It’s been just over a year and a half since the first Timex Run Trainer came out, and Timex is back at it releasing a slimmed down version of the unit with a cleaned up user interface. This new unit adds in features such as nutrition alerts, while at the same time simplifying general operation of the watch.
In running 3-4 times a week over the last month plus, I’ve got a pretty good grasp on how the unit works, as well as all the details inside and out. Because I want to be transparent about my reviews, once my evaluation period with the Timex Run Trainer 2.0 has elapsed, I send it back to Timex in Middlebury, Connecticut. Simple as that. Sorta like hiking in wilderness trails – leave only footprints.
Lastly, at the end of the day keep in mind I’m just like any other regular triathlete out there. I write these reviews because I’m inherently a curious person with a technology background (my day job), and thus I try and be as complete as I can. But, if I’ve missed something or if you spot something that doesn’t quite jive – just let me know and I’ll be happy to get it all sorted out. Also, because the technology world constantly changes, I try and go back and update these reviews as new features and functionality are added – or if bugs are fixed.
Unboxing:
Below is the box for the Timex Run Trainer 2.0. Depending on which variant you’re looking at, you’ll either have a heart rate strap or won’t. Or, more importantly, yours will be the same color or some other color. In this case, I’ve backfilled in the box shots with the unit I own (green), versus the test unit from Timex that went back (orange/black). Originally the test unit from Timex had no box. Just in case you’re trying to figure out where the random green box came from…
The box holding the watch pulls out, revealing inside it the manual and the charger hanging out.
The watch is zip-tied to the box. In my case, the final unit I received in the box was not charged, so it had to be charged up.
Here it is, in all its [uncharged] glory. After this photo I’ll switch back to the the orange version. Variety is the spice of life, right?
Ignoring the watch, you’ve got the charging cable. The charging cable is identical to that of the original Timex Run Trainer unit, and either unit is compatible with either cable.
Here’s the watch itself. In this particular instance, it was displaying the need for juice. Battery juice that is (very different than beetle juice).
Here’s a look at the back of the unit. The strap is nearly identical to that of the original TRT.
Here’s the charging clip. It’s USB powered and the box does not come with a wall adapter. Timex figures (and I pretty much agree) that just about any person buying this watch has a spare USB outlet or thirty. I’ve charged it with everything from my laptop to iPhone wall adapters. They all work just fine.
The clip simply snaps onto the little contacts on the unit. The fit is snug and won’t easily get dislodged. This is due to extra plastic pins that form a lock with the unit itself. Works great.
In the event you purchased a unit with the ANT+ heart rate strap, you’ll have that in the box as well. Note that if you already have any ANT+ heart rate strap it’ll work just fine with the Timex Run Trainer 2.0 (that’s sorta the beauty of standardized protocols).
Of course, the final box will likely also come with some small papery junk. By the time you’ll have read this, you’ll have no need for the official manual – which you can also download here.
Size Comparisons:
Perhaps the most noticeable aspect of the new Run Trainer is simply the size. It has similar visual styling as it’s older brother, but this one decided to go on a diet. Here’s a look at the two units side by side:
You can see just how much more ‘girthy’ the older unit is (left).
Of course, to really appreciate how much smaller it is, you need to add grandpa to the mix: The Timex Global Trainer. Yes, that beast towers over them all – figuratively and literally.
Next up is size comparisons to other units in the same general market, or units that are commonly asked about as to which one should an individual choose. Here’s the usual lineup:
From left to right: Timex Global Trainer, Garmin FR910XT, Timex Run Trainer 1.0, Magellan Switch, Timex Run Trainer 2.0 (this review), Polar RC3 GPS, Garmin FR610, Garmin FR410, Garmin FR210.
As you can see, it sits roughly in the middle from a size standpoint. It’s not the largest, nor is it the smallest. But it’s fairly normal. Perhaps a hair bit bigger than others, but more than fine.
From a thickness standpoint, the Run Trainer is also about average for running watches. In the picture below, the Run Trainer is smack in the middle (orange dot). The watches to the right are mostly triathlon watches. And the watches to the left are running-only watches. You can see it’s not as slim as something like the FR110 or Polar RC3, but it’s about the same as the FR405/FR410 series, and only a touch bit thicker than the FR610.
If I elevate the whole thing, you can better see the thickness. Again, Run Trainer is in the middle with the dot. Tri watches to the left this time, and running watches to the right.
And in case you’re curious – yes, the rolling pin is exactly level. 
Last but not least, for those ladies with small wrists – I brought in my wife. Her wrist size is 14cm (or 5.5 inches), meanwhile my wrist size is 17cm (or about 6.5 inches). There’s plenty of shots of my wrist throughout this review, but the couple below are of her wrist.
A few close ups:
So with the smaller size they’ve removed one of my major complaints about the original Timex Run Trainer. It’s now roughly the same as the other units out there. Size isn’t really a consideration in selecting between most of these units (FR10 excluded, which is much smaller in every dimension, but also far more limited in functionality).
Day to Day Use:
Now that we’ve gone through all the overview stuff, let’s actually start using it. First up is heading outside and turning it on. To do so you’ll hit the orange button, and then choose one of the workout times (Chrono or Interval Mode), which I’ll talk about in a moment.
When you do so it’ll ask you if you want to connect to sensors. In this context, it means ‘GPS’, ‘Heart Rate’, and ‘Footpod’. Choosing ‘No’ is a workout-limiting choice.
I’ve been pretty happy with how quickly it’ll find satellites. Like most modern GPS units these days, it’ll remember your previous location and as long as you head back out to roughly the same spot it’ll pickup signal incredibly quickly. Oftentimes, in front of my home (despite being 6-7 story buildings), I’ll get signal in less than 7 seconds. Seriously.
Once it’s got signal, it’ll bring you to this page (or, whatever page you’ve customized).
We’ll dive into the data pages in a bit, but you can iterate through the data pages by pressing the display button in the lower left corner. It’ll briefly show you what the fields are, and then show you the actual values.
When you’re ready to start, you’ll simply tap the lower right button. This same button is used for creating a lap (split). To stop, you’ll press the upper right button, which is also used for saving (once stopped).
With that super-quick primer covered, let’s dive into the two main workout modes.
Chrono Mode:
Chrono mode is the default workout recording mode. They use the term ‘Chrono’ because Timex has always used it since dinosaurs roamed the earth. The rest of the universe these days just doesn’t call this mode anything and instead just records stuff.
Nonetheless, this is the mode you want for recording the goods. I just walked through starting a run in the previous section. So the key item to know here is some of your customization options. I’ll go through many of them in the following sections, but one that’s worthy of discussion here is the ‘Hands Free’ options. This allows you to configure automatic laps (Auto Split), as well as automatic starting and stopping (Auto Start/Auto Stop) of the timer based on whether or not you’re running.
First up is Auto Split. This creates laps on a preset schedule. I prefer to have mine set for every mile if doing a long run, but turn it off for other workout types. When it creates the lap marker, it’ll beep/vibrate/display each time you cross that lap threshold.
You can also utilize time instead of distance, if you want it to automatically lap after – say 5 minutes – as opposed to 1 mile.
In addition to automatic laps, you can have the unit automatically start and stop recording (well, technically start and pause recording) based on whether or not you’re running. This can be useful in city running where you want the unit to just start/pause as you deal with crosswalks/stop signs.
You’ll simply set a threshold pace (or speed), depending on which configuration setting you’re in. Generally I’d set this at just above my walking speed.
Everything else I talk about in this review is still applicable to Chrono mode as well. So with that, let’s dive into interval mode.
Interval Mode:
Interval mode enables the watch to walk you through a complete interval workout – from start to finish, and all the sets in between. You’ll want to configure the intervals beforehand, and since it can be a bit tedious, you may want to allocate some time to setting it up. First, I’ll go through the watch-based version, and then the software side as well.
You’ll start by configuring the different intervals that makeup the workout.
For each particular chunk, you’ll set whether it’s time or distance based:
Then you’ll specify how long that interval is:
You’ll repeat your way through the workout.
At the end, you can set how many reps of the workout, as well as the alert types (such as vibration and audible alarms).
With that, you’re set and almost ready to roll. You’ll want to configure zones for intervals – but I talk about that later.
Within a given workout, it’ll countdown how much time is left. You can see it starts off with 10 minutes, and then counts down to 9:57…etc…
At any time if you’d like to skip to the next interval, you can just hold the ‘Lap/Split’ button to move along.
As I noted above, in addition to configuring the intervals on the watch itself, you can also do so from within the Training Peaks device agent. This is far quicker!
Now the key is to then define a given target (via Zones) for each interval. So you can then specify HR/Pace/Speed/Cadence and the target for that interval (#1-6). So you’re sorta building pieces of the end solution in different areas.
The feature works well, though the implementation can be a bit confusing as typically in intervals you define a warm-up and cool-down, and then a work target and number of repeats of the work set – all in one place. Whereas in this case, you’re sorta defining entire chunks of the workout to repeat, and doing it in different places. Still, I can make it work.
Time Mode:
Time mode is simply your average time of day like a normal watch mode. Now, it’s sorta important that you remember this mode because when you’re done working out the unit won’t just default back to the time mode, instead, it’ll just sit there in the workout mode…forever.
So when you’re done with the workout, remember to tap the back button and switch the mode (or ‘Applications’ as Timex calls them) to ‘Time’:
Within Time mode it’ll display the date as well as time (including seconds). You can change the display formats within the settings. For example, swapping to Day/Month/Year for most of the world, or a 24hr clock instead.
Also note that while the TRT2 will set your GMT time correctly, it won’t actually correctly set your time relative to where you are. In other words, it knows the right minutes and seconds, but has no idea whether your in Paris or Palau. So you’ll need to set the date and time:
That ‘GPS Time’ setting merely means it’ll keep the unit time accurate within the context of you keeping the hour accurate. If that sorta makes sense.
As one who travels every week, it’s a bit annoying that I have to remember to set the time correctly before each run (otherwise the run start time in history will be off, which admittedly isn’t that big of a deal). I suspect the reason they may not have added the ability to set the watch time based on location is that requires a ‘Time Zone Map’ file, which in turn requires space. And as I’ll talk about in a little bit – this unit has virtually no space.
The time mode also has a single alarm that you can specify. You can do this on the watch, or via software:
And on the watch, you can turn on or off an hourly chime if you’d like (as well as button beeps).
Zones and Configuration Options:
I just want to briefly hit up on a few configuration items that you can set. First up, is various zones – for heart rate, pace, speed, and cadence. While you can set these on the watch itself, it’s somewhat tedious. So, I use the Device Agent instead. Note that you can only configure one zone per type though. So it’s more of a ‘target’ than it is ‘zones’.
You can then specify how to alert you for each zone that you stray out of:
Along that same vein, you can also configure recovery notifications – to alert you have a specified time:
You can change all of of the major unit types, for example from miles to kilometers, or pace from Min/Mi to Min/Km, as well as speed metrics within the ‘Units’ section. Again, all these can be done either on the unit itself, or on your computer. It’s nice that if you want altitude shown in one format (i.e. feet), you can have distance shown in another (i.e. kilometers). It’s not all tied together.
And it’s within here that you can change the language between English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, and Dutch.
Date Fields and Data Pages:
The TRT2 allows you to customize up to three data pages, with either two or three data fields per page. There are three pages for Chrono Mode (normal workout mode), and three for Interval Mode. Again, each subject to either two or three data fields per page.
After selecting a page, and deciding on how many data fields it’ll have – you’ll then choose the fields for the Top/Middle/Bottom lines:
Here’s the difference between a two-line display, and a three-line display. Sorry, I was running at the time, so a touch bit of glare.
And finally, here’s all the data fields you can select from:
Split Time [Total workout time]
Lap Time
Previous Lap Time
Pace [Current]
Avg Pace
Lap Pace
Prev Lap Pace
Speed
Avg Speed
Lap Speed
Prev Lap Speed
Heart Rate
Avg HR
Lap HR
Prev Lap HR
Cadence
Cadence HR
Prev Lap Cadence
Distance
Lap Distance
Prev Lap Distance
Altitude
Total Ascent
Total Descent
Note that you can change from kilometers to miles (and associated fields for pace/speed) within the settings menu of the watch. Or, like all options within the Timex Run Trainer, you can use the device agent to quickly and easily set these from your computer:
It’s MUCH easier this way.
And in general, it’s much quicker to do all setup through this interface.
History Options:
The unit includes a fairly comprehensive history capability, on par with any other unit on the market today. The unit allows you to look at any given activity (run) and dive into the summary and detailed lap information.
For example, here’s the Paris Half-Marathon that I ran a few weeks back. You can see the total time and distance on the first screen. And I can iterate up/down to see other summary information.
For example, my average heart rate, and maximum heart rate during the run:
Or my average pace and best pace:
Or my average and maximum cadence:
I can then go down to the lap level, and see all the same information for each recorded lap:
The only fatal flaw here is the memory (which I dive into later) limits me significantly. So for example when I was putting together this section I kept on having to delete out other runs in order to keep this particular workout to use for photos. Once deleted, no history is available. It’s a constant game of deleting workouts.
Nutrition Alerts:
This is probably my favorite feature on the TRT2. Nutrition alerts you to specify vibration or audible alerts that remind you to eat or drink at specified intervals. Since most endurance athletes tend to hose up nutrition and thus tend to impact their racing and training because of it, it’s a wonder more companies don’t include this on their watches (only Polar does on some units today).
You’re able to configure separate drink alerts, and eating alerts. Each alert is configured based on a repeating specified time (you can’t use distance).
First up is specifying the ‘Drink Alerts’. You’ll configure the ‘Drink Alerts’ to ‘On’. Then you’ll highlight the ‘Drink Time’.
Here you can specify it to remind you based on whatever schedule you want:
Then you’ll repeat the same for ‘Eat Alerts’:
Finally, I’ve enabled ‘Vibrate’ mode, and you can also change the tones (just a few are offered), so that you clearly know it’s a Drink/Eat alert and not just an Auto Lap or other alert. Sorta like changing your ring-tone on your phone for when your boss calls.
Once that time is triggered, the watch will beep/vibrate and display a visible message on the watch itself telling you that it’s now time to eat or drink.
The whole system works perfectly, and I’ve been using it lately on my long runs to keep me in check (since I really suck at remembering to take nutrition).
Note that the original TRT1 had nutrition alerts, but no vibration motor.
Indoor Treadmill/Footpod Support:
The TRT2 supports the ANT+ footpod, which allows you to measure speed indoors via the footpod, or cadence both indoors and outdoors. Additionally, it can be used in place of GPS outdoors (though I wouldn’t generally recommend that).
To pair the footpod, you’ll navigate down into the Settings and then Sensors menu, where you can search for nearby footpods:
It usually only takes a second to find the footpod.
Once that’s done, you have two options for how to utilize the footpod:
The first option is simply the word ‘Yes’, which means that it’ll use the footpod for both speed/distance as well as running cadence information (how many times your foot strikes the ground each minute, generally represented as Steps Per Minute – SPM).
The second option is ‘Cadence Only’ – which means that it’ll just use it for Cadence, and then use GPS for speed/distance.
I generally recommend the second option, as otherwise you have to be very careful about ensuring calibration is spot-on when running outside. The unit will not automatically failback to footpod while in a tunnel or due to loss of GPS signal if in ‘Cadence Mode’, but by the same token, it doesn’t really failback to footpod in the other mode – it’s just simply always footpod.
Speaking of calibration…
If using the footpod, you’ll need/want to calibrate the unit. This doesn’t take too long and ensures that the footpod is able to accurately gather speed/distance data. In my experience, when properly calibrated, current generation footpods will give astonishingly accurate speed/distance data (as in, spot-on exact). This is even in varying pacing intervals and conditions such as snow or ice.
However, calibration must be done anytime you move placement of the footpod.
Within calibration you have two options (seen above). You can either specify a manual calibration value if you know it, or you can just go to a track or a treadmill to calibrate the footpod.
You’ll run a known distance (inside lane on a 400m track is best, or a treadmill failing that). And then from there the unit will estimate your distance. At the end, you’ll correct it with the actual distance you ran.
Here’s the manual calibration. These values are the same whether used on a Timex unit or a Garmin unit, so you can manually enter in your calibration value if you know it (for example, if you were just switching watches but hadn’t moved the footpod). The calibration values will remain saved on the unit.
As noted, using the footpod is perfect for treadmill usage – as it allows pace and distance data to be both displayed and recorded indoors while on a treadmill. And while that may sound somewhat silly since the same data is displayed on the treadmill, this allows you to capture it to your training log (along with HR data).
Plus, if you run on treadmills enough at the gym (especially with gym’s that enforce strict time limits on a per-treadmill basis), you’ll eventually notice that not all treadmills are created equal, and certainly rarely calibrated correctly. It’s fun to switch treadmills mid-workout and specify the same pace, but notice slightly different actual paces.
In addition to the pace/distance recording, you’ll also get your running cadence both during the run, as well as afterwards. You can see the SPM displayed on the middle line below:
And then afterwards, you can see the graph on Training Peaks. Those ‘drops’ are normally when I stop at a stoplight/crossing for a second.
Finally, the footpod sells for about $45, and you can use any ANT+ footpod on the market today (Timex, Garmin, Suunto, 4iiii’s and countless others), they’re all compatible. Polar footpods and Nike+ will NOT work with the Timex Run Trainer however, as they are not ANT+. You can read everything you ever wanted to know about footpods here in this post.
ANT+ Heart Rate Strap Utilization:
Note: The strap I’ve included above is slightly different than the strap that Timex has included with the Timex Run Trainer 2.0 final units, which instead is much more similar to other straps on the market, where the transmitter pod sits on top of the strap, rather than being the interconnect point between the two ends of the strap.
The Timex Run Trainer 2.0 utilizes ANT+ to communicate with any ANT+ heart rate strap. If you have an existing ANT+ heart rate strap, then you can utilize that strap in place of having to pickup a new strap. Just be sure it has the tiny little ‘ANT+’ logo hanging out on the back of it.
The heart rate strap enables you to both monitor your heart rate (updated every second), as well as to record the data from it. All data is recorded as part of the file with your other GPS (or non-GPS) metrics from the unit. Once uploaded, you can view your heart rate data on TrainingPeaks (or any other site which supports the Timex Run Trainer).
It’ll look like this (this was just a standard long run):
While the ANT+ heart rate strap can be finicky from time to time (such as random spikes or dropouts), there’s a number of things you can do to try and address some of these problems. Here’s the low-down:
Annual Public Service Announcement: How to fix heart rate strap dropouts/spikes
Troubleshooting your HR strap issues Part I
In general, start with the HR gel, and then go from there. It usually solves it for 99% of folks.
Cycling Support:
The Timex Run Trainer enables you to switch data fields to a ‘Speed’ mode. So when you build data pages and specify which fields you want, you can include ‘Speed’ labeled metrics instead of ‘Pace’ focused metrics. Whether you get MPH or KPH depends on the settings you have configured in options. So while there’s not a ‘Cycling Mode’ per se, you’re just changing your display fields to pretend to be cycling.
I didn’t have any problems on any of my rides using the TRT and having it keep up from a calculation or recording standpoint. In fact, on my Sydney ride, it happily beeped pretty close to in-sync each mile with the handful of other GPS devices I had on me.
If you want to mount it to your bike, I’d recommend picking up one of the rubber mounts that are made by a few different companies (including Timex). These usually cost under $10 and make it easy to mount any watch to just about any bar on your bike:
Once you’re ready to upload to TrainingPeaks, you’ll simply go ahead and ensure the dropdown says cycling. After that, TP will treat everything as a bike ride.
Note that the TRT has no support for ANT+ Speed/Cadence sensors, or ANT+ Power Meters.
Swimming Support (via swim cap method):
Officially the Timex Run Trainer doesn’t support any form of swimming mode. But of course I know many of you will be curious as to how well it works. So while down in Perth a few weeks ago I took the chance to try it out briefly…very briefly. I wasn’t really in a good spot for sustained swimming on the days I was trying it, so I was mostly curious how it would react and how straight the line would be.
First up is if it can be worn on your wrist while swimming. The unit is more than waterproofed enough to do so, with its 50-meter rating*.
However, while it’s waterproofed, it’s GPS signal just doesn’t work underwater by even the slimmest of margins. We’re talking near-instant notification of lack of satellite signal within just an inch or so of water:
Now loss of GPS signal is normal across all units (including the openwater swim friendly FR910XT). What matters however is algorithms to adjust for this while determining distance, which the TRT doesn’t have.
So, it was off to the swim cap method. This well outlined method simply has you putting the unit in your swim cap. Which, will have you look roughly like this:
And technically, it works, I got a roughly straight line between the two points I swam:
There was one challenge though. The buttons on the TRT are incredibly sensitive. Like breathe on them the wrong way and they’ll beep-boop-bop. Which means putting it in your swim cap requires the utmost care so you don’t press the wrong button and start/stop/etc…
So while it does work, it’s not quite as good as most other units in the swim cap method because of the button sensitivity.
*Side rant on ratings: There’s a tremendous amount of misinformation on waterproof ratings out there on the interwebs, and even in Wikipedia. Some watches follow the IP/IPX system for ratings (i.e. IPX7), which means there are specific tests that companies can have labs run their watches through. Other ratings – such as 50-meters have less formalized tests. That said, watches with ratings of 50-meters are MORE than fine for swimming. There’s this bizarre small pocket of professional scuba divers (I dive too!) that seems obsessed with spreading gospel that watches not rated for 200m deep aren’t sufficient for swimming laps/etc. Quite frankly, that’s just dumb – and doesn’t match any data I’ve seen, nor a single comment I’ve seen from anyone here in 5 years of product reviews and reader comments. If we’re talking typical Garmin IPX7 watches – sure, those suck in water. But Timex and Polar devices certified for 50m, no, they’re just fine. Ok, rant complete.
GPS Accuracy & Altitude Notes:
Timex GPS units have had somewhat of a checkered history when it comes to GPS accuracy, so this was one area I’ve been pretty keen about looking at carefully. As is always the case though, GPS accuracy is actually fairly difficult to measure in normal day to day activities. It’s one thing to create premeasured short-distance courses with certification-grade rolling wheels (as I have done many times in the past), but it’s another thing to measure out a 20-mile course and ensure you run exactly what the wheel measured (virtually impossible).
So instead, I tend to focus on variance between units. Over time I’ve developed a pretty solid understanding of which units have the highest accuracy levels, and which units have lesser accuracy levels. Further, when I go out and run or ride, I take multiple units. Along the way I’m looking for one of two things. Either a pattern of difference between the two units (i.e. from the onset being short .02 per mile), or a conditional difference (i.e. going under bridges causes units troubles).
Keep in mind that most consumer-grade GPS units are only rated for accuracy of about 97-99%, thus .01 to .03 per mile. Thus even comparing two identical units worn at the same time on the same wrist, you’re bound to get differences.
I’ve talked a LOT about GPS accuracy in these posts here:
Racing the line – understanding how courses are measured
Sport Device GPS Accuracy In Depth: Part I (Part II is linked at end of Part I)
Why the New York Times GPS accuracy running article missed the boat
With that brief background/primer, let’s talk about the TRT2. In general, it’s in the same ballpark as other units. Though, not quite always perfect. By perfect, I’m talking within a 1-2%. Beyond that and I start to worry. In the case of the TRT2, it’s never shown as higher than other units testing (be it the FR610 shown below, or my wife’s FR910XT unit). It’s always ‘equal to’ or less than. Meaning, if there’s a difference between the two units, the TRT2 always shows a shorter run.
Here’s a few pictures of watches showing the differences. I don’t always have my camera on runs, so this is just the ones I happened to have handy.
As you can see, in many cases the Timex Run Trainer 2.0 was either identical or virtually indistinguishable from the reference unit. In those cases it was different, it becomes more complicated to determine which is right and which is right. However, the only pattern I see emerging is in the cases where the Timex Run Trainer doesn’t match, the TRT2 is usually slightly less than the FR610. Within the GPS accuracy levels – and as long as you don’t commit the cardinal sin (over-measuring, which makes you believe you are faster than you are) – you’re good to go.
I wouldn’t have any issues using this watch day to day from a GPS accuracy standpoint.
Looking next at elevation data, the unit uses a GPS altimeter (not barometric), so the altimeter data doesn’t tend to be as accurate as units with a barometric altimeter inside. Now, the good news is that TrainingPeaks has an elevation correction feature. The bad news is that it’s not included in the free version of Training Peaks that you get with the Timex unit. Here’s a few runs to see the differences though:
You can see above that the results are more cleaner post-processing. This was a relatively flat run around Dublin.
Below, a long run. In this case, I’d actually put things generally closer to the TRT than the corrected elevation data – likely because the correct elevation data may be incorrectly parsing some bridge crossings. Still, the ability as an end-user to choose which data set is handy, and I just wish it were offered on the base platform (like Garmin does).
Historically, I’d say this is roughly ‘on par’ with other units that use GPS altimeters (which btw, is most running-specific units these days).
Battery and Memory Space:
The Timex Run Trainer has an 8 hour battery life (with GPS enabled), but will last quite a bit longer when just hanging out in non-GPS mode. I haven’t quite figured out exactly how much longer (days/weeks I presume), as I’m using it every other day, so I’m always recharging it.
I haven’t had any battery issues, nor any issues where the battery burns at a rate higher than I would have expected. So all is good there.
What I do have issues with is the memory. Back when I first started using the unit, a few folks asked what the memory looked like, and as I started poking at it, I realized it wasn’t so hot at all. I did some quick back of the napkin math based on file sizes and realized that with GPS enabled and HR/Footpod data I was only getting about 9-12 hours of record time before I had to offload to a computer.
Not good.
The unit only has about 900KB of space on it, and run sizes are roughly about 80-110KB per hour (with GPS/HR/Footpod data). My problem here is twofold. First is that it’s an insanely small amount of storage. I look at other running watches, and I don’t even remember the last time I was warned about running out of space, despite running 3-4 runs a week with some runs upwards of 3 hours. Yet with the TRT2, I’m constantly deleting runs – on pretty much a near weekly basis.
Second, by deleting runs I’m no longer able to view them in the history on the unit. For some people (like myself) who do upload data, it’s not a huge long-term deal. But I know other people who use the history function on the watch to regularly look at past runs. For them, it’s basically a non-starter.
In talking with the Timex Run Trainer engineering team about the issue, they believe that due to the fact that they didn’t bundle a wall adapter with the unit, folks would be frequently using their computers to charge (and thus upload) data. They did however say that they are working on ways to shrink the data sizes a bit more, and may be targeting that for a future firmware update.
The problem they’ll have though is that there is only so much they’ll be able to do there. The standardized file format means their options are limited on the software front (perhaps they’ll make minor gains). The real focus should be on getting a bigger memory module in the unit.
Backlight:
Finally. Just finally.
The TRT2 contains a far better backlight, doing away with the hideously underpowered backlights of most Timex watches. This one shines nice and bright, and has more than enough light for you to easily see in the dark (or, in the bathroom where I took the above photo).
Since almost all of my runs at home are at night (usually once The Girl finishes up work), me and the backlight are BFF’s.
You can tap the upper left button once to turn the backlight on, or hold it down for about 4-5 seconds and it’ll beep a bunch of times, which means it’ll stay on permanently. You can tap it again to turn it off (the light).
Software Platform & Uploading:
The Timex Run Trainer utilizes the USB charging cable it came with to download workouts to your computer via USB. Unlike the 1.0 edition, the 2.0 edition does not require any special drivers, as it instead utilizes the USB Mass Storage device profile – just like a USB thumb drive would.
Further, unlike the 1.0 edition, the 2.0 edition utilizes the .FIT file format standard for all files. This means that you can not only pluck the file directly off of the device using Windows Explorer (or similar on other platforms), but you can utilize it with some 3rd party programs as well (Garmin and Magellan both utilize the .FIT file format as well).
But first, let’s look at the default way to upload. Obviously, you’ll connect the device to your computer. You do not need to put the device into any special mode (as you did with the Timex Global Trainer), just connect and you’re ready within a few seconds:
Then, you’ll want to install the Training Peaks Device Agent (available for Mac and PC). This isn’t required per se to get the data off, but it makes it quicker to get the data to the Training Peaks platform. Timex has partnered with Training Peaks to provide Timex device users a free Training Peaks account for logging and analyzing your workout.
Note that you can install either the default TP branded device agent, or the Timex branded one – I prefer the TP branded one since it includes all the other device types (i.e. Polar/Garmin/etc…).
With that all installed and the Run Trainer plugged in, you’ll simply select the Timex Run Trainer 2.0 from the dropdown list:
This will in turn enumerate the correct location within the ‘Browse’ dialog box on the right side:
From here, you’ll simply pick the files (they have the date/timestamps in them) of your workouts. Once that’s done, the files will appear in the list:
Then, just click Save.
Once uploaded, you’ll be within the Dashboard or Calendar views:
From there, you can click on a given run to dive into it:
This main page will show you summary information about the workout. But I typically click ‘Maps and Graphs’ to get to the good stuff.
Within this page you’ll see your route on the map (you can choose from Google Maps or Openstreet Maps). Along the bottom you’ll see the elevation profile with your speed/heart rate/cadence overlaid on it. And then on the right side you’ll see each lap listed (and entire workout).
If I click a given lap, it’ll highlight that section on the map, as well as on the graphs below. Additionally, the right side will now show just that lap information. I can also do this in reverse and just highlight a section on the graph and get stats for just that section.
If I click on ‘Reports’ up top, I can go ahead and and see detailed laps and splits, as well as add pods to my dashboard.
Along the top I can share out a link to a workout. This allows me to give you a direct link to my run (here), and you can poke around and check things out.
Everything I’ve shown above is the free version of Training Peaks, included within the Timex Run Trainer.
Updating Firmware:
The Timex Run Trainer 2.0 supports device firmware updates, which means that as Timex fixes bugs or adds features, you’ll be able to quickly and easily update your device to the latest firmware.
To do so, you’ll open up the TrainingPeaks Device agent, then select: File > Update Device.
You’ll then be prompted to select the update file (a BIN file provided by Timex and usually posted on the TrainingPeaks site). Once that’s done, the watch will do some magic.
See, magic happening here:
The watch itself won’t look any different while magic is happening initially, but eventually, once you get the completion message, then the watch will give a new icon:
Additionally, a quick self-test is done.
Once that’s done all your data is saved, but you’ll need to reset the time and date.
With that, you’re all set!
3rd Party Compatibility:
With the move to the .FIT file format, Timex has joined the ranks of Garmin, Magellan, 4iiii’s, and others sport technology companies that have switched over to the standardized sport file format. This is great news for consumers, as it opens up more places you can utilize your data with (i.e. more training logs and tools).
The only challenge here is that while Timex has adopted the .FIT file format, it ended up with a slightly different variation of it. And as a result, compatibility with various apps from what I’ve seen is limited at best.
[Update on Sport Tracks, seen above, it now supports the Timex Run Trainer 2.0. Both the desktop and online versions. Screenshot pre-update from them.]
I’ve talked at length with Timex about this behind the scenes and they note that the issue stems from exactly how they adopted the standard. They note that they followed the implementation to the exact letter of the law, whereas Garmin has slightly tweaked their implementation of it. As a result, 3rd party developers have shifted to ensure compliance with Garmin’s implementation rather than the strict standard – and other device companies (like Magellan) have done the same.
In some ways, this puts Timex in a ‘no-win’ situation. Damned if you do, and damned if you don’t. As I noted to them, at the end of the day the reason you go with standardized platforms (i.e. .FIT format) is for broad 3rd party compatibility, thus increasing your platform accessibility without increasing your platform costs. However, since their adoption of the standard doesn’t achieve this goal, in some ways they are no better off than before.
I think over time, either Timex will adjust, or other platforms will adjust. But at the end of the day – Timex is a much smaller player in this field, and thus when the hundreds (thousands?) of 3rd party apps out there add in data file compatibility, they always start with Garmin. Match Garmin compatibility, and you win.
[Update March 23, 2013]
In the last couple of days, Strava has now added support for the Timex Run Trainer 2.0 FIT Files, so I was able to successfully upload a run just by choosing the file from the unit and uploading it. Great to see Strava able to quickly add this in (as I tested it just about a week or so ago and no luck). Here’s one of my uploaded runs to Strava.
Product Comparison Tables:
You can utilize the below comparison table that’s dynamically updated over time (as features change via firmware) to compare the different units that I’ve reviewed. Note the key part being ‘I’ve reviewed’. There are no doubt other watches on the market, it’s just that if I haven’t reviewed it, I don’t feel right including it based on some marketing fluff. I would however say that within the context of GPS sport watches, if I haven’t reviewed it…it’s probably not a realistic contender in the marketplace today.
If you’re looking for general guidance on watches in the marketplace, I’ve put together a GPS recommendations post just a couple of months ago. It outlines many different user scenarios.
| Function/Feature | Timex Run Trainer GPS 2.0 | Timex Run Trainer GPS 1.0 | Polar RC3 | Garmin Forerunner 210 | Nike+ GPS Sportwatch | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Copyright www.DCRainmaker.com - Updated May 10th, 2013 @ 6:26 amNew Window Expand table for more results | ||||||
| Price | $225 | $150.00 | $215.00 | $200.00 | $165.00 | |
| Data Transfer | USB | USB | USB (Micro) | USB | USB | |
| Waterproofing | 50m | 50 Meters | IPX7 | IPX7 | 50 Meters | |
| Battery Life | GPS: 8HRS | GPS: 8hrs, Non-GPS 100+ hrs | 12 Hours | ~10 hours | 9 hours | |
| Recording Interval | 1S | Configurable: 1s, 2s, 4s, 8s | 1-Second | Smart | 1-second | |
| Quick Satellite Reception | Yes | Great | Yes | Great | Great | |
| Alerts | SOUND/VISUAL/VIBRATE | Sound/Visual | Sound/Visual | Sound/Visual | Audio/Visual | |
| Backlight Greatness | Great | Good | Good | Good | Good | |
| Designed for cycling | No | No | Yes | Barely | Yes | |
| Power Meter Capable | N/A | No | No | No | No | |
Remember to click the ‘Expand Results’ button as it’ll show a gazillion more rows than the quick preview above.
Summary:
The Timex Run Trainer 2.0 makes good progress over the initial Timex Run Trainer. While I wouldn’t call it revolutionary, I would say they made significant evolutionary steps. Simply put: A lot of fine tuning and tweaking. And that’s what tends to differentiate most products in the market – can they clean-up all the little items and make it a more compelling product. In this case, the answer is yes. The addition of the nutrition alerts puts in more in a ‘leading’ category than a following one. And the size is now in the same ballpark as other units on the market. The switch to a device that requires no computer drivers to connect the device and read workouts is greatly appreciated – and the move towards the .FIT file format standard is also a major step in the right direction (even if the compatibility isn’t perfect).
While the unit still has some quirks around intervals and what things are called, they aren’t blockers in my opinion. The only real concern I have about the unit is the limited storage space – which may or may not be an issue for all folks. For me, it’s frustrating, but if you download frequently and delete frequently, it’s not too bad.
I wouldn’t have any problems recommending this unit for the majority of runners out there. No, it doesn’t have the advanced workout or course features of some of the $300+ units on the market, but it does have roughly the same functionality as those units in the ~$200 range (+/- $25-30US), which is the price range the unit is in ($225).
Pros:
- New menu system is much cleaner/easier to use
- New size is on par with other units in the market
- New backlight is actually usable – well done
- Nutrition (food/water) alerts are awesome
- Connects to computer without any drivers required, cross-platform
Cons:
- Very small amount of memory (space)
- Their implementation of .FIT files aren’t as compatible as I’d hoped
- Doesn’t automatically update time zone based on where you are (time yes, time zone no)
Found this review useful? Here’s how you can help support future reviews with just a single click! Read on…
Hopefully you found this review useful. At the end of the day, I’m an athlete just like you looking for the most detail possible on a new purchase – so my review is written from the standpoint of how I used the device. The reviews generally take a lot of hours to put together, so it’s a fair bit of work (and labor of love). As you probably noticed by looking below, I also take time to answer all the questions posted in the comments – and there’s quite a bit of detail in there as well.
I’ve partnered with Clever Training to offer all DC Rainmaker readers an exclusive 10% discount across the board on all products (except clearance items). You can pickup the Timex Run Trainer 2.0 below. Then receive 10% off of everything in your cart by adding code DCR10XBK at checkout. By doing so, you not only support the site (and all the work I do here) – but you also get a sweet discount. And, since this item is more than $75, you get free US shipping as well.
- Timex Ironman Run Trainer 2.0 GPS Speed and Distance Black-Orange
- Timex Ironman Run Trainer 2.0 GPS Speed and Distance Silver-Green
- Timex Ironman Run Trainer 2.0 GPS HRM Black-Orange
- Timex Ironman Run Trainer 2.0 GPS HRM Silver-Green
Additionally, you can also use Amazon to purchase the unit or accessories (though, no discount on either from Amazon). Or, anything else you pickup on Amazon helps support the site as well (socks, laundry detergent, cowbells). If you’re outside the US, I’ve got links to all of the major individual country Amazon stores on the sidebar towards the top. Though, Clever Training also ships most places too and you get the 10% discount. Thanks for reading!
And as always, feel free to post comments or questions in the comments section below, I’ll be happy to try and answer them as quickly as possible. And lastly, if you felt this review was useful – I always appreciate feedback in the comments below. Finally, I’ve written up a ton of helpful guides around using most of the major fitness devices, which you may find useful in getting started with the devices. These guides are all listed on this page here.
As always, Great Review!! I don’t know that the added ease of the menu system and the vibrating alerts would be enough motivation for me to replace the TRT 1.0 that I bought last month. I do really like the lines that divide the data fields. I dislike the fact that you can only display three data fields at a time rather than the four available with the trt 1.0. Hopefully they fixed the odometer bug that my trt 1.0 has. No matter what mode I reset the odometer in, whether it be in the device agent or on the watch, after a run it always displays 62,427 miles.
I have been using the Timex Marathon GPS and the average pace calculation at the end of the run is always incorrect by 5 to 11 or 12 seconds. Timex just gives me a lot of BS when I question them. Have you found the average pace to be accurate on the TRT2?
They’re correct in the TRT2. You can double-check it via the photos I included in the history section, which shows the distances/times and paces, which I just double-checked the math and it’s spot on.
Fwiw, the Timex Marathon GPS isn’t a product that Timex actually worked on the firmware on (they just rebranded an outside unit from Asia that’s also used by many other companies). Whereas the Timex Run Trainer’s and Global Trainers is their firmware work.
Not saying it changes who’s ultimately at blame, but just providing some insight on it.
Very very Nice Review, i ll get my New Watch(Timex RT 2.0) tomorrow. Now i’m using the FR 610 from Garmin, but i can’t use the watch for the Swim Workouts….
Thats the Reason, why i buyed a New One.
The best watch for us(triathletes) is the FR910XT, but i dont like the Big Design. For Bike Training can i take my Cycletrainer.
What do you say? Run Trainer or the FR610?
Thanks a lot for the Review, it helps. Sry for my terrible english:)……
Greats from Germany
They’re both different watches. There’s no getting around that the FR610 is a higher end watch than the TRT2. It simply is – but also costs nearly double.
That said, for most runners, the TRT2 is more than sufficient. The core differences on the running side is that the FR610 offers more customization, and offers navigational support. On the flip-side, it doesn’t offer nutritional alerts.
Thanks for your Quick Answer. Of course is the FR610 a very complete Watch. For me is it important, to create my own Intervalltraining and getting corect Datas from the Watch. I do not need the Virtualracer/Partner……
Water is for the TRT 2.0 no Problem:).
I bought the TRT 2.0 for the vibrating alerts as I’m a little hard of hearing. The display going from 4 lines to 3 is one of the things I didn’t like. As far as the odometer, I can’t find it within the menu system. I think they remove the feature. I also had the TRT 1.0, but never had an issue with the odometer.
Thanks for great article! Polar RCX3 does have wireless WIND data transfer, no IrDA anymore.
Thanks for getting this review up, it makes me feel better as i actually ordered it last night based on your earlier comments on it (went through Clever Training so you get the credit)! As soon as it arrives my Garmin 610 goes back to the store (too many problems with the HRM, too many bells and whistles that I don’t need inflating the price). The one question I still have is whether I can use a Garmin strap I already I own or if I should go with the Timex strap. My concern is that if the problems I have had with the heart rate calculations on the 610 are due to the strap I would just be carrying that over to the Timex. And it seems for customer support reasons it would be easier if I was using the Timex product. Should I cancel my order and get it without the strap or stick with the watch and strap combination? Also, Clever Training has two straps, one that is $30 (Flex) and one that is $60 (Dig 2.4), which one comes with the watch in the HRM combo? If it is the Flex, I would be better off buying it separately as there is a $50 price differential between the two watches. Your thoughts?
Answered my own questions on the two straps listed on Clever Training. The $30 one is literally just the strap, no sensor included, while the $60 is the strap and sensor. That makes more sense (it would help if the photo for the strap only didn’t show the sensor attached to it)!
Great article as always Ray. Can the keys be locked so they don’t get pressed unintentionally?
Great review as always. I miss the closer view that you had with watches lined up on the shorter rolling pin. I was in market for a watch that displayed cadence, distance,hr and time as well as being waterproof enough to go swimming and kayaking. It was TRT2.0 vs garmin 910xt (cheap unboxed new off auction site for same price as TRT 2.0 with customs tax. I got fed up waiting for TRT to be released and jumped at a 910xt. Reading your review now it looks like the button sensitivity makes the TRT practically useless for me to swim as I’d always be wondering if I may have activated a button when fitting the cap. The amazingly mean minded memory capacity is the last straw which tells me that TRT would not have been a good choice for me, memory is so cheap now that it beggars belief that someone in Timex thought it was worth hobbling this device for the sake of saving what would be less than a dollar or so for two or three times the capacity they gave it.
Thank for the review. I’ve been waiting for this. I was a early adopter of the TRT 1.0. but ultimately I returned it because of the size and the software update wasn’t quite as robust as I needed at the time.
I did really like a lot of things about the watch. One item that really interested me is the vibration alert as when I’m running, I tend to miss the audio alerts quite a bit, but I’ve never had a watch with a vibration alert.
How does the vibration compare with other gps watches that vibrate? Is it strong enough to really feel it?
Also, any idea on why they took up a good chuck of the screen space with the “GPS” lettering? When I first saw the watch, it seemed like a bit much. The only thing I can gather is that when you charge it the screen isn’t covered at all.
Peace out.
I obviously read too many of your reviews. I recognized each model on your rolling pin without reading the caption.
Looks like a nice offering- and with its customizable display, multiple screens, customizeable workout creator, vibration alert- it’s a big step above a Garmin 210 and closer to the 610 (sans touch screen), for a lot less money.
Excellent review. So that’s two Timex GPS run watches — three if you count the $99 one — without an update of the Global Trainer. Any word on when/if that’s coming?
No word there.
Excellent review. I’ve been very happy the 15 months with the TRT 1. My wife, who’s training for the Boston 2014, likes to use it from time to time, but she’s petite and the hugeness bugs her. It’s like a cinderblock on her wrist. If I can sell off TRT 1 for a decent price, I’d upgrade. (Plus, then the wife would also have the nice free/Timex TrainingPeaks account. BTW, you get any kind of discount/credit with them? I’ve had a comped week of the paid version due to some technical issues, and like it.)
No discount on TP, sorry!
I was so interested in this review because I have (necause of you) a TRT 1.0
Comparing the old and the one TRT, I think the old one still have something more:
- I like display on 4 lines (or 3 with the center one bigger than other) so I can have many info about my run
- In Inteval modes I can save 5 workouts while TRT 2.0 only one (link to global.timex.com)
but has something less too:
- vibrating alerts
- interval modes set on distance (however you can solve this problem setting a distance goal in each interval e pressing and holding lap button)
Now I have a question:
In Interval modes “warm up” and “cold down” are additional sessions (I can set up or not) and so they aren’t included in repeats or not?
Just a note: TRT 1.0 has drink/eat sound alerts (but not vibrating ones)
Anyway, great review!
No, they aren’t separate, it’s just part of all the INT1/2/3/etc… I wish they were clearly called out separately.
Thanks for the answer, Ray.
This is an “epic fail”!
Maybe I have to explain better what I mean.
If TRT 1.0 has “warm-up” and “cold down” separated from other section that I can reapeat (in order to avoid repeating warm up and cold down too), It’s ridicolous Timex don’t set them apart in the new TRT.
In this way, the new TRT has not only ONE wourkout to setting up (in stead of 5 of TRT 1.0) but has less sections too: they could be 6 (in stead of 5 of TRT 1.0) but these sections should include warm up and cold down, unless you’ll do these using Chrono mode.
P.s.: I hope It’s clear what I mean
Hi All-
Re the intervals warm-up and cool-down. I talked with the engineering team tonight and they confirmed that the addition of warm-up an cool-down to the interval feature is scheduled for an upcoming firmware update (for the Timex Run Trainer 2.0, it’s already in the TRT1.0).
Enjoy!
thanks for the info, Ray
I have to sympathis with Timex on the .FIT issues. I use the Java fit SDK under Android and it’s very easy to use I have to worry about none of the details. I produce good fit files as far as I can tell the validation tool is happy with them. Problem is half the third party software want read them. Reading is far harder than writeing of course and the problem is the format gives you options for things. The most common issue is one of Endieness. The Fit format is to some extent endian nutral you say what the endieness is as you write the file. The problem I have is that the official JavaFIT SDK running on Android writes big endien. Garmin devices write little endien. If the reading software is home growen not using the sdk but writen from scratch and ignors the endieness information in the file then it just fails to read my file even though it’s perfectly valid. I can not easaly change it without writting a whole file writing system myself. All in all a bit of a mess and hard for me or Timex to fix.
Great review.
So the outputted fit files don’t work with SportsTrack. Are there any third party programs (GoldenChetah perhaps) that will read them?? I’m looking for something that can read the file and convert it to something else (fit or tcx). Yeah, It’s a clumsy attemp to working around the limits of the file format; but I like the watch and don’t want to be locked into the online version of Training Peaks.
Thanks
Check out the freeware, GPSBabel. It lets you convert between all kinds of things.
Ben S – Thanks for the software suggestion. I’ll give it a try
Can someone post a Run Trainer 2.0 *.fit file so third party compatibility can be tested. Thanks
Here ya go, a smattering of TRT2 files: link to sites.google.com
Thanks Ray!!
Tested the Timex FIT Files and confirmed that the following programs won’t load them : Golden Cheetah 2.1, Golden Cheetah 3.0 Beta, GPS Babel, and Connect/Training Center (no surprise there).
Training Peaks has an “export file” option … but it looks to export a copy of the file uploaded, no conversion to other formats. So that doesn’t help.
I was able to get the files to load into WKO via the TP Device Agent. WKO does have the ability to export files (WKO, PWX, GPX) and I got mixed results when I tried the converted files in other programs (Golden Cheetah and SportTrack).
So if you limit your analysis to Training Peaks (and Strava), your going to be happy. Trouble is, I’m a SportsTrack User and I don’t like using a “second” program (especially something costly like WKO) for file conversion.
Ray, you did a good service pointing out the file compatibly issues on the TRT 2.0. Yeah, Garmin didn’t play “fair” by not following the FIT protocol … but Timex needs to be following whatever Garmin’s format is to be a serious alternative. For better/worse, the GPS sports device world seems to revolve around Garmin. As much as I want this watch, I won’t buy it because the file issues. Can you press Timex on file compatibility fixes via firmware?
Thanks, Jeff
@Jeff – read my comment below… we came across this post last night and added support to SportTracks 3 in an updated release today.
Regarding the .FIT file format that Timex writes… from spending a few hours going through the exact data messages recorded in detail it is actually not that bad – not enough to warrant software firmware updates. A few simple gotchas, but nothing too unusual. All your favorite 3rd party apps should be able to update easily to accomodate the quirks.
If any appdevs run across this post and need some technical pointers shoot me an email @zonefivesoftware … we’ve now written FIT file importers in 3 languages.
Aaron – Thanks! Downloaded the update and it works like a champ. That is why I’m a SportTracks user … you guys have always been very customer focused.
@aaron, email to the support email address?
Thank you for the review Ray,
Stupid question- from your comment on the battery life it is not really clear if you can use the watch as a day-to-day watch: “will last quite a bit longer when just hanging out in non-GPS mode. I haven’t quite figured out exactly how much longer (days/weeks I presume), as I’m using it every other day, so I’m always recharging it.”
Where can I get the estimated of watch use without GPS? I simply don’t see myself like you- traveling with 2 watches and would like to understand if it makes sense for me to purchase it.
Thanks
I’ve reached back to some folks to see if I can get clarification on how long it should last in standby mode. Thanks!
Hi Ronero-
The Timex folks confirmed that it’s about three weeks in standby mode (battery-wise).
Enjoy!
Thanks Ray!
FYI, as of a couple days ago, Run Trainer FIT files will upload to Strava. Just locate the files when it mounts as a USB device.
Where was this last month? I will live with TRT (original). Another well written review by DC Rainmaker. Thanks again.
For someone who owns a FR610, would you consider the TRT 2.0 an upgrade or a sideway move? Is there anything for a runner in the TRT 2.0 that the FR610 does not do? (beside the nutrition alerts)
As a FR610 owner, it would be considered a downgrade. There are no doubt features that the TRT has that the FR610 doesn’t (Nutrition alerts primarily). Though, on the FR610 you can use walk/run alerts to kinda mimic that (that’s what I do when using the FR610).
Beyond that though, the FR610 has flexibility with HR zones, customization of data fields, more data fields (4 per page), advanced workout support, etc… but, it also costs almost double.
Ray,
What about the 305 vs the TRT 2.0?
Thanks (again)
Thank you, Ray, that’s all I needed to know. I’ll wait for the update to the FR610, then. It shouldn’t be too far off.
Thanks for the review DC.Think ill keep the the 1.0 (for 70 bucks !) and get the hang of it.From what i gathered reading ,it doesnt sound like a ‘huge’ step up for the price difference.Thanks again.
Ray, again a super review. I continue to be fascinated with your ever present concern with liquid/nutrition notifications. In my 37 years of running, logging over 77,000 miles to include 18 marathons and 10 ultras needing a reminder to hydrate/nutrition has never been an issue. I know when I need liquids and nutrition on runs below marathon distance. I have trained to flip to burning body fat without any nutritional supplements. I marvel/smile when I observe runners using “Gu” like stuff for 5K/10K races. Maybe being older lessens the need for nutrition on the run. Turn 70 in a few months and have run hundreds of 20+mile training runs on a liquid that has been around for quite awhile:water w/o any nutrition. Try it, you may like it. You may run faster because you won’t have to carry any stuff with you.
Thanks for the review!!
I´m beginning running, so I would like a device with good training capabilities. At the same price, which one should I choose, POLAR RC3 or TRT 2.0?
Thank you!
They’ll both do quite well. The RC3 has a bit more on the HR metrics side than the TRT2 (primarily multi-zone HR’s). It also can do rough ‘back to start as the crow flies’ directional arrows.
Meanwhile, the TRT doesn’t require any special software to plug-in, and the display field customization is higher than the RC3.
Thanks again.
I like the RC3 Smart Coaching capabilities, more exactly the ZoneOptimizer. Is there any similiar in the TRT 2.0?
No, not really. You can set a single zone on the TRT, that’s about it.
Thanks for the great review. I noticed your comparison chart did not include the Garmin 610. Is that simply because of price difference? Is the 610 a better watch (for running only)?
Hmm, missed your reply on the 610 above. Guess it comes down to whether the extra functionality on the 610 is worth the extra money. thanks.
Yeah, primarily price difference. But…the chart is dynamic – so you can add any products you’d like via the product comparison tool here: link to dcrainmaker.com
Enjoy!
Have you considered using Strava as your primary platform for tracking and analyzing? What’s your opinion about it? It would be really nice to see a review by you with the different alternatives.
Strava and TP are really aiming at different markets. I love both for different reasons.
TP has way more functionality for detailed analyzing a specific workout and fitness progress over time. It gives you more tools for fine tuning your workouts, especially if you have a coach.
Strava does a better job of comparing a performance, and particularly a segment of a performance, to your past efforts and that of others. I would actually say this is a more interesting approach for the vast majority of age group athletes, especially if your main focus is fitness and fun. If your goal is the podium, TP is probably better, which is kind of ironic since Strava makes KOM’s such a big deal.
Indeed, as Ekutter noted, they’re a bit different in goals. I use TP primarily for analysis and long-term tracking (years) – and most importantly, communicating with a coach who has a centralized view of athletes.
Strava is more focused on competing within the ecosystem – as well as recording the data of course. The Strava interface is no doubt much cleaner than the TP one from a graphics standpoint, but I’d argue the analytic capability of TP is more in-depth today (one of the reasons most pro athletes in endurance sport use it today).
Bonjour!
Thanks for the detailed review! I run 5/10k 2-3 times a week and i’m hesitating between the a FR10 @ 130$ or the TRT 2.0 @ 175$. I know they’re 2 very different models and I’m not into very detailed run analysis but considering the little 45$ price difference i wonder if the 2.0 is a better bet?
Thanks,
Martin
Hi Martin, where do you see the TRT 2 at $175? thx
Just responding to Thien’s question. Clever Training actually had it listed for $175 for a couple days. Not sure if it was a mistake or not. Last I looked it was $225. I almost pulled the trigger on it, but I’m glad I waited until the review came out. The memory issue looks like a deal breaker to me.
It was mistakenly listed for a short period this past weekend. Clever did honor it for those that got it.
Otherwise, the best deal is the Clever Training deal with the DCR discount applied to it (plus, it really helps support the site.). Thanks!
Ray:
Just wanted to let you know that this product review and the recent Kickr review never got picked up by my RSS reader. Not sure if it is a feed issue or a reader issue, however.
Just thought you should know.
Sigh…poking at why it keeps happening with the big reviews lately – I have a few ideas. Thanks for the heads up.
I assume you use Google Reader? (Like me…a sad day ahead…).
Correct – Google Reader.
Actually it is my google reader feeds through feedly right now. Plan is to let feedly take it over if and when the sun sets. It seems to be working pretty well so far.
Ray:
One of the new options in this TRT 2.0 is that we can change languag display.
Can you tell me wich languages are available?
Thank you.
English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, and Dutch.
Hi Ray!!
What about your marks? I cant see in the chart anymore.
By the way, I suppose there isnt any problem buying the watch to clever and using it in spain. Is there?
You can expand the chart to see all the rows. I’ve hidden the ratings for now across all products. The ratings were something of a ‘beta’ product for me, and I’ve found that there are simply too many factors going into them to be able to give a good estimate that’s really applicable to everyone. People value different things different. For some, the interval aspect isn’t important, but for others it’s a deal killer.
I’ve sorta long held that I want people to come away taking the facts that I’ve provided and make up their own decisions on which products are best for their needs. The ratings blinded everyone in that manner.
As for Clever, yup, no problems using it in Spain (I’m in Europe after all!). About the only places it won’t work in the world are two small areas around the North and South Pole, but even then, only certain times of the year (for example, there’s plenty of good data on the Antarctica Marathon on Garmin Connect).
Hi–great review!
Not sure I saw it above, but what do you think of its instant pace ability? Is it on par with the Garmin FR10 for example?
Hmm, I’ll shoot a video of it for folks.
One last question. I see double digits behind the decimal now- Can you set the autolap to .25 mile? TRT 1 doesn’t allow for that.
Great review! (as always). Still sticking to my TGT though until the TRT2′s firmware matures, or an update to TGT comes. One thing i noticed, you missed pointing out the TRT2′s changeable color display (contrast). I think it’s a great option for what it’s worth.
I assume Cadence HR (as one of the options to display is lap HR
For FIT compatibility I kind of disagree with you. For a standard that is generic like FIT to work it shouldn’t be limited with how garmin screws it up.
As to the size of the FIT file if they aren’t currently using compressed headers then that is one area they could use to save a good amount of space in the file. (Do think they should have put in more memory, can’t be that hard.
Once I get the code to read Ant+ heart rate and data from my rower I plan to figure out how to write a proper fit file, should be interesting. One thing I’ve learned with reading Ant+ HR strap packets is from a sample size of 1 my Timex HR strap seems to give much more accurate HRV numbers then the Garmin soft strap. By more accurate I mean the Garmin seems to have r-r time as double or triple what you’d expect some of the time even though the beat count field is incrementing at the same rate and the heart rate value seems to stay steady. Seems weird and Timex doesn’t even do anything with that data.
Can’t you use an Ant+ simulator to simulate a footpod to see how long it lasts when not using a gps?
great review as always
Hi Ray! Several weeks back, I wrote to you about my woes with the pace and pace alerts on my Garmin; you suggested I wait for the new Timex 2.0 — it arrived today and is charging now
My question for you is which pace setting should I use to get no-kidding the most accurate representation: Pace, Avg Pace, Lap Pace, or Previous Lap Pace? And if your answer is one of the lap paces, what should I set Auto Lap at? I’m the one who uses my watches for what you would consider super-short timed runs — 1.5 mile AFPT. Accurate pace/pace zone alerts are pretty critical for me. Thanks!
It depends on the distance and purpose. For races, going with lap pace is what I prefer to use, as I’m doing it on a per-mile (or per-KM) basis so that if things start to get skewed, it’s only impacting that one mile. I base that against course mile markers.
Awesome detailed review . I am newby and I appreciate all the effort that goes into helping us make an informed decision. I am partially visually impaired and I really require the largest font available to monitor my heart rate as I am just a novice runner. Which watch would you say is the best for displaying the heart rate?
Thanks again for all your assitance and keep up the great work.
From a HR display standpoint, they really are all about equal. They all pretty much have the same exact data fields. The core HR areas though that the TRT2 lacks is the ability to specify additional HR zones (beyond a single zone). So that means that if you train by zones and want to display those zones, then you’re limited in the current firmware.
For me personally, I train by HR zones, but I’ve long since memorized them, and prefer to know the exact number (so as to know whether I’m high/mid/low in zone).
As always great review. Here I have snow outside, seeing you swimming in open waters…ahh
Hey Ray,
you nailed it yet again.
I have a TRT1 and my main gripe there is that you cant setup a Heart Zone alert in Chrono Modo. You can do it for Intervals or Watch Level but not for Chrono. I recently ran a half and i setup a zone before the start but the watch started “screaming” before we got going, which was pretty embarassing… As far as you can see this has been fixed – i.e does the zone kicks in only when the Chrono is started in TRT2?
Do you see Timex making a fiirmware upgrade for TRT1 with the fixes available in TRT2 or is that wishful thinking?
Thanks again
Andrea
I suspect in time we’ll see a firmware update to equalize that.
Is wrist strap replaceable?
No.
Actually, correction. I’ve heard from Timex on this. I was mentally thinking more along the lines of creatively colored straps than mechanical breakage issues. Nonetheless, here’s the skinny.
On the RT2.0, the wrist strap is attached with pins, so it is replaceable by a reasonably handy or skilled person with the right tools. It is done for the certainty of affixing a $200+ watch to someone’s wrist versus using “standard” spring bars. This aligns more with what newer generation GPS watches are doing from what I’ve seen.
They will have straps available for sale through Customer Service, and are happy to enable people to take the offer to have Timex fully replace the watch strap if required.
The bottom line is that the entire watch does not have to be replaced if the wrist strap breaks or tears.
Received my TRT 2.0 and like but have a few questions I am hoping Ray or other owners may be able to answer:
1) Is there a way to not show the display names when switching screens? You essentially have to hit the button twice, since the first time you hit it, it brings up the name of each line and the second time switches to the next one. Is there a way to have it jump right to the next screen (like the Garmin 610 and others do)?
2) Is anyone else getting really high calories burned readings? I ran 7.0 miles at an easy pace (6.6 MPH) which for me normally burns around 100 calories a mile (using my Wahoo which ties to general standards and online calculators). The TRT2 said I burned 893 calories in the 7 miles, which seems very high. Does the HR Zones you select in TrainingPeaks impact this or is it just the weight and max heart rate you enter into the watch? If the former, what is the best HR Zone method to use (they offer like 20 of them). If the latter , would raising the max heart rate setting lower the calories burned? I know it is an estimate and will not be exact, but I would like it to be in a reasonable ballpark.
Otherwise I like it so far, the screen is easy to read and the pace measurements seem dead on.
I believe your comparison table has an error w.r.t. the Nike+ GPS Sportswatch. I’m pretty sure the recording interval is 10 seconds rather than 1 second. (At least, if you download activities using the official Nike+ developer API, the downloaded activities show only 10-second resolution.)
Hmm, interesting. I thought pre-official API, it was 1s for developers scrapping, I wonder if in official API it was changed. I’ll poke and update.
Here’s the activity detail from my run this afternoon
{
"activityId": "2118706573",
"activityType": "RUN",
"startTime": "2013-03-24T20:15:31Z",
"activityTimeZone": "GMT-05:00",
"status": "COMPLETE",
"deviceType": "SPORTWATCH",
...
"metrics": [
{
"intervalMetric": 10,
"intervalUnit": "SEC",
...
And here’s the GPS details:
{
"elevationLoss": 94.31717,
"elevationGain": 97.55133,
"elevationMax": 359.0274,
"elevationMin": 315.13992,
"intervalMetric": 10,
"intervalUnit": "SEC",
"waypoints": [
...
I just went back and checked my e-mails with the development team. Their exact quote was “The recording rate is 1 Hz.” – Which, is 1-second.
Now, the 3rd party API is a different story (as you noted).
First thanks for the great review! I was about to get a GPS running watch so for me after shortlisting it’s either the Timex Run Trainer 2.0 with HRM or Polar RC3 also with HRM.
Over here in Asia after currency conversion and shipping from States the Run Trainer 2.0 pricing is very close to the RC3 (after some discounts). In fact the difference is like just $5.
And I’m using it mainly for running, so wondering if the Run Trainer 2.0 or RC3 is a better choice for me? Any comments or advice is appreciated.
Thank you.
I would think in this scenario, the TRT is a better bet. They are similar, but in most cases, I’d go for the TRT over the RC3 because I can customize the display better on the TRT2. Further, it’s ANT+, so it works with my existing straps and footpods.
The one area that the RC3 has that the TRT2 doesn’t is the compass aspects (points back towards start, not advanced compass), as well as some of the additional HR zone pieces (Zone optimizer). So those can be important to some.
Thanks Ray! In this case can I setup and do interval training on the Run Trainer 2.0 understand it’s not possible on the RC3?
And for HRM I’m new to this so perhaps may not need the HR zone optimizer available on Polar. Do you think it’s safe for me to assume this? And the HRM on the Run Trainer 2.0 should be good enough for me?
Yes, intervals are supported on the TRT2. Check out the section in the review where I walk through out they work (and some limitations with them).
The Polar Zone Optimizer is essentially helping you define HR zones and execute workouts within them. If you already know your zones (and memorized them), and/or don’t care about zones (using pace/time/etc..), then that’s of less value.
Thanks for the reply Ray appreciate that. Shall go through your review again in case I missed out anything before making my purchase. By the way, do you think the Run Trainer 2.0 watch strap is durable? Because for most sports watches especially those with strap integrated with the watch casing once spoil have to replace the whole casing with the strap.
It seems durable to me. But no worries, seem my comment around #71 (as of now, comment numbers can shift), around the strap replacement.
Thanks Ray! At least now I know for this watch the strap could be replaced when damaged.
And from the pictures of the watch and screenshots of the software, seems that for interval setup is it max at 6 intervals or more could be added?
Next, I run 2-3 times during weekdays each session around 5K and during weekend I would run 12-15K. I plan to use the GPS and HRM on this watch without footpod. Wondering would I max out the memory easily? Like I have to upload to my computer weekly or? Since you mentioned the memory is very very limited for this watch?
I think I read somewhere that you can only setup/save one interval workout on the watch?? Can someone confirm that, please?
hmmm…that would be a pain to have to change/update the workout every time.
Correct. Though, on the bright side, if you do it on the Device Agent side, it’s slightly easier.
Thank you for the great review. I am looking to purchase my first GPS watch, and the Timex devices seem to be great value. Ideally, I would like the heart rate strap however that may have to wait for the time being. The fact that this device mounts as a mass storage device is great. Do you know if there is a firmware update for the original TRT that will allow it to also be mounted the same way and use the same FIT format?
I don’t expect to see them go back and update it at this point (I suspect it’d be a pretty big lift firmware wise).
About strap… I own a TRT 1.0 and strap is also repleacable, I bought one here on Timex Portugal.
Can in TRT 2.0 heart rate zones be configured as in TRT 1.0?
The HR zone limitations are more restrictive than most products, but actually pretty much the same as the TRT1 with just setting effectively a single zone (just pulled open mine a second ago to double-check).
Ray:
In TRT1 it’s possible to configure chrono heart rate zones and set alert to a certain zone. In TRT2 I cannot see that, because in chrono it’s only possible to set one zone. But in the end it’s more or less the same thing…
Ahh, gotchya, valid point on the alerting side too. But yeah, same end-result.
Ray:
Is there a way to turn off sensors when you quit a chrono mode before start it?
I notice that if I try to start a chrono, device asks for connect sensors, wich I respond yes. After that, if instead start chrono, you get back to time mode, sensors still on… Is there a timer, like the half-hour in the TRT1.0 and then sensors will go off?
Nice review, thanks. A few questions:
1. What is the thickness and weight of this device in numbers?
2. Does it have R-R recording (i.e., beat-by-beat)?
3. Does it have (what Garmin would call) “virtual racer” and/or “virtual pacer” feature?
Thanks!
1) I can get exact numbers tonight (travelling at moment)
2) No R-R data recording
3) No similar feature
Easy question !
TRT 2.0 or Garmin 210 ?
Thanks Ray !
For me, I’d go with the TRT2 over the TRT1 any day. Primarily due to size, but also due to the cleaner menu.
Agreed!
…. but maybe I misunderstood; does this mean you’d also pick the Timex over the Garmin 210?
Thanks again!
They’re slightly different watches. The TRT2 has nutrition alerts, more customization around data fields, whereas the FR210 doesn’t have those. Meanwhile, the FR210 has more HR zone flexibility, and is a bit slimmer overall.
Just what matters most to you.
Ray!
FYI, finally took the plunge… just couldn’t resist the FR610!!!
Love it – including the 50$ rebate promotion from Garmin!
(…and obviously it was purchased at Clever Training!)
Gotta run!
Kristopher
Thanks for the support, I appreciate it!
So TRT2 vs. 610? I’ve got my HR zones memorized as I keep it easy – up to 130-140, 140-150, 150-160, and 160+.
On certain runs I may want alerts, but most of the time I just glance at the HR to ensure my perceived effort is on par with the HR. I almost always just use alerts to not go over 140, so one zone should be fine. I’m not seeing many other features called out as big differences, and the $100 price tag doesn’t seem to justify it. Maybe the touchscreen? The 610 looks a bit nicer. 
Anything else?
I’ve got an old 305 that is still functional, but I’ve had to hard reset it a few times in the past month and the battery is starting to not last as long. So this is not an emergency and if anything enticing is on the horizon, I could wait.
Thanks!
Curious to see Ray’s thoughts, but here are my users two cents worth, having just switched from the 610 to the TRT2:
- I like the display more on the Timex, easier to read (partly due to the resolution, partly due to it being square instead of round).
- Was never a big fan of the touchscreen anyway and the button give a more tactile feel on the Timex. Definitely easier to program via the watch with the buttons and menu system (and love how you can actually do all of the programming on the computer and download it).
- I don’t train by heart rate or use pre-programmed workouts so this was not a loss for me, but could be a big negative if you want these. You also lose the virtual trainer and virtual racer, which could be a negative if you use them.
- After one initial problem, calories burned calculations using HRM seem pretty accurate (primary reason I returned 610, it was all over the board reading really low with constant drop outs and spikes – tried numerous straps without any luck).
- Lack of warm-up, cool-down and repeats in intervals on Timex make it pretty useless, but I am hoping that is fixed in a future firmware update. Would like to see more than 1 interval program as well. I have to try Ray’s workaround in the review.
- Foot pod is very accurate right out of the box with no calibration, pace is spot on.
- Garmin Connect is an easier interface than TrainingPeaks and you don’t have to pay $100 a year to get all the features (although I am not sure how many of them I would use anyway).
- I prefer the USB upload, as it is faster and requires you to choose to upload (as opposed to doing it automatically when you get within proximity of the computer). My treadmill is close to my computer and I actually had the 610 upload itself and reset in the middle of a workout more than once, very annoying.
I found that the Timex has everything I need and it saved me close to $200 over the 610. I think Ray referenced in an earlier comment that they are really two different watches meant for different levels of users. If you are like me and just want it to track your course, pace and heart rate without all the bells and whistles it is great. If you are more technical and want the programs and the advanced features it may not be enough for you.
Hey all, Aaron here from Team SportTracks.
I’m happy to say we found this post last night, after a few hours of diagnosis and literally a 1 line change to our code, the latest release of SportTracks supports Timex Run Trainer .FIT files perfectly. You can go download the update from our website.
TRT2 .FIT files will also import fine into our new mobile cloud app: sporttracks.mobi.
If you ever run across new devices that don’t quite import into SportTracks just shoot support a email and we will get on it ASAP. Wide device support is one of our top priorities.
Thanks Tommy for the reply about the 610 vs RT2. I have the RT1 but it’s been having USB issues and Timex can’t seem to fix it so I’ve been debating between the RT2, 210, and 610. I don’t need all the bells and whistles like virtual pacer, training effect, and the touch screen. I think the RT2 is a better watch, waterproof and I like the review minus the memory issue. I love garmin connect a lot more than the free training peaks though.
I download to my computer after every workout so the memory limitation is a non-issue for me. The 610 also takes a long time to upload and can be a little picky about when it wants to work, whereas the Timex takes a second or two. I am an age-group runner, not looking to win anything so I do not need all the extra training features of the 610. I also like Garmin Connect but am not a fan of TrainingPeaks (although I could see if you were heavily into the training analytics side it would be great). I just tried out SportTracks today and actually like it better than Garmin and TrainingPeaks, so give that one a look.
Nice review as usual…
Can you mute the “audio alerts”? (as far as i know it is not possible to do so with the TRT 1.0)
I appreciate a lot the 5 alarms on the TRT1.0 (replaced by a single alarm in TRT 2.0).
After reading your review, i am not sure i would replace my TRT 1.0 with the TRT 2.0
Regards, Pascal
Any idea which calorie algorithm Timex uses when using a heart rate strap? I noticed that it is very close to what I get through SportTracks just using Time/Speed/Distance. I know they do not use FIrstBeat like Garmin, but I assume when you are using the heart rate sensor it is taking heart rate into consideration and not using the base time/speed/distance calculation. I searched around the web and could not find an answer, but I figured if anyone knows, it would be Ray!
Weird question, but if they were the same price would you recommend the TRT 2.0 over the Suunto Ambit? I’m primarily interested in hitting pace and HR targets while running but having something I can also take trekking, kayaking and to the mountains would be a plus.
That’s a tough question. The Ambit is about 2.5X more expensive than the TRT2, and they have totally different features and focuses. One is more general running, the other focused on ultra runners and hikers.
For just hitting paces and HR targets (well, today, a target), the TRT2 will cover you pretty well. As far as trekking goes, the memory space limitations will probably be an issue.
Ray – Thank you for the excellent review and helpful comments. Also thanks for the discount at Clever Training. I’ve made my first GPS watch purchase and am looking forward to putting this to use instead of the bulky smartphone I’ve been using for the past 2 years.
Thanks for the support!
Hi, Great reviews , thank you. My Garmin 405 died so am looking to replace. Don’t like the garmin Fr610 as you cant lock the touch screen. I like the Nike Sportswatch as it has a nice clear display, but I’ve heard the GPS is slow to lock on and the watch has reliability issues.
The TRT 2.0 seems to be the answer, both comprehensive and nice easy to read display, thing is , I’m in the UK, no-one seems to stock it yet. Worse, I contacted Timex who directed me to a link in amazon which was for the TRT 1.0. Anyone know where us brits can get this watch ?
TRT2 will be sold at the Virgin London Marathon expo (the race is 21 April), and it will be available at retail in May.
Hi Ray,
Thanks for the great review! I’d order the watch today except I’m concerned about Timex watch bands. I have a Timex Ironman watch with what looks like a similar band. The band broke after a year and is not user replaceable. You need to send it and $10 to Timex for replacement. So your without your watch until Timex sends it back. Can you tell if this is the same type of band that’s used on Ironman Sleek watches? Can you ask the Timex rep about the replacement policy?
Thanks!
See here for a bit more detail: link to dcrainmaker.com
I just got the TRT 2.0 and I have a question/issue to see if anyone has dealt with this. First, it takes a long time to obtain a satellite fix, in the range of 2 minutes. I am going to test it out tonight at the same location as this morning to see if it has to do with starting the GPS at different locations, but right off a long fix time is making me want to put it on eBay. Second, I noticed that if I pressed start while waiting for the fix, the watch moves to the workout screen and starts timing and the satellite icon at the bottom left is still blinking! And sometimes, after pressing the start key, I noticed that it has already been timing for a few seconds! This is also a problem, as this could dramatically alter my training times. Any thoughts on this would be great!
It should acquire satellites very quickly, especially the second time around (if in roughly the same place). Note that if you start running before satellites are acquired, it will increase your GPS acquisition time (sometimes significantly). This is true of all GPS units on the market today.
I am not na expert, but speed that satellites are acquired does not depend someway on the positions of satellites in the sky? I have TRT 2.0 (maybe first here in Portugal) and my experience tells that sometimes it get signal just in 10 seconds or so, but yesterday toke more than 3 minutes in same place, even asked if I was indoor…
The satellite positions are predictable. Each satellite passes by the same point once per day, though rotates the earth twice per day. Thus, the watch knows this and is able to develop Hotfixes for a given satellite per location.
Ray:
Can you please check the input and output power of the Wall charger adapter that we can use to charge instead usb? I ask this because it’s easy to find a lot of adapters from mobile phone, but they are not all the same power, and that can harm battery. Thank you.
You can use any wall charger that supports USB devices (I’ve been using probably half a dozen different ones here).
The USB specification (worldwide) is 5V +/- 10%, thus 4.5v to 5.5v. All USB devices conform to this specification. The next component is amps. Different USB plugs support different amperage levels. For example, the iPad ones are higher than some of the cell phone ones (i.e. 2A vs .5A). However, the actual draw is determined not by the charging block, but by the USB device – per USB specification. So the device (watch) will only draw what it can use.
In short, you’re good with anything.
Hi
I want to check if Timex 2.0 will communicate with my current HRM? I am using Polar T31 coded.
No, not the Polar straps. Only straps that are ANT+ compatible (have a small ANT+ logo on them). Which is more or less any digital strap on the market today not made by Polar.
Thanks for the great review. I didn’t see this question answered in any of the above posts so here goes:
Is this unit small enough that you would wear it everyday for a watch or is it too bulky for everyday use? I should probably just go to a store and try one on myself but just thought I’d get some opinions.
Yup, absolutely. Unlike the TRT1, the TRT2 is very usable as a day watch (I did here and there). Enjoy!
2 more questions Ray…
… How would you compare the TRT2 with the 305?
and-
Seems like your code DCR10XBK does not work anymore. Do you have another one?
Thanks again!
(and yet another great post on the Paris marathon!).
Hi Roneno-
I just shot off a quick note to see why the code is failing (I can confirm it). Sorry, hang tight a few hours and it’ll be good again. Sorry!
As for the TRT2 vs the FR305, a bit of a different focus. The FR305 is a multisport watch, and covers cycling and running (including cycling sensors), whereas the TRT2 is definitely running-focused. The TRT2 has better waterproofing though, and areas like the nutrition alerts.
You can use the product comparison calculator though to quickly compare all the features, line by line. It’s on the sidebar there.
Enjoy, and thanks for the support on the Clever Training side.
Ok – the coupon code should be all good again. Sorry for the troubles!
Thanks Ray- Ordered.
Hi Ray/Guys,
I just like to ask your comments about this. As a new user of TRT 2.0 look at the Strava and Training peak the GPS thus not show any consistency; once you have time. Please let me know of your thoughts.
Strava – Showing 8.2 KM link to app.strava.com
Training Peak – Showing 6.8km link to trainingpeaks.com\
Note: I also email this to you Ray, but I like to see how the runners feedback.
How are you able to take the comparison photos when you’re ‘sending the watches back to the manufacturers’?
I re-purchase them all afterwards from retail outlets.
Tried to charge battery of my TRT 2.0 with a Wall adapter, but screen of the device was always flipping from time, to pc connection screen… Was afraid and disconected and am now charging it in the pc. Is there any problem with this changing screen when charging with wall adapter or is just software issue? Can you help here, Ray?
That’s a bit strange. I haven’t seen that before to my recollection. Do you have a different wall adapter to try?
Thanks for your reviews. Simply second to none. My concerns is about strap´ sizes. I am a big guy and actually wearing the polar ones. (XXXL) with and old F55 and i want to upgrade to GPS capability. I noticed that Polar is the only one that offers different strap sizes. I am planning in purchasing a Garmin 210 or even this TRT 2.0, Do you know if I can use the polar straps with their respective HR transmitters? Are the compatible? or any other strap brand suitable for big guys?
You can use the HR strap, but not the transmitter. Check out this post for how to do the swapparo:
link to dcrainmaker.com
(That solution works with Timex just fine)
Ray:
Tried another Wall charger, same issue here… Screen flickering between time and pc conection… But charges.
Not sure if it is a related issue, but when I first got mine and tried using a wall adapter I was getting a charger fail message, but it was fixed with firmware upgrade. Have you checked to see if you have the latest firmware, that might fix it?
link to support.trainingpeaks.com
Thank you for your amazing reviews. I have been a runner for 2 years now, completing a good number of 13.1 races and am about to being training for my second 26.2. I’ve learned a lot about gear, nutrition, etc, and am at the point where I’d like to replace my garmin 305 for something much less bulky. I rarely train with a HRM these days, instead going by feel, however I like the ability to strap the monitor on during those blistering hot days outside. The only concern I have about this timex watch is the variance when side by side with the garmins above. I’m attracted to the fact that this is a new model however. The garmin 210 seems to be a bit dated so I’m not terribly interested in it. Distance, overall pace, current pace, everyday use, backlight are the main features I like in a watch. Most importantly, something much smaller but as reliable as my current 305. Thanks in advance for your reply!
I don’t think you’ll go wrong with either. If you already have a FR305 you may be using Garmin Connect. If so, there’s obviously some logic in keeping in there. But if not, then you’re effectively a free agent.
Both are good watches, and there’s no right or wrong answer given you’re requirements. The backlight on the TRT2 is better than the FR210, fwiw.
Let me follow up further based on your reply. First thank you! Second, no garmin connect being used. For basic function, the timex or the garmin fr10. Accuracy is really my big thing at this point, and ease of use.
Accuracy is really a wash between the two from what I’m seeing. Size wise the TRT2 is larger, but offers far more feature (HR/Nutrition/configuration/etc…).
Thanks so much for all the reviews. After 3+ years, my 405 finally had it–trouble pairing with satellites, dropping parts of runs, etc. So it was down to the new Timex (reviewed here), and a 210 or a 610. The 610 is overkill, and I was happy to read that you felt the Timex 2.0 was a worthy adversary to the 210–the better backlight is a big deal for me as I wind up doing a good deal of my track work after dark. The only issue for me will be the learning curve switching from Garmin Direct to Training Peaks, but it shouldn’t be too bad. And, through Clever Training and your discount, it was actually the best deal I could find today.
Awesome, thanks for supporting the site!
Dumb question time but how do I get this watch to vibrate or beep to alert me when I have run each mile? At the moment its completely silent and I cant see anything obvious in the menu to change it….Help!
Settings> Hands Free> Auto Split> Distance and then select Distance = 1 Mile on the next row.
In addition to running, if you turn the GPS off, does the HRM monitor still work? I am about ready to replace a 405 but I also use a Polar for strength training for calorie burn and heart rate details. I would love to get down to one device. Thanks!
THe watch functions perfectly as an HRM without GPS. I do much of my running indoors on a treadmill with GPS turned off, using it as a HRM with a foot pod (for distance and cadence) with no problems. Of all the HRMs I have had (Timex, Garmin, Wahoo) I find this one to be the most consistent with no spikes or drop out issues like I had with other brands.
Yup, as Tommy said – no problems!
I downloaded the device agent and uploaded to Training Peaks, but mine doesn’t seem to have all the features you showed above. I can’t even view my lap splits. Is there something I’m missing, or is this feature no longer free?
Did you add the splits dashboard pod?
When I click in splits, it says it’s a premium feature.
Diana, try to create new TrainingPeaks account by this link: link to home.trainingpeaks.com
Hi, terrific reviews — thanks for posting them. Any idea if the “heart rate” version of this watch is any different than the non-heart rate version, or if the extra money is simply to pay for the strap? I have an ANT compatible strap from an old Garmin watch, so I’ll just buy the less expensive version of the watch if the $50 difference is only for the strap. Thanks, and I’ll make sure to buy it through your referral link.
Nope, same exact unit, and fully compatible with the other straps you have. Enjoy!
I have to say that after 3-4 weeks with this GPS, I’m disappointed in its accuracy. My prior GPS was the old Garmin 305, and it was much better. One weekend I took the timex out on a 5 mile trail loop, and it read 4.8, 4.6, and 4.4 on the three exact same loops! Then I took it out to the local track, and it was consistently short by .05 miles per loop, so a mile would read as .8. :-/ For years I’ve head friends complain about the accuracy of their watches while my 305 was much more accurate — and now I understand the complaints!
Just wanted to mention, any GPS watch will normally measure short when doing a loop around a track. Can’t speak to the rest of your comment, wonder if the timex takes less sample points to save on battery life.
Tracks are super-tough for GPS units today, due to the continual circle nature. On average, I see most GPS units gets .24 miles for each .25 mile loop. Sometimes spot-on, but usually always low. Thus a .04-.05 is quite reasonable.
For the other loops – were they trail running by chance?
The 5 mile loop was a tough single track. The old Gramin would often read 4.96 – 5.05 or so on this same loop. What is most frustrating is that the Timex read 4.8, 4.6, and 4.4 on each of the 3 loops. If it were at least consistent with itself I’d be a little happier.
Let me see if I can get the reset steps to reset the unit, I wonder if it’s got something stuck.
When I first received the watch I had to call timex as it was stuck in some kind of self-check. I think it was just holding down the 4 buttons for a few seconds. Do you think that will change anything?
Hi All-
Just a quick heads up that the Timex Run Trainer development team reached out last night and is now working with Sean to troubleshoot/diagnose and see what items can be learned/fixed from it.
Once they’ve done that they’ll loop back on any items of note.
Thanks!
I bought the TRT2 as soon as Clever Training started selling it based on Ray’s initial comments and Ray’s detailed review of the TRT1 (which I had just decided to buy when I found out about the TRT2). Three of my big requirements for a GPS were that it be suitable for day to day wear, it be waterproof, and it have a manual lap timer. I did not want to have to carry a set of watches around and change them during the day depending on my activity. For the past month I have worn the TRT2 quite happily as an everyday watch. My wrist is 16”, and I wear it in the 4th or 5th hole on the watch band, so I can see it being loose on someone with very small wrists, but I find it quite comfortable. While the watch itself is quite large, it doesn’t feel or look huge, except that the time on the face is so beautiful large that my myopic 70 year old father could read the time from across the room (probably).
Of course you already know that the TRT2 is waterproof. If you think this doesn’t matter for you, think about this: I twisted my knee (not running) a mere three days after I received my watch. I have spent more time running in the pool than I have running on land in the past month. I can still use my watch to do interval sessions in the pool, even if I’m not using the GPS and heart rate monitor. I wish I could use the heart rate monitor under water, but this is a limitation of ANT, and no firmware will resolve that. What I do like is that I can read the screen through the wavy surface of the water, and I can feel the vibration alert even when I’m swinging my arm back and forth underwater. One of these days I’ll use it for swimming intervals as well.
I haven’t had much use for the manual lap timer since I hurt my knee, but it’s there and it works just like my old Timex Ironman, except that the button is in a different spot. On that note, I’ve had a little difficulty adjusting, as the stop button on the old Timex Ironman is the location of the start button on the TRT2 and the light button on the old Timex Ironman is the location of the stop button on the TRT2. You can see where this might lead to some unfortunate button presses.
There have been a few people who have expressed concerns about the backlight. It’s fantastic. It’s so bright that I used it to light the way to the bathroom in the middle of the night while on vacation. It took me a while to figure out how to get the backlight to stay on (thanks Ray – I ended up searching through your review), and I discovered an intermediate setting, which is to set the light to come on when you press any button.
The access to the menus is definitely different from the old Timex Ironman. My only complaint is that I used to be able to press a single button to cycle through chrono and clock modes (and a few others), but the TRT2 requires looking at the screen and pressing different buttons to do the same, which makes me less comfortable checking the time in the middle of a workout. In contrast, it is possible to change settings, like turning on nutrition alerts or vibration alerts, during a workout, which has definitely come in handy.
I have two concerns about the watch: the first is that I’ve had hit and miss results with getting a GPS lock (no, I’m not trying to use it in the pool). Some days it’s virtually instant (like my very first workout – seriously within 5 seconds), other days it doesn’t find me at all, despite starting pretty much where I finished the previous workout and having a clear view of the sky. Sadly, my main motivation for upgrading to a dedicated GPS watch rather than using the GPS in my phone was largely due to the absurd amount of time that could pass waiting for the phone to get a lock.
My second concern, which may be alleviated by a firmware change in the future, is that the interval configuration is too simplistic for a lot of interval sets. My running group regularly does two short intervals, two long intervals, and two short intervals, with the proportional rest periods. The watch intervals are not sophisticated enough to handle this. Furthermore, the watch could not handle a pyramid workout.
Finally, I haven’t worked out what the recovery option does.
Altogether, I really like the watch.
I agree that the GPS lock seems to be hit or miss. I often “start” the watch 5-10 minutes before the run, so that when I am ready to actually start, the GPS is ready. The TRT2 needs to “re-lock” when I do that, which is disappointing — especially when it doesn’t connect within a few seconds. It seems odd that you can’t have it lock on the sensors (both GPS and HRM) without actually starting the clock on a workout!
Hi Ray,
As you can see from my above post, I’ve been using the watch for about a month, for a lot of thing exercise other than land running. Here are a few things I hope they will improve in updated firmware. I’m telling you because I don’t know how else this might get back to the people at Timex who might be able to do something about it:
1. I’d love to be able to have the clock time as one of the options on my chrono or interval views. Switching to the clock during a workout is an error prone process that requires hitting the stop button.
2. At the moment the GPS tries to lock for a few minutes, asks if you’re indoors, tries for a while more, and then silently gives up. Once that happens, there’s no obvious way to get it to look for satellites any more. I’d like the watch to either keep trying to find the GPS until I answer that I am indoors (better yet, change the question to “Keep looking?”). Some users may prefer a setting to switch between this behavior and the current behavior.
3. Add a few things to the intervals: a warm up period before the intervals, a cool down period after the intervals, and the option to repeat sets within the intervals. For instance, I often do a workout that goes like this: 10 minute warm up, 2x(2:20 fast, 1:10 rest), 2x(3:15 fast, 1:45 rest), 2x(2:20 fast, 1:10 rest). I’d also like to be able to do a pyramid of at least 5 fast and 5 slow periods.
4. When in interval mode, when the interval reaches 0 the watch shows the time of the previous interval for 5 seconds. I’d rather see the time of the interval that just started. After 5 seconds the watch displays the number and repeat of the next interval leg (handy) with the length of the next interval for 5 more seconds. I have mixed feelings about this screen. While I appreciate knowing what interval I’m on, I’d rather this was incorporated into the normal view, as I can’t access this information on demand and it interferes with me seeing other details I’d like to see. Furthermore, the fact that it comes up 5 seconds into an interval means I have to wait a few seconds after the watch beep to look. Can the interval number and repeat be an item on the display screen and then this interfering screen can be ditched?
Thanks for the very detailed reviews and your willingness to be an advocate for the athletes who use these gadgets.
Courtney
I would have to say #2 is the most concerning to me. This happened to me yesterday, where about a mile into my run, I got a message that the GPS signal was weak, then a minute later, the question “GPS lost, are you indoors.” I answered “no,” but the watch never seemed to try to re-sync. I was on a trail with mile markers so I just ran with that. After 7 more miles I decided to use the lap timer to check my pace using the mile markers. Once I hit the lap timer, about 20-30 seconds later, the GPS did come back. So it does seem like you can trigger the GPS to come back by messing with the laps manually. (I did have auto split on, but w/o the GPS, those of course never trigger.)
I still don’t understand why the watch does not hold GPS lock “between” workouts. I mean, I guess it’s a battery saving mechanism, but maybe a timeout of 5 or 10 minutes would be more ideal than instant. For example, I’ll turn the GPS on 5 or 10 minutes before I start my run to ensure I have a lock. But then the chrono starts at some point (once there is GPS lock?), so I need to stop the “workout,” not save it, and start a new workout. But then the watch has to lock GPS again, which seems to be anywhere from instant to several minutes.
Courtney,
Used my watch for the first time yesterday on two separate runs and had a similar experience to yours and Seans.
The first time I used the watch it initially failed to lock onto a GPS signal, I was prompted with the question about being indoors to which I replied “No” but was then left in a state where is seemed to be unable to obtain a lock. I stopped and cancelled out of the activity and started a new one and the watch obtained a lock almost instantly.
My second run was a similar experience and I had to “trigger” a refresh (can’t remember exactly how) in order to get the GPS to lock into a signal.
Sean’s last comment about the signal being lost during a run and not being re-established does sounds rather concerning.
I like the watch and although the functionality could be improved, the core functionality such as locking onto a GPS signal should be flawless as without it, the watch is just an expensive watch.
Trevor
Sean and Trevor,
I’ve been able to force the watch to continue looking for the GPS by going into Settings > Sensors and turning off the GPS, returning to Chrono or Interval, then going back into Settings > Sensors and turning the GPS back on. I then notice the flashing satellite again. As I said before, it’s not straightforward.
My experience with GPS lock has been highly varied. Sometimes it locks so quick it hardly seems possible (but it is), and other times it takes so long that I have to go through the above procedure for it to lock. I have not had any trouble with the watch losing the GPS location during a workout once it’s found, but I have had trouble with it getting a location when the GPS is started at the same location where the previous workout ended.
Sean,
Were you able to pass on these issues to the Timex development team ?
Trevor
Times has not yet reached out to me.
Hello people:
I think that some or questions posted here will be sure fixed in future firmware updates. Remember this is a brand new product!
It may be a new product, but as I note to companies – once a product is for sale then I expect it to act like a paid product. While Timex definitely sounds interested in addressing the issues, historically there’s been a rough track record in this department for them (timely firmware updates to address issues).
By the same token – forums and online posts generally tend to attract those with issues rather than those who are happy (simple nature of people looking for solutions). So it’s never very easy to understand if it’s literally just 3-4 people, or lots of people.
I recently purchased this watch to replace my Garmin Forerunner 405 which is starting to have issues. One surprising behavior difference that I don’t like is the way auto-lap works. On the Garmin I can leave auto-lap set at 1-mile and and still use the watch for impromptu interval training.
For example, 1.8 miles into my run, I can hit the lap button and time a 1/2 mile interval because auto-lap won’t kick in until 2.8 miles total. On the Timex, auto-lap happens every N miles from the start of the run and not 1 mile from the last lap. It’s really irritating to be timing a 1/2 mile interval and have it auto-lap .2 miles into it.
I agree — this bothers me too. It might just be coming from a Garmin myself, and that is what we are used to. But it certainly makes more sense. I’ve been doing a lot of hill repeats and I want to time them with the lap timer, but if I forget to turn auto-lap off, I’m SOL. And the fact that you can’t change the hands free settings during a workout is aggravating. I.e. You can’t leave the chrono timer running, or even pause it, and change these settings. You have to stop the work out, save it, and resume. I’d rather have all the data from the run in one workout on training peaks than have multiple “workouts” for the same run.
Yeah, I’m having a hard time coming up for a use case for why you would want the behavior that the Timex exhibits here. It feels like a bug/oversight to me.
I just got my TRT2.0 and had 2 runs. Is it possible to set a preset workout in Training peak and transfer this workout into my TRT? if not, how should I go about creating workout plan and update into my watch?
No, training peaks doesn’t support transferring the workouts over. The ‘best’ way (if there is such a thing in this case) is pretty much the only way – creating them manually via either the watch UI or the Device Agent UI. I prefer the device agent UI, a touch quicker.
I am looking at purchasing the TRT 2.0 or the Sunnto Ambit. I have read 100s of reviews on both and would just like your opinion. With the cost difference which do you think would be the better puchase for someone that worksout and conducts triathlons. I have seen quite a few issues with the Sunnto but the only thing negative on the TRT 2.0 is the storage space and the battery is only good for about 8 hours.
Honestly, neither is a good option for triathlons. By the sounds of the rumors, I’d wait and see what the next version of the Ambit brings.
Thanks for the review, my Garmin 210 strap started falling apart in January and I’ve been having intermittent issues with the GPS dropping since. I was going to get another one bc it was very good the first 1.5 years in giving me the data needed for training. When it started going on the fritz, I asked for support from Garmin and just to replace the strap was going to be $75+ time. In search for a quicker replacement and alleviate my Garmin frustration, I ordered a Timex Garmin Run Trainer 1.0 and boy was that a dud. It was not able to pick up a GPS signal and all the work trying to get Training Peaks was a huge PITA. I was hesitant about giving the 2.0 a try but from your review and the possibility of Strava compatibility/freedom from Training Peaks helped me go ahead with an order.
I took it for my first run on Tuesday and tried uploading it on Strava yesterday only to have Strava error out. I spent, oh 2 or 3 hrs working with Training Peaks to upload the run and was content with the level of detail presented once uploaded. Tried uploading to Strava again today for a couple treadmill workouts I used with the 2.0 + HR monitor, but no luck. Noting that these are .fit files, I decided to try Endomondo (should have tried this first!) which I had been using all along with my Garmin. Assuming I would get an error, I was ECSTATIC to upload all my .fit files from the last week with all the usability of Endomondo and detail I had been used to!!
So for those of you considering this device, I would recommend it (at least for now):
-2.0 .fit files compatible with Endomondo!
-Strap appears replaceable
-Easy to navigate menu – set up took 10min
-More comfortable chest strap
-Easy to read display, with customizable views in read out
-Glad to spread the GPS market a bit from Garmin
Open issues:
-My test run typically recorded at 5.2mi on my Garmin and Endomondo app showed 4.95mi
-Will need to run a few of my other routes to validate GPS accuracy
-SO if the GPS is off this would be a big big problem and a big disappointment
Sorry for such a long post!
Gloria,
Just to let you know, I was having mixed success uploading Timex Run Trainer 2.0 files to Strava. I opened a support ticket and sent them the failing FIT files. As of today they are uploading fine, apparently there was a problem on their end of the system.
At the moment I am experimenting with Endomono, Training Peaks and Strava.
I recently uploaded a 5k run to Endomondo, Strava and Training Peaks. Comparing the statistics with the numbers on the watch, Training Peaks (not surprisingly) was spot on. Stava, was pretty close with a few minor discrepancies and Endomondo was way off.
I contacted Endomondo with information about the problem and they stated that they do not support the fit file format and that it was lucky the data was uploaded. He did not mention about adding support. So I guess my warning is, although it may appear that the data can be uploaded to Endomondo, the resulting data is incorrect. Here is the link to my request ( link to gsfn.us ).
Ultimately, this means that it is pointless me updating my data to Endomondo as it is inaccurate.
Meanwhile, loving the actual watch.
Hi Rainmaker:
This does not have anything to do with the product you just reviewed. Have you heard of the mio Alpha Heart Rate, Reinvented? Its a watch that measures your heart rate without the strap. It probably measures this by reading your pulse via the wrist. I just thought you might be interested in this since its being advertised for runners as well as cyclist. Maybe you could review it.
All the best,
Felix
Review here: link to dcrainmaker.com
Thanks Rainmaker, I didn’t see the review.
All the best,
Felix
Thank you for exhaustive review! Is Timex Ironman Run Trainer 2.0 GPS Watch shock resistance and rugged?
I’m clumsy, I dropped it a number of times (including onto concrete). Still alive. No guarantee’s that everyone will be as lucky however.
It’s not as rugger as some watches, but it’s pretty solid.
Quick question: How can I shut down the watch? I know I can turn off the GPS to conserve battery power but I would like to completely shut it down until the next time I need it.
Thank you
I have used the Timex Run Trainer since November 2011. I really, really liked it – until the GPS and heart rate sensor stopped working two weeks ago. Since I’ve had the watch for more than one year, and the warranty is good for only one year, Timex says it will cost about $75 – $112 to repair. I can’t see spending that much to repair it and would rather put the money towards a new watch. I would have been interested in the Run Trainer 2.0, but now I’m leery. I just think it should last longer than 17 months.
I have had the RT2 for over a month now and have been generally happy with it, but I have noticed an issue (or at least what I think is an issue) and wonder if anyone else is experiencing it? The distance recorded varies depending on the interface used to view it. On the watch and on Trainingpeaks it will say one distance but on Sports Tracker, Strava or Garmin Connect (.gpx imported from Sports Tracker) it will be longer (substantially so). For instance, on a trail run I did this weekend, the watch and TP read 11.02 miles while ST, Strava read 11.57. On the same course in the prior two runs I am seeing similar variances, with ST, STrava & Garmin all reading about .4 miles (or about 3.6%) higher. On SportsTracker, if I select manually entered values it agrees with the watch, while if I use calculated values it come sup with the higher readings, so it seems like the other programs are calculating the distance based on the GPS track and coming up with the higher reading. Any idea what is causing this and which one is actually correct? The watch seems to be internally consistent, in that runs on the same course all agree in length, but I do not know if they are all short. My primary purpose for having the watch is to track distance so if it is not accurate it serves little use for me.
I meant to say SportTracks, not Sports Tracker above…
Any chance you have a foot pod?
I do have a foot pod, but I do not use it for trail runs since the cadence is so irregular that it doesn’t mean much. I thought the Timex is all or nothing with the footpod (if you have it set to measure distance it will use the footpod over GPS, not supplementarily like the Garmin), so I only use it on the treadmill.
I actually drove around with it running today and got the same result, although I had to drive about 8 – 10 miles an hour tops or it would go haywire and say I was driving 100+ miles an hour and continue recording distance after I stopped (Not sure if it a glitch or if the GPS could not keep up with my speed, although bikes do 25+ miles an hour so i am not sure why it was behaving this way). The watch matched the odometer reading on the car, while Garmin, Strava, et. al., read high. I am guessing the variance is due to the way the various programs and sites translate the GPS points and the line they infer from them. I feel like the watch is right so I will probably just stick with it’s measurement.
Yup, just making sure you had the setting to ‘Cadence Only’ or off on the other runs, otherwise it’ll automatically use the footpod, which would potentially impact the distance (since the calibration is likely slightly off).
Hi Rainmaker:
I like the Timex Ironman Run Trainer 2.0 and have used it for several weeks. Recently, After erasing my files, the watch started behaving oddly. At one point the only thing showing on the display were the seconds. At another time the watch would go to the running display without locating the satellites while setting it up. I have called the company that sold me the unit and they are exchanging it for a new one. If I still have issues after that I will deal with Timex directly. I still like the watch and once I get one that works properly it will be my main running watch.
All the best
Thanks for the heads up Felix. I know the Timex folks monitor these threads, so if something else pops up on that issue – I’m sure they’ll let me know.
I’ve been using the TRT 2.0 for about two weeks (purchased from Training Peaks). Very happy with it and the excellent review.
Question: i will run a marathon with it this weekend, and curious for a race if you recommend foot pod set to cadence only, Auto Split off and to manually set lap splits at the physical mile markers? I don’t want to distract my race if there are issues with the GPS. Example, this morning I was running and the pace time seemed to be about 1-1:30 minutes off for much of the run until I picked up the sheavy or the lady 20 mins (heavy clouds disrupting he signal?; I have the foot pod set to cadence). Would love to hear your approach on settings for a race, and if the foot pod is calibrated why you wouldn’t use it. Tks.
Eeh, auto correct… “until I picked up the pace at 20 mins…”
I recommend setting it to cadence only if there’s no tunnels in it. Clouds aren’t an issue, and most buildings aren’t an issue.
It’s not that I don’t trust the footpod – it’s just that the likelyhood that the footpod is wrong tends to be higher than GPS being wrong.
So, for a lot of cycling the Polar RC3 is fat better?
And, fat=far xD
Honestly, neither are cycling focused units. For a lot of cycling, look in the direction of the Edge 500. If you run as well as cycle, look in the direction of the multisport watches (triathlon). Check out the product comparison calculator along the sidebar (upper right), where you can mix and match different units within this categories to see the differences.
Thanks for the promt reply.
What if I want to keep it in watch format? Activities would be something like 70% biking and 30% running/hiking/walking. Id also the option to use it as a daily wearer. Budget is around the RC3 range (200-250USD).
For daily wearing, that’s the RC3, FR210 (though no spd/cad sensor support), the Motoactv (but I’d be leery of that these days due to team being disbanded), or the cheaper FR10 – but no HR/SPD/CAD/Footpod support.
I’d focus on either the RC3 or the FR210 then.
Hi Rainmaker,
Thanks for the great review. I’m a triathlete and I’ve been looking for a HR/GPS watch for a while. I think the TRT 2.0 would work well for me, except that I’m not sure if the Timex HR belt is waterproof. I know it won’t measure my heart rate under water, but I wonder if it works once I’m out of the water going through T1 and starting my bike leg. I like the Polar RCX5, but it’s a bit too expensive and I’m not sure if I need all the functions the RCX5 offers. I don’t mind if I can’t monitor my HR under water, but ideally I would like to wear the belt during my swim and start using the HR function from T1 onwards. I hope you can help me out on this. Thanks.
Yup, once you’re out of the water it’ll connect to it no problems. And yup, no problems wearing it under your wetsuit. It’s what virtually every triathlete does, works great!
Thanks for the thorough reviews – have been looking for an upgrade from my Nike+ SportsWatch and finally decided to take the plunge on the TRT 2.0. Timex was running a stand at the London Marathon Expo and was able to get my hand on one before they officially went on sale in the UK.
Having used it for a couple of weeks for running and hiking, generally I am happy with the watch, but have a noticed a few things which are annoying me.
The first is on the chrono recording – when I start recording I sometimes see an arrow pointing up or down on the left side of the screen – I can find no mention of what this means. I also see an “A” in the upper left corner – again, no note in the user guide what this means.
On hiking, I have had the chrono recording stop mysteriously several times – as I can find no clear way to see whether it is recording or not, I have missed several sections of routes that I had wanted to record (I only noticed that the distance was not increasing and then was able to start a new recording). All I can think is that the buttons are so sensitive that my jacket (which I do not wear when running) is causing it to stop recording.
Have you experienced anything similar ?
Finally, even though you warned of the limited memory, I still thought I could manage. I took a holiday last week and brought only a USB charger (no PC) and within 5 days, the memory was full. Wasn’t anything I could do other than miss the recording of my final two days….
Hmm, that’s odd. I wonder if the Monday TRT2 firmware update would cover it under the power management side? In either case, I’d definitely update.
link to home.trainingpeaks.com
That said – the buttons are definitely super-sensitive. I had that issue once or twice with wearing it in between cycling gloves and jacket. Ended up putting it on top of jacket.
Thanks – I’ve applied the update today now that I am back in civilisation – will give it a go and see if it makes any difference. I’ve also turned on the button beep feature to see if maybe I can hear when it is being stopped…
While I would never buy a first model year of a car (my car is the 5th yr for the existing model), I’m still contemplating this TRT 2.0. My day to day watch is a timex ironman fitness watch, and I’ve been running with the garmin 305 for yrs. If garmin had a foot pod or hr monitor capability I’d be all over the fr10, and im not opposed to the 910 but I wonder if it is becoming too old and will soon be replaced. The question I haven’t seen asked (although it may have been), is whether or not this watch is too new to purchase. I don’t care about memory feature, does it not simply delete the oldest run? Or do I have to delete runs in order for newer runs to be stored? I briefly owned a 210 (about a week), and returned it as I wasn’t pleased with it. Am I going to hate going to this TRT as my main watch? Do I need to lean towards the 610 or 910 instead?
I think it depends a bit on why you returned the FR210. As that may drive whether or not you like the TRT2.
Once you’ve run out of space you’ll need to delete one of your older runs first.
I returned the 210 as I found it slower to acquire satellite than my 305, and provided much less info, specifically much less info on one screen (4 fields vs 3). I found the comfort of the band to be inferior to the 305, although I did like the fact you could wear it day to day. Just may have to give it a go and figure out whether or not the deleting of history is a big deal. As it is now, I run 4-5x per week and as 26.2 season heats up again, will be running min 5x per week. It seems there really isn’t a perfect watch out there. The polar rc3 has its issues, the ambit 2 has its issues, the 610 has its issues, etc etc. I’d love to get into triathlons but as they say life gets in the way and there is no time for that type of training right now, potentially making the 910 way more than I need.
Hmm, usually the FR210 gets better and quicker reception than the FR305, so that’s a bit of an outlier there. But, the data fields and customization are solid pluses of the FR305.
Given you like the data fields, I’d say either the FR610 or the RC3. The RC3 isn’t super-customizable there, but it’s got so many data pages that eventually you get one that works.
The TRT2 is solid, but only does 3 data fields and you specifically state wanting four data fields. You could look at the FR310XT, it’s down to sub-$200 these days and is simply the big brother to the FR305.
HI DC Rainmaker,
I have a Run Trainer 1.0 version. Unfortunately I lost my charger. Any idea where I can buy a replacement charger. I from Malaysia and there is no Timex store here.
Appreciate your help. Thx in advance.
It’s the same charge as the 2.0, so if you can find a store for either, you could do that. I just looked at Clever Training, but they don’t seem to have it standalone.
Have you tried calling Timex directly (US support)? Someone from Mexico the other day just got them to send one for I think $10 to them.
I live in UK (although visiting Thailand next week) but still not been able to find the TRT2 anywhere in UK. Although some are being sneaky and saying that have the TRT2 when they actually have the older model (TRT1).
Anyone know where I can get hold of one in UK? I’d ideally want to take one with me on holiday as I’m in training for a number of marathons later this year.
Thanks
John
I don’t know that they have officially hit the stores yet – I bought mine at the London Marathon expo – what area of the country are you in and when do you leave ?
Hi, I’m in Ipswich, and leave on 16th May. I was unable to make the London Expo this year.
I am in Surbiton – if you can get to London happy to let you borrow mine for your travels and give it a thorough test…. If interested contact Ray (DCRainmaker) directly and he can pass along my contact info.
Eric, That’s a very kind offer indeed. I had a garmin 405 that died so I bought a motoactv, which works, but hate it with a passion. The concept is good but motorola’s support and buggy software (and iffy water resistance) makes for a horrible experience. But , I shall persevere for a few more weeks until I can finally buy a TRT2 somewhere. But thanks again for your very very kind and trusting offer.
Thanks
John
Not a problem at all… it is due out in the very near future, but don’t know the dates. Timex has contacted me directly on the questions I was having – really impressed with their approach, and of course this wonderful resource that Ray has provided…
I ordered “Timex Ironman T5K744 Run Trainer 2.0 GPS” without heart rate strap and I don’t own one with ANT+ support. What is the best(rugged, waterproof, reliable measurements, comfortable etc) heart rate strap compatible with this clock? A “Garmin Premium Soft Heart Rate Monitor Strap”?
If you don’t already have one, I would suggest getting the Timex one that comes with the watch for an additional $50 (they sell two packages, one with and one without the strap). I have not had much luck with Garmin straps and neither Polar nor Wahoo straps are compatible. I have had no issues with the Timex strap, experiencing none of the spikes and dropouts I did with my 3 Garmin straps.
Ray – I have an overall battery life question, but since I have a TRT2 I will post it here. Is there any data for how each accessory uses battery life? If I have GPS, HRM & foot pod running, do you know how much each uses in terms of portion of battery life? I am transitioning into ultra running and need a longer battery life and am wondering if turning off the HRM would give added life, or if running without a foot pod would help. I know GPS is the main user of the battery, but I was not sure if the other devices also have an impact (although since they are more passive they might not have a huge impact). I may have to purchase a new watch (Suunto or Garmin 310 or 910) to get the added battery length but wanted to explore all options.
Don’t have a TRT2 but thought I could shed some light on this.
GPS is done by the watch so the sensor is powered by the watch and this is a pretty high draw piece of electronics (well, for a watch) The HR and foot pods are externally powered so the watch only powers the receive radio which is Ant+ along with whatever interpreting of the data is required. So if the Ant+ radio is turned on at all then it should be a trivial amount of extra power to receive two data streams over one
Indeed, as Eli notes it’s a trivial amount of power to record those other streams. I don’t have any specific battery guidance there, but in talking with another company in the field back a year or so ago about it, and they noted that there was virtually no difference between having one sensor recording vs two ANT+ sensors.
It’s the GPS antenna that really nails the battery. Otherwise the unit will record ANT+ for just about weeks on end (storage issues aside), as I saw in my testing of the TRT1.
I wonder, TRT1 used a sirfstar IV chipset (can’t find anything on the chipset in the TRT2 but assuming its the same or newer. The sirfstarIV chipset supports TricklePower and can use sensors to indicate movement to save even more power (when not moving it can use less power) So I wonder if they fully implement that. If they did then it would seem like a footpod should save battery power if there are large enough gaps in time when you aren’t moving (Think rest breaks, especially on something like the ambit when used on hiking trips)
TricklePower if used decrease sensitivity from continuous tracking mode as it turns off the gps receiver for half a second for each second but looks like it cuts power usage in half for the GPS. Seems like this would be a useful option to sacrifice accuracy for power whichout being as inaccurate as every 60 seconds like the ambit in power saving mode: link to csr.com
But my reading may be wrong, Never was an EE to understand the more technical docs and the watch may already be using this lower power mode
Do you know which watch gets the best battery life using 1 second recording (or has the option to manually set recording interval). I noticed the Suunto claims 50 hours but that is with a 60 second interval, which for trail running is useless (with a 1 second interval it gets 8 hours life). I could probably go up to 10 seconds if it was adjustable, but not much more than that or you lose accuracy as there are a lot of switchbacks and loops when trail running. Do the Garmin 310 and 910 get the claimed 15 & 20 hour life with 1 second recording or is it a higher interval?
For the FR310/910XT it’s 1s recording. The difference between the Ambit/Fenix and others is that they actually turn off the GPS for that time period (well, into a power saving mode of some sort). Whereas for ‘Smart Recording’ and the like, it’s mostly just to save storage space. In this day and age it’s kinda silly given how cheap storage space is, but at one point it was more of a concern. Obviously, as noted the TRT2 is sorta the odd man out when it comes to storage space. Which matters to some, but not others.
Great review and very helpful comments – many thanks. I stay interested in a FR610. However, compared to other devices this is a quite old piece – correct? Any guesses by when I can expect a new model of the FR610?
Despite being older, the FR610 competes quite well still – and for the most part is still pretty much the running-focused watch to beat (as far as number of features). A high end watch though, higher end than the TRT2.
I would not expect a new FR610 before the end of summer. Maybe in fall, but even then it might not have availability before Christmas.
BTW the latest firmware place turning *off* auto-start seems to have helped with a lot of my issues. I’m still questioning the accuracy but need to do more testing — only two runs so far with the new firmware!
s/place/plus/
Awesome review man. Thank you. Trying to decide between the TRT 2.0 and Garmin 210. From a bare bone functionality (stability, user interface) point of view, do you have any preference (for an entry level committed runner)They seem very comparable. I feel like I’m starting to split hairs here…
thanks for your input.
The TRT2 interface is cleaner, and the display is brighter (better lit) – mostly as a result of being 2-3 years newer. But honestly, either unit will serve you well.
I’m getting very inconsistent results uploading to Strava. Seems sometimes all the data is gets upload and fine, and sometimes some things are missing. And sometimes the data seems to “hang” the web app.
Here’s one that worked fine:
link to app.strava.com
And here are a couple that are not:
link to app.strava.com
link to app.strava.com
I’ve sent in a note to Strava so maybe they can fix it.
hey ray!
do you expect timex to add cycling cadence support in some firmware update?
the alternative would be the RC3, but i don´t like there way of not supporting ANT+ accessory and that the battery there is non-removable -.-
At this point I don’t.
After trying my long awaited TRT2, I’ve had real issues and will have to return it. I thought I would share them
1. Can’t remember settings, I keep getting initial setup and have to input all the settings as the watch has reset itself.
2. GPS takes ages to get a signal, and is wildly inaccurate. I had to laugh at my run, where apparently I ran at 40 kph across a lake…..really miles off the mark.
3. The website is amateur compared to garmin website
4. chest strap has cut into my chest, it’s made me too sore to use it.
Back in box and return to refund – Sorry timex , really wanted to like this product , but it’s a fail
I have not had the first two issues, my settings have stuck (have you talked to their customer service, it could just be an issue with your unit) and the GPS is okay. It does take a little while to load, even at a familiar site (no more than a minute or so, which I can live with), but I have not had too many accuracy issues (I do solely trail running in the woods so I expect a little variability due to tree cover, terrain issues, etc.).
I do agree that TrainingPeaks really cannot compare to Garmin, but I discovered SportTracks, which is better than both. I was also having chafing issues with the chest strap, but I had the same thing with Garmin’s as well. I found that if I wash it well with soap and water after every use and use body glide underneath it that the irritation has gone away.
Hi there,
I am planning to purchase my first gps watch. I am torn between TRT Gps 2.0 and GPS Global.
If I may to ask you which is the best watch from the two? Can you rate both from 1 to 10.
Ten being the highest.
Thanks!
Jenny
What are you planning on using it for (i.e. running, triathlon, cycling, other)? And what aspects are important to you (i.e. size/functions/form/etc..)?
I’ve moved away from the rating system because I’ve found it’s largely meaningless when it comes to purchasing decisions. Everyone values different things differently.
You referred earlier to an update from firmware for the Timex 2.0. Does this mean through this update and others in the future the 2.0 will be able to have features added (such as timed interval rests less than 15secs).
I have just bought the 2.0, and after receiving it to find it doesn’t do “everything” I want it to I am considering sending it back and replacing it with the forerunner 610 as I can get this slightly cheaper than the 2.0 being in the UK However, I would consider sticking with the Timex if the watch could receive modifications through updates from firmware?
What is you advice as the Timex 2.0 costs £275 and the Garmin Forerunner 610 costs £250.
Thanks