as easily while being worn. A velcro quick release makes for easy fitment and removal though, as well as meaning the strap can be removed from the unit and thrown in the washing machine. I also like that different colour options are available, just to bring a little more colour to a device that’s often quite bland. At £69, it is more expensive than the Wahoo Tickr Fit, but I think it is easier to live with and use. It suffers the same proprietary charger issue, having yet another to keep track of, but the auto on/off feature is superb and it’s such an easy device to use. It is now my go-to for indoor training.
- Read our full Coros Heart Rate Monitor review
- Buy now from Amazon (£69)
Garmin HRM Pro Plus
£119.99 | View offer
- Weight: 52g
- Pull-tab under battery
- Huge battery life
- Great adjustability
- Records and stores data
- Strap can get saturated
The Garmin HRM Pro Plus is Garmin’s top of the rnge heart rate monitor. Being a chest strap unit, it uses EMG to measure heart rate and is very accurate, comparing favourably with other chest units. It transmits data via ANT+ or three concurrent BLE channels, making it easy to use across platforms. In testing it also connected seamlessly with bike computers or training apps. As well as HR, you can also record HRV which can be useful for monitoring fatigue, stress and health.
Updated now to feature toolless entry to change the battery, a wonderful addition is the tab under the battery to make removal easy. It’s a little thing, but oh so useful. However you won’t have to do this often, with a one-year battery life based on an hour a day of activity. It also features a highly adjustable strap, with the option of an extender for broader chests. However, this strap can get quite sweat saturated especially during higher intensity indoor training sessions.
Additional nice features to have are the capacity to record data on the device itself, useful for recording physiological data if your bike computer dies mid ride for example. There are also running and swimming features, which could be handy for cyclists cross-training in the winter, but are non-essential for most cyclists. At £119.99 though, this is a very expensive heart rate monitor. Although it comes with all the bells and whistles, many of these are likely superfluous to a cyclist’s needs. It’s perhaps worth instead going for something without some of these features at a lower price.
- Read our full Garmin HRM Pro Plus Heart Rate Monitor review
Polar H10
£86.50 | View offer
- Weight: 60g
- Huge battery life
- Accurate
- Non-slip strap reduces pressure
- Records data internally
The Polar H10 heart rate monitor is the top of the range offering from Polar. It’s a chest-based unit, using EMG to measure heart rate, which is regarded as the gold standard. Testing against other chest strap units, it records accurately from low to high intensity. It can also be used for HRV for those wanting a better insight into fatigue, illness and stress. Data itself is transmitted via ANT+ or BLE, while the H10 can also record data internally for future upload.
Boasting a battery life of 400 hours is one of the main bonuses of the Polar H10. I couldn’t test this over the testing period unfortunately, but the use it has had and the tiny drop in battery percentage track accordingly. I am also a huge fan of the chest strap, as it features silicone dots along it. On longer rides, I find chest straps can get loose and are nearly impossible to adjust on the fly with layers on. The silicone dots mean that the strap stays well in place while also being able to be a little looser and more comfortable. Different strap sizes and an easy click and release button on the strap are also great additions.
I could nitpick about CR2025 batteries not being common, two BLE channels rather than three, and tools needed for battery removal. However, none of these were an issue at any point except for the five seconds it took to use a knife to lever off the battery cover. At the end of the day the Polar H10 is pretty much the perfect heart rate monitor for most people. Accurate HR data, HRV capacity, comfortable and adjustable strap, and decent price make for a great device.
- Read our full Polar H10 Heart Rate Monitor review
Wahoo Tickr Fit
£64.99 | View offer
- Weight: 45g
- Multiple straps included
- Accuracy seems good
- Thick strap can get warm
- Another proprietary cable
The Wahoo Tickr Fit is Wahoo’s optical heart rate monitor designed to be worn around the arm rather than the chest. This is for a combination of comfort as well as potentially more practicality for some users. To measure heart rate, the Tickr Fit uses three green LEDs that monitor blood flow through muscle capillaries, so it needs to be worn reasonably tight around an area of muscle. Wahoo recommends the forearm, but the upper arm works well too.
Data-wise the Tickr Fit tracks well with established chest strap monitors, even at higher intensities and in sweaty environments where optical HR monitors can struggle. The data itself is transmitted via ANT+ and BLE so is very easy to connect to other devices. Coming with two strap options, there are a wide range of arm sizes that this unit can suit, while adjustment is made easy thanks to velcro on each end of the strap. It also means it can be washed easily, but the slightly thicker strap material can get quite warm and saturated on warmer rides.
Battery life is a claimed 30 hours, which appears to be true based on testing. Charging itself is done via a proprietary magnetic cable, but this does mean having another charging cable to keep track of. The device can easily be controlled via the single on/off button, plus helpful LEDs to display further info. Overall, at £64.99 it presents reasonable value, and for those who find chest straps not as comfortable, this is a good option. However, the thick strap does make it less ideal for warm conditions such as high intensity indoor training.
- Read our full Wahoo TICKR FIT heart rate monitor review
How to choose the best heart rate monitor for you
How do heart rate monitors work?
There are three main areas of the body that are used for measuring heart rate in cycling: the chest, the wrist and the arm.
The most common, and regarded as the gold standard, are chest-based heart rate (HR) monitors. These measure heart rate using electromyography (EMG) to measure the physical heart beats as they occur using electrical signals from the heart. Generally the straps need to be wetted to get the most accurate data without dropouts.
The second group of sensors are optical HR monitors that use LEDs to detect the flow of blood in capillaries under the skin. Normally they are wrist based, such as smart watches, or arm based. Wrist measurements can be problematic as it is a boney area, so it can be more difficult to detect blood flow, hence why arm straps are generally more accurate. They can however lose some accuracy if the arm gets wet or sweaty, so a tight fit is required.
What features should I look for?
Things to look out for in a HR monitor are the battery life, with rechargeable units obviating the need to change batteries but having generally much shorter battery lives.
Adjustability is another important factor, as not everyone will have the same chest or arm circumference. Many HR monitors have an option of multiple strap lengths available to combat this.
Finally, additional features such as internal data storage or heart rate variability measurements can prove useful features for some. However these extra features normally come at an additional price and cyclists may not find them essential.
Why use a heart rate monitor?
With many riders focussing on power for training, the heart rate monitor has gone slightly out of fashion. However, coming from a cycling coach and physiologist, those forgoing HR are missing out.
Power, or watts, is a measure of our external workload, which is going into making the bike travel forwards. Heart rate is the measure of the internal workload, how hard we work to make that power. Together you get a more vital understanding of your fitness as well as progression. For example, a higher power for the same heart rate can be a good indicator of increased fitness if the relative effort feels the same. Alternatively, a reduction in peak heart rate for maximum efforts can be an indicator of fatigue and the need to rest.
What is the difference between electrical and optical HR?
There are two main ways to measure heart rate with sports equipment. They are electromyography (EMG) and optical sensors. EMG uses conduction to detect the electrical signals each time your heart beats, it measures the heart beating itself. This is why EMG sensors need to be fitted across the chest and near the heart. It is also recommended to wet the sensors as moisture improves conduction. This is cited as a key benefit for sports HR monitors, as sweat can make EMG HR monitors more accurate and less likely to drop out or miss any signals.
Optical sensors use a series of flashing lights against the skin to measure the changes in blood volume in capillaries, which increases when the heart beats and pumps blood into them. It’s best done over a fleshy area of muscle that will be rich in capillaries. Moisture, or sweat, can impede measurements slightly, so devices need to be worn tight enough.
Wrist, chest or arm measurements?
EMG sensors need to be worn on the chest, as discussed. This is useful for accuracy and generally doesn’t get in the way or physical movement when cycling. The strap needs to be tight enough and secure though, as they are hard to adjust once layered up and riding. Additionally, because the straps are connected to the transmitting pod, the straps feature metal elements that can corrode from sweat. They also make them non-machine washable, so they can be hand washed only.
Optical sensors however can be worn pretty much anywhere, but the most common placement is along the arm. Generally the upper arm is the best place to wear them, as the bicep offers a good area of muscle and capillaries with limited bones to get in the way. Wrist based devices are available, but the wrist bone can impair the accuracy of measurements (widely documented in scientific testing literature), so generally it’s better to get an arm based one.
Upper arm based monitors also reduce the issue of dodgy tan lines when cycling, as most jersey sleeves will cover the strap. This may also be more comfortable for some users, while the straps are usually removable from the pod so they can be machine washed with other kit.
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