You may remember back a few months ago when I published my Top Tips to reduce HR strap issues. That’s since become a pretty popular posts, especially amongst Garmin Premium Soft Strap HR users.
And for the vast majority of folks, those tips resolve their HR strap issues around erratic HR readings including drops, spikes and other funkiness.
But – there’s a small segment of the population which has occasional (or continuous) issues with the soft strap. From time to time, I see these issues myself – I’m certainly not immune to the challenges that sports technology sometimes throws at ya. Recently I saw a bit of an uptick in heart rate reading spikes – in particular while wearing some of my DriFit type t-shirts while running. It was getting to the point over the last few weeks where I couldn’t even wear them because of the spikes. I’m not clear on why the exact change, as the weather hasn’t turned to fall (which is when the issues typically crop up).
So…that’s when I remembered an e-mail thread with a reader in Australia asking if I’d tried out any of the Polar straps. While I believe that Polar devices are currently lagging behind the competition – I’ve always agreed that their HR straps themselves are superior. Unfortunately, the straps themselves aren’t natively compatible with Garmin. Garmin uses ANT+, and Polar uses their own protocol (depending on coded or non-coded).
After a bit more information he noted that some folks Down Under were actually utilizing the Wear Link straps which were compatible with the Garmin’s. So, up for a bit of experimentation, I ordered one off of Amazon and waited until Mr. FedEx arrived.
Luckily…he arrived the next day. 
I was pretty skeptical that it would work out of the box, given the transmitter differences.
And, after a whole bunch of testing – I found it didn’t. No HR readings to be found. 
So, back to the forums I went and did some more research. Turns out…I was doing it wrong! I needed to actually swap out the Garmin ANT+ transmitter (little button-on plastic piece) with the Polar Transmitter (same design plastic piece). So, I popped them both off, which then looks like below:
…after disconnecting the clip it then becomes…
And then, I did the Indiana Jones Idol swap:
You’ll now note that the Garmin ANT+ Transmitter is snapped into the Polar Soft Strap, and the Polar Transmitter is snapped into the Garmin Soft Strap. At this point, we can take the Polar Transmitter/Garmin Strap combo and toss it to the side…its now sitting in the corner with the dunce cap on.
Meanwhile, we can take the golden Garmin Transmitter/Polar Soft Strap combo and go back to our ANT+ device:
You’ll notice we don’t even need to re-pair the strap at all. This is because it’s our same good ole’ transmitter. See, the transmitter itself is almost never the problem (unless the battery is dead). But it’s the strap where the electrode sensors are that’s the root of all evil. The strap is what picks up the readings off your chest, whereas the transmitter just relays that information.
And, because the transmitter is ANT+ – it’ll work with all existing ANT+ device, regardless of whether it’s a Garmin Edge 500, a Timex Global Trainer, or an ANT+ enabled iPhone:
So, how would it fare in real world testing? Well, if there was ever a place that gives me constant trouble – it’s Skyline Drive on a bike. This is because I’ll easily hit 40MPH on the descents, which for me tends to cause high HR issues when the wind enters my jersey. It’s pretty much a known quantity for my rides there.
So…off I went, cycling for 44 miles. And when I got back and took a look at my HR graphs?
Not a single erratic/unexpected reading. In fact, during the whole ride the readings were exactly what I’d expect them to be. No weird issues up front like usual, no issues during high speed descents, nor any problems with the buffeting winds that I also experienced. Just perfection. And my browsing of various forums is showing the same thing for others who have switched over.
But…what about the costs?
Well, cheap. Super-cheap.
Now I actually incorrectly bought the entire Polar strap including the transmitter – but you don’t need to. You just simply need the replacement strap without the transmitter.
This replacement strap itself is available for just $17. Pretty darn cheap.
It comes in two sizes:
XS-S (21”-38”): Amazon Link (simply choose size X-Small-Small)
M-XXL (27”-60”): Amazon Link (simply choose size M-XXL)
I ended up getting the M-XXL one as that seemed to easily cover me and works perfectly. Note that it’s important you get the WearLink one – which has the little snaps to place your Garmin transmitter. Just any old Polar strap won’t work. Also note that you NEED the Garmin Soft Strap HR transmitter piece – meaning this won’t work with the old school classic straps, nor will it work with just the Polar pieces. Mmmk? Good.
Hope this helps some!
Thanks for the tip. I haven’t had any trouble with my garmin soft strap, but will keep this in mind if I do in the future.
YES! This has been driving me nuts for weeks. I can’t wait to get a new strap! You rock, as always!!
During the last three months I am suffering this problem. Sometimes it works and others not. I have the Polar strap at home so I will test it this week running and with the bike. I hope it works !!.
Thanks for the tip.
That will work for a few weeks, then the contacts on the Garmin strap will corrode, and you’ll be back at square one with the spikes, especially at the beginning of the work out. You can either buy another Wearlink strap, or, better, buy the old (solid plastic) Garmin strap. The old Garmin (non-premium) strap is the only solution that works consistently well. Too bad Garmin couldn’t figure out how to make a good soft strap!
Works with Adidas miCoach straps, and for the ladies Adidas Sports Bra (with strap integrated).
great information – i have a Polar rs300x, it’s good for running but not much else. i’ll use the strap when i get the 310xt and/or edge 500
I typically don’t run with a shirt on… in the spring summer fall seasons. Come winter I will see if I have this issue. Interesting fix?! Seems too easy to be true. Thanks for putting common sense to use and figuring this one out.
As always you are the man!
Hey Bike Geek – From what I’ve read with others who have used it and seen issues (few though) – simply wiping the contacts after use will fix it.
link to forums.garmin.com
Do you have a link to the Garmin transmitter that you used? Many thanks
I bought one of those strap a couple months ago to use it with my 310, I really love the accuracy but sadly I have an allergy of some sort to the material because each time I wear it I always have trouble with my skin after
Wish I had a tip to fix that problem because I love the strap!
I just got a new soft strap direct from Garmin. The readings were getting worse with each workout, so I attempted to start simple and change the battery (it was running the original battery still). In doing so, the transmitter never reconnected, and Garmin sent me a new one. In the meantime, I was using the hard plastic Garmin strap which worked great. I haven’t tried the new soft strap yet, but I may still pick up one of these Polar straps as well. Thanks for the tip!
I’m also having problems with the Garmin “premium” soft strap, even with a replacement that Garmin sent me. I get HR spikes late in the workout when the shirt is really sweaty. I already bought a Polar strap, but haven’t had the possibility to test is yet due to a cold.
It would be really interesting if you had the opportunity to test the Polar transmitter/Garmin strap combination as well. If that has the problems that the Garmin/Garmin combo has, we will be even more sure that the strap is the problem.
DC Rainmaker – you’ve had contact with Garmin before. Can you get any comments from them regarding all of the problems we have with the soft strap?
Thanks once again for your info. It’s a pleasure to read your blog. I am planning to buy a forerunner 110 online, with an option of either a premium soft HRM or the classic one. The soft one will cost $27 more.
Which one would you recommend I choose? For me HR accuracy is the most important.
Can I do this Polar/Garmin swap with the classic HRM as well?
Thanks
Well now I see that my second question has already been answered in your post. Should have paid more attention
Thanks! I get the spikes from my Garmin which incidentally replaced a Polar HRM, so I have the polar strap already. Will try this on my next run/ride.
I should have said the contacts ON THE GARMIN transmitter will corrode. I’ve tried getting all the rust off with vinegar but haven’t been 100% successful. What I find poor is that the contacts would corrode at all. My Polar straps are all corrosion-free after years of use.
Tried it myself today…didn’t really solve the problem. maybe it is due to the crazy humidity that we are experiencing..
Hey Ray -
New Polar strap is on order through your link.
I also have tried this with an Addidas shirt I bought in Germany that has a built in sensor. (It is a cool – but impractical – idea. Imagine a compression T with a built in sensor band…nice tight fit but who wants to wash something like that frequently with the sensors ) Anyways – it was designed for Polar, but my Garmin transmitter snapped in just fine.
Thanks so much for this post Ray. Earlier this summer I completely stopped using my soft strap after it went wonky on every single workout. I’ve been using the old strap exclusively but it really isn’t very comfortable. I had read it was a design flaw in the strap. Given the number of complaints the premium strap has received I’m surprised that Garmin hasn’t addressed the issue other than by telling people to not wear technical tops or the other goofy possible fixes I’ve seen noted.
Now I have tested the Polar strap + Garmin transmiter during a running workout on tuesday and a bike workout yesterday. The weather was very hot, so really sweating. It worked perfect both times, no sudden HR changes, no spikes.
Thanks for the tip again !!
Hi Rainmaker…
The following was posted by me over at BikeForums.net…regarding the use of the Polar Wearlink+ strap with the Garmin transmitter…
I’ve got an Edge 500 (moved up from a Forerunner 50, then Forerunner 405), and I use the Premium Heart Rate monitor with it.
FYI, both straps work well, and I haven’t had any issues with the heart rate monitoring. What is a bit of problem is that at present, I’m a big guy…with a 48/50 inch chest. Both straps are very tight, and the premium is already starting to stretch/show signs of wear after just a couple of months.
Right after I got the Premium strap, I happened to see a picture of the Polar Wearlink+ strap. I know that the transmitter units are not compatible (Garmin/Polar), but it certainly looked like the Garmin transmitter puck would snap right onto the Polar strap. The Polar strap is also available in sizes…up to an XXXL which handles a 60-inch chest!
I thought, “Oh well, it’s worth a shot”, and ordered the strap from Amazon. It arrived, the Garmin puck snapped right on, and I put it on. SUCCESS! The Garmin Puck/Polar strap/sensors worked and I was able to get my heartrate on all of my Garmin units.
It’s at this point that I finally get to the point of the thread…
The combo works GREAT for about 2-3 hours, but then it stops transmitting successfully. I’ve tried re-applying conductive gels (two types), saliva, repositioning, etc.,…all to no avail. After 2-3 hours, it just doesn’t transmit consistently. If I can get it to start recording again, it’s very sketchy and eventually ends up dropping out again.
My first thought was that I had a bad Polar strap, so I ordered another one…and experienced the exact same problem, so I’m assuming that there is just something about the combination of the two that is the problem.
It’s not a deal-breaker as I CAN use the Garmin strap…it’s just not as comfortable as the Polar XXL strap. Obviously if I got to Garmin or Polar, their response is don’t use the combo.
So, I thought I’d ask here…Has anyone else run into this issue?
Great advise! I will follow closely the corrosion issues brought forward – other than that, this solution is perfect. I have tested it and it worked just fine.
Brilliant blog BTW!!! I’ve literally spent days going through your reviews on your Garmin watches before making a final decision.
One thing i did want to ask, the new Garmin HRM Comfort Strap. A sales person who was quite clued up on the Garmin products mentioned to me that once the new HRM monitor’s battery runs down it cannot simply be replaced, but one has to purchase the complete strap again.
I really thought this was quite daft from Garmin as this strap is quite expensive compared to the original one where the battery can simply be replaced once opened with a coin.
I know that the battery life on the Garmin HRM straps if used often lasts for about a 1year or more.
So my question is, is this true about the new Garmin HRM strap? Or is the battery easily replaceable?
PS: I was also told that the older Garmin HRM strap works much better because it makes much better contact with your body. In your experience of using the comfort strap, have you had any problems with reading or when you’ve downloaded data?
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@Nadeem, hi, either your clued up Garmin sales guy does not have the precision screw set (#0) to open up the new HRM to replace the batteries, or he has a lot of spare inventories of the old Garmin HRM strap.
Garmin may be dumb, but is not as daft as say Polar (which needed you to send back the HRM to replace batteries on some models).
Will Try it Tomorrow, i´ve got spikes every time i use the soft strap, bought the 310xt hrm just two weeks ago and was thinking about returning it till i saw this solution.
Thanks for the great work
Ramos
Hi Ray,
Informative as usuall…
I found that with the new soft strap HRM my readings will not spike but rather be consistantly high – according to the readings I ran for a couple of hours yesterday with my HR at about 103%.
Local Garmin have offered to replace the Soft HRM with the old type, which are mush less comfortable for me, so I still have a dilema about doing the trade-in or risking having problems come up later, when the strap will no longer be in “new” condition.
What would you suggest?
Thanks!
I have polar device with wearlink+. It worked for 2 months very well (1 error with RR recording), then the quality of the reading went wrong, even I maintained very carefully
You can check the polar forum about the issue… many posts. So I do not think it is ultimate solution.
So funny, Garmin sent me to your webiste when I was discussing this problem with them. I have been using the strap that came with my 305 with no problems (in conjunction with my 310XT). The soft strap that came with the 310XT was useless after about 1 month. Garmin sent me a new one at no charge, and it lasted about 1 month as well. I prefer the feel of the soft strap, but it’s useless to get 200+BPM all the time. I find it funny that the Garmin tech essentially suggested that I purchase a Polar Heart Rate Strap rather than one of their own! By the way, keep up the good work DC rainmaker – I really love your site.
link to buy.garmin.com
Looking at that picture, it looks like the new strap design. FYI.
Not sure when Garmin will be offering this upgraded strap and transmitter. If it will even be a new part number. I’ve been waiting to upgrade my 405, but want to be sure I get the latest design.
Has anyone verified the fidelity of the HR values using the Garmin-Polar hybrid?
My aerobic zone pace is faster by about 45sec per mile with the G-P hybrid.
I am going to test the stock Garmin setup over the next few days to compare.
Does anyone (DC?) have the ability to test the Garmin-Garmin vs. Garmin-Polar setup simultaneously to compare?
I’ve been using the Wearlink+ strap with my Garmin transmitter for approx. 6-8 months now. I’ve been experiencing problems lately, and I recently changed the battery in my transmitter to try and solve it. Unfortunately the problem still exists, with the HR #’s dropping like a rock 2/3 of the way into a workout. As an example… link to connect.garmin.com
Hoping that the NEW new premium soft strap HRM is available as a standalone item from Garmin soon, and that it works. I guess I could order the old plastic strap, but I haven’t caved in and done it yet.
Sorry for my poor english (french people and english…
) …
I bought an edge 800 2 month ago, and everything was OK one month. Since I have regulary some drop, and yesterday completely no signal from the HR. I changed the battery in the strap and always humidify with saliva… Not better.
Il decided yesterday to buy the polar strap. I’ll give you feedback after test.
It is very desapointing to buy a so expensive item and to have so much issues… And so poor software… But luckly I tested ST3…
DC, thank for your website : very usefull concerning all about GPS and other fun things.
Check out list of ANT+ compatible HRMs for Garmin FR watches:
link to thisisant.com
Hey, thank you very much for this link!!
I’ve found here that the “Geonaute digital coded soft strap HRM” (sold here in Decathlon stores) is compatible with my Garmin FR60.
And as I looked around, I think their stuffs are the same as the Garmin ones. The footpod and the USB dongle looks the same (I haven’t tried them though) but the soft strap IS the same. Really.
The strap isn’t sold separately so I bought the “digital coded” (ANT+) HRM.
First impressions:
1. It works out of the box (as it’s an ANT+ device)
2. It works like it should (no spikes anymore)
3. The sensor is a very little bit bigger than the Garmin’s
4. The sensor fits more securely on the strap (maybe it has better contact – it has to be checked for a longer period)
5. The Geonaute strap fits on the Garmin sensor (just like it’s own strap – because it is the same product) and I can pair it with the watch but I haven’t tried it during a workout. (Maybe you can buy the more cheaper “analog” sensor just for the strap and save more than 2/3 of the price of the Garmin strap – but surely the new Garmin strap is better than the old one, you decide)
6. And not to forget: I have two years warranty
An important info: in the local Garmin/Polar shop I’ve been told (and they showed me) that the very latest Polar strap (not the Wearlink+ but the new “Polar Soft Strap”) is just a little bit different (in millimeters) than the Garmin’s. And because of it the Garmin sensor just drops off the strap during workout. So watch out which version of the Polar strap you buy!
Problems with Garmin HR soft straps…
I bought the Polar strap and it worked for some time. But, it stopped 2 hours into a group ride.
I did 10k time trial into a head wind averaging 33k/h with average HR 72b/min.
Would be pretty good if it was real.
It was either no reading or very low reading. When I stopped the HR went back where to what would be expected.
It was wind probably, have no idea. No regrets on buying the Polar strap, it was pretty cheap, but I prefer having occasional spikes.
It is pretty sad thought that Garming delivered this crap with $300 computer.
My first and last Garmin, they maybe good with GPS but otherwise it is crap.
In your last picture you show three devices that appear to all be connecting to a single heart rate transmitter. Am I seeing that correctly. I stumbled across your blog researching wether you can use an Ant+ iPhone dongle AND an Ant+ compatible watch at the same time. Your picture seems to be proof that you can.
Hi Marky-
Absolutely. I do it all the time in testing devices. You can pair as many devices as you’d like to a given ANT+ sensor.
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Thanks for the quick response. We’re over at the RunKeeper forum waiting patiently for them to add more HR features to their iPhone app. They introduced the Ant+ not too long ago, but other than tracking heart rate and uploading to their web UI, it doesn’t do much yet. In the meantime impatient users are migrating to other apps, or considering using 2 devices. Got a used Ant+ compatible HRM watch you want to sell for cheap? I tried using two straps, combining my Wahoo Dongle/Garmen Transmitter with my Polar F11 HRM + transmitter but the Polar HR readings were really erratic until I disabled the Wahoo. I just can’t justify buying another new HRM with 2 Polar sitting in a drawer.
Yeah, I’m not sure why they haven’t added in the other ANT+ sensor data streams. It’s really rather simple…well…at least it was for the 60+ other App developers to do it.
I’ve never had any issues running dual Polar/Garmin transmitters and receivers at the same time, but maybe I’ve lucked out.
Ordered Polar Wearlink strap, but sadly I’m having the same erratic readings – this time very low all throughout exercise. Guess I’ll call Garmin to complain about my TWO erroneous Soft straps.
This was great information. I was having some real “HR spike” problems with some as high as 200. I had one of the new post 2010 straps on my desk but had never used it. I used it the day after reading your blog and the spikes are gone and the HR plots on the Garmin look as they should. Thanks for the great post.
I’ve been using the Polar strap for a year now and it is comfortable. It didn’t solve my problems however. I still get hummingbird readings at the beginning of runs/rides that settle down about 1-2 miles in (runs). It really sucks to spend this much time and money trying to fix a poor design. I’m convinced there is more wrong then the strap. I’ve used two standard Garmin straps, two premium soft straps and the Polar strap. It’s still a problem.
Yes bought new polar strap here in NZ for NZ$45 plus shipping (US$41 Amazon wouldnt ship out of US) and problem of 240bpm max cured – phew thought I had heart palpitations!!
Different subject: Ray/Anyone notice recent greater differences in distant between ST & GC. Was always some small difference but now running 310xt 3.70 (1sec monitoring) and getting differences of 1-2km, biggest was ST30.8km GC26.4km.
Will try ver 3.90 and report back.
I tried the combo and had problem. My Heart bit rate drops after 8-10 km of running. I suspect it happens when I sweat and the strap becomes wet.
I have a Garmin 410 and use the Polar/Garmin HR combo. I see “normal” HR readings through about 7 miles then they drop off (today’s 1/2 showed 165 at mile 6 then 148, 105, 60, 50, etc until the end). Happens on all long runs. The question I have regarding this being sweat induced, would it be the contacts on the transmitted or on the strap sensors? Could you wrap the transmitter in a zip-loc bag (for example) to keep the sweat off the contacts to resolve the issue?
The polar wear link worked for a a few weeks for me. On an especially hot day, with heavy sweating the spikes came back after about 5k.
Is it possible that the spikes are caused by the the contacts becoming wet? Is it also possible that the wetness between the contacts short out the Garmin heart rate monitor? If so, have you ever heard anyone cutting up the strap (either the garmin or the polar) so that the electrical connectivity that causes the short is broken?
Garmin is really frustrating in this area.
This is such a great web site, thanks, Rainmaker. I should have looked at this series of blog posts before I started tearing my hair out. I’m going out to look for a Polar HRM strap. My Garmin “Premium” HR strap is my third one. They’ve all now failed exactly the same way, all about 4 to 6 weeks after I buy them. The first symptom is a super high heart rate when I start a run or ride which drops to normal within a mile or two. After a week of this, I start to get spikes to 257 bpm. The easy way to check if you’ve got a defective strap: while it’s strapped on your chest, jiggle it up and down. The faster & longer you jiggle the transmitter, the higher your heart rate spikes. The Garmin “Premium” strap is just so poorly made or designed, it’s virtually useless after a month or two.
Still searching for a solution to HR drop-offs in second half of all workouts. I get the same result with the Garmin premium soft strap and two Polar WearLink+ straps (3 years old and 1 month old). I was optimistic that electrode gel (Spectra 360) would be my salvation, but not so. My next move is to buy the Garmin hard strap. I gather from a few commenters here and on Slowtwitch that it works a little better than either brand of soft strap, but it would be great to hear whether it really does.
Follow-Up to post on October 30, 2011 9:43 AM:
I visited the Polar Repair center (5 minutes from my house). The watch/receiver checked out fine. The transmitter was low on battery and the strap (WIND+) was tested as “high impedance” (or something akin). The guy swapped it out for a new one.
First run yesterday with the new Polar strap/Garmin transmitter worked flawlessly. Normal HR readings throughout entire run with no aberrations or spiking.
In addition, I also got a bottle of isopropyl alcohol and some Q-Tips to clean all the contacts. (Read somewhere this helps dissolve built-up deposits). I was also advised by the Polar guy to thoroughly rinse the strap and electrodes after each use. (Previously I would just air dry and run through the washer every week).
Hopefully this will continue to work.
It must be something with the strap building up electrolytes over time. As mentioned by others, maybe washing the strap thoroughly can reduce the problems?
I also sufer from the loss of signal issue on my garmin 610 softstrap. However I have more or less fixed it by applying a bit of bodylotion on my chest and wetting the strap in water. I think there might be a Garmin made contact lotion around for sale, but I havent found it yet.
Also bought the Polar wearlink strap and tried it with my Garmin transmitter. Worked perfectly for about 30 min of the workout and then HR started dropping down and after a minute or two there was no signal. The strap was quite saturated by that time. A real pity as I was hoping this solution to work. The search continues …
Wearlink probem solved I think!!
Gave up on the Garmin strap so I invested in a Polar Wearlink to use with my Garmin transmitter. No spikes of high readings but after a couple of hours heart rate readings would drop and then stop. This happened every time until I took a large pair of scissors and cut the Wearlink strap in two between the two studs where the transmitter attaches. I actually cut out about 1cm of strap so during the ride the cut ends would not touch at all.
As I said, problem solved. If this is a fix it’s because the fabric (between the two chest contact zones and behind the transmitter) absorbs sweat (including elecrolytes) during the early part of the ride. Eventually the material becomes conductive and the voltage differential between the chest contact zones decreases and becomes undetectable by the transmitter.
I needed to sew each of the cut ends so the existing stitching didn’t unravel. I’d cut too much off to be able to use a sewing machine which would have been neater. So if you try this I suggest a single scissors cut exactly between the studs. On each side pull the fabric back and trim the cut ends of the clear plastic strut that you will find. Then there should be no problems sewing the ends by machine. I doubt you would need to cut out a gap in the fabric to avoid the ends contacting and causing this problem but if necessary trim a bit more so there is a gap.
Good luck!
I can verify Singlespeed’s fix works!
After trying everything listed in this post, I was never able to obtain proper readings on any run over an hour or so. The HR would register fine for the first hour then drop to 60-70 for the rest of the run. In fact, last week I did a 2hr run and the same thing happened, showing an avg HR of 60 for a 14 mile run.
However, figuring I had nothing to lose (except having to buy a new strap), I followed Singlespeed’s directions. I cut the strap, (having no sewing machine I improvised with what I had available):
- Sealed the ends with super glue (put super glue in the cut ends and pushed down). Did this twice.
- Applied contact cement over the ends (hey it was near by) to creat a completely sealed end.
- Put a layer of electrical tape over the contact cement (to make a smooth surface and prevent chaffing)
- Sealed the electrical tape with clear nail polish (water proof?)
I then let it all dry. Hooked on the Polar transmitter and the Polar unit received fine. Used it during my runs during the week at the gym and everything was normal.
Today, I strapped on the Garmin (410) and the transmitter. It picked up the signal (a relief) and I was off. Everything was normal for the first hour. Then, much to my relief, it continued to transmit/receive “accurate” HR readings. No drop outs at all! After a 2:30 hr run – 18 miles, I had full HR readings throughout and an average in the 150′s.
Thank You Singlespeed!
I used my Garmin textile strap for about 7 months on a regular basis – 4 to 6 times a week, most of it running for 1h or longer. Because of heart rate spike issues with the older strap, I was very careful with this one. After I each workout I hand-washed it with cold water und a bit of mild soap. I did not have any HR spike problems, so perhaps it has been improved since it first came out. Maybe I was just lucky. After said 7 months, it started to smell though, so I washed it thoroughly with a detergent for sports clothing a couple of times. It didn’t help with the smell and I got HR spikes a few times.
I got a replacement for the old strap, but counting the time I had HR spikes and the time I waited for replacement, I had 3 weeks without HR readings. I didn’t want to repeat that, so I bought the Wearlink strap. After about an hour of more intense training, when I was really sweaty, I started getting HR readings in the 60s. I looked for that on the internet, looks like I wasn’t the only one experiencing this problem. I was very happy to read this fix. I cut out a roughly 5mm wide piece between the contact and sewed up the ends. There is a small strip of transparent plastic inside, but it was no problem to stitch through it. Two sweaty workouts done since then, got good HR readings! So thanks a lot!
Tried swapping the Garmin soft strap/sensor with my Polar softstrap. Didn’t work. Maybe the transmitter was faulty. It’s been returned either way. Not sure I want to start cutting a perfectly serviceable Polar kit for the sake of some dodgey Garmin product.
Could someone tell me regarding the polar strap/garmin hrm solution offered if you actually cut the clear plastic or not?
I won both Polar heart rate and Garmin heart rate watch. I cut the strap and it worked perfectly.
Marple_dave
Cutting the Polar Wearlink strap between the contacts fixes the problem whereby the Garin/Wearlink combo works perfectly until an hour or so into your workout. Then heart rate drops to about 60 and sometimes drops out completely. If there is no pick up from the outset and you have a nice wet strap and chest you have another problem, perhaps with the Garmin transmitter itself.
alex60
It would be tricky to cut the fabric completely but preserve the clear plastic strut between the contacts. Cut it completely then tidy the ends as I said above. You don’t need the plastic strut to be intact.
I’ve been using the Garmin transmitter/cut wearlink combo for a few weeks now without ever having spuriously low heart rates or other issues.
Thanks Singlespeed. I think it may have been the transmitter (tried loads of combinations of strap/transmitter/wetness/tighness/jelly etc) and I’ve returned it to the supplier anyway. I am reluctant to cut a perfectly good, better quality, Polar wearlink strap. I still use the Polar at the gym and on the bike at the moment of course.
To follow up on my post above, I have been using the cut Polar strap for over 3 weeks now with no problems. Works great with both my Polar watch (625X) and my Garmin (410).
As indicated in Singlespeed’s instructions, just cut it clean through (including the plastic piece) and tidy up the ends to your liking.
Marple_Dave: trust the instructions, you are not ruining a perfectly good HR strap…simply modifying it to work with your Garmin! It still works just fine with my Polar watch when I run inside and use the elliptical with the added benefit of getting accurate HR readings with my Garmin.
Cheers “Anon”. I’ll give it a try as a last resort but am pretty miffed beacause Garmin shouldn’t be sending out bad gear, particularly after all this time.
Swapping out my garmin strap with the replacement polar strap worked wonders. I tried using the gel with my garmin strap, but it didn’t seem to make any difference. However, switching to the polar strap has completely resolved my spiking issues. Thanks for the tip, and keep up the great work.
question regarding Singlespeed solution:
I had the same problem with the combo of Polar and Garmin (stop working after 10 km running) so I cut my Polar strap to 2 pieces. Now, my question is – why do I need to stick the parts back together? can’t I just use the Garmin transmitter to connect both sides without any sewing or gluing?
jojo
You don’t join the ends together again. You just need to tidy up each cut end somehow to stop the stitching unravelling. You could use fabric glue but I used a needle and thread. The two cut ends need to be kept apart to stop the heart rate plunging.
I also have just found this thread and put my Garmin transmitter onto the Polar chest strap. It never occurred to me before to look to see if it was feasible. My Concept II row this morning was the first time in years I have had a clean heart rate record. Works for the Garmin 310xt and the Fisica receiver on the iPhone. Brilliant, Thanks. Canberra rower.
In response to 31, yes I have verified the accuracy of the polar/garmin hybrid. My workout is on a rowing ergometer with precisely controlled power outputs and I know, from years of experience as well as knowledge of resting and maximum HR that it was exactly what I was expecting. Canberra Rower
Brilliant, have had an issue with the Garmin soft strap for a few months now and been so close to purchasing a new one a couple of times, just came across your post – ran to my cupboard, got out the spare Polar cheststrap I had, fixed on the Garmin transmitter and hey presto, an accurate heart reading again.
Thanks for the advice, I will post back after the first couple of rides to let you know how I have got on.
Wonderful post Ray, as usual.
I have one question that might be helpful to others as well. I just picked up the Edge 500 (without HRM), but have a current Polar HRM with the requisite – and working – chest strap. Since I only need the Garmin transmitter itself, is there a part number for this tranmitter (without the wonky strap) that I can use to order from somewhere online?
Thank you.
Hi Robbie-
Unfortunately, I’ve never seen just the transmitter piece available. But, any ANT+ heart rate strap transmitter would work, so, the cheapest one is see is the cheaper generic Garmin one ($40):
link to amazon.com
Sorry, wish I had a better answer.
Thank you very much.
You anticipated my next thought: if the transmitter isn’t available, what is the cheapest Ant+ transmitter/chest strap. Appreciate you taking the time to track down a link, too. Very helpful.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see one of your resourceful readers find a source for the Garmin transmitter. Possibly available through Garmin as a repair part.
Thx again.
Thank you for the solution! I had a polar strap and switched them out! you’re right,it does work!
Hopefully no more spikes!
I tried this out after lots of high spikes at the start of every run with the garmin strap. It worked for the first few times, but unfortunately for the past few weeks I’ve been getting incredibly low readings with the polar strap. In a half marathon today, the readings were realistic for about 5-6 miles and then dropped extremely low for the rest of the run – anywhere from 90-139 when I should’ve been in the low 170s. Any ideas?
Anonymous-
Did you cut the Polar strap in half like Singlespeed suggested? If not, look at his previous post discussing this. It solves the issue you describe (I had the same issue and by following his advice I have had perfect readings for all my runs (inside, outside, 1 hour-4hour).
Wanted to thank you for the post. My Garmin soft strap died and I couldn’t get it working. Read your post, bought the polar strap, came home and tried it.
Worked perfectly first time.
Big thanks.
It didn’t take long to find my way here. I’m glad I did, it’s been enlightening and interesting.
I was using the saliva method – usually just spiting on my fingers and transferring it to the pads on my soft strap. It worked, for almost a year, and then I started getting those anomalous readings: too high, too low, spikes (the last, frankly, seemed to correlate with fast downhills and perhaps that means a flapping jersey).
I also noticed that if I so much as touched the plastic unit on the strap, even through my jersey, the monitor on my Garmin 500 would show my heart rate at over 200, and it would take a few minutes to drop back down..
I tried repositioning, I tried making the strap tighter, I washed the strap, and I scrubbed the contacts with vinegar. I was about to order a Polar strap when I decided to try one thing that wasn’t going to cost me much time and cost me no money.
I made the strap wetter, by running the pads, and the area of the strap around the pads, under the water coming out of a faucet. Not the entire strap, the portion extending out about an inch from each pad.
For the past three rides, I’ve had no spikes, no readings too low, and none too high.
What is inside the starp, i have Wahoo Blue HR and it look exactly as the Garmin strap, will the Wahoo transmitter also work with the Polar elastic strap ?
Hi DC Rainmaker… Here it comes a question directly from Portugal…
If you use a Polar Wearlink+ Hybrid with a Garmin 910XT in swimming, can it read your HR?
Best compliments,
Marco Santos
Hi,
I brought the polar strap as I was having issues with my Garmin strap. All has worked well for a while, but this lately I noticed the strap stopped recording a true heart rate after about two hours. My heart drop to 30 beat per minutes whilst climbing a 18% hill the other day. Not likely!
During a race the other week, the strap didn’t work at all after the swim, think it started again at some point during the run.
Has anyone else experienced this issue?
I had the same problem. Garmin states it it caused by static generated by polyester shirts rubbing against the transmitter. I put a strip of 2″ wide masking tape over the transmitter. Problem solved. It has worker perfectly ever since.
Grant
look at posts #54 – #62. Cutting your strap according to the instructions fixes this problem.
Dear Ray,
I actually have a Polar 720i (wearlink+ strap)and I am interested in the EDGE 800, and my question is if the straps are compatibles for both of them and if would be possible to mount both devices in the bike with just on strap on the chest.
Interesting blog. Many thanks
Aitor
Unfortunately not. While the straps themselves can be mixed and matched, the transmitter pods won’t work with each other. Meaning, the Polar transmitter pod won’t be read by the Garmin – and vice versa.
Thanks mate! I recently upgraded from Polar CX800 to the Garmin Edge 800. I have been getting high heart rate readings since my second ride with the Garmin. I just took my old Polar one (quite worn out) and tried your suggestion and BAM! normal heart rate readings! Ill go and buy a new polar strap. Thanks again!
I’ve found thee perfect solution. Rather than the Polar Wearlink strap, I got the Polar Soft Strap link to polar.fi and attached my Garmin snap on transmitter to it. It works faultlessly! The Polar Soft Strap looks the same as the Garmin one, but it isn’t. It’s much thicker elastic, so doesn’t ruck up like I found the Garmin one did, and it’s got slightly larger and more flexible electrode skin contact areas. Critically, I’ve seen no spike issues.
One interesting thing written in the care instructions for the Polar strap is “Rinse the strap under running water after every use and hang to dry…Dry and store the strap and connector separately, to maximise the heart rate sensor battery lifetime. Keep the heart rate sensor in a cool and dry place. Do not store the heart rate sensor wet in a non-breathing material, such as a sports bag, to prevent snap oxidation…” Essentially, whether it’s a Polar or Garmin unit, expect the snap contacts to go rusty if you don’t clean and store the unit correctly after each use.
Hello,
this hint sound extremely helpful, unfortunately it didn’t did the trick to me.
I use a Garmin ForeRunner 210 with the Garmin Soft Strap HR Monitor (2011). Now I bought the Polar WearLink+ Transmitter Soft Strap as suggested – but it doesn’t work anymore. Bummer
The ForeRunner doesn’t find the sensor when attached to the polar strap.
Rgds
Sorry to hear the Polar Soft Strap is not working for you (I assume you’ve checked the transmitter is still working when attached to the old Garmin elastic strap). I bought my Garmin premium HR strap last year as an aftermarket strap for my FR405CX (which came with the normal Garmin strap). Mine is the newer version of the Garmin premium strap (the elastic continues between the studs for attaching the transmitter), but I think that’s the same as what is sold with the FR210/410 now anyway. I was never happy with the elastic on the Garmin premium strap as it was just too thin and crunched up. Hence the suggestion that the Polar straps were compatible got me thinking. I tried my Wife’s Wearlink+ strap with my Garmin transmitter and it worked, but she wanted the strap back! So, having read this article, I thought I’d experiment with the Polar soft strap; which after several weeks of at least daily use is still working well for me. I am fastidious with rinsing and drying both the strap and transmitter after every workout though.
Thanks DC Rainmaker for a) your blog and b) this particular post.
Brand new FR 610 and the HR stopped working within the first 2 miles. What a bummer because its a great watch. Got a Polar Wearlink+ strap and attached the Garmin HRM2-SS transmitter and presto.
One little problem and solution. The transmitter kept snapping out of one or the other of the two buttons on the belt. Solution: On the belt, just shave a bit of the rubber grommet surrounding the buttons down to the level of the button (~1mm). Just use a sharp utility knife. Transmitter snaps in place and stays there!
My Garmin strap stopped working, so I bought a Polar Wearlink strap. This worked for several weeks and then it stopped working. Tonight I cut the Wearlink strap and everything seems to be working again.
Has anyone tried cutting the Garmin Premium Strap?
Just wanted to say thanks. Been frustrated with my Garmin Strap’s inconsistency for over a year. Just bought the Polar strap and snapped on my Garmin Transmitter and it seems to be working perfectly…and I’m not exactly sweating sitting at the computer. Unfortunately I didn’t realize Polar also has a soft strap now, as this one feels a little less comfortable than the Garmin Soft Strap. But time will tell. Now if I could only get my Edge 500 to work properly…
PS. You saved me $40 and properly some frustration over another inconsistent Garmin soft strap.
Just came across this blog. Interesting way to try to solve the HR spikes on the Garmin. But does changing the strap to Polar really make a difference in the long term? I wonder if the Polar strap deteriorates over time just like Garmin’s.
Just purchased a Polar wearlink strap to replace my newer Garmin premium strap. The new wearlink strap looks different than the one I used to have for my Polar RS800CS Bike. Wonder if I will have to cut the strap per Singlespeed’s instructions.
Thanks man. Issues with the Garmin strap have been driving me batty. I tried all the suggestions – still no luck. Purchased the Polar strap…after getting a second Garmin that was reporting a 148 pulse whilst grinding out long climbs: 20-25 BPM lower than reality. I’m now getting good data. Interesting that the Garmin website is curiously quiet about this issue. Hmmmm.
Cheers…greg
Does anybody else have issues with the garmin transmitter wanting to pop out of the polar strap? I noticed that the holes on both straps have some text that says “original” and “prym 4gb”. However, the polar straps have the holes recessed compared to the garmin strap. Do I need to shave off some of the rubber that holds the metal parts on the polar strap for a better fit?
Garrubal, I just received the polar strap today from amazon and they must have redesigned it because the rubber that surrounds the buttons on the strap causes the garmin transmitter to pop out. I took a tiny scissor to it and removed some of the rubber and the transmitter seems to stay on now. Will test it out tomorrow on the treadmill and report back.
Art, thanks. Got my Swiss Army knife, took out the small scissors, and cut away the excess rubber. Fits a lot better than before. Will test tomorrow as well.
Tested the strap this morning and while it does work fine I do have to say that the polar strap is not as comfortable as the the original garmin. I’m never aware of the garmin strap when it is on, however with the polar strap it is not only bulkier but the seams irritate my skin.
Well, I did the old switch-a-roo and haven’t had much luck. The Polar Strap is giving me massive dropouts through the later part of my workouts when they should be rock solid with the Garmin Premium Strap. I would have a HR of around Zone 3 or 4 and drop all the way down to Zone 0.2 or so.. Do remind everyone that the strap was redesigned and you have to trim the rubber around the contacts Flush so the Garmin Transmitter will fit.
I was hoping the new strap would fix the HR zone Spikes which for some reason this year have been the worst they have ever been despite all the tricks Mentioned by DCRainmaker.
link to connect.garmin.com
Thanks for sharing the information; your blog is a brilliant resource.
My “Premium” HRM strap on the Edge 500 (Red & Black, premium price) lasted all of five weeks. It was never totally reliable but it gave me ball-part figures to work with. Now it has flat-lined.
Garmin should really supply the Polar HRM strap with the Edge 500.
Actually, why bother with the Garmin in the first place?
How do I know that any of the data on my device is accurate; can I be sure that the other sensors are working?
Has anyone had any luck getting a refund from Garmin?
Thanks again for your blog.
Great and very helpful article… which I had looked at a few times before reading through all the comments and realising that there were even more gems and updates – I wonder if a formal addendum at the top with some of the new info [shave the raised edges and maybe cut through the middle] could be useful.
I have just recently bought a new polar strap to try with the Garmin but was having trouble with the transmitter popping off- hopefully fixed now with the shaving trick. I switched to the Garmin 910XT from my previous Polar device because I was needing a new strap & clip every 9-12 months because of deteriorating function so i am interested to see how the Garmin/Polar combo goes with regard to duration of function! I have had some dropouts in longer runs [hot sweaty days currently here in Australia] but not sure if it has unclipped, so I will leave it intact for a few more outings before I do the slice & dice routine!
For the past two years I had the “Premium” Garmin soft strap and experienced all the problems listed here. I did everything to try to fix it, electrode gel, spit, rotating it, swapping straps with a polar strap, getting Garmin to swap it out for free(yes their customer service rocks)…. but the one thing that finally did the trick…..drum roll please… was the day I threw that plastic piece into the woods on a trail run. Yes i admit I littered in a fit of anger. Save yourself all the angst and purchase the regular Garmin strap and HRM. It is mildly less comfortable but most of all it is reliable and accurate!!! Especially if you subscribe to Hear Rate Zone training, which I do. Sorry to hijack your blog (it is my shopping porthole) but had to share my experience.
Have been reading this thread while doing home work as to if I can justify spending £300 on a garmin 910XT
My thoughts from reading this is that maybe the only reason it works better after cutting the strap is that it puts more pressure on the contacts because the two studs on the strap will then pull apart. Anyone have any thoughts on this view?
George.
I tried the Polar strap out about a 18 months ago. It works fine on rides of about 1 hour for me. Unfortunately, the strap becomes saturated with sweat and then essentially shorts out. I measured it with my Fluke multimeter and it will conduct electricity when saturated. So I continue to use the original model of the soft strap, the one that unsnaps into a left and right half. I most likely will use the Polar strap to be donor elastic material when the other gives up the ghost. It continues to work on long rides without fail, as long as I completely rinse it and the transmitter pod after each ride.
I had the exact same phenomena, specially during winter time where it is very dry and cold -20C.
I changed the Garmin strap for a Polar strap and still use my Garmin transmitter and it works perfectly fine with no more error on my Forerunner 310 XT
Thank you so much, preserving my investmentGG
Hi,
Great post as usual!
I have the Garmin 310XT with the Premium Soft Strap. Never had any issues with the heart rate – BUT – my major problem is that the strap gives me lacerations just under the heart rate monitor (quite annoying and hurtful).
So when i read about the possibility to use the Polar Wearlink + Strap and the Garmin heart rate monitor I immediately tried it.
I do get a heart rate, BUT it’s way to high (I’m just resting in bed). With the Polar Strap on my 310XT shows between 119-150, and then changing to the Garmin Strap the accurate heart rate of 70-80 is shown
So for me, with the Polar Strap on I get the wrong pulse/heart rate.
Has anyone experienced this?
// Veronica
Wow! After switching the Garmin strap for an old Polar strap it works perfectly. There are no spikes. The readings have real precision. Great job identifying this fix. I thought the first rule was switching a polar strap would not work! I had been using special heart rate jelly and washing the Garmin monitor with soap after each run and it never worked right. Now I wish I could use the Garmin transmitter in the water for swims with my 910 XT. At least the hear rate monitor is accurate now for running. Great job DC Rainmaker.
Hello from the UK, I have read with great interest this post as my Garmin HRM2-SS is spiking, I know its the strap that is the problem, can you please help? I have found on ebay uk Polar part number: 91043550 this is different from your Amazon link part number: B000OL06A4, they both look the same l am wondering if B000OL06A4 is a USA part number? Please could you take a look and let me know if you think the ebay uk product is the same as your recomended strap? ebay link: link to ebay.co.uk, I would be very grateful, thank you.
Looks like the correct one. 91043550 is the actual Polar part number for the Medium-XXL sized one, whereas the B0000OL06A4 is the Amazon part number. Enjoy!
hi Ray,
thank you very much for your precious info. no one have some statistics about Garmin Soft Strap vs. Polar Soft Strap durability? here the Garmin strap failed after 90 hours of work (95% run / 5% bike), and the Polar one failed after …110 hours (40% run / 60% bike). just get a 2nd Polar spare. thanks!
Hmm, I haven’t seen any stats around strap failure. THough, I will say that I’ve got way more hours on my HR strap than that though – so that seems a bit low. :-/
Thank you so much for this information. I have been having difficulty with my Garmin strap simply because it is too big. Garmin doesn’t make an extra small strap; but Polar does. I happen to have a Polar XS strap. I cannot wait to see if this fixes my random HR spikes on my bikes and runs. Again, thanks for posting this information! Happy Training!
Thank you so much! This really saved my future workouts. I’ll purchase the WearLink strap ASAP. Thanks again! Have a good day!
Hello… I use edge 800 from september 2011 since then I replaced my strap 3 times … Now I find that Bontrager have also strap… I bought one for 10€ !!! Its great….using only 2 times … hoop that will be THE GOOD solution
for the future
Have you heard anything about the new Garmin HR strap (HRM3)? When you go to amazon for the garmin soft strap there is now a link to the newer model. You think it’ll be as good as the garmin transmitter + polar strap combo?
Yeah, I’ve been using it since December. Blah. Works better, but I still see issues. The issues tend to be in the first 8 minutes (when they occur), but after that it tends to be very stable.
Wish I had better news.
Good piece of advise, thanks a lot, works pretty good ! Thanks !
what issues do you see in the first 8 minutes? on my old strap which is the only one I have sometimes in the first 8-16 minutes I get very high hr readings and then it drops to expected range
It stays stuck at about 80-90BPM, then will spike up to normal.
Have you tried using this strap with the timex transmitter that came with your timex global trainer. i recetly lost my strap but i still have the transmitter and I was thinking if the timex heart rate transmitter would be compatible with the polar wearlink straps
Technically it should work just fine (same spacing/etc…).
Hi Ray!
I got tired of my lousy Garmin strap, so i figured I’d try this solution. I ordered a Polar Wearlink Plus strap off Wiggle, but received something called “Polar Soft Strap”. After some googling, it looks like the Wearlink Plus (“31 coded”?) was superseded by H-series straps. Not sure what exactly it is that I’ve got in my hands, as mine neither says Wearlink, H1, H2 nor anything else either really. Just, rather generically, “Polar Soft Strap”.
Do you have any insights on this, is the Wearlink unavailable now?
this strap link to tennisexpress.com , marked as “Polar Soft Strap” works well with Garmin transmitter.
That’s the exact one I got, thanks a lot! Looking forward to trying it out.
in the first 15 minutes of use of a new strap, you can experience some “un-locks” of the transmitter; the rubber gasket around the “click-lock” buttons needs some minutes of “forming”, then everything become stable.
Thanks! Good to know!
Excellent! I’ve been getting completely screwy HR-data for months, I’ve tried wetting the band, licking it, the gel thing, having it really tight, changing the batteries. I think I’ve tried everything and still I would have average heart rate of around 185 with peaks upwards of 240 on soft recovery rides preformed under virtually no physical strain at all. I just went out and bought a Polar-strap right away, popped on the ANT+ transmitter and sure enough, it works like a charm! Thanks.
A woman I coach normally has 165-169 as top levels when running intervals. During two different races when it was very hot and humid her pulse measurements showed over 180 most of the time. The most recent was during a half maraton when her pulse varied between 180 and 186 for over 20 minutes. She was probably running two fast for the conditions but… She was using a new Polar the last time. An older Polar a year ago during a 10 km race. Do you know what causes these high readings?
Generally speaking, which there’s strap interference you often see the HR match the runners cadence (tip to the Wahoo guys who figured this out). 180 seems relatively close to 90RPM (per foot, doubled).
That said, has she ever done a VO2max test to validate her top-end HR range (a VO2Max tells you many things, but it’s often used to determine the top-end HR range).
Thank you. That can check. Her cadence does lie around 180. I’ve never checked how her cadence changes depending upon the changes in elevation. When she raced a marathon (her first 2:51.09) 2 weeks later her ratings were mostly as expected with a few hops. Is there some reason why hot humid weather would cause more interference? Or is it most likely that the belt is not sitting properly?
As to the VO2 max test, I’m sure you know that such a test does not necessarily give the absolute maximum of heart rate. One obvious exception is when one has a heart flimmer.
Sometimes with super-hot and humid weather I see lots of sweat and a bit of buildup of sweat/liquid cause issues. I also see it with stagnant air & warm gyms and treadmills. I find if I just use my hand to brush off the extra sweat off the contact – the issues immediately go away.
And yup, understand on VO2Max, though if she had numerous VO2Max tests showing a higher HR than normal, that would help establish a pattern.
Once again Thank You! Very helpful!
Rainmaker, I tried the Polar strap in the link. Worked fine, but started working erratically after about 6 months, and some stuff started peeling off. In any case, there is another Polar strap that work well as a hybrid. In Amazon, it’s listed as “Polar Soft Strap Set” and sells for $18.95. IMO, this strap is more comfortable. I have not experienced any spikes in about 3 weeks of usage.
thanks !!!! Many weeks I tried everything but nothing worked properly with the premium soft garmin strap. I just ordered the polar !!! I hope it works !!!
I tried it with the Garmin HR unit from the Garmin 910 XT and Edge 500 but it did not fit the Polar Strap. Does anyone know if they changed the type of unit on the 910 versus earlier versions of Garmin’s HR Unit? My Garmin soft strap looks different than what is shown here. Any help is appreciated.
Do you have one of the brand new HRM3 Garmin straps (that has left/right markings on it)? If so, are you having problems with it?