***Update: The lastest generation is the Scosche 24, click the link for all the details!***
Back at CES 2014 in January Scosche introduced their first dual ANT+/Bluetooth Smart unit, the RHYTHM+. This optical sensor armband would transmit both ANT+ and Bluetooth Smart concurrently to any compatible device. Unlike most other units that were announced that week, this was aimed not for your wrist, but rather elsewhere on your arm – potentially out of sight under a shirt sleeve.
I’ve been testing the RHYTHM+ for the last month, and with the units landing at retailers next week now is a good time to run through my experiences with the product in my usual DCR-detailed way. In this case, the Scosche folks sent me out a final production unit to poke at. Once I’m done here I’ll send it back to them just like I always do. After that I’ll go out and get my own unit via normal retail channels. I keep nothing.
With that – let’s dive into things!
Unboxing:
You know what? I like unpackaging things that have only a few items inside. It makes my job easier. And in this case, the RHYTHM+ definitely falls into that category. But before we get to the insides I’ll briefly note the outsides. Specifically the inclusion of the ANT+ and Bluetooth Smart icons. Note that Scosche makes a number of products that have heart rate capabilities, but only one product as of today that transmits on both frequencies concurrently. So just be sure you get the right one.
Inside the compact box you’ll find precisely four items. First is the paper stuffs. Then you’ve got a USB charging cradle, the heart rate monitor itself, and then an extra band.
Here’s the manual. It explains how to put it on your arm. We’ll get to that in a moment, but it’s really as simple as putting on a bracelet and pressing a button. Assuming you can do both of those, you’ll be good. If you can’t do both of those, I’d suggest taking up a sport that doesn’t involve running/riding around in traffic with moving cars.
The package comes with two straps, the smaller of which will be on the sensor by default. The larger one will be hanging out. For me I was able to use the smaller strap while wearing the unit on my lower arm, but required the larger strap for my upper arm (obviously, because my muscles are just that riveting).
Here’s the length of the longer band compared to a traditional GPS watch strap (and note that I have a fair chunk of the band folded back on itself):
Here’s the smaller band:
The strap attaches to the sensor via Velcro on both ends. The sensor/transmitter is a small pod roughly the size and thickness of an oversized but skinny watch. It has a single button on the front.
Meanwhile on the back it has three optical sensors (square items below in triangle pattern) and two charging connector ports (round items). I’ll dive into the sensor technology more in the next section.
Finally, we’ve got the charging cradle. That’s all it does, charges the unit – it leads a simplistic life that way.
With all the pieces unboxed, let’s walk through how things work.
Basic Operation:
Like all optical heart rate monitors on the market today you do need to charge it from time to time. In this case, the RHYTHM+ lasts 8 hours on a person with lighter skin, and about 7 hours and 15 minutes on a person with darker skin. The reason for the difference based on skin type is simply because the optical sensor has to work harder with darker skin to penetrate it.
Optical sensors work by transmitting LED light into the skin to measure your heart rate via capillaries just below the surface. This has been used on a number of devices over the past year with varying success. There are a few companies that do so really successfully in athletic-focused devices, and then a few that are focused on getting resting heart rate while sitting around (but not really moving).
Historically speaking Mio has done a great job in this space with their sensor, which is on the Adidas Smart Run GPS and TomTom Cardio units (as well as their own HR monitors). While at the same time another company named Valencell has done a bunch of work behind the scenes as well with companies, producing products such as the iRiver headphones and now this unit, the Scosche RHYTHM+. Both Mio and Valencell (along with LifeBEAM in the helmet I reviewed last week) have shown very good results in the athletic space. Whereas some of the sensors used by Samsung and Basis don’t really work well once you start to do anything other than sit.
With respect to the RHYTHM+ (which uses Valencell), you can technically place it anywhere that has relatively easy access to blood flow. For example, you could stick it on your forehead (seriously, it works).
But that’s not really where Scosche recommends. They specify the best spot for the unit is on the lower arm, near the elbow, on the inside – just like below:
However, you can also wear it on your upper arm, like below. I’ve done a mix of both over the past month. In talking with them either location works, but it ends up being a person to person thing. For some the upper arm will work better, and for others the lower arm.
I personally liked the upper arm because it ‘hid’ the sensor under the cuff of my t-shirt/cycling jersey.
Now, you might have noticed it has three LED’s – and you might have also noticed that two are green and one is yellow-ish. This is different than most other products on the market that use just a pair of green LED’s. In talking with the engineers they added the yellow LED because it tends to get better readings on those with darker skin. By using all three LED’s together they can increase accuracy across a broader range of individuals. And powering up that additional LED only causes about a 10-15 minute hit on total battery life, so it’s a pretty easy trade-off.
Finally, to turn on the unit you’ll simply press the button. This turns on the optical sensor as well as enables the transmission piece. In theory, the unit will automatically shut-off if it doesn’t detect a heart rate within 5-minutes. Though Scosche admitted that might only happen about 60-70% of the time. They erred on the side of being more cautious so it didn’t turn off mid-activity. In my experience, it never shuts off automatically.
Which, if I have any complaint about the unit at all, is that it too easily gets turned on. For example, if I simply drop it on the carpet and it happens to land button-side down, it’ll get turned on. And in my suitcase? Oh, it’s getting its heart rate measured for the entire flight. Thus just expect that you’ll have to charge it whenever you get where you’re going.
Now to be fair, my complaint there extends to the Mio Link as well – which has the same problem with the button too easily getting turned on. So I suppose to that end it’s kinda a wash in the complaint department. Though, the charging clip on the RHYTHM+ is far better in that it ‘locks’ to the device, so there’s no problems with it getting knocked off the charger.
Connected devices (Dual ANT+/Bluetooth Smart):
When it comes to connectivity, the world is your oyster with the RHYTHM+. It transmits on both ANT+ and Bluetooth Smart concurrently. This means that it can connect to any ANT+ device that supports heart rate data – like your Garmin watch. It also means it can connect to any Bluetooth Smart enabled device that supports heart rate data, such as the new Polar V800 or your smartphone.
In the case of both ANT+ and Bluetooth Smart it uses the standard heart rate device profiles so it’s able to transmit to any standard device – nothing funky/special required.
Interestingly enough, on the ANT+ side it goes into a super low power 24×7 beacon mode even when not powered on with the full sensor enabled – otherwise it’ll broadcast at 4 times per second when fully powered on. And on the Bluetooth Smart side, it’ll ‘save’ battery power when a connection is not detected and only broadcast at a lower rate until a connection is found.
To briefly walk through pairing – it’ll look just like any heart rate strap. So on the FR620 I’d simply go in and find a new heart rate strap (well, technically you’d remove the old one first then find a new one):
And on the Polar V800, it’s nearly the same process. You’ll go in and pair a new device. In doing so it’ll find the device and add it to the database of saved sensors (one of my favorite features of the V800 – the ability to save a boatload of HR strap sensors).
Once you’ve paired your device it’ll simply transmit the heart rate value to your watch (or cycling head unit). It’s really that simple.
The same is true of phones as well. As long as you have a Bluetooth Smart capable phone (on iOS that’s any iPhone 4s or later, and on Android anything with Android 4.3 or later) you’re good to go. You’ll need an app though as well, but there are hundreds that support Bluetooth Smart sensors. I tend to use the Wahoo Fitness app since I like the data export options.
You can see below me searching for and finding the sensor, which shows my current heart rate (66bpm), and gives me the option to save it for later.
But it also works with other major apps like MapMyRun:
When it comes to the data recorded note that like all optical sensors on the market today it doesn’t accurately transmit heart rate variability (HRV). Some more expensive GPS watches (and apps) will use this information to determine recovery and how tired you are. As it stands today, while many of the devices will transmit HRV/RR information, said information is basically fake. The reason is that in order to pass certain protocol specifications they must send that information. Or rather, they must send at least something pretending to be that information.
This is easily manifested when I connect it to certain units (like the FR620 and Polar V800) and see wildly inaccurate recovery times suggested. It can also affect some VO2Max estimates on some of the higher end watches as well.
Finally, note that the unit doesn’t transmit to gym treadmills or the like. Or at least, not 99.999% of them. There’s approximately .001% of treadmill’s out there that accept either Bluetooth Smart or ANT+ connections. Thus if you happen to find one of those two types – then you’re golden. But given you can simply connect it to your phone and put your phone on the treadmill to display heart rate – I wouldn’t let that be a factor.
Optical HR Accuracy Geekfest:
I’ve done a LOT of activity with the RHYTHM+ over the last month. From runs to rides and a bit of other randomness in between. For all of these activities I wore multiple heart rate sensor devices. Sometimes up to five different sensors to see how things compared from an accuracy standpoint. All of this data was recorded by a small test device called a WASP, which ensures everything is recorded at the exact same second (or actually, even 1/4th of a second). This allows me to see how quickly given sensors react and where they might stray from reality. I also sent data to common devices like GPS watches (both Garmin and Polar) and smart phone apps, to validate there weren’t any anomalies there either.
I’ve picked a random sampling of rides and runs in varying conditions. Except as noted below, there really wasn’t any variability that I saw. So the below was pretty indicative of what I saw across the board.
Activity A: Running Mile Repeats & 20s Striders:
This activity is an interesting one to start with as it shows frequent increasing and decreasing of my heart rate, as well as how quickly the unit tracks. The workout started with a warm-up of about 10-minutes, before I went into a series of what were effectively striders (technically they were more high-cadence drills). Each one of those was only about 20-seconds, and thus my HR didn’t spike too high. You can see there was a bit of minor disagreement between the traditional HR strap and the Scosche, but I’d be hesitant to declare either one absolutely correct there. Though, I suspect the HR strap is doing a bit more smoothing than reality.
After that I went into mile repeats, ten of them to be precise. You can see things tracked very well there – really no concerns at all. It’s interesting to note just a tiny little bit of that HR chest strap smoothing at the end of the interval after I stop, whereas the Scosche near immediately drops the HR when I stop.
Activity B: 2hr 45min Long Run:
This was a very flat run on a cool and dry day, and thus my HR was very stable. The first part is interesting though because it actually shows the strength of optical sensors where the traditional HR strap had some issues.
In this scenario you see the Scosche immediately follow my actual effort up to the 150’s, while the HR strap took about 2 minutes more before things stabilized. Typically stabilization happens with more sweat, though I had wet the strap already. By the same token, you can see where the Mio Link struggled a bit in those first few minutes as well – before finally locking in and being good to go.
Once we got past that initial bit, the three were in complete harmony the remainder of the run.
Activity C – 1 hour ride:
This was a mixed city ride and park ride, thus with lots of stops and starts – with the middle section being loops around a park without any cars/traffic/stops/cobbles. As you can see, things track very closely. There appears to be one point about 1/3rd of the way through where there is some divergence – but it’s a bit unclear who is right or wrong there for that few seconds. But otherwise everything tracks my increases/decreases in intensity quite well.
Activity D – 2 hour and 30 minute long run:
This was a 2hr 30 minute ride on everything from pavement to trails, my long run this past weekend. At the very beginning things were a bit divergent for a few minutes. This is somewhat common for optical sensors actually – and I often recommend you simply look at the values and see if things have settled down. It’s during this initial phase that the sensor tends to get a ‘lock’ on your pulse.
Once it locked though, everything was pretty much spot-on. You see a tiny bit more variation with the Scosche than the TICKR in the second half. It’s unclear though in this case which is right. At this point I had cleared some hills that would have taken a bit out of me. Thus, my HR would have been more fickle in the second half – more heavily impacted by shifts in terrain.
Activity E – 2 hour 30 minute long ride:
The below was a ride this past weekend that spent the first/last 25-30 minutes in the city, and then from there was mostly up and down quiet hills and country roads.
There was very little of note for almost the entire ride except a few minute segment. What was interesting here was that looking at that segment all three units reported separation. Typically when a unit goes off by itself, it’s just one. But in this case nobody agreed. Looking at the data capture device, it reported that all three units were transmitting normally each second (well, 2-4 times a second), and the signal strength was common and normal across all three units.
So I looked more closely at the ride segment to try and figure out what might have been the trigger, and that’s where I found out what it was: An 800m stretch of descending cobbles that threw everyone for a loop. It’s probably the gnarliest section of cobbles in Paris that I know about given you’re either going up or going down a rather steep hill. Here’s what it looked like coming down:
Interestingly, I hadn’t seen this behavior elsewhere on flat cobbles that I routinely cross throughout the city. Nor did I see it when I went up this same section earlier, nor during other rides across this section. Looking at the three units, I genuinely have no idea which one is ‘right’. I’d probably lean a little bit more towards the helmet in this case looking at the HR profile, but that’s just a random guess.
Activity F: 55 Minute Warm and Sunny Ride
This is an example I used last week in my helmet review. I selected it again because I wanted to demonstrate that the optical sensor works well – even in the bright Florida sun. Remember that the evil enemy of any optical sensor is light. That’s why you don’t want a loose fit.
But, the reason I wanted to include this is actually for that blip you see at the end. I did some Google Map poking around and figured out what that was: Steel grates on a causeway drawbridge.
Yup, seriously. It’s this little section right here that threw it off:
It appears like it very briefly struggled and then gave up temporarily before it was able to re-acquire things. I only saw this on one bridge, not all of them that I crossed. I don’t have any of these bridges at home in Paris that I know of, so it’s not something I’d otherwise have normally crossed. In both the case of the Florida bridge and the prolonged cobbles section above – I wore the unit on my upper arm versus lower down. Not sure that made a difference in this case, but worthwhile noting.
—
Overall, the accuracy over the vast majority of the the time is very solid. There appears to be two fringe cases where it struggled, but in each of those cases it didn’t struggle every time. Meaning that I both crossed steel grates more than once without issue, and I crossed cobbles countless times without issue. It’s also of note that I didn’t see any issues with rough roads, which is also common in Paris as oftentimes the road is just cobbles poorly paved over.
When it came to running, the same was true. Assuming you got HR lock up front – you appeared to be completely good to go. As with most optical systems, there tends to be a bit of trial and error on the part of the user as to where the best location is to get the best results.
Accessory Straps:
(Added January 2nd, 2015)
Scosche has started to make color accessory straps for the Rhythm+ unit, in three variants: Pink, blue and a neon green. These straps made in both long and short sizes will be available later in January 2015, more pricing and availability details as soon as I have them. Fwiw, The Girl does indeed like the pink one, I suspect it’ll be mysteriously missing by the end of the week.
Comparison Charts:
Starting last week I introduced a new category into the product comparison chart – the heart rate sensor category. This category includes a combination of leading edge heart rate devices that have some form of ‘unique’ aspect to them. For example, an optical sensor or a helmet HR sensor. Or HR straps that transmit underwater, or capture running metrics.
To that end, the below chart is only a handful of products I’ve added to that database. Thus, if you want to mix and match other products you can use the full product comparison tool here to do so (it allows you to add more products than seen below).
| Function/Feature | Scosche RHYTHM+ | Wahoo TICKR (Original) | Mio Link | 4iiii Viiiiva |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Copyright DC Rainmaker - Updated November 26th, 2021 @ 4:39 am New Window | ||||
| Price | $79 | $49 | $79 | $79 |
| Product Announce Date | Jan 6th, 2014 | Jan 6th, 2014 | Jan 6th, 2014 | Jan 7th, 2013 |
| Product Availability Date | Early May 2014 | Apr 2014 | Apr 11th, 2014 | July 2013 |
| Measurement Type | Optical | ECG | Optical | ECG |
| Typical Placement | Mid/Upper Arm | Chest Strap | Wrist Strap | Chest Strap |
| Battery Life | 7-8 hours | 350 hours | 8-10 hrs | 200 hours |
| Battery Type | USB rechargeable | Coin Cell CR2032 | USB rechargeable | Coin Cell CR2032 |
| NFC Capable | No | No | HR Transmission | Scosche RHYTHM+ | Wahoo TICKR (Original) | Mio Link | 4iiii Viiiiva |
| ANT+ | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth Smart | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Dual concurrent ANT+/BLE | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Analog for gym equipment | No | No | No | No |
| Usable HR data underwater | Depends: If on same wrist, YMMV. | No | Depends: If on same wrist, YMMV. | No |
| Bridging ANT+ to Bluetooth Smart | No | No | No | Yes |
| Can record activity in memory | No | No | No | yes | Additional Data | Scosche RHYTHM+ | Wahoo TICKR (Original) | Mio Link | 4iiii Viiiiva |
| Run Pace | Yes (firmware 3.01 and above) | No | No | No |
| Run Cadence | Yes (firmware 3.01 and above) | No | No | No |
| Run Economy/Metrics | No | No | No | No |
| Cycling Cadence | No | No | ||
| Cycling Power Meter Estimation | No | No | No | Can pass through ANT+ PM's |
| Valid HRV/RR data | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Configurable Sport Modes | No | Sorta | ||
| Displays HR Zones | No | No | ||
| Requires Bluetooth Smart Phone for Configuration | No | No | Yes (for HR zones) | Yes (for bridging only) |
| Firmware Updateable | Yes for newish units | Yes (iOS/Android) | Yes | Yes | App | Scosche RHYTHM+ | Wahoo TICKR (Original) | Mio Link | 4iiii Viiiiva |
| Can show workout afterwards | No | Yes | ||
| Can sync files/workout to 3rd party | No | Yes | ||
| More Info | Link | Link | Link | Link | Purchase | Scosche RHYTHM+ | Wahoo TICKR (Original) | Mio Link | 4iiii Viiiiva |
| Amazon | Link | Link | Link | Link |
| Backcountry.com | Link | |||
Again, remember you can mix and match and create your own comparison against additional HR products not shown above. Think of it like going to the ice cream parlor and making your own sundae.
Summary:
Overall the RHYTHM+ performs very well on a day to day basis. While at first I was hesitant about wearing it in a non-wrist location, I actually grew to not mind it on my lower arm. And once I moved it to my upper arm, I loved that it was completely out of the way and ‘invisible’.
No doubt the optical sensor market is really just getting heated up. There are a slew of recently introduced products out there – some of them doing well and some of them are struggling. I do want to point out that the unit I had is a final-run production unit. The only change between the units that arrive in 7 days are related to packaging. Specifically:
A) On the fabric long band there will be an ANT+ logo added (it was on the short strap but was omitted on long strap)
B) A QR code was changed on the box to be in a different spot so it wouldn’t cover the iPhone on the back of the box
C) The sensor lens will ship with a protective sticker to safeguard it during shipping (removed upon use)
D) The user manual will be printed on smaller paper and not from someone’s desk inkjet printer
E) The charger and extra armband will be in a plastic bag
You may wonder why specifically I’m calling this out (or rather, made them detail out the exact differences between what I’m receiving and what you’re receiving). This is because on the recent Mio Link units I saw substantial accuracy differences between pre-prod and production units. While I just last night received new units with updated firmware, I haven’t had a chance to try it (new Mio). Thus, the Scosche engineers have assured me in multiple cases that nothing has changed firmware or component wise on the unit, simply packaging.
With that – I’d have no problems recommending the RHYTHM+, based on the testing I did on my person. Obviously anything that reads body responses may vary from person to person – especially optical sensors. So your feedback and experiences with the units once they start shipping out next week is always welcomed in the comments below. As are questions. Thanks for reading!
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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.
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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. Thanks!
Just ordered one from Sharper Image online. Looks like the only site online with available stock.
Thanks for all your effort and research DC!
hi everyone, just received my scosche and I want to do a test with it vs my garmin 620 w/chest strap on the same run to see how they compare. I know I cant hook up 2 heart rate monitors to my garmin 620, so what free iphone app can I use with the scosche so that I can come home and then compare the results using either garmin express or mygpsfiles. I also own runtastic pro on my iphone and I know I can hook up my scosche to that app, but can that app produce the file I need to use it on garmin express or mygpsfiles? thanks.
Hi Lou,
I use the Wahoo Fitness app on my phone when I want to log HR there and not my Garmin. It allows you to share the activity to garmin connect etc, and to also download a tcx file that you could use for comparison.
wow! im super impressed with my first test run using the scosche rythym+! I own a garmin 620 and I used it with the hrm chest strap and then i borrowed my friends garmin 620 and used it with the scosche rythym+. I went for a short 2.25 mile run and I couldn’t of asked for a better result. absolutely no unexpected drops or increases from the scosche. both had the exact same heart rate average of 157 and stride of 0.92. the cadence was 88.5 for the scosche and 89 for the chest strap. really impressed with the accuracy of the scosche and it was much more comfortable having the heart rate monitor on my upper forearm instead of around my chest.
Excellent. Just to note… The cadence will have come from the internal 620 accelerometer and not the scosche. It doesn’t have a cadence sensor that broadcasts to the watch.
yes gingerneil, im aware the cadence when using the scosche comes from the watch, but I was concerned that the watch accelerometer may not be as accurate since its positioned on the wrist compared to the chest strap accelerometer which is in a better position on the center of the body. but thankfully the watch accelerometer was just as accurate as the chest strap.
Hello everybody, please help. I bought a TomTom Multisport and Scosche Rhythm+, but I cant connect them together. Any idea why? Thanks 🙂
I’m having the same issue and really wish I had an answer! Let me know if you figure it out
the scosche is awesome! just wanted to post one more run today using 3 devices, the scosche rythym+ via the wahoo fitness iphone app, the garmin 620 with the chest strap and the new garmin 225 with the built in heart rate monitor. I ran 5 miles and to further test how the 3 would react to slowing down and speeding up, at the beginning of mile 5 I walked for 0.25 mile and then I sprinted the last 0.25 mile of the run. all 3 devices reacted the same way when i walked and when I sprinted. never once did I get any spikes or drops from any of the 3 devices. since this is the scosche forum, I just wanted to say that if you don’t want to invest hundreds of dollars on a garmin watch, the scosche rythym+ rocks! use it with an app on your phone and its just as accurate as any garmin watch except youll spend under $100! its truly a great product. as I do a lot of running and want other running features like cadence and I personally don’t like to run with my phone, ill be keeping the garmin 225 and most likely be selling my 620 and scosche in a week or so. anyway, hope this info helps.
I bought the Scosche Rhythm+ to pair with my 920xt for swimming. While I knew you couldn’t see the data while swimming, I thought I had read somewhere that after the swim, you could download the data and import into garmin connect. Was I dreaming? Is there any way I can get my heart rate data for swims (specifically pool swims)? Thanks so much for all of your reviews and assistance!
if anyone is interested in buying a scosche rythym+, I have 2 available for sale that are in mint condition and work perfectly. each one has 2 armbands (a small and a large). we upgraded to garmin watches and don’t need these anymore. as per the comparision tests ive done and posted in this forum, their heart rate accuracy is exactly that of the garmin watches. email me at marathonLou@optimum.net if interested and only if you have a paypal account, thanks.
by the way im only selling to those people who live in the united states as its too much work filling out the post office paperwork to ship overseas, not to mention a lot more expensive to ship overseas as well. some people have contacted me from overseas so I just wanted to make it clear as to where Im willing to ship. thank you.
update: just wanted to say that both have now been sold, thank you.
following this topic
Looks like they’ll be in stock next week at Clever and Amazon. Clever has it labeled as a completely different product. Wonder what improvements were made.
Kurt if you’re talking about the Scosche Rhythem 1.9 here…
link to clevertraining.com
…I believe that product is older than the Rhythm+ not newer…
I did an online chat with Scosche support and was told that the 1.9 is the same as the current Rhythem+ and the previous model (before Rhythem+) was 1.5
hope this helps to clear things up.
What probably is new are the color options (using the same hw). I dont recal seeng those before.
Thanks!
Good to know…thanks! My Rythym+ is due to arrive in the mail Saturday (Sharper Image had them in stock as mentioned above).
The . It is the version with the non-steel back, so no corrosion.
I bought a Garmin forerunner 610 (available for 155 euro at the moment at Amazon.de) and compared calories with the forerunner 405: it is halve. I am using the Scosche Rythm+ (latest firmware). However, it behaved normal with the 405. I am reading on several fora that calories should settle after a while, so who knows. If the 405 was able to cope with the Scosche, the 610 should be able as well
Forget the first line; it concerns the 610
I’d double-check that all your settings are the same (age/gender/activity class/etc…).
Hi Ray & all, I lost the charger , does anyone know i it can be bought separately or if i need to buy the full pack?
Thanks!
Hi Ray and everyone.
Just bought a Scosche rhythm+ and am for starters very happy with it.
But I have noticed that my heart rate is usually 10 Bpm lower with the Scosche than with my H7. Has anybody seen similar issues?
What I have noticed is that running against the wind, my heart rate usually rises 10-15 Bpm, but with the Scosche it instead drops a few, almost like its reading my steps and not my heart.
Now I have a pretty high pulse. Top readings is going up steep hills, and there I reach 212-213 Bpm. So I have set my max pulse to 215.
Maybe optical readings have a limitation, when it comes to high pulse people like me :-).
Looking forward to your comments. Thanks in advance.
KR KilkennY
Did some more testing and the avg heart is actually pretty good. But I get these drops, this time doing sprints, and you can easily see four or five times when the HR on the H7 rises and the Scosche’s HR reading drops before rising.
See link and choose HR. link to mygpsfiles.com
Hope someone will help clarify if I’m doing something wrong.
Kind regards from Kenni, Denmark.
And thanks for the greatest site 🙂
Hi Ray,
I´m about to buy the Polar V800 and the Scosche Rythm+ for swimming (hate swimming with the H7 as it slides a lot), but I´m not completely sure that they will work underwater as the Rythm+ connects to the V800 through Bluetooth Smart and not ANT+.
Will they work for what I want?
Thanks in advance for all your awesome reviews, I bought my first activity tracker (Polar Loop) about a year and a half ago thanks to all your reviews.
And of course I´m going to buy them through your store (the V800 and the Rythm+).
Ray,
quick question did you tried the scosche for swimming after the update on the Fenix 3
Does it work?
I was not sure if it works
Thanks for your help
Marc
I have not tried it since the updates. But there are folks on the Garmin forums who have been doing some testing.
if anyone is interested in buying a scosche rythym+, I have 1 available for sale that is in mint condition and works perfectly. it comes with 2 armbands (a small and a large). i upgraded to a garmin watch and don’t need this anymore. as per the comparision tests ive done and posted in this forum, the heart rate accuracy of this scosche rythym+ is exactly the same as the garmin watch. email me at MarathonLou@optimum.net if interested and only if you have a paypal account. price is $60 plus shipping and I only ship in the united states, thanks.
just wanted to update this and say that it has now been sold.
QUOTE
if I have any complaint about the unit at all, is that it too easily gets turned on.
UNQUOTE
I believe this issue has been solved a couple of upgrades ago. Might be worth updating the review.
Do you (or anyone) know where I can get replacement straps for the Rhyhtm+? I can’t find any store in EU zone ( in italy where i live ).
Tanks to all
link to amazon.co.uk
Thanks, but amazon.co.uk, nor amazon.fr, nor amazon.es, send to Italy!!
Nowadays you find package forwarder services in every country (so far i failed to find one only for Norway).
If you are willing to pay couple euros extra and dont mind extra hassle, thats the one way to go.
Then What about Amazon.it?
link to amazon.it
Sorry. Broken link.
Hi chukko,
Your suggestion is very useful!
Could you tell me how that service works?
Or send me a link where i can get the info?
I’m interested in sommething from US.
Here’s more detail on how it works, and the one I use: link to dcrainmaker.com
I still use the same service today, on average now about once per week stuff comes over (mostly product review stuff).
Ray’s article is more oriented towards general mail forwarding – i have only experience with package forwarders who are oriented in assisting purchasing in foreign countries. The services vary a lot. E.g. for US purchases i use shipito.com. There is huge number of similar services.Some of those are even free – but you pay higher postage fees. Shipito used to be $10 per month (only needed the month you were sending something), recently they changes to “1 item free” policy which leaves me a bit worried about the increase in postage prices.
Some of the services even offer services like consolidating multiple packages into single one (optionally stripping original packagin), or even doing a credit card purchase for you (in case seller refuses foreign credit cards). Most of those assign you an address online upon registration, so you can order within couple of minutes.
For the UK i was using myukbuys.com – which is not so automatic and fully online serviceable as others but nice small and friendly business, but i would gladly use them again if needed.
For your preferred seller country Just google “package forwarding from ” and you will find plenty of options. Read some reviews and pick one. Most of them show you postage and processing fees so you can compare rather quickly.
Guys thanks a lot for your time, i apreciate it very much.
Thanks also to Ray!
I received today Scosche with FW 2.6
Will this work while swimming?
Sometimes, but it varies from person to person. Also it must be word directly next to watch.
On a whim last night I tried swimming with the Rhythm+ on my forehead and the watch (310xt) in the swim cap (swim cap covered both, and nobody else was in the pool, so I didn’t feel _too_ dorky. It actually worked fairly well (my very last set I had a bunch of drop outs for some reason)
My use of the Rhythm+ this entire outdoor cycling season has been absolutely outstanding. It’s hard to ever consider going back to a chest strap again. This past winter while Nordic skiing, I ran numerous erratic data issues, but did some experiments which may have solved these issues for me, but then spring came and warm weather prevented further cold weather tests. Will update cold temperature results in several months.
Do wish for some enhancements… OTA firmware updates and some method of indicating battery level. Some flashlights do things like flash the LED to indicate battery level in response to pushing the on/off button quickly a fixed number of times. Even something that crude would be enough for me.
I’ve a problem with my Rhythm+. When turning on, those 3 led lights doesn’t flash in back side and only shows bpm – 72. Even after recharging, still the same problem.
Hello,
I live in Croatia.
On 2 September 2015 I purchased a Scosche Rhythm+ in Germany web shop.
I connected it to a Garmin Forerunner 15 watch.
It showed a real pulse several times for 2 to 3 hours of using. I charged the battery 2 or 3 times.
I had no problems with the position, it worked quite well in all positions around my arm.
However, once during the use it began to constantly show 72 BPM.
After that, I was sometimes able to get a real pulse for a couple of minutes, but most of the time it showed 72 BPM.
Now it always shows pulse of 72 BPM.
I tried a variety of positions around my arm, but it shows the pulse of 72 BPM regardless of the position; it shows 72 BPM even when it is not tight around my arm, but I only run it for a test…
I fully charged the battery, so the battery is not the problem.
I also went to a shop that stocks Garmin watches, I connected the device to another Garmin watch and it also shows 72 BPM.
What to do?!?
Best regards,
Damir.
Hello Damir,
I’m having the same issue with 2 Scosche Rhythm+ (bought at Best Buy in January 2015). My wife’s locks permanently at 72 bpm and mine locks for a few minutes and then starts working ok. Mine has far more working hours.
Did you get to solve this? I connected it to IOS Scosche Sync app, it says it has a firmware update, but the ‘Software Update’ button does nothing. Have contacted Scosche support twice but no reply for weeks so far….
Thanks in advanve.
My Scoche Rythm+ doesn’t charge anymore. One of the 2 pins of the charger is stuck in downward position and doesn’t go up. I am trying WD40 right now, which ought to creep into the pin-position.
Just give Scosche Support a ring/e-mail, and they have a pretty solid history here of getting people all set.
Indeed, technical support replied within 2 days, offering sending a new charger on showing the receipt. Good 🙂
Interesting.
Scosche sold out in the Netherlands or available for a 30 euro + premium.
What’s happening?
Hi,
Just thought I’d post a quick review/my experience so far as it may be useful to others, didn’t see my issue above, and can’t think of much better place to put it. Again, got the Rhythm + from DC Rainmaker’s review – thanks!
I use a Cateye Stealth 50; it’s ANT+ but I was disappointed to find it didn’t work with the Rhythm +, although it would “sync”, no HR data was displayed. It seamlessly connected and worked to my Xperia Z3 though, bluetooth or ANT+.
I contacted Scosche and they were very helpful, with swift informative responses. They provided instructions to downgrade the Firmware (which was 2.6) to 2.4. This removed the DFU (Device Firmware Upgrade) feature, so I will not be able to install firmware updates in the future (I don’t expect I’ll need to?) but also made it completely work with my Cateye Computer. I had to find a friend with an iOS device to use the Scosche Utility App, though. Scosche did say I can upgrade the firmware again but I’d have to send it to them – and I’m in the UK so probably can’t really be bothered with that.
(There are various bluetooth apps you can get to interrogate any bluetooth device and read it’s “characteristics” e..g firmware no, current heart rate reading and battery level. I didn’t know this and not really relevant but thought it’s pretty cool).
Not used a HR monitor for a while so not really sure if it’s accurate but it seems so. Have tried it top of arm hidden under sleeve, on forearm and on wrist and all seem to give the consistent values. Have found it a bit annoying on arm and forearm, but maybe just too tight on tired arms after holding my on the toptube on descents. I did get up to 207 bpm which is a good 10bpm higher than the highest reading i ever got with the stock Cateye electromagnetic HR monitor (i’ve had two and both just seem to die, despite trying lots of new batteries and ways to improve conduction). This makes me a bit suspicious it could be over reading but more likely just not properly set on my arm. In any case, I shouldn’t assume that my “max” 197bpm is consistent over such a time frame (~6 months).
Hope this is useful for someone. Basically, contact Scosche – they’re very helpful!
Cheers,
Jack
Thanks for this and your many reviews. I don’t wear watches or armbands (e.g., my RoadID is on my shoe). Do you think this would work around an ankle?
I know a few people have tried (more towards their calf), but the problem is that the ankle is a very bony area, and thus not a lot of good surface area to get a clean reading.
I have new RHYTHM+ boght 24.9.2015 but I have a problem with this divace, on lg g3 Bluetooth work normali, but dont work on ANT+ , I tested on my garmin fr305 and frends garmin fr620, what can I do, I write to scosche, but the answer
“Are you able to acquire an iOS device from a friend perhaps? You may need to change the firmware on the RHYTHM+ sensor. An iOS device would be required or the Scosche sensor can be mailed into us and we can perform the update for you. ”
I’m afraid If I send sensor, stay withaout sensor and money.
I got the same thing! I have an iOS device and did the update to the firmware and it isn’t working. It won’t update. It continues to shut off my heart rate monitor. They wanted me to send it in. I just bought mine at the beginning of September. I don’t want to send it in either unless I am getting new one. I am calling their customer service dept tomorrow.
I make upgrade firmware and now ant plus working.
I called them and they are sending me a brand new one
I bought this product based on this review and my Wahoo Tickr X has basically stayed in the draw ever since, The Scosche is so much more comfortable and I totally forget I am wearing it.
My Garmin Forerunner 410 would not pair with the Scosche Rhythm+ with firmware 2.6. I chatted with their live support, they sent me instructions on how to downgrade to 2.4 and it’s now working fine. Support technician told me the only feature difference between 2.4 and 2.6 was that 2.6 supported firmware updates by the user (2.4 does not). Obviously 2.6 introduced a bug where it would not pair with some devices too! Hopefully I won’t need a firmware update in the future… The device is working fine now!
Hi Philippe,
I have exactly the same issue with my FR410 and my Scosche rhythm+. I am running a half-marathon this weekend and would like to fix it before… I would appreciate if you sent me the instructions how to downgrade to firmware 2.4!
Thanks in advance!
Lars
I really like what I have been reading about the accuracy of the Rhythm+ but don’t know much about watch-type syncing devices. For rowing machine, I assume I could sync with an Android tablet or phone app which I could set up right beside me to display heart rate. But I don’t have the type running watch needed. Are there any relatively inexpensive such devices out there without spending hundreds of dollars. I don’t even know what the category would be called to search on Amazon.
i have managed to pair the scoches with adidas micoach. both in android and in windows phone. hope it helps.
The Wahoo Fitness app works perfectly too.
But I’m looking for the physical device to wear on my wrist, not just the app.
If your requirements include a wrist display, perhaps a different device would be a better match to those requirements, cost wise, maybe something along the lines of the Mio Fuse (link to dcrainmaker.com)?
Keith, I was coming to that same conclusion. If it requires wearing 2 devices, that seems a step back toward chest strap-land. It seems (to me at least) too bad that the top sensor is not available in a single upper-wrist device, but maybe part of its accuracy comes from not being worn as near the wrist.
I am close to getting the Mio Fuse but am holding off for more feedback on the Garmin Vivoactive HR “Elevate” sensor, though I think I read somewhere here, paraphrased a bit, we should assume every new heart rate sensor sucks until it is proven to work well.
Need some advice. Having a Garmin FR620, used to have no issues wearing a chest HR-belt but have started to get chafes from it.
Should I go for a Scosche or simply wait and see what the Garmin FR235 has to offer in terms of optical HR?
Schosche is cheaper but I’m attracted to a larger screen of the 235 vs 620. I like the recovery adviser and training effect, think I will not get that with scosche?
I love my rhythm, and love the versatility. For example, it was cold today here in the UK… So I wore my scosche under clothes and the garmin on top of long sleeves…. If I were you, I’d go for the fenix 3! 🙂 I went from 220 to f3, and it’s awesome!
Another great review! Has anyone gotten this to work with a Polar Loop and/or a Garmin Forerunner 310xt? I’m not having any luck at all with mine. I get that maybe I need to upgrade from the 310xt but the Loop is fairly new.
My Garmin Forerunner 410 would not pair with the Scosche Rhythm+ with firmware 2.6. I chatted with their live support, they sent me instructions on how to downgrade to 2.4 and it’s now working fine. Support technician told me the only feature difference between 2.4 and 2.6 was that 2.6 supported firmware updates by the user (2.4 does not). Obviously 2.6 introduced a bug where it would not pair with some devices too! Hopefully I won’t need a firmware update in the future… The device is working fine now!
this is problem for all ANT+ device also 310xt
Just wanted to note, when it said ‘add picture’ I was thinking it meant a profile pic. Wasn’t looking for an excuse to get my pic in a post! 🙂
Anyhow, Scosche support sent me a file to downgrade the firmware to 2.4. Didn’t make any difference on either device. I think it’s time to upgrade to something newer and with more functionality.
Thanks for the comments!
Hi alojz (and all in this thread):
How did you connect to Ryhthm+ to PC to make the update? When I connect Rhythm to the USB charger and PC, I get no prompt from PC, no indication of a new device in device manager, so no way to check current firmware status or the like. I bought the the Rhythm for exclusive use with Polar Loop and possibly a Garmin bike computer.
Some more details:
– Rhythm does not show in list of Bluetooth devices on iphone
– BUT Rhythm works with iphone standard Health app and Windows phone Addidas MiCoach
– Scoche App (“Fitness Utility”) does not see Scoche, so can get no firmware details there.
– My H7 chest strap works fine with Loop and phone apps.
Thanks for any guidance.
Question: Has anyone come across a WIDGET that will display at least just the heartbeat for the Rhythm+?
plenty of apps (but FULLSCREEN)
Any story 0n a Rhythm+2? (longer lasting battery? if could get >12hrs, I’ld buy 2 day/night 🙂
love this unofficial Rhytym+ Thread 🙂
Is this product compatible with the new Edge 25?
Yes, totally compatible.
Hey guys, I lost the charger and can’t use my rythmn+ anymore.. Do you know if it can be bought separately or do I need to buy the full pack with the rythmn + included?
Will the Rhthym + work Mountain Biking? I’m wondering if all the vibration will throw off the sensor.
Has anyone on here tried it?
Yup, I’ve used it a few times. However, I’m sure if you found the right terrain that has high-frequency vibrations you might get some blips. I’d encourage you to wear it higher up the arm, which offers a bit more vibration protection than closer to the wrist.
I’ve used it Fat Biking on mountain bike tails many times without any problems. Its quite secure on my forearm
Ray,
great job on this blog. extremely useful stuff. i didn’t manage to read through all the 1100+ comments so apologise if this was already asked. the monitor has been around for almost 2 years so I wonder if we should expect any updated versions in the near future. i’m tempted to buy it but come January ’16 don’t want to be disappointed seeing that they announced version 2+ or something similar to it.
thanks for your responses
Not sure on upcoming changes – but, as an FYI to folks, as of a few minutes ago, Clever Training is offering the Scosche Rhythm+ for 25% off ($59) for Cyber Monday. Linkage here: link to clevertraining.com
Or, the entire DCR Cyber Monday list here: link to dcrainmaker.com
Ray, thanks for the link! order placed on clevertraining.com and even your 10% discount code DCR10MHD worked too (which saved me on shipping)
They must have caught their error, discount code not working now 🙁
Thanks Ray! Snagged one via CT
On Scosche’s website, they seem to be out of stock of the Rhythm+ for 5-6 weeks. I’m not sure if this means anything in terms of a new model coming up but I’ve emailed them about it. I doubt they will be able to tell though.
However, like the Garmin 225 –> 235, they could change sensors and be less accurate (or vice versa). So why not use the model that has been thoroughly tested and reviewed than to wait for a new model + time for DCR to review it?
Also, the Clever Training Link does not seem to work 🙁
Amazon still has this in stock.
is a new version in the works?
CT has 4 out of 5 versions/colors in stock (link to clevertraining.com)
Thanks for the heads up on the broken link – fixed!
I emailed Scosche and here is their response.
“Greetings,
The Rhythm plus is currently sold out due to high demand. We are currently not looking to release a new version of the Rhythm plus in the near future.
Best regards,
Erik Urbina
Customer Service
SCOSCHE Industries Inc.
”
Also, Ray, I think you might have to update that comparison chart since the Scosche’s firmware is indeed user updatable if you have an iOS device (I’ve attached a screenshot). I was able to upgrade my Scosche’s firmware from 2.6 to 2.62 using their iPhone app. I’ve asked for a change-log out of interest but I bet one of those firmware updates enables user updatability.
to KJ:
i was going crazy before reading your message! i have rhythm+2.3 firmware and want to update. I have IOS device but the scosche’s app seems not to be working. When i tap on the firmware update button, the process starts but it immediately freeze on 2% of progression bar.
Any suggestion?
Thanks
Fabio
I would email Scosche. It might be that firmware 2.4+ is user upgradeable 🙁
Thanks for the answers to my question about mountain biking with the Rhythm +
I ordered two of these (one for a Christmas present for my daughter) from Clever Training using the DCR code.
Thanks again,
George
Is there a way to upgrade the firmware? Isn’t there a way to check the battery life?
Alan
The fitness utility app is really poor. Other than that, this is a good way to track heart rate if you don’t want to use a chest strap. Very versatile item. I wish it would broadcast analog 5Hz signals to Polar receivers so I could use it in the pool.
Hi ray, I saw this review and bought one today and used it too, it’s all good, can U tell me how to export the data from wahoo and can we then use the cursor to find data points in the graph?
I utilize the Wahoo app to record the data, then send via e-mail yourself the CSV files. From there you can import them into Excel. It’s not the easiest method, but it works.
Save the file tcx, then do not send in the mail, go to the File wahoofitness exports there are TCX files download to your computer and Process
Quick question: I noticed that the LED on top of the Scosche changes colour during workouts.
I looked at the manual and a couple of reviews but could not find any information on that. It would be great if the LED colour designated specific HR zones or activity levels.
Anyone got a clue? Cheers!
Version 2.4 The red LED flashes when transferred to ANT+, purple flashes on boothut .
Version 2.6 varying according to the cardiac zone, but ANT+ is not working.
link to google.si
Nice! Thanks for that alojz. Have you figured out how to configure the HR Zones properly? I have done that on my Polar V800, does this mean that the same zones will be used by the sensor?
The review has already pointed that out. The LED does Not change color. There are two green LEDs and one yellow/amber LED which offers a better reading for different skin tone types.
This is NOT what I am referring to.
There is an LED on top of the sensor that, based on the version you have, can change colour based on the current heart rate zone. It would be quite useful to understand how these are set up.
It is my understanding that the heart rate zones are influenced by the app being used but I am not entirely sure.
I do not know when I bought the version 2.6 zone were set to 130 blue, 130 and 160 purple and over 160 red, but was not working on the ANT + per FR305, according to the complaint producer, I got an upgrade to 2.4 and now works on fr305, and the phone still flashing purple. no different zones. Ask to link to scosche.com ka zone
To confirm, based on a workout I did today, HR zones set in Polar Flow are transferred over to the sensor.
While the colours designating each of the five zones are fixed, the actual zone limits are set through the app/watch- Polar V800 in my case.
Ray,
I’m still looking for a HRM strap to use with my Garmin Fenix 3 and iPhone 6s Plus. Can the Scosche Rhythm+ transmit data to both the Fenix 3 and the IP6s+ simultaneously? With the IP6s+, I’m looking to use apps to track my HR throughout the day like as if I have an Apple Watch. Will this be possible? Is the Rhythm+ comfortable enough to wear for the entire day? I know the battery life will probably not be 24 hours, but that’s fine. I think you have an iPhone if I remember correctly. Will the Apple Health app record the heart rate data from the Rhythm+?
Thanks!
Yes, you can do both concurrently.
As for the battery life – no, not anywhere near 24 hours. It’s specified for about 8 hours. And no, the Apple Health app cannot record directly from it (nor do I know of way to get the continuous HR data into Apple Health).
On battery life is 8 hours acheivable in real life? Some of my longer sportives are 7 hours or longer, so if I got the Scosche I’d want it to last at least 8 hours “on the road”
Cheers,
Greg
I got SR+ firmware 2.6. Similarly to what some of you write here I get a ca. 190bpm readout in the first few minutes. Then it goes down. Will try further, so far not happy with the results. Anyway, I got it especially for swimming. During swimming it seems to lag and depend on whether I keep my hand in the water or out of the water. When I find another watch to pair with, I will compare Polar’s H7 with SR+ results and post here.
The H7 won’t work in the water to any bluetooth watch. The distance that both ANT+ and BLE can travel in water is measured in centimeters. The H7 will work with your basic “gym equipment” style watches, since they utilize a 5 Khz transmission.
What watch are you using for your swimming? And do you have the SR+ right next to it? The pounding of the SR+ on the water could definitely be enough to throw off some readings.
Ray,
Nice review!
Have you run any tests in this class of HRMs while performing cross-training? By cross-training I’m referring to weight lifting, calisthenics, crossfit, etc. anything involving more vigorous, jarring moments. I am an obstacle course racer(Spartan Race Etc.) and would also be interested in its performance in that regard as well.
thanks,
Adam
What is this?!?
link to heartzones.com
Didn’t somebody just post that Scosche just said no new products coming? Looks like Rhythm+ with accelerometer plus HR zones.
Amazon’s description:
“The new Blink Armband flashes 3 zone colors, includes the programmable one-buttton armband, one large and one small elastic armband, and one USB charger. The Blink Armband heart rate monitor is an all new workout tool for managing heart rate, calories burned, distance, pace, and more. Accurately monitors your intensity level, and works seemlessly with any iPhone or droid app. For the iPhone/iPod touch/iPad user get your FREE Heart Zones Training app named Heart Zones Training. The Blink Armband heart rate monitor comfortably fits on your forearm or upper arm – as opposed to having to use the less comfortable chest strap. The Blink Armband heart rate monitor is programable for your individual 3 zones. It flashes colors that match the 3 zones for your ZONING or Threshold workout: Blue-Easy, Purple-Moderate, and Red-Hard. The Blink Armband connects with the most popular health and fitness apps, including: the FREE Heart Zones Training app or others like Runkeeper, MapMyFitness, Strava, and more. The Blink Armband is great for swimming and water aerobics – waterproof. It connects with the group heart rate training like the Heart Zones Smart Hearts System. It is compatible with Garmin Vivofit wrist band which adds tracking steps and other step data as you are moving. The Blink Armband – you can wear it all day and it is so comfortable you are now for the first time able to easily see your heart rate with blinking colored lights that match you and your zones.”
I guess no accelerometer. On second look, maybe just Rhythm+ overpriced (?)
That’s extremely strange. Customer service at Scosche did tell me that they weren’t planning on releasing anything new anytime soon.
I also find it strange it appears only on one vendor. Also, unless there is an upgraded heart rate sensor in there, I don’t think it’s worth the extra asking price to get step count and what not when my Garmin can both.
Here’s another explanation, sort-of:
link to heartzones.com
Sort of looks like some other people took the Scosche and added an accelerometer for steps. It’s not clear if the is something new or something old. Hopefully Ray/DCR will provide us a clarification.
But some people are saying the Rhythm+ blinks for heart zones, though Scosche doesn’t seem to document this.
My vanilla Rhythm+ (that I bought about 3 weeks ago from CT) definitely does the 3 different colors. It looks like someone just added step counting.
What’s the deal with the 3 colors? Does anyone need a HRM to tell them if they’re working easy, moderate or hard?
Well, that’s an easy one. Once you correctly set up your heart rate zones, the sensor will alert you what zone you are currently in.
A lot of people work toward increasing their endurance or burn more calories by training in a specific zone.
Having this type of indication is a lot more convenient than looking at your watch/phone mid run.
Well, my point was that broad zones don’t tell you any more than perceived effort. Don’t get my wrong, I like looking at numbers and graphs, etc. as much as anyone, but IMO the value in using a HRM requires actual numbers.
i just bought Scosche Rhythm+ on Black Friday sale:(
However, before I get upset, the main question is if the new one has the same or updated optical sensor? If the sensor is the same, the new HRM only adds extra functionality IMHO
I just read the Heartzones.com write-up and the 2 comments on their site.
In both the advertising copy and the comments a Garmin Vivofit is mentioned. What would be the purpose of pairing the heart rate monitor with the ability to track steps to an activity tracker? Why would Scosche manufacture a different model of their product for one reseller?
My guess is that it’s the same Rhythm + and it needs to be connected to an activity monitor for the steps functionality.
I was wondering if the Scosche RHYTHM+ Dual ANT+/Bluetooth Smart Optical HR will work with my Polar FT60. Thanks,
Karen
No, the FT60 doesn’t support Bluetooth Smart or ANT+, just legacy Polar transmission.
Received my Scosche heart rate monitor from CT and have used on two bike rides so far. However, each ride shows an unrealistically high heart rate within the first 10 minutes of exercise. After that, heart rate appears normal and is close to what my Garmin chest strap would show. I have it located on the upper arm (bicep) area as Ray shows, removed the protective cover from the sensor, and the strap is tight against my skin. I checked the firmware and it is 2.6. Any ideas on what could be causing this? Do I have a defective unit?
I am having the same problem…. very high heart rates that do not correlate with my perceived effort, nor with my experience with previous chest strap HRM (wahoo tickrX). I’m thinking of returning it and trying a Mio link.
Hi Mr. Rainmaker,
I sent the message about links on the upper left sidebar not working. Sorry about that, they do work. However, the left half of the sidebar display is still missing for some reason.
Feed back on the Scosche Rhythm HR monitor:
For those of us in Canada, did you test the product in cold weather? I notice that you did so for the TomTom Spark which stuggled to read HR in cold conditions. This makes me disinclined to trust any optical HR monitor for running in Canadian winters.
Regards,
John (a senior all season runner new to use of HR monitors)
Hmm, I’ll poke into the sidebar, that’s weird.
As for cold weather – yup, in fact, used it quite a bit in northern Canada (The Girl’s family is from Newfoundland). I use it all the time there, and will again next week too. But, her Mom also uses it all winter long (and has for two years) – she loves it.
Re the left sidebar: Enlarging the text, such as via ctrl + makes the sidebar gradually disappear. Getting back to standard size text (which I never use) via ctrl – brings back the sidebar.
I notice that none of the data you have posted here was on an indoor trainer. I was in a spin class yesterday and got extremely sweaty. Early in the class my Garmin HR strap (that came with the Edge 1000) worked fine responding to my changing activity but about half way through the class it basically flat lined at about 130 BPM not getting any higher when I was sprinting (previous highest was over 170.
Did you do any testing on this device when getting extremely sweaty?
I don’t think I’ll need to change my Garmin for cycling as it generally seems fine but for indoor classes I think I need to consider something else that works when I am coated in a thick layer of sweat! What would you recommend?
Thanks
Strange behaviour of the strap, normally it works best when sweating. Perhaps the belt wasn’t tight enough and started moving when sprinting?
Weird indeed. I use it extensively on an indoor trainer (for the past 2 years) and also often publish those results when looking at other optical/HR sensors. Definitely haven’t seen anything odd there.
As Vic noted, if the strap is loose (or if it still has the tiny little protective plastic thing on it), that might cause issues – but it’s definitely not normal.
Ok, thanks both for your comments. The belt is perhaps a bit loose so I will try and tighten it. Not the easiest thing to adjust in the world I find but I’ll have a go.
To keep my Garmin belt tightly fixed , my wife kindly sewed the adjustment thingy on both sides. Good luck!
Hi Ray, I took your advice, purchased this a couple of months ago to pair with my 920XT, the perfect combo. Its been the best Optical strap I have tried coping much better with cardio High Intensity Impact Training involving lots of movement (particularly engaging the arm muscles). I found wrist based Opticals struggled with push ups and Burpee style exercises with the Heart rate signal dropping in and out.
My only negative observation has been the performance of the strap. I attempted to wash it in the show by rubbing it gentle with some shower gel and this instantly resulted in the Velcro fabric separating from the rubberised backing. Looking on some of the other forums and comments on review sites, I do not appear to be the only one with this issue.
Have you had any issues with your strap? have you tried the replacement straps (which I believe may be an improved design). I am bordering on creating my own strap which I can still wash, but is stll able to provide a little bit of elasticity during vigorous exercise to cope with muscle movements.
Hi Joseph-
No issues with my strap yet, and it’s actually the same strap I’ve had for a log time (about 18 months now). I don’t tend to watch it much (ever actually), only just rinse it in the shower every once in a while.
Cheers.
If anyone sees this on sale in Europe can they shout out please?
I got mine from OutdoorGB. Currently on promotion. In stock, and free next day delivery.
Any other people purchased this recently (I used the post-Thanksgiving 20% off discount on CT) and feeling really disappointed in the results still? Oddly the first couple runs/bikes were fine, but things have gotten progressively worse/unreliable. I’ve narrowed things down slightly to wearing it on my upper arm/same arm as my garmin 910xt when I’m running (only worked once on my wrist, but any other wrist attempts have been a complete fail on a run), while my upper arm+wrist seem to work equally well/badly while biking w/my Garmin Edge on the stem of the bike. I’ve seen everything from my HR not looking correct throughout an entire hour+ run (it looks fine for the 10/20 mins before I start moving, but after 2 runs where I literally stopped a dozen times in the first 5 mins to wait for the hr to drop to be something ‘real’, only to see it jump 40+ beats in the first 30 secs of easy running, I just now give up and write off that entire workout’s HR), to the Scosche working fine for the first say 30-90 mins of a ride or run and then things suddenly go totally wrong and the #’s jump hugely even though the strap hasn’t moved at all.
I’ve attached the hr graph from today’s interval run where (even though I had the watch+hrm turned on for 10+mins before I started running) the first 15 mins had ridiculously high hr, and then although the hr graph oddly ‘tracks’ with my intervals, the numbers are fairly impossible- I’m one of those low-hr-even-while-exercising people (seriously,5k race has max hr of 175)- there’s no way my hr is ever 180-190+ during some short little training intervals.
It’s funny-sad that the results pretty much resemble what I used to see with the Garmin HRM straps, except that at least the Garmin strap would work for 2-3+ months before things would randomly go haywire. And in this case I haven’t even gotten a month’s worth of the Scosche working correctly!
I also bought the Scosche with the recent Clever Training discount.
My main reason for giving this a try is that the Garmin chest straps were starting to irritate my skin resulting in constant itching.
I’ve used the Scosche mostly indoors for the last few weeks (rowing erg and some spin) and have been satisfied with its performance. I finally used in on a bike ride today and I’m generally satisfied. There were a couple of short dropouts that I’d rather not see but other than that the readings seemed reasonable.
I’ll continue to use chest straps on occasion but I’m hoping the Scosche allows me to not have to use the chest strap as much. At least not daily, which is where I had been.
Wendy,
I’m not ready to pass judgement just yet, but yeah, a little disappointed so far. I’ve used it on 1 trail run and 1 road ride since I got it.
Run: Initial 4 minutes jumped up to 90% of max HR before settling to realistic numbers. The band started to slip down my forearm after about an hour. I slid it back into place when I noticed, and tightened it a little bit. The resulting HR chart shows a 100-110% normal HR spike/mesa at that time.
Ride: Same initial “settling” time as the run. When the road got rough, HR went nuts again. Worse, I’d say overall the HR chart is not as smooth as a my Polar H7.
On the plus side, the vagaries of “is it on?” and syncing issues with the V800 are gone. Hold down the power button, see the lights, check the watch… yep, there it is. I’m not sure that’s worth it, however. whomp-whomp
The dream of the perfect HRM is still just a dream.
Hi Ray,
I bought this to go with my Garmin 620 earlier in the year for 2 reasons – the HRM strap was piercing my skin and i was getting the high spikes up to 1km even though i had wet the strap etc ….unfortunately i have been having the same issue with the Scosche so decided to go back to the HRM strap (as it is slightly lesser of the 2 evils) but keep getting an alert saying HR monitor must be worn to connect even though i have it on…can you advise please if i need to replace the battery on the Garmin HRM or is there something i have done incorrectly….Thanks
Did you remember to pair the Garmin strap again with the 620? The 620 can only store one paired HR monitor, each time you switch strap you have to re-pair…
in your testing what app did you use for your iphone ?
I use Wahoo Fitness to capture the data, and then used Excel to compare.
Ray,
Can you please update the review. I bought two of these units and they both do not work with my Suunto Ambit3R or the wife’s brand new Garmin. I am in the process of locating a ios device to downgrade the firmware. This is apparently a known problem after combing through the comments section yet every review on the market does not mention this problem which is strange for a device that has been on the market for this long.
I was interested in upgrading the firmware for my Rhythm + so I emailed Scosche. They were very responsive. I didn’t upgrade mine. Newer firmware may have issues with some newer Ant devices but it is usually because of the devices. Scosche is likely to be be a big help. I would suggest you get in touch with them.
I’d agree with Alab. The challenge isn’t the Scosche – it’s manufactures screwing with their firmware (breaking standards) causing Scosche to keep having to adjust. Which, they’re doing an awesome job of.
The only Garmin unit I’m aware of that requires the firmware downgrade for compatibility is the older FR410 (introduced 5 years ago). So it’s a fair bit of an outlier. Everything else is good.
I have an older model, the 310XT, are you aware of any issues between the Scosche RHYTHM+ and the Garmin 310XT (using ANT+)?
Thanks in advance.
No issues there.
Anyone know if there is a way to show battery level or does one just have to guess based on usage?
You can download an app called Fitness Utility to a smartphone. The battery data is shown there. Not exactly a pretty app but it serves the purpose.
Thanks. Got it. As you said, certainly isn’t user friendly, but it works. Also told me what version of firmware I have (2.6).
When you say you can download “Fitness Utility” to a smartphone, are you just talking about iPhone? I see it in Apple store but not for android.
I downloaded to an iPhone. Weird that they wouldn’t have it for android.
So is the Rhythm+ OTA firmware updateable? If yes then the comparison chart will need updating Ray!
I just borrowed my daughters iPad and downloaded the utility and it says firmware revision 2.6.
Is that the latest? Any reason to upgrade if not?
Really impressed with their support. I had an issue with one of my straps with the fabric separating from the backing. I emailed them and within 49 mins they had responded and requested a photo of the issue. 10 mins after the photo was sent I had confirmation that a replacement strap was being sent to me in the UK from the states.
I am a very happy user of the Rhythm + band.
Similar experience for me. I have found that the Velcro on the strap is starting to fail and doesn’t ‘stick’ well any more. Within an hour of my email there was another in the post to me in the UK. The replacement is better, but I’ve just ordered some elastic from ebay and am going to have a go at stitching my own band of fixed size. I find that long sleeves can knock the band off – so aiming to solve this DIY style.
gingerneil: I’m interested in your DIY project. My skin gets irritated by the Velcro sides… Can you let us know how you did it and whether it worked well?
Sure will. 🙂
Should get the ebay elastic in time to have a go over the weekend.
Here you go. 1.25″ black elastic from eBay, stitcher with normal thread. It’s very comfortable as the elastic is soft. It’s stretched about 50% when on, so enough pressure on my arm to mimic the standard strap. The rhythm obviously works fine, but I’ll need to test it on a run. Certainly looking good though, and I know it’ll stay in place – assuming my sewing powers are up to it! 🙂
thank you!
Ok so far I like my scosche pretty well. However I have noticed a problem. I’ve been wearing it on my upper arm and it works pretty well for the most part. But it seems like almost every run there is one time where it stops working for like 1-1.5 minutes and then it starts working again. My heart rate goes from like 160 to only 70 and then it goes back to 160 after a minute or so. I’ve seen it do this on both Bluetooth and ant+. Has anyone ever seen something like this? Should I try to exchange it for a new one?
Thanks!
Hi Ray
Compare with mio link, which one do you like better? thanks in advance for your advice!
Ray has stated many times that the Scosche is his ‘go-to’ heart rate strap and uses it for most of his activities. I take from this that he would recommend it above the Mio.
One thing I would add is a fundamental difference between the two: the Scosche requires a nearby smartphone while the Mio products give real-time feedback and store data on the wristband. From reading here though, I realize I seem to be the only person who doesn’t use an Android or iPhone.
Also note that Mio has just announced a new product ,the Mio Slice, which will not be released for a few months.
It depends on which mio product you are talking about. I had a Link – with no memory or display. I pair my Rhythm with my garmin Fenix 3 – so don’t use it with a smartphone either.
My mistake. You were talking about the Mio Link which does not have a display. I was thinking of the Fuse and Alpha 2.
thank you gingerneil~
i thought i’ve read ray’s review very carefully. i even read hundreds of comments. sorry that i still missed that point.
Scosche is also my choice over mio link after my research last night. now the final decision i need to make is that whether i purchase rhythm right now or wait until garmin 235 become more stable and release in my country.
you are right, Johnny Row.
mio link is different from fuse. it doesn’t restore any data.
it’s just a sensor. very similar to rhythm.
I recently got the scosche from CT rather than the 235 specifically because of the weather. I’m in New Jersey, USA, getting ready to go out for a morning run (it’s 6:30am, I’m waiting for the sun to come up a bit more before heading out). It’s 14 degrees F. My scosche is inside 2 layers of clothes on my upper arm, my watch is fastened on top of my clothes so I can see it. I’m thinking about getting the FR230 but I’m not interested in the 235 since it’ll need to be buried inside several layers for part of the year. Just a consideration.
good luck
finanlly, i decide to get a scocshe + vivoactive.
tired of long wait for stability patches and delayed release on my local market.
thanks to Ray’s reviews, i found scocshe + vivoactive is a good alternative option.
Sonic, I agree with gingerneil. If you would take the time to read Ray’s excellent review (I suppose that’s what you’re here fore?), it would be obvious to you…
I keep wondering why “Scosche” is not listed under the “Product Reviews” drop-down menu. I requires going to the keyword search box and typing in Scosche correctly. I wonder if that is keeping some from finding this review.
Has anyone tried to check whether the Scosche sensor transmits within 100ft distance from the other device? They state it on the packaging and website. And if so, are there any problems, mainly if I am moving fast? I wonder whether I could use it, e.g., for floorball in rink without watch on the wrist (which I would leave behind boards).
Thanks.
Hi – did you try this? Did it work? If so was it bluetooth or ANT+. Cheers
Hi Ray,
I bought the scosche rhythm Plus because I am uncomfortable with chest strap heart monitors and I broke out in a rash from the fitbit surge. I manly want to use it with my beachbody videos like insanity, p90x and body beast. What is a good app to download that shows constant heart rate and calorie burn? I have htc one max and its adroid of course. Thank you for your review too.
hi Ken,
i just bought a rhythm+ and tried many apps.
you may want to try wahoo fitness.
you can track your activity with wahoo then sync data to garmin connect.
that’s the best combination i found.
only one thing bother me, the audio notification seems not work.
that’s really wired, b/c i didn’t find any other complain same issue as mine.
I have tried the Scosche for 3 weeks now and wherever I wear it (lower arm inside, lower arm up, upper arm, pulse… I get no consistent readings. It will suddenly jump to 190+ and as suddenly fall to 85 in whichever situation. So for me, definitely not worth the investment and back to the HR strap
It’s a good review but misses sprints, I bought the monitor after this review and realised it doesn’t pick up HR during really fast sprints (100m) , this might be because arms are moving really fast as well ?
Weird, I (and many others) do sprints all the time without any issue (you’ll see a slight delay, though you’ll also see that on any HR strap for 100m sprints, due to HR being a lagging indicator on sprints). I’d try moving it to a slightly different spot.
I too notice some lag and dropouts with the Rhythm +. I like it, but it does seem touchier than a chest strap. YMMV.
Regarding interval workouts, any HRM is going to show some lag. It simply takes a bit for HR to catch up to effort. This is one of the advantages of power meters, which instantaneously reflect effort– at least in my understanding (I’ve never used one).
You lost XXX (runners) users in Orlando due to the iPhone change over due to bad communication, no customer service follow up and a poorly ran 20% program for when customers call in complaining about their heart rates monitors not compatible any longer. Take the lose and don’t pass it onto consumers who have been with you for decades
Paste-fail much?
Tips for proper spamming:
A) Ensure you don’t leave XXX in your post.
B) Ensure you’re actually posting in the right spot, I don’t work for Scosche
C) Ensure you’re actually posting in the right spot part 2: This review is about the Rhythm+, what you have is not.
D) Ensure whatever the heck you’re saying actually makes sense in some language that matches the site (English as it is here). As I’m honestly not sure what you’re saying.
Cheers, and better luck in future spamming.
your picture is the original Rhythm, not the Rhythm plus. Maybe that’s why you have so many concerns and issues.
+1
i just got my scosche rhythm+ and had one run (10km) with it (paired with Ambi2). worked like a charm! i was smilling out of joy of not having a chest strap around me:). i wonder about the placement though – while dry testing it at home i tried it in various places on my arm and it worked fine on my upper forearm (inside and outside), near my wrist, etc. so i ended up placing the sensor on the inside near my wrist, just a couple of centimetres above my watch. the optical sensor was pointed at those veins that are clearly visible on the inside of (i assume) almost anyone’s wrist. so my question – does it necessary have to be placed on the upper forearm as advised by Scosche? would my data be incorrect if i placed it near my wrist? i looked at the uploaded data of my run on movescount.com and there were no spikes or dropouts. thanks for your answers
I find it depends on the weather. I can get dropouts in the cold if I wear the Rhythm near the wrist. I prefer to have it on my upper arm – quite high up on the inside of the bicep.
I’d agree with Ginger.
For many folks, it’ll work fine, but it’s also a slightly more temperamental location than further up.,
today i experienced those “temperamental” issues… ran again with Ambit2 and Scosche Rhythm+ placed near my wrist, and also used Polar RC3 GPS with a chest strap. while I ran, the heart rate on both devices was almost the same for the most of the run (+/- 1-2bpm for 90% of the run). at the very beginning of the run though, Ambit jumped to around 170ish while Polar was showing in the 140s. also, on a little uphill, Ambit was showing about 10bpm higher rate. at the end, after my 9km run both devices showed the same average heart rate of 153 bpm. good enough for my purposes!
however, after the run, i went to do some upper body workout (chin ups, push ups, dips, etc). and that’s when Ambit2 & Scosche combo lost the plot. while Polar would show my HR around 130bpm after a set of 10 chin ups (pull ups?), Ambit2 would show around 100bpm. after 30-60secs Ambit would catch up to Polar to around 105-110bpm level. and same repeated after every single set. unfortunately, i couldn’t move the Scosche up to my upper forearm because I was using the shorter strap. Avg rate after this workout was 105bpm on Ambit2 and 103 on Polar.
next time will try Scosche on my upper forearm and see how it handles the upper body workout part.
sorry for the long post to whoever managed to read it:)
Andy, try the scosche up above bicep, almost under the arm pit….
As you’d expect this cursed my run yesterday! Wore the rhythm in freezing weather on my upper arm, and at the start of the run it picked up my cadence not hr. Quick reset sorted that. link to sporttracks.mobi
I just bought it but can’t pair it with mu suunto ambit 2s
I have a suunto ambit 2s and just bought the rhydhm+ firware 2.6 but I can’t pair it with my watch…. any help please?
Hi Ralo – please don’t post under multiple usernames (as you did). It makes it appear that more than one person has a problem, when they don’t.
In your case, with the Suunto Ambit series, it’s often very finicky for pairing to new devices. The trick to it is to place both the watch and Scosche right next to each other (rubbing), and then attempt to pair. You’ll likely need to retry. Sometimes you’ll have to retry 5 times, sometimes 15 times, but eventually it will find it/take.
Once it’s paired once, you’re good to go forever. Note this has nothing to do with the Scosche, but rather just a weird pairing quirk on the Ambit.
I can confirm this. I have an ambit 2s and the scosche since April. It didn’t even had the pairing problem Ray has just mentioned. And I never have had any issue with the combo. Very happy with the performance.
Sorry for the double post.
I tried that for two hours yesterday without results. I guess I will keep trying today to see if I can pair it.
Hi Ray
I can Not find how large is the band. I am wondering if it could be used with the fenix 3 substituting the nylon band when needed…
Thanks in advance
Laurent
Hi All…
I bought a Scoschi Rhythm+ and have used it a few times. This morning I would see the LED sometimes flashing blue, sometimes purple. From reading what passes as the “manual” it seems different colors denote different heart rate zones. But how are these zones created?
Also, the device seems to behave differently than the manual says it should. For example, after a long period of charging, the LED was off as opposed to solid blue.
I have also seen people here refer to an app, but I have hunted and just can’t find it. I wanted it because I thought it might let me set HR zones and see what firmware version I have.
Any help would be appreciated, thank you!
The app is called Fitness Utility. I believe it’s only available for IOS.
So… If I don’t have an iPhone I’m out of luck?
You could try calling Scosche customer service and see what they can tell you.
They said that I need to use another app like the Wahoo Fitness app. I explained that I wanted to set the HR zones in the device, so the LED would blink appropriate colors depending upon what HR zone I’m in, so I can use it without an app.
The guy seemed confused by that, and frankly was rather short with me. It seemed his priority was getting me off the phone. He said something like “the rhythm+ is just a heart rate monitor.”
Anyhow, last night a friend of mine with an iPhone 5 downloaded the app, connected to the HR monitor okay, but was unable to get any settings from, or send any settings to, the HR monitor.
The Rhythm+ is a nice product, but the documentation and support is useless.
I’m confused by this. There were some previous comments about this “feature.” I got mine about a month ago. There is no different color blinking based on HR, nor does the documentation refer to any such feature. According to the Fitness Utility app, I’m running the latest firmware.
In any event, I don’t see much utility in this “feature.” Zones are too broad and nonspecific. IMO, if you’re going to use a precision tool like a HRM to guide training, you need to use the actual numbers.
So you never see your device switch its LED color from blue, to purple, to red as you workout? I see that.
What’s the current firmware version number? With my daughter’s iPhone 6 I was able to get it to say that it’s rev 2.6. Also, I was able to put in my gender and weight, which may impact the calorie burn data.
I’m running 2.6. I don’t see the color change, but frankly dont look for it. I use the device simply as a HRM to broadcast to my Garmin Vivoactive or other smartphone apps, not as a standalone device. I see now looking at the app, there is an area enter some heart zone info (under the commands tab). I got the app simply to get battery status and firmware version. I may do some playing with it, but I don’t want it to conflict with Vivoactive settings.
Jim, the changes in color are probably due to either pairing mode or communication mode i.e. its sending data to the “paired” device. The Sosche is simply capturing HR data. The application that is “receiving” the HR data or other paired device is where you would create your HR zones. This is no different than with any other device; chest, optical, speed, cadence. You would create your zones in your paired device or app. For example, I create sport specific HR zones (sport specific because a runner might not have the same zones for biking, etc) in Polar Flow then “sync” those zones to my device M400. I then select my sport on the watch and the HR monitor sends the data to the watch and the sport identifies the zone – not the HR monitor itself. Hope this makes sense.
Could anyone advice me on whether I should pair the Scosche to my Samsung S5 (using the Wahoo app) via bluetooth or ANT+. My phone will let me do both but which is best? E.g which is best for battery consumption? Which “travels” the furthest? I may want to do an indoor exercise class but have my phone not directly on me but a distance away. Would it connect better to my phone remotely via ANT+ or bluetooth?
Thanks in advance for your time.
My phone has only BLE (bluetooth). Pairing my Schosche to the Wahoo app on that phone has been totally unsatisfactory. Yesterday I was walking on a treadmill with the phone within 2 feet of the Schosche on my arm and it kept losing the signal, then picking it up again, sometimes multiple times a minute. I will give it one more try, making sure my Rhythm+ and phone are fully charged but I wouldn’t think that would matter. But apparently others are not having the same problem or nobody would like it. Or maybe most here are pairing it to ANT+ on running watches and that works better.
Generally speaking I see better long-distance connectivity over ANT+ vs BLE. But it really comes down to how each company implements the antenna portion and the power aspects (some companies choose to increase broadcast power).
For the Scosche specifically, I virtually always see better performance on ANT+ (never see distance dropouts), whereas on BLE, I occasionally see distance-based drop-outs for non-normal scenarios (i.e. me placing a unit in my back pocket, etc…).
Note however that my specific Scosche unit is about 20 months old now, so it’s possible hardware has changed/improved.
Thanks – it seems that I would be better with ANT+ then. Thanks. I’ll give that a try.
Oh no – that doesn’t sound good. I’ll try with ANT+ first then and see how it goes.
Looking to replace my old but reliable Timex with something new and am really drawn to the Scosche but I’m wondering if anyone has used it to track hr for HIIT workouts? Is it just as reliable then as it is for running or cycling?
TIA 🙂
I do a Spartacus workout and have compared the Scosche with the Polar H7. With either of these you would also need a watch like the Polar A300 or Polar Loop to record the workout. Or a smartphone App. Or some other Garmin if you use the Scosche/Ant plus transmission. The Scosche is pretty close to chest strap. Probably good enough for most folks. Remember though, that it involves something else to keep charged. The chest straps, at least most of them, have a battery that lasts for a year or more without anything else to worry about charging.
Thanks Alan for the info. I’ve finally decided on the Garmin 230 for my new watch and think I’m just going to go with chest strap bundle and give that a go for starters. Since my workouts are all different I don’t think this arm band would be a good fit since my arms are always moving, flexing, pushing, pulling etc.
I have an issue with it not connecting to my Garmin watch for the whole time of my activity? A simple walk seems ok but anything more active (keep fit for example) and it drops in and out of connection and flashes purple – even then going to red sometimes?
Hmm, that’s not normal. It’s very rare (almost unheard of) to get ANT+ signal dropouts with the Scosche. I’d ring up Scosche and have them swap it out. 🙁
As you can see from the comments here, they’re super quick on that stuff, so it should be easy.
I’ve also had problems with spikes and dropouts with more strenuous activity. In fact, I stared using my old Polar and chest strap to monitor what the Rhythm+ is showing on my vivoactive. Kind of defeats the purpose. 🙁 When it works, I love it, but I’m getting leery of trusting it.
Hi Ray
Having disappointed with the optical sensor that comes with Garmin 235. I have used Scosche Rhythm + with 620 which gave steady and accurate HR measurement. Just wonder if Scosche Rhythm + supports the workout data of both 235 and 620, such as VoMAX, recovery advisor? I found these data are still produced on 620 after workout but Scosche Rhythm + does not support HR variablity, right? I am bit confused here. Is the sensor comes with 235 is different in technology?
Technically yes, but I’d be cautious on trusting it. In theory those depend on RR intervals (which optical can’t properly do right now), though it’s somewhat a mystery to me how Garmin does it on the optical sensor with Elevate.
Hi Ray
A quick question about recovery accuracy and hardware choice:
If you are trying to record HR on M450 with a Suunto Smart strap (or vice versa- using Suunto watch and H7 strap), will the recovery and VO2 estimation data will be as accurate as when using same products from the same company?
Sorry if this question is not directly related to optical sensors…
Thanks!
If you take out optical HR sensors, then generally they’re all pretty equal. There are some minor variations – but rarely enough to matter. For example, on the ANT+ side, virtually all of the straps are made by the same entity/factory, and just branded differently.
Thanks for your super quick reply.
This question comes after I found out M450 won’t accept Suunto strap for recovery test. Scosche rhythm, I can understand, but why would Polar block non-Polar BT chest straps (if, as you say, they all provide RR data)?
I do not have much experience with HRM so I don’t know if the behavior I’m observing is expected. I just bought the rhythm plus and have been doing dry runs at home. When I’m seated it’s capturing my HR correctly. However, when I stand up and walk to the other side of the room, it’s showing my HR going from 60 to 85 or 90. Is this normal? Will it be working well during the runs?
Sounds fairly normal to me. HR will go up when you change from rest to moving around, It should work during runs.
Hi Ray and all,
I expect HR will be logged into Fenix 3 during swimming. Does Fenix 3 show HR on display continuously during activity? Thanks for confirmation.
Jarda
Hey Ray!
I’m also interested to know that.
If the HR shows up in real time, does it do so for both the Pool Swim and Open Water apps in the Garmin fénix 3?
What about post-activity data? Is it viewable second-by-second in the Garmin Connect after the workout?
What about the MIO Link? Does the data show up in real time, too? Does post-activity second-by-second data work in the Garmin Connect, as well?
Thanks!
I upgraded from the Forerunner 405 to the 220, and I love the new one. I still hate the chest strap though. I was going to sell mine and get a 225, but I like how the 235 can broadcast HR to my Edge. I don’t like the $330 price tag though. So I decided to try the Scosche.
If you order from the manufacturer’s site, you can use the coupon code Sco30 to get 30% off. Also, if you make an account and login, you can get free UPS ground shipping. That brings the total price down to $56. Score!
Hello,
I bought the Scosche RHYTHM+ after reading this review a couple of months back. i have been fairly happy with it, but i have to say that i am noticing some spikes in heart rate i don’t understand. It consistently records higher than normal heart rates and peak heart-rates, it is also affected by my arm movement (or at least i think it is). everyone is praising it, and i love that i ditched my HRM strap, but the inconsistency is really bugging me. on of my last run, it recorded my max heart rate at 220 which is BS – considering that i am 40 years old, and that my Garmin HRM-run records my max at around 175ish. where is the accuracy everyone is talking about? and how i can i trouble-shoot this thing? there is no forum for the manufacturer to ask questions or read other user reviews. i am placing it on my forearm as recommended by Scosche. i am guessing that external light gets in somehow and affects the readings… i have been adjusting it, moving it to different locations, but with no improvement. i think it is always over exaggerating my heart rate.. so frustrated with this…anyone have any recommendations? thanks for the great website and reviews – much appreciated!
Ray Maker, I am not. But I own and use this. There aren’t any settings or ways to tweak this device. There is a clear plastic removable screen cover that was stuck to the LED lights on mine. It easily peels off. Please be sure that you have removed it. Other than charging, not much else to do. It is nicely designed to stay put and push into your flesh enough to avoid light leakage. I use the larger strap. The best spot seems to be along the inside of my arm, pretty close to the “funny bone” area, between my elbow and wrist but about a third of the way toward the wrist. Near there is a flat spot without much arm hair. Haha. Even if I do push ups and such, it stays fairly accurate. I think some wear it on the inside of the bicep area, too. These optical things can be affected by your racially determined skin color, but this one is supposed to be less susceptible to that. Hope this helps.
Anyone want to guess which of these graphs is from the Scosche and from a traditional chest monitor? These are high intensity 6 and 8 minute pieces on a rowing erg.
Louis
Should have read, “high intensity 8x and 6x 1 minute pieces.” 🙂
I wonder if the graph would look better if you placed it on your leg? Your arms are moving around so much with rowing, I’m not surprised that it messes with the sensor.
I don’t know about that. Legs are moving just as much as arms. Maybe I should try the forehead location but everyone would look at me like I was nuts … and they’d probably be right. 🙂
Anyone tried charging the rhythm+ while using it? The battery won’t last for an ultra marathon. It will charge fine by taping usb output wires to the charging pins, and the device will operate fine while plugged in. Not sure if it will charge at the same time, or if I’ll damage the battery!?
I wouldn’t try that hack .The wires probably will affect the required skin contact. Why not buy another one? If they last 8-9 hours each, you could track for 16-18 hours. After that you will be so exhausted you’ll need those batteries to jump start your left ventricle.
I’ve tried the placement with the wires in place, and it picks up the heart rate fine. The wires are tiny, and held well, so I don’t think they’ll be a problem. However… I’m wondering if I’d just be better off charging it with it off. It charges quickly anyway, and would likely be full again, or at least mostly, in 30 mins or so. I’ll have a USB phone charger in my pack, so the scosche cradle wouldn’t be too much extra.
I’ve had the SR+ since Xmas. My original comment above mentioned spikes early on in each session. Since then, I updated the firmware and I always wear it on my bicep, with the lit part of the unit shining on the lower inside. Spikes are rare now and I’m happy.
I completed a 6.5 hour ride today and it lasted for the entire event without being fully charged beforehand. (Maybe 90%? I forgot to check before I headed out.)
No more chest straps for me.
Great review, own ambit 3 and epix and needed something to do both good to give the arm ones a shot also racing with it this arvo
Hi Ray
I recently received an FR 230 for my birthday and I’m extremely happy with it. However, I’ve always wanted the ability to track HR so my plan is to eventually purchase a monitor. Seems to me that the Scosche Rhythm+ is a pretty good option.
My question is, do you know if they are going to release an upgrade any time soon? Looking at past releases they appear to be on a quasi 2 year release cycle. I’m not sure what they would/could improve (apart from battery life) but if an update is in the mix, I’d prefer to wait and see.
Do you have any thoughts on the matter? Or does any one else have any idea?
Thanks
Greg
Back at CES in January they noted they didn’t have anything coming up anytime soon.
Have they fixed the HRV data issue yet so that you can get a more accurate VO2 max and recovery time estimate?
No real changes there – the industry isn’t quite ready on that front yet.
Guess I’ll start the search for the best deal then. No need to wait around. Thanks for getting back to me.
Greg
If the code is still active, the best deal is to use the SCO30 code on the scosche website to ge 30%off and free shipping.
Code is still active as of a few minutes ago. Thanks!
I’ve just read this review and I have an issue.
Buying a new FR235 with optical HR or buy this Scosche Rhythm for my forerunner 410 hRM.
The HR strap from the 410 isn’t really that good, and I want something new.
Is the optical HR good enough, because the optical HR from the FR235 isn’t that good when you go for some intervaltrainings.
may be the best optical HR.
an HIIT test here, comparison between HR strap & Scosche.
Good review 🙂 this along with the over 1000 comments convinced me to buy one from Clever Training.
I received my unit yesterday and tested it (Android Polar Beat with Rhythm+) along side my trusty Polar F11 (with chest strap). I wore the Rhythm+ around the inside forearm area.
My hour session is a mix of cardio and strength training. HR comparison during cardio was very similar but during strength training wasn’t consistent. The worst being during hamstring curls my HR fell to around ~40% while the F11 showed ~66%. I tried moving and retightening the R+ but it didn’t help.
Tracked accurately during:
bench press and leg extensions.
Pull ups and dips will ramp up your HR quickly. R+ can’t keep up and catches up after 10s.
Session summary (61 minutes):
Polar F11
HR avg: 130bpm
HR max: 163bpm
Rhythm+
HR avg: 116bpm (12% less)
HR max: 162bpm
I’m going to experiment with the placement of the R+ (as recommended here) but is there anything else one can do to help the R+ improve?
I’m on firmware version 2.6. Have there been any firmware updates released?
Thanks for this nice review. I just got the Fenix 3 and one feature I need is ultra long recording for 100 mile trail runs which can take me the entire 36 hrs. I plan on using charging the F3 ‘on the go’. On a really long ultra even small irritants can be annoying and chest straps can be irritating. They either become uncomfortable or slide down.
Thus, my interest in an alternate HR monitoring scheme. However, this optical HRM apparently only might run for 8 hrs or so on a charge.
Do you have any HR alternatives to the chest strap that might last 36+ hrs? I realize there is an F3 with optical HRM on the watch but I think those are not so accurate or functional for an ultra, particularly when I may be wearing it over a light clothing layer.
Regards,
David
Something like the Mio Link and Mio Alpha get a bit better battery.
And technically, the Mio Link pod pops out, so you could (money aside) buy two of them, and the pod is about 1.5x the size of a Jolly Rancher, so you could just toss it in a pocket on a CamelBak and switch when needed (the Fenix3 can remember both sensors).
I’m having similar thought, but for a 100km not a 100 miles!! I’m considering just charging the rhythm half way through – it charges pretty quickly and should be ready to go again in less than an hour. I’ll likely not be running by heart rate, so a gap in the data will just be frustrating, rather than an issue. Or I may buy a second, then we’ll on afterwards ..
HIIT test, just awesome.
Hi, just out of interest, what software are you using to log both sensors at the same time and produce that graph?
That image there is from MyGPSFiles.com – handy little tool.
Ray – was just getting ready to buy a new HR strap for my Garmin(s)… and saw this. I have a Garmin 800 (soon to be replaced by a 520) and a Fenix2. I assume it will work with both. Any problem with it working properly while mountain biking? Also in the comparison chart states no analog to support gym equipment?. The spin bike I use pairs with a Polar HR strap, will this work? Keep up the good work.
The Polar straps transmit a 5ghz analog signal that shows up on most gym equipment. Other signals like Ant+ and Bluetooth Smart like the Scosche uses will not show up on the gym equipment. But if you are bringing your garmin you should be able to see your heart rate on that. That’s why I like the Polar H7.
Hello Ray.
Does Scosche RHYTHM+ works with Suunto mobile movescount app?
Hi,
I am wanting to do some comparison graphs of my Mio Link and Suunto SmartStrap HRM sensors.
The Suunto is BLE only, and the Mio both BLE and ANT+
I was wondering what software/hardware you would recommend for logging the data from both sensors simultaneously? In the text you mention using a WASP hardware unit (presumably the WiFi one), but it’s probably more than I need for my purposes
Ideally I would be like smartphone app that would support logging from both sensors at once. (I believe my Sony Z3 can do ANT as well as BLE so that may help).
I don’t necessarily need a fancy interface, if it can export something that I can put into a spreadsheet for comparison that would be fine.
Rgds
Could you test yours for minimum HR… Mine will not read below 42. It just reads 42 if I go below that (1 minute manual test showed 37 yet Rythem still never showed below 42. I do have an email in to Scosche about it…
Hi John,
I have exactly the same issue, I had a Mio Link which showed my resting HR to regularly be 38, since getting the scosche mine has never read lower than 42.
Please share what scosche say!
+1 to this as well. I did a test at the weekend and it was reading 42/43 – but I didn’t do a manual test. Interested to hear what Scosche say on this.
Hello John,
As fas as I remember, this topic has already been discussed here. The SR+ has been designed to monitor activity, and not resting or non-activity. The person from Scosche mentioned that you could tweak this using the tool on IOS or Android (only one if capabable if I’m correct). But this is not the original goal of the tool.
I’ve been finding that my Scosche is reading my HR much higher when I run. It’s certainly possible that my HR is higher. I have recently changed my cadence from around 150-165 spm to 175-195 spm. I guess the thing to do would be to try a run with the new cadence and my old HRM.
Also, I’ve been wearing the scosche on my forearm, just above my wrist, using the small strap.
I purchased one of these about a month ago, and I really wanted it to work. I just don’t find that it’s consistent enough though.
Pros: It connects really quickly.
Cons: The band should be elastic. It always feels too tight or too loose.
It seems to be reporting my HR too high. I get spikes up to 198. It frequently tells me that my HR is around 10-20 bpm too high.
I wear it above my wrist. This might not be the most ideal location for accuracy, but it is the most comfortable.
I think I’m going to try the Wahoo Tickr.
But your not wearing it in the right place. It’s not designed to be worn at the wrist. It should be worn either close to the elbow, of further up on your upper arm.
It’s not my wrist. It’s the center of my forearm, halfway between my wrist and my elbow. If I wear it higher up on my forearm, it slips down. If I wear it on my bicep, it’s uncomfortable, because it’s either too tight or too loose.
I posted earlier (I can’t find my comment to post under it) this is a follow up.
I stated that I could not get a resting HR under 42.
I contacted Scosche and they confirmed that the unit has a built in minimum of 42 due to methodology reasons. This is their response:
“John,
unfortunately 42 is the lowest number the rhythm+ will read, as it works on optical sensors mainly upon blood flow.
more pressure/ higher bpm the better the read.
Kind regards,
Damon McGuire
Cheers John, I had the same response. I want to use it mostly for morning resting HR! So am going to have to look for something else.
Ray, in case you read these could you comment if the mio link will display a 35 ish resting HR? Perhaps something to add to the various reviews/ overview table?
Hi Ray
I bought one of these arm bands and am still a bit unsure of it. I had a Garmin chest strap before and that seemed very unreliable – in one spin class where I was expecting 170 BPM I only got to 130.
Anyway. The Scosche just seems slow to update. Take a look at this video:
link to youtu.be
I’ve just had a 900 watt sprint up a hill at this point (1m17s) so am a bit tired and am expecting a high HR. It’s only 110 then climbs whilst I am resting and recovering. Is that actually what my HR is doing or is that the Scosche catching up.
On another note whilst I am here on that video there are some pretty weird blurry / shaky artefacts. I think that is because I had just turned on stabilisation or something on the Virb XE. There seem to be 2 settings that relate to image stabilisation. I turned both on and am not happy with the result. Did you ever see that?
Thanks
Giles – I sometimes get the HR spike thing with mine. Sprint up a hill and it doesn’t respond. Back off and the HR reading spikes. My perception is that it is highly dependant on where you wear the sensor. Placed on top of muscles that you start pumping when standing and sprinting, it struggles to read accurately. Upper forearm and wrist locations do this for me. I find the outside of the upper arm, just above the elbow, to be the most reliable.
Giles/Matty – If you’re connected live via BLE, the Rhythm+ usually has a delay of about 30-45 seconds from what I’ve tested. I haven’t tested Ant+ for the delay.
I believe this has something to do with the higher sampling rate (versus other optical HR sensors) and likely an on-chip averaging/smoothing algorithm, so it’s not pushing instant updates to the recording device (phone/etc.), but rather putting them in a buffer before sending them on. Might be a battery saving measure or a limitation of the SoC they’re using. I haven’t taken mine apart, but I assume they aren’t using a very fast processor.
Just bought this from CT for the 10% discount. Replacing a TICRX that is kinda… wonky… when used with TrainerRoad.
Thanks for all your reviews!
I’d like to stress that if you’re getting seemingly inaccurate HR data, find a stationary trainer (I used a concept 2 rowing ergo and an old gym-style resistance bike) and simply move it around your arm until you find somewhere that looks to give accurate data. I did this by doing 1 min sprints and tracking in real time how quickly the HR increased and if it hit the numbers I thought it should be going up to. I was struggling to get accurate data (150 max HR doing up a really, really steep hill max effort as a 21yo) and spent maybe 30 mins moving it around my arm and found over the outside of my upper arm worked best for me in one specific spot.
Tomorrow I’m going for a ride outside to check it’s all working fine and dandy there too! Have to say it’s super comfy and you do forget it’s there.
Very powerful HR device, a comparison with HR strap…
Couple of quick comments
I’ve only recently bought one of these (based on Rays reviews)
some are asking about locating Firmware ver. Wahoo fitness app (ios ) will give that info. The Android version doesn’t appear to….
I’ve only done this once, checked my HR overnight, and i got multiple readings of 41 on the graph CSV data that i exported (so the 42 lowest capable reading is a bit ?????)
I don’t always want to map my rides running etc, and if i don’t want to use GPS I use an Android app Cardio Training , many apps require GPS to be on to even get started… You can set training zones, and voice messages when in and out of zones etc..
Very happy with device ver 2.6 never had single dropout Bluetooth (very sticky, this is going to be partially determine by receiving device, but I don’t think there’s any issues from Scoche’s end.)
Ok just found out that the iOS app “Fitness Utility” (by SCOSCHE apparently, and mentioned above THANKS!!) will update your firmware, if you connect your device, mine updated from 2.6 to now 2.62,
I’m impressed, as long as it hasn’t stuffed the device,, I’ve only spent 2 mins with the app but it appears to detect the location of device too (wrist/arm etc???) Which is kind of interesting.
As Ray has said in his podcast re PC*s If you don’t have one you could ask a friend with one iOS device, to use the app for few minutes…..
I did it on iPad with the phone app, it works on both, but released for phone…
I downloaded the app too my iPad. When I click Start next to Firmware Update, the progress bar under Remove Stored Device immediately starts and the background color rotates but it isn’t making progress after several minutes. Am I doing something wrong? What’s the full steps to get the latest firmware?
Hi,
Look I stumbled on this app, (via this thread) and was surprised to find this option. I pushed the “update firmware” button the immediate response was,a blue progress bar which completed, and a message asking me to (“recycle” I think, my scosche , effectively reboot…. Which I did, turned it off and then on again. and was surprised to find, device had gone from 2.60 to 2.62.
The surprise was it was just so easy. I’m using iPad mini 4, 9.3.
Sorry I can’t advise much more than that, but if you have any more questions I’m happy to try and help. Possibly try again,I understand that scosche are very helpful, I’m sure if you messed up the firmware using their app they’d fix it.
I’m finding the app quite useful to check battery level.
Actually, if your scosche is still on previous firmware, and if it’s still being “read” by the app, Then I’d try again. Recollections can be deceptive doing something for first time but it did take a few minutes, seemed like a while, to complete, no more than 10 mins though.
Turns out that I am on version 2.4 and you must be on version 2.5 of greater to upgrade your Rhythm+ yourself (through the app).
Wonder if we could send ours in to them so they could update it, and we can then update it on our own after.
Please, what is the app for android?
Hi Ray,
I have an urgent question for you:
Recently, I got a scosche rhythm+ which works fine with my Samsung Galaxy. However, this weekend I’m running the Hannover half marathon and I also want to connect it with my Garmin Forerunner 410, which fails. Originally, the FR 410 was paired with the original HR strap that came along with the FR. When I try to scan for a new HRM under the ant+ settings, it doesn’t find my Scosche.
Do you have any idea, how to solve my problem? Thanks in advance and cheers!
Lars
See this post: link to dcrainmaker.com
Hello. I buy one and i use one time . After I put t charge. First, any light on. Next, the Rhythm+ He did not work anymore. Can anyone help me, because now I’m in Brazil with him and here is not supported
For those looking to buy one of the Scosche Rythm+ in UK/EU, I received mine this week from the new Clever Training UK website (unsurprisingly at http://www.clevertraining.co.uk ). Many thanks to them, and Ray for the discount code; probably best price in UK once you apply the 10% DCR discount and normal postage costs.
Anyway, I’ll be using this with my Fenix 3 for those occasions (running races mainly) where I’ve been getting increasingly annoyed with any type of HR chest strap falling down (I’ve tried multiple strap manufacturers). In line with Ray’s review and other comments, I’ve already noted on a test run that some of the HRV reliant features on the Fenix 3 do get updated by the Scosche (Lactate Threshold, Recovery Advisor, Training Effect and Stress Score; but not Performance Condition). The LTHR in particular was in alignment with previous figures calculated using the HRM Run strap; but more generally I’ll treat these metrics with a pinch of salt when calculated from the Rythm+. With regards to HR tracking, all was good after a brief section at the start of the run, where the Scosche locked to my cadence; but Ray does mention this phenomena in his review, so it didn’t come as a surprise to me.
All in all I’m satisfied with the performance of the Rythm+ so far, so hopefully I won’t have to use the Clever Training UK satisfaction guarantee period; but it’s good to know it’s there.
Thanks for the support Crispin!
Very inaccurate sensor, moving it few millimeters can change reading +/- 20bpm. And it’s moving itself every workout.
The one thing I hate about this is that it is far too easy to turn on accidentally, meaning that it’s usually dead when I want to use it. It would be a big improvement if they updated the firmware to make you hold down the button for a couple of seconds to power it on, rather than a quick press.
I have the unit with firmware V2.62 and it requires a 3 second press before turning on.
How to update the firmware??
There is only an IOS app called Fitness Utility, there is nothing for Android. More Android users need to ask Scoshe for an app.
I wanted to develop an Android app and have been in contact with Scosche support… still waiting on them.
Don’t hold your breath waiting, their support is not particularly good.
Strange. I don’t think there’s a single case of a bad support comment in here (some 1,300+ comments now), in fact, people are overwhelmingly happy with the support that Scosche provides.
I guess I’m the first. The first time I called I had some questions about how to set up the device with the software. I was told that the device could not do things it seems like it can and that all it does is send heart rate data. For example, in the software, it lets you set zones and it seems the color of the blinking LED will change after some zone is hit (I don’t recall exactly how its set up). After being told a few things like that I thanked the guy and let him go. Comments here were much more useful.
More recently I have been unable to get the app to upgrade. By email I was told to reset it or something by turning it off than on. No joy. They finally offered to replace it but insisted there was no need to upgrade. I didn’t want to be without it so I have not sent it back.
I’m happy with the device itself, but the app and upgrade capabilities leave much to be desired. Support probably depends upon who you get when you call.
I want to try an optical hrm. I like the idea of the Mio Fuse for the combination of hrm and display, but concerned that forearm hair and medium darker skin would make it less accurate. Would the Scosche be a better idea or should I give the fuse a try?
I have been completely unable to upgrade mine from 2.6 to 2.62. Support said I can send it back, but for now I’m not going to bother. It’s just frustrating that it won’t work. The iPhone app sees the device but issues an error each time I try the upgrade.
Try deleting the Rythym from your bluetooth profiles. When I did so, it paired up in the app right away.
Please, what is the app for android?
Thanks for such a in depth review! By far the best on the web. One issue you don’t seem to have that others have reported is some bad (high) HR at the start. I just purchased this strap and love it except I get some crazy readings 40 bpm higher then reality shortly after beginning which lasts for 3/4 of a mile. I use the bicep placement like you found best. Did you have to have your strap quite tight? My first run I had no issues but had strap very tight to the point it left a visible indent in my skin after my run. Thank again for all you do on your site.
No, I haven’t seen that. In my case I have it snug. On a hot sweaty day it might leave a mark (sorta like some watches might), but usually not overly tight.
In general with optical HR sensors is to ensure that when your first standing there at the start of a run, ensure that it shows a valid value before you begin actively running. If it isn’t tracking initially, that tends to be an issue for most optical HR sensors, in terms of finding signal again later.
Hi Ray,
Thank you for such a wonderful review!
You say that optical sensors have an issue when not acquiring properly in a run, because they pick the cadence instead, which sounds fairly logical. Have you noticed problems when the heart rate becomes close to cadence, like jumping from one to the other? It’d be an issue when doing tempos, since my HR and cadence at that pace are fairly close together.
It seems to be a better (and cheaper) option that the new Garmins. (I have a unit with GPS precision of 0,8% and accuracy of 0,3% on my km-repeats, test on tracks and roads, I don’t want to change!)
Hi Ray,
I have a question about the status LED on the Rhythm+ and how to configure it. I noticed that the LED indicator blinks with different colors (Purple, Blue, Red) during normal operation. From what I could find online (link to scosche.com), one can configure the LED to indicate in which HR zone the user is.
However, I could not find any app (iOS or Android) to configure the Rhythm+ monitor.
Do you know more about this feature and how to configure it?
Thanks,
Hey Mario,
you need to download the Rhythm+ App
This is the link for the ios app :
link to itunes.apple.com
There you can define the Zone…
And i find out that you can play/pause/skip to next song the audio player on the iphone… i like…
The HR monitor seemed to be working fine, however the strap dropped LINT badly, it went back to the store. I verified very band has the same issue.
I have used both the TomTom Cardio and Garmin FR235, and both have given me bad HRM readings (it usually gives very high readings). I’m convinced at this point that my arm size is the problem here – as much as I try to secure the watch away from my wrist, it eventually slides into the bony part.
Has anyone with the above problem have good experiences with the RHYTHM+?
Why not wear it above your bicep? That indent between you bicep and your shoulder. Has been rock solid for me ther for running, biking and indoor workouts.
Now if someone didn’t walk away with it the other week. Have to go buy a new one. So not happy.
I bought the Scosche Rythm+ back in July 2015 and it has been a love/hate story at the beginning and then, it worked ok for 75% of the time. What failed pretty much immediately was the strap that I was adjusting a lot at the beginning to get a proper reading. It completely fell apart (velcro from the rest) on its entire length. I made my own strap with some 1″25 elastic strap and that worked and but with time, it also has durability issues. I can, of course, make another one, but I noticed that Scosche seems to have a new strap design on the latest pictures where there are stitches at the of the strap and something different than the velcro used in the past: link to scosche.com
Interestingly, they also still sell the Rythm+ with the old strap: link to scosche.com
Unfortunately, they seem to only sell the old replacement strap model link to scosche.com which would be a “No Go” in my case.
For those of you who bought the Rythm+ recently, did you get the new strap with it and how does it fair?
Are we going to get the ability to buy the new strap soon?
They introduced a revised version around May of 2015. It has different (smaller) packaging with the newer firmware and improved (fixed) strapping. I believe it’s listed as Scosche Rhythm+ 1.5 in some places. It carries the same model# 530RTHM19.
I’ve attached the pic of the newer version packaging. If you get the yellow (2014), it’s old stock.
I recommend to everyone to actually thread the strap through upside down compared to the picture on the box. That is so you can only adjust it while you aren’t wearing it. It only takes a few tries to get it adjusted right and then you can slip it on and off without using the Velcro. This reduces wear significantly. It holds much better and as an added bonus the colored bands don’t fade as fast and you can see the color more. .
Hi! Im a Garmin Epix user. As my main sports are:
-Mountain and road biking
-Swimming (pool and open water) and diving
-Gym
Would you recommend the Rhythm+ as a HRM to pair with? As I don´t usually run (I need to fix some little problems with my hip, and I´m actually on 50% on that. Maybe in a year…) I´m choosing between Scosche R+ and Garmin Swim. Wich one would you recommend? Thank you a lot!
The Scosche has to pair with something else to record heart rate. I tried it with a Polar A300 and even when it was very close on my wrist it was erratic. For swimming it isn’t good. No optical has worked well in the water for me.
Just a quick question.
Can I find inside an activity (gpx, tcx, strava site, garmin site)
which HRM did I use ?
For Garmin files, yes, you can but it’s pretty complex. Garmin units record the ANT+ ID of the sensor. It also records the brand, but not usually model (as it’s not often broadcasted).
Unfortunately, getting such detail requires custom coding. But if you have a specific file and post a link to the .FIT file itself, I can open it up and tell you the ANT+ ID used.
From a Garmin site, choose to download the ‘original file’ from the little settings icon within a given activity.
thanks in advance
link to we.tl
it would be nice if you tell me the way so I don’t bother you again.
I only use two HRMs (wahoo and scosche) so it wouldn’t be too difficult
No prob.
The May 25th & Apr 21st are using the Scosche (ANT+ ID 19073). While the June 3rd is using the Wahoo strap (ANT+ ID 54560).
I wish I could also teach you had to fish, but alas the tool isn’t public at this point (it’s a web based tool). I’m sorry! I’m working to get it opened up to more people. It’s just the backend analysis tool that I use for comparisons, but a side benefit is being able to enumerate ANT+ ID’s so if I mix up files I can keep track of them.
Hello. So I just started swimming due to a patellar tendinitis that will keep me away from running and riding at least for a month. I placed my scosche rhythm+ just next to my fenix 3 and it worked just fine, I could observe my instant HR and it seemed accurate enough. However, the watch did not calculate my avg.HR and after my training I realized that no information regarding HR was recorded. Does anyone knows if this is normal? Since it is technically possible to record your HR while swimming why is Garmin not allowing it?
Yeah, it’s the norm. It seems to kinda record on some firmware versions for some watches, but not all. No good explanation why.
Thank you for the reply! I love Garmin products but they seem to often make some unnecessary decisions (to push their gadgets) that ends up alienating their consumers. Instead of acquiring their HR-Swim Strap, which fails to communicate instantaneously with the watch, I found myself wondering if I should give another brand a try.
just a couple of questions.
Anyone use it mountain biking? Any issues?
Does it stick out much, I do brush trees, rocks, people sometimes.
Has anyone used it around the chest?
I’ve used it a fair bit mountain biking without any issues. I’m not sure how it’d work around your chest, the band isn’t that big.
I only do MTB. no problem with the band.
it is not designed to wear it around the chest.
I ran my first run with the rhythm+.. while running had a good signal but as soonas i finished my run and the ended it on the Runtastic app.. i could pair it again and i took a while. I couldnt read my resting hr.. any one can recommand a good app or somthing that i could track my hr… for galaxy 5.
Thanks!
Having bought the Scosche Rhythm+ about three months ago. I can state it is working like a charm. And it is so much more comfortable to wear compared to breast straps.
But now after just these three month the strap is falling apart. The two layers are no longer attached to each other.
So I checked for replacement straps. And AMAZON does have them: For 25€ and in pink. Another dealer offers them for 29€, yet another in blue for 62,26€, always including p&.p. Even 25€ is a little bit expensive, especially looking at a life span of round about three months. Everything above that price is outrages.
By the way: Scosche does not list the replacement straps on their homepage at all.
So, I am looking for alternatives. Any ideas are appreciated.
I don’t know where you are or anything about shipping but:
link to clevertraining.com
clever training is a great place to deal with, and supports Ray, so win-win, if they can get it to you. 😉
I am from Germany.
Clevertraining is certainly good choice, when you are from the US. For me p&.p adds 29,99 USD.
In Germany? No problem- use Clever Training Europe instead. 😉
Here’s the link: link to clevertraining.co.uk – you can then use DCR coupon code DCR10BTF to save 10% as well. Normally you’d also get free shipping in Europe, but this drops slightly below that threshold.
It’s currently showing out of stock, but I’ve just sent a note over to find out when it’s back in stock again. I know they were in stock yesterday, so it’s likely just a quick temporary thing.
Just confirmed that Clever Training Europe is expecting their next pile of Scosche stock to arrive early next week. Enjoy!
Okay, thanks for that link. And thanks for the coupon code.
But am I missing something? The link is the complete Scosche Rhythm+, right? I don´t see the replacement strap, I am looking for.
PS: Ray, many thanks for your site. Just great!
Doh, no, just me totally missing that specification of the request.
I just sent a quick e-mail over to the Clever Training guys to see if they can list/stock the replacement bands too on the Europe site.
I found the best solution was a 1″ home made elastic strap. Cheap off ebay, looped in the same way the stock band fits, and stitched in place. Slips on easily, has lasted very well and stays on place. There’s a photo of it up above in the comments somewhere ^^^^^^ 🙂
Are you talking about the velcro detaching from the strap portion? That was an issue with the early version as they relied on an adhesive, they’ve replaced these straps with a sewn on velcro part to address the issue.
I’d suggest you contact their support and tell them you got one of the older versions and would like one of the newer sewn versions. They’ll likely send it to you on warranty, since it’s a design defect.
Otherwise, you can just hand stitch it yourself, that’s what I did. Took about 5minutes and it’s rock solid.
Hi Ray,
Reading this review, I have now ordered the Scosche Rhythm+ to use with my fenix 3.
Currently I have a Apple watch and a Mio Link which both fail me when doing interval training. They always seem to be late showing the current heart rate slowing down after a sprint or going up when starting to sprint.
I hope this will do a better job replacing the chest strap.
Can someone write down how to deal with Rhythm+ when it do not want to pair with garmin ANT+ units?
I saw that some people had to downgrade their firmware, but cannot find how to perform that operation.
My unit (manufactured in Dec 2015) is working flawlessly with BLE android, but do not want to talk with neither Garmin Edge 305 nor Edge 705 – which sucks, as I wanted to switch from chest strap to Rhythm+ while cycling…
I’ve had the Scosche for a while now, wear it while cycling and love how it works but it does leave weird tan lines if worn on forearm (it doesn’t feel real comfortable to me on the upper arm). So for the first time today I tried it above and below my wrist. I was getting what I thought were inflated numbers (like 10-20bpm higher, and my HR went 9bpm over what my max was and I wasn’t pushing that hard or out of breath). Once I returned to normal spot things seemed to go back to normal.
Have you done any testing in the wrist position – is what I’m seeing likely expected? I may have to switch to a Mio unit for outdoor riding.
Tip on tan-lines: IF you simply slide it up under your cycling jersey (higher on arm), no tan lines. 🙂
As for testing on wrist, no, the majority of my testing was on various other arm locations. That said, a number of DCR readers have noted using it on the wrist with seemingly good results. The strap design of the Scosche makes it slightly more difficult.
Is it possible to wear the Rhythm for HR and also wear, say a Garmin HRM for running dynamics at the same time on a Fenix 3?
No, unfortunately not.
Well that sucks….
Thanks for that quick reply, big fan of your site 🙂
Hi Ray,
Thanks to this article 15 months ago, I plumped for this HR strap and have enjoyed its use ever since.
However, this last week, I have had some trouble with it not reading my HR, getting stuck at 72bpm, and finally now it ran out of battery 90 minutes into my long run. I have emailed Scosche directly to see what they say about battery replacements due to 15 months being outside their warranty term, still waiting to hear from them.
I’m curious if you have had similar trouble with your unit that you use regularly? Any pointers on getting the battery replaced? Otherwise I guess its a case of coughing up more cash, but I am a bit unhappy at the unit only lasting 15 months…
Cheers!
I think you’ll find the LEDs that measure HR aren’t working anymore. The default HR is 72 until it can find your HR. I had one unit fail like this after two years use. You can check by turning it on and looking for the green and yellow LEDs under the unit. Beyond that, you’ll need to get it replaced.
I have lost 1 green LED, and I found that there is a lot of condensation built up inside the unit, so I think the drop out on my long run was due to the condensation blocking the HR and the unit going to “sleep”.
I have left the unit overnight a few times in a box of uncooked dry rice and it appears to have fixed the issue, the unit lasted 3 hours. So hopefully I can get a few more months out of the unit now!
Hi,
I follow your tests which are awesome and very interesting.
I have a couple of questions on Scosche Rhithm+:
– Since I swim (pool and open water), is this OHR suitable for this activity wearing a TomTomSpark?
– I found another product similar (or the same) to Rhithm+ called Blink Armband by Scosche (same shape, same basic functions) that is certified to be “more waterproof” (20-30m) with some additiona features, but unfortunately is non sold outside the US unless complicate checks and penalized by shipment costs quite high. May I use Che Rhithm+ for swimming without any risk to damage the unit?
– does this unit store data during my activity in the water (like Garmin)?
-can you suggest a HRM suitable for triathlon?
Thank you very much for your help.
Hi,
I just got a Rhythm+ and had 3 nice runs with it. Tonight I tried to use it with my Edge 800 and got HR 72 the whole time, which I understand is no measurement. The LEDs also don’t come on.
Switched it off and on several times, no luck.
Has anybody had a similar case? I tried to search for it, but didn’t get any search hits.
Thanks
Nicolas
I believe that’s a firmware mismatch. If you hit up Scosche they can get you on the right firmware version for the Edge 800.
Hi Nicholas,
Did a firmware update get it working for you? I brought the Rhythm+ in March this for cycling in the Alps in June. Half way up the first climb it started reading 72 and when I looked I discovered the LEDs were not working – it still changes, but obviously doesn’t read my heart rate. I contacted Schoche about this and there was no mention of a possible firmware problem but was told to send the sensor back to them (at my own expense from the UK to USA). I did this over a month ago and although I’ve been told that it’s been sent back to me I’m still waiting for it to arrive back.
Cheers,
Mark
Hi,
mine was a dead unit, unfortunately. We found a pretty easy way to deal with the situation: I destroyed it and sent proof of that to customer service, who then sent out a replacement to me, which should be arriving soon.
Cheers
That sounds a better solution and hopefully one that gets you a working unit back rather quicker than mines taking.
I’m having a similar problem with the device and my Edge 500/Forerunner 910. I’m going to revert to the 2.4 and see how it goes with a local time trial tonight. My recent gripes are that the readings are erratic, especially when I’m sweaty/damp from the swim leg of a triathlon or just a really humid day- it even appears that there is is condensation inside of the device to my untrained eye. I purchased this device to try and alleviate the drop offs I would have with my Garmin chest strap but I instead have other, but still annoying issues with this device. Perhaps a change of firmware will assist.
hi all,
as i’m a little frustrated with heart-rate detection at fitness/weight-lifting sports with my garmin fenix 3hr and vivoactive hr – i’m looking for an alternative to the annoying chest belts.
so – i was thinking about the scosche rythm+ whether this will solve my problem. in addition found this in ear sensor: link to cosinuss.com
any input welcome 🙂
p.s. ray – did you already test the cosinuss or other in-ear sensors – what’s your advice for fitness/weight-lifting?
thanx for reading
tom
Hello everyone!
yesterday i was running and than i went swim for 10 min. After i came to home everything was fine and rhythm works well, but 2 hours later i wanted charge the battery, but then purple light appeared. since this time i cannot switch it off or find it via bluetooth. Can it be caused by water?
I purchased the Rhythm+ this week and it came with firmware version 2.6 installed and it would not connect to my Garmin Edge 705.
I then upgraded to firmware version 2.62 and it still didn’t work.
So, I sent a note to Scosche tech support on their web site over the weekend.
They replied to me this morning (Monday) with a replacement firmware version (version 2.4) which connected with my Edge 705 right away.
Great tech support.
Now to sneak out for a ride and see how this works…
Could you share with us fw 2.4 ?
I have several problems with it which I cannot reproduce.
Sometimes it gets stuck at 72bpm, sometimes it delays to lock to the right bpm, sometimes it gives wrong calories
Anybody tried to open the Rhythm+ and replace the battery? Mine doesn’t even last for 5h anymore (after ~15 months). Thanks!
I have a TomTom Runner; which has been great for me. I have been using a Bluetooth HR chest strap with it and would prefer to ditch the strap as it’s uncomfortable for me. I don’t have a lot of money and am considering two options:
1. Replace the watch with a (new) previous generation TomTom Runner Cardio for around $100.
2. Keep the watch and pair it with a Scosche Rhythm+ for around $80.
HR accuracy is important to me as well as having something that “just works”. I’ve had zero problems with the current watch and my chest strap outside of the general discomfort of wearing it.
What would you do?
i’d stay with your current equipment 🙂
i did not do any scientific testings – but for me:
-> i have the by far best results with cheststraps in all sorts of sport and the most exact in my findings is polar h7, second best garmin, third best wahoo
-> my vivoactive hr and fenix 3 hr deliver good results only at rest, halfway acceptable at running (but lag 10-20 seconds at intensity change and need some minutes at the beginning), for fitness and weight lifting they are totally obsolete and often deliver numbers between 30 bmp and 220 bpm and lag sometimes about a minute to find the real range
-> the scosche rythm+ is a little bit better – don’t know because os a better sensor or because of the easier to analyze position on the inside and about 12″ nearer to the heart.
=> in my opinion the best would be a real good working shirt with builtin electrodes …
Ray, do you still see this as the best option for a non chest HRM? I’ve been using this for over a year and have loved it but I need to get a new one(lost). I’m wondering if they’re any new players in the market that are better?
Yup, still the best.
Sorry … YUP is another HRM? Do you have any link?
Joao, “YUP” means Yes, so Ray is saying that the Scosche is still the best non-chest HRM.
regards,
Is there any word on an update as it’s relatively old now. I was about to buy one, but not if another is due for release soon.
Thanks,
Is compatible with Suunto Spartan?thank you
Just in case, new Rhythm+ units (purchase in Jan 2016) the firmware is updateable by users (from firmware 2.6 if I’m correct). Your summary of specifications should reflect that.
PS: I’m a (very satisfied) user of Rhythm+ on a Suunto Ambit 3 Peak since.
I plan to use the monitor whilst playing soccer, therefore, would it be safe to assume that I can sync the device with my mobile once I have completed my game? Apologies for what may be a silly question!
Also, can anyone recommend a device that can measure my heart rate as well as my steps when playing soccer? I have tried the Polar Loop (better heart rate monitor), Jaw Bone (better step counter) but neither are safe when playing (they can catch opponents by accident when arms are swinging).
Sorry if I missed the answer somewhere in the review!
Thanks!
No. The Scosche has no storage. It only transmits live data. No store and sync later capability.
i’m not shure whether the rythm+ has no memory inside – but i’m shure that you can totally forget about any optical heart rate monitors data for playing soccer. instead better go for the wahoo tickr x (link to amazon.com) or garmin hrm tri (link to amazon.com). both deliver useful data and have builtin memory.
cheers
tom
Thank you both for your help. Will look into the Wahoo and Garmin.
Cheers
Also don’t forget 4iiii’s Viiiiva ANT+ / BLE HR and BLE (from ANT+ sensor devices) re-transmitter strap. Apart from very solid performance in the above areas, it also has an internal recorder function for activities that you can upload as .fit files to the Bluetooth phone or iPad device.
Did someone get the rhythm+ working with the suunto spartan? I can pair it, the spartan gets an initial value. But it stays constant and the log has no HR. I have the fw 2.2 that works great with Ambit.
Hi Ray,
In some of your reviews you mention about HR monitoring during swimming. So you mentioned that some HR chest straps (e.g. Suunto, Garmin) can buffer accurate data on the monitor and be ready for synchronization and analysis after the swim. But you also mentioned that these chest straps are not comfortable.
I’m looking into non-chest strap HR monitoring. But do you know of any such device that can also be used during swimming and provide accurate data and support for HR zone swim training? I believe optical monitors like this Scosche don’t work in water, is that correct?
Thanks for all the great reviews by the way!
Eagerly awaiting your opinion on the Suunto Spartan line…
Sorry about this question – i just realize there are already plenty of comments about HR and swimming…. Let me read those first. 🙂
I think I mentioned it upstream, but I’ve been successful using both velcro straps, attaching it to my head and placing both it and my 310xt under my swim cap.
What’s the Best app for iOS to track calories burnt through my workouts?! Polar beat app and MapMyFitness seem to be inaccurate about calories burnt in comparison to my garmin forerunner 230!
the battery on my Rhythm+ is starting to die so its almost time for a replacement.
considering this is a relatively old product in sports technology terms I was wondering if there was any word on an update in the near future?
If I’m right, the unit is launched in 2014? Any news on a new hardware version? Interested in HRV capability.
regards
Huub
I don’t expect something near-term. Whether or not we see something at CES remains to be seen of course. That’s in early January. Though keep in mind that most times products are announced at CES, it’s usually not until Feb-April that we see them become available.
Follow up on this question. Anything new/ better come out at CES? My Garmin strap just died and I’d like to replace with dual ANT and Bluetooth strap. Is this one still best pick? Thanks!
Nuttin, either from Scosche or others.
Very interested to see how the Tigra Sports Sensor compares with this. Both of them use Valencell. The Tigra seems to do more, at the cost of ANT+ connectivity.
link to tigrasporteurope.com
^^
Thanks for the link
I talk about it a little bit here: link to dcrainmaker.com
Thanks for the reply! I missed that page. Tough choice between the two, I use a smartphone while training for now so bluetooth is OK, but I might want to invest in watch later and no ANT+ would limit my options.
Hi Ray,
I bought it through clevertraining… now from an accuracy standpoint, well, I’m not sure it’s better than Mio Alpha:
– still seems flase when using poles (really)
– seems to slow to get the peaks in a short 15″/15″ interval training… I still have to check for 30/30 but then, is this really a tool for workout management? I’m not sure then…
Wiould you really rely on Optical HR for workouts? As mine are almos always based on intervals, I’m a bit confused with optical HR usage…
Thx,
Does anyone have problems with the readings of rhythm+ ?! During my workouts it falls from 150-160 to 90-100 bps although I feel my hearth beating very fast! Most of the times in the middle of my workouts (HIIT,Crossfit wods,circuit training)!
I have such kind of problems some times durint intensiv workouts. Сheck that strap has been tightened well and the sensor rests firmly against the skin. Sweat can affect this problem, especially when there is a small gap between the sensor and the skin.
Yes I think it happens mostly when i am sweating a lot! Thanks for your response Sergey
I bought the Rhythm based on your recommendations. The unit I received has not worked properly. First it came without of date firmware that I cannot update. Second it took me contacting Scosche’s customer service 4 times to learn that. However, the biggest issue is that the unit cuts out at higher HR around 165 beats per minute. It wasn’t one time but every time. Scosche solution is for me to clean the unit. I would hesitate buying this.
Hi Ray, why is the recommendation not to wear this device on your wrist while other optical sensors all work well on the wrist ? I’ve been wearing it high on my wrist with accurate results and I love it. (skinny guy with small wrists). However with my first “Rhythm+” marathon coming up, I’m like to double check with you if I’m overlooking some important technical argument ? Thanks.
Note: because I was suspicious about wearing it on my wrist, I’ve tested it for weeks against a Garmin Soft Strap Premium. On both long slow runs and on interval trainings the average HRM per km or lap was spot-on (within 1 or 2 HR beats). – except see below…
IMPORTANT: when testing I learned one oddity in respect to how to wear it: for me results are very accurate when wearing it with the function LED pointing away from your body. Wearing it the other way around gave inaccurate results. It must have to do with the shape of the unit (a small triangle around the LEDs) and the position of the yellow/green LED.
In general, optical HR sensors work fine on the wrist (good even). However, the Scosche (and any optical HR sensor) will really work better in places with more ‘chunk’ than the wrist, which is why folks generally wear it further up the arm.
If you’re getting good results – then no worries where you are!
Good product wearing on bare skin, very accurate. However there is big issue for winter running, it is difficult to put it under the baselayer; and if you wear it on top of the base layer, the radio cannot read through the fabric and the heart rate is 40-50 higher than normal.
I would suggest that you get the watch with the builtin HRM.
I find the Rhythm much better for winter running than a wrist based oHR could be. I can put the Scosche happily under the base layer on my forearm or bicep area – it doesnt have a screen that I need to see. Watch on my wrist picks up the HR no problem through the fabric. A watch oHR would need to be next to the skin – no good if wearing any kind of long sleeves and/or gloves that extend up the wrist.
Only issue I been having recently is that in the cold the Scosche will pick up cadence rather than HR until I am warmed up and the vessels dilate enough to give a solid reading. But I assume that would be even worse at the wrist.
you are right, I also noticed that Scosche picked up the cadence rather than HR in the cold weather.
Forgot to mention: I wore it on top of the base layer and had run for two hours, it smelt really bad…
I agree with gingerneil. In cold weather, I go with putting it on my bicep just above with the elbow before putting my top on; that seems to be the best option for keeping it in place while you’re pulling the sleeve over it.
Hi,
I have just got myself a Rhythm+ and have a question about it if anyone can help.
I have paired it to both my Fenix 3 via ANT+, and to my phone via Bluetooth (Android with Strava app and Runtastic app) and noticed what, I think, is odd behavior.
Once the HRM strap is paired to another device and reporting my heart rate all is fine, but I notice that if I remove the strap from my body and continue to look at my HR on the Fenix 3/phone app it continues to record a HR between around 80 and 150, I have left it off for about 10 minutes and it continues to report an HR.
Is this an expected behavior, I would have thought that if I remove the strap from my body the recorded HR would/should fall to zero?
Any ideas?
Thanks in advance.
I observe similar behaviour on my Garmin 610.
Just had this bought for me, hopefully it will be more reliable than my previous Garmin HRM. I have had 3 of them and the strap part has died on every one.
Hi,
I currently have a Forerunner 735, and want to get either this or a chest strap to resolve some of the problems I’ve had with the 735’s optical HR. While the 735 does a great job with running or biking HR, it struggles when I row or climb. With climbing, it’ll usually just be off about 25% of the time, whereas with rowing it’ll show my HR at 50-80 when I’m in the middle of a AT/LT workout.
TL;DR, is this something I’d have a problem with all optical HR straps, due to their position, which would mean that I shouldn’t get the RHYTHM? Has anyone tested the RHYTHM with exercises beyond running/biking?
I do not know rowing, but when climbing with poles (with or without skis), it is not accurate… never; more or less but always way lower than it should be.
For me it is not acurate, not serious (ie, the optical HR tech): during intervals I never see my HR being accurately going up and down as I feel it (and as a chest strap sees it)…
What are elite athletes using, for those who have HR based training plans? I’m really curious about that…
(attached one of my comparison test, Scosch + FR310 XT vs Garmin 920XT + Garmin chest strap HRM run; interval 1’/ 2′ on spinning bike….)
This happened to me too on recently purchased WHOOP. I was doing intervals on Assault Air Bike and WHOOP was tracking at < 70% HR versus Garmin at near max HR. I think all OHRMs have an issue, something called crossover problem – detailed in this link to valencell.com
Kal, thanks for that link – interesting read. Makes me a bit more tolerant of bad readings.
I think it is very disappointing though. Especially when you select an Activity as something that involves rhythmic movement of wrists before beginning of the workout, software algorithms should be able to detect that pattern. kinda bummed that there is no single gadget that does everything. I am still waiting on WHOOP’s response.
Have you done any changes/updates to the WASP-unit you use for comparison of units? Trying to put something together myself and would really appreciate some more information on how to match signals from different sources but keeping them synched.
I’ve mostly moved away from WASP, as until just a week or so ago the app was being closed on iOS when I screen-locked. However, they found a workaround last weekish and I haven’t had a chance to try it.
Since you do quite a fair amount of tests between units and at least temporarily moved away from WASP – is there another setup you could recommend? Light, small and with good IP-properties are of course always nice things to have;)
What’s the latest on Rhythm+ and Bluetooth LE/Android? I recently started a mountain biking hobby (well actually a fatbiking hobby) and would like to use my old Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini phone (Bluetooth 4.0, LE) as a cycling computer replacement. While this HR device is loved by DCR and so many others (phew, the time it took the read the comment section through), there seems to be a lot of issues with it, especially if you don’t use an iPhone or ANT+. I might be getting a Lezyne Super GPS Y10 or a Polar M450/650 as well (just using the Samsung phone for navigation via OruxMaps offline map) but I’d like the Rhythm+ work with the Samsung nonetheless. Or should I just go with a Wahoo Tickr (sacrificing comfort for better usability)?
What problems are you having with your Samsung? Works fine in my nexus 5x using Bluetooth and the wahoo fitness app
I don’t have the Rhythm+ yet and so have no experience with it using my Samsung phone or any other device. I’m thinking about buying this HR device and, as I was doing my usual research (notably reading this comment section), I noticed a lot of comments regarding issues with Bluetooth (something about lagginess and sporadic behaviour). I just wanted to ask if these issues (if they ever were widespread) have been dealth with, or is the Rhythm only a winner if you have an ANT+ host device. There was also someting about questionable compatibility with Android devices as well although I guess that’s no longer valid.
Ah, I see.
Love mine – works great on Android and ant+.
Most of the Bluetooth issues are actually more specific to watches, and those are largely long since past. It was when watch companies (primarily Suunto and Polar at the time), didn’t fully adhere to standards. So Scosche had to basically fight fires house to house to deal with them. But again, long since passed.
Thanks DCR, that’s good to hear. I’ll order the Rhythm+ soon then (hopefully Scosche won’t release a new model in 2017 as that would bum me out).
Yeah I have a Nexus 5X and the irony is that using Wahoo fitness my scosche connects in a blink while my Wahoo ticker X takes for-ever ???, Though it connects immediately in the Wahoo utility.
On the topic of accuracy, while I’m happy with the scosche, it can give crazy readings at beginning sometimes, and if I begin a run by jogging up and down stairs multiple times it seems to be choosing impact over optical, and send my HR over 200, which is crazy as it’s only in low 120’s, but even on bike in the first 5 mins it can do crazy spike.
I suspect that the optical technology is not quite there yet
Hello,
I found your site while searching for info on this HR monitor. I’ve asked the company this same question 3-4 times and am now hoping you might be able to answer it.
I play rugby, and many of my endurance workouts include up/downs, high impact plyometric routines, and roadwork. I’m just wondering if this tracker, in your opinion, would be able to handle HR tracking in those circumstances. My polar chest strap does a fair job of it I’m just tired of having bruises on my chest from the darn thing.
…. Actually I did a comparison today, over an hour including biking, stopping for 10-20 minutes, couple short hills. Except for crap spike 500 sec in approximately, there is only difference of 1 or 2, BPM and the peak difference was only 1. The scosche is the first HR monitor I’ve used, bought based on DCRM reviews, and my HR always seemed to low at peak. I recently bought a Ticker X to verify. It pretty much confirms both bike and running HR, the scosche can be a bit wobbly at beginning of some jogs. I place scosche 1 armband width below right armpit inside and have zero problems with it staying put.
I’ve been very pleased with my Scocshe going on almost 3 years now.
But yes, recently it seems more likely to grab onto cadence instead of my HR early during exercises. It is very very likely when cycling on a bumpy road, or mtn biking, or using an elliptical. Eventually it sorts itself out but the irony is that I went to the Scosche away from a cheststrap just for that very same initial bad readings that the chest straps get from wearing technical/synthetic material on dry days (i.e. static shock).
Currently on sale for $59.95 on Clever Training and on Amazon (sold by Clever Training.) I’ve been watching these for a while and this is the best price I’ve seen.
After borrowing a friend’s scosche for a couple of days and playing with it, was convinced to get one myself and ordered to CT at the reduced price.
Today put it on, syched up everything fine and used it with Zwift. Or tried to. Actually was also linked with ANT+ to my Garmin Edge 520.
It kept having drop outs. Regardless what I did, whether switching to BLE or using ANT+, just was terrible. Spent 45 minutes trying everything. I finally gave up, put it to one side, and put on a TICKRx which worked perfectly for my workout.
Firmware was 3.0, seems like no newer one. Tried resetting it, tried using the iphone app to do a ton of different things, and nothing helped. When I note it drops out, it would be sometimes for a second, sometimes for quite a while (20 seconds or more). It was still claimed to be connected, but there was no heart rate data. I swapped arms, swapped locations, tried everything.
Also checked the difference with my apple watch and again the Scosche I had just seems to be a lemon.
Anyone else have issues like this? Want to know whether I should just try to exchange at CT or just give up and go back to (ugh) a chest strap.
I have excactly the same experience.
I bought my first unit in dec 2015. It came with firmware 2.4 (on the box 1.9EU)
Using the unit with a V800 and Fenix 3 … no problems. Works very well.
This week I bought a new scosche (spare one). Not good at all, in fact very unstable. I returned it.
Now I’m testing my second new unit with firmware 3.0 and it’s erratic in freezes and dropouts.
Or sometimes my HR is going down to 55 when I’ walking ( my RHR is 55).
I’m afraid the software(3.0) is not bug free.
I have send scosche support an email and asked to downgrade to 2.4, if possible.
Also find on a forum about downgrading: link to en.discussions.tomtom.com
This didn’t work for me ;(
If scosche can’t give me a solution, this unit also go’s back.
Actually I ended up swapping it for another unit, and all is well now. That unit only has firmware 2.6 interestingly. I don’t dare upgrade it!!!!
Thnx for the feedback.
I’m almost sure, the firmware 3.0 is causing this unstable behavior.
Excellent review, such detail, and all of it still relevant. Thankyou.
However, please, please, please remove the parallax scrolling hijack thinggy. This web site is almost impossible(!!), seriously, almost impossible to read because of the horrible scrolling experience. I finally figured out that the horrendous added scrolling manipulation doesn’t apply if scrolling is done using up/down keys instead of using the mouse, so I got through the article after all. But I was very very close to giving up before that. One of the worst examples of this scrolling hijacking I’ve ever encountered.
What is a scrolling hijacking thing? I don’t find this site is any different than any other site I view.
Never hard of scrolling issue either.
Are you sure it’s just not your browser trying to load the 1,462 comments?
12 minutes into first training and the unit died (checked before first use the version was 3.0). Now the sensor blinks green and orange and won’t stop. The customer support person is going to ship me a new one.
Whether this was bad luck or quality issue overall, this sucks!
I really believe the firmware 3.0 is not good, unstable.
Read my replys on #570.
BTW: I already returned my second unit as wel. I’ m done with it.
Scosche should fix this.
(they don’t answer my emails as well)
Anyway, my first unit works great (2.4)
Hi,
I’m using this hrm since two weeks now. Most of the time it works really well but today is the second time that I suddenly have unrealistic high rates (4186 or 17512). The measuring doesn’t change until I close the app and restart the scosche. Today I had to restart 4 times in a 90 min run until I finally gave up. I fully loaded the battery on Thursday and did a one hour run that day. It was of the time in between. So I think that is not the problem. I was wearing it just below my elbow. I will try my upper arm next time, but I have the feeling that that is not the cause of the problem. Did anyone had this problem? Btw the app I use is iSmoothRun. Would really love to solve the problem…
Picture of the last part of my run today
Hi,
I’ve been using the scosche for two weeks now and it has been rather satisfactory. Only today I went for a 90 min run and my heart rate suddenly was 4168. I use the hrm with the app iSmoothRun. I had to close everything and restart the app to get normal hr again. But after 5 min it happens again. And then again until I gave up. Battery was not the problem. I had this problem once a week ago, but after one restart it didn’t happen again. I wear it just below my elbow. I will try next time to wear it on my upper arm, but I don’t have the feeling that that will solve thy problem. Did anyone had this problem? Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
You should read my comments.
With firmware 3.0 this device very unstable.
(Dutch version)
Eva, kijk eens welke firmware je hebt. Als je de 3.0 hebt, is dat ook mijn en andere hun ervaring.
Het werkt meer niet als wel.
Ik heb onlangs 2 exemplaren retour gestuurd naar A en C.
Mijn oude (2.4) werkt perfect.
Hi. I think I’m sold!
Does anybody know the range of the Rhythm’s ant+ and BTLE? I’m wondering how far away from my phone or fenix 3 I could get away with being.
Thanks! ?
I too wondered if the Rhythm could be worn on the leg (specifically for cycling). So I did a bit of a test/blog post. The short answer is that the Rhythm is not accurate on the leg and Scosche have not tested it at all on the leg. The long answer can be found here. link to johngalea.wordpress.com
Ray,
Are you planning to review the Lifetrak ZoomHRV wearable? I am thinking of ordering one to use for HRV testing instead of the hassle of putting on the Polar H7 every morning.
It’s something I’m considering, maybe later this summer. Trying to work through a bit of the spring-announcement backlog at the moment.
Ray,
Great review which led me to purchase the Rhythm+ last week. I’ve had a few issues where the unit disconnects entirely from my Fenix 5 and occasionally freezes up. When it freezes, the led’s are going but it does not respond to the button. The only way to turn off it to place on the charger. Have you had any of these experiences, or did I just receive a bad unit. The one run it did work on, it was great.
Keep up the great work!
That sounds like a defective unit. I’d reach out to Scosche and they’ll probably have a new one to you near instantly.
Total newb here, thanks for all the great info on this site. I just got an Edge 820, I assumed I’d be able to use the heart monitor in my Vivoactive HR, but it doesn’t seem like that’s an option. Is this my best bet for something to go with the Edge? Is it necessary or can I just use Connect IQ to sync the Edge and Watch post ride?
I found the broadcast feature on the Vivoactive HR, I knew they had to be compatible. That being said, is there a reason to use the Scosche unit instead? Thanks.
Generally speaking you’ll find the Scosche more accurate, especially (like, a lot) for cycling.
Turns out that if you have an Android device you cannot upgrade the firmware for this HRM. Scosche knows about this but they haven’t done anything to address it–so they’re knowingly selling products that can’t be fully utilized by anyone other than an iPhone owner. And there’s no documentation of this anywhere. I only found out because my HRM stopped working 100% of the time; when I reached out to them to get a firmware update they told me there’s no way to with an Android phone. The representative said he thinks it’s short sighted but they’ve only focused on iPhone users. So us Android users are hosed.
I’ve had my Scosche Rhythm+ for a couple of years now. Recently one of the connections on the charger broke off and I can’t charge it now. I’ve tried to reach out to Scosche several times – they replied to me once but haven’t got back to me again. Do you know where I could get a replacement charger?
In recent post, you have commented that devices with optical heart rate sensors should not be worn on the same are because of interference. Would this apply to wearing the Scosche on the forearm and another sensor on the same wrist?
Thanks for your help.
No issues there.
Purchased as a replacement for my stock Suunto chest strap about 8-10 months ago. Has been working great but no longer holds a charge. After an overnight charge I used it for a 2 hour run a couple of days ago and it only lasted for the first hour and then died. Really disappointed, but per other advice here I’ll try the customer service route to see if they’ll stand behind it.
What heart rate monitor would you recommend for very long cycling activities, such as 8-10 hour all-day tours?
I currently have a vivosmart HR+ which dies around the 7.5 hour mark.
I prefer not to wear a chest strap for that long.
I always ride with my phone and Strava is my ride tracking app of choice.
Ray — I’ve had some issues with my HRM dropping out excessively. Battery can be fully charged, worn on the same wrist as my watch, and plenty tight but it still drops out for a good 30-60 seconds every minute or two rendering it basically useless. I’ve reached out to their tech support through their site but can’t get any response.
I was wondering if maybe it had something to do with trying to lock onto other bluetooth or ANT+ devices as I’m running — since many cars are driving by I guess it could be possible. Thoughts?
Hmm, that sounds like a defective unit – no cross-talk issues. I’d try reaching out via phone maybe?
Usually their support is increda-quick and will mostly just ship you a new unit.
Thanks so much for the tip. Called them and I’m all squared away with a replacement on the way. Seriously one of the easiest return/replacement I’ve ever dealt with!
Hello,
Related to firmware.
I would recommend not to upgrade yet to V3.01.
I’m using Scosch nearly a year without issues.
I upgraded from 2.62 to 3.01 2 days ago since I assumed the issues were over.
However, now I have spike readings…
I’m using iSmoothRun and my workaround is to stop (not just pause, really stop and save) the training and in the log list, then open it and resume it (continue with the “play” symbol >).
Then it refreshes HR again…
I sent an email to the developer of iSmoothRun with more details and asking if he could “ignore” those spikes that seem to make the HR values hang.
Since the “Utility” app keeps showing normal values I assume there is an error in data transfer between Scosche and iSmoothRun.
Haven’t tested with another app (eg. Strava) yet.
UPDATE
The developer of iSmoothRun recommended this solution which seems to work for me!
Unpair the HRM from “BT Sensors” and pair it in “Wahoo sensors->Add BT/ANT+ HRM”
Update:
Me again.
The team of iSmoothRun was very cooperative and helped me gathering some logs so they could find the issue.
Apparently the Scosche sometimes sends a wrong value (16 bit vs 8 bit). That caused the heart rate module to crash.
In one of the next versions of iSmoothRun, they will update that heart rate module of the app, so it doesn’t crash when Scosche sends unexpected data.
That should fix the problem and you should then normally be able to use the “normal” BT Sensor again (which seems to be preferred).
Which firmware update does it have now ? Is the latest firmware update stable ?
Really enjoying & appeciate your awsome reviews Ray…..
Thank you so much !!
What does the latest firmware update do that earlier versions don’t? In other words, why update, if the early versions accurately measure heart rate?
has anyone noticed the new(er) units are being advertised as having 8 hour battery life? that’s a huge jump…
Indy, it’s always been 8 hours battery life.
Yes, about 8 hours on the early models and also currently. I got one when they were first on the market and bought a new one recently, after losing my first one. Incidentally, my new one came with 2.6 firmware installed.
lol well that would explain why my battery is so good. for some reason i thought it was 5. thanks!
Chip J, starting with the 2.6 firmware, we can update firmware ourself. No need anymore to send it back to Scosche to update firmware.
After 1 year of happy using my Scosche Rythm+ started to give a heartrate based on my cadance at the start of a run (this was a year ago). After a few minutes it showed the right heartrate (around 135 instead of around 170). Now it’s getting colder (in the Netherlands) it shows also a faulty heartrate during a run, off and on.
I am wearing it just above my elbow, on the inside of my arm.
My assumption is that the LED’s are degrading. When it is getting colder, the small blood veins in my arm don’t become as wide as in the summer, and the pulse becomes harder to read with less light. I am familiar LED degrading, as “depreciation” is also a factor in streetlighting. There though it takes a lot more hours to experience a significant amount of depreciation, so that doesn’t support my assumption. However, I cannot think of another explanation.
I’ve seen a few more of these issues in fora; it seems to occur more.
So appearantly after 2 years of usage this device gives up on me. I’ve sent an email to Scosche support five days ago, but didn’t receive a reply.
I’ve had this every winter since I got the device – I dont think its the LEDs giving up – but the issue with the vessels/veins that you mention. Once you are warmed up and the blood is flowing, you get better results.
Does anyone know if this is also the case with the OH1 ?
That could be the case, although last winter I only had problems the first 5 minutes of a run. And now it’s only fall and with higher temperatures already more problems….
I have been training 20% more this summer and have an appr. 5% lower heartrate during an average run, but blood pressure should be the same, I guess. That is the only change I can think of in terms of my own condition, but I don’t think that is a causee.
I am also wondering wether the Polar OH1 would fare better with this
I’ve had the same thing happen intermittently since purchase 2 years ago. Much worse when cold, especially in winter. I’ve had it track ok while running with a light shell on, over a long sleeve technical shirt, only to have it fail when I take off the shell (in mildly cool weather), so it’s very sensitive to my arm (I wear it above the elbow) getting cold, which it does very easily — I’m pretty lean. I’m also of East Asian descent, so the sensors have one more barrier to overcome. Have you tried cinching the strap really snugly, to the point of being tight? That sometimes helps my set-up. When my “HR” jumps suddenly to 180+ so I know it’s picking up my cadence, I can sometimes fix it by holding my left elbow close to my body and suppressing my left side arm swing as I run, until it “catches” my real HR again. But even if it does it’s really annoying.
same problem with me. Use a MioLink for 2yrs until it died. it would sometimes pick up cadence as well, but mostly worked. Have had the Scosche now for a year, and now that it’s getting cooler (not even cold yet), it’s picking up cadence regularly. really annoying as I keep track of my stress load using HR. Not sure what to do. I’ve had even bigger problems with the few chest straps I’ve owned- as they get messed up due to electro static discharge in my dry, desert climate.
Do scosche’s just ‘wear out’ after a while? Lower battery voltage? poorer LED output? Sensor getting dirty?
I must say that keeping the arm warmer, like Su-Chong Lim suggests, helps. I’ve tried it 2 times now and now it’s just at the start of the run that it is off (like last winter)
Update: I’ve gone back to trying the Scosche again in winter runs. When I wear my trusty 4iiiis Viiiiva in -10 C weather or worse, the lack of sweating makes the strap not stick to my skin, and then it slips down, then off my chest. When it’s under a million layers of long T’s and jerseys (cold weather running gear), I can’t easily catch the chest strap, especially with my mitts on as it’s slipping, and usually it’s too late, and around my waist before I know it. At that point it’s too much of a PITA in the cold air to try and pull it up to chest level again.
The Scosche sometimes works OK if I do it really tight up against the inside of the biceps. I ran today at -8 C and the Scosche went crazy and did cadence artefact for 75% of the run. But at least I got 25% of the time accurate HR zone readings. I think my biceps position wasn’t optimal. I have run colder days at other times and yet got a higher percentage reliable HR reading — I need to pay closer attention on exact details of micro-positioning on the inside surface of my biceps. It’s not hard to figure out. The displayed rate is either at about what my HR should be (126-130 range, or sometimes 160+ if I’m really pounding it — I’m pretty well on top of where it should be at any time) or up in the cadence range which is 180-190 and I know to ignore it then.
I need a sensor that is small enough to put in my mouth. The oral mucosa is very well supplied with capillary blood and doesn’t shut down in cold. Someone should design a sensor that’s attached to a mouth guard or something (so as to avoid the risk of swallowing the damn thing.)
Would it help if you wore an armwarmer (for cycling) above the scosche sensor in cold weather?
After a couple of years of reliable (mostly) use, my 3rd Scosche has died. It had started reporting about 80bpm until I fiddled and fiddled, but today its started refusing to turn off! I took it off my arm after a run, and it just wouldnt shut down! Its now sat in by bag blinking away – and I assume it’ll carry on until the battery dies. I dont have the charger with me to try and see if putting on there helps…
Quick online chat with amazon, and despite it being bought in July 2016, they are processing a return/refund.
The OH1 is about £3 more than the refund, so I think I’ll jump ship to them – again through amazon due to their excellent customer service. Now that winter is here, I have been using the Rythmn alongside my 935 as I’ve been wearing that over long sleeves. Hopefully I’ll get good results from the OH1.
I have had the same issue with mine not turning off, but so far I solve it by simply hooking it up to the charger, and it turns off, charges, and then next time I use it everything appears fine again.
Interesting… but with it being 18 months old, and the niggles I’m having at the start of runs (a little different to the past when it locked onto cadence), amazon’s excellen customer service gives me the perfect (almost) zero-cost option to give the OH1 a go.
Hey Neil! Just wondering what you’ve thought of the OH1 so far? I’ve been debating between the Rythmn+ and a Polar, especially now that most Garmin devices support Bluetooth at this point.
I actually sent it back ages ago! It kept dropping the connection to my 935 or locking onto cadence. I also found the device itself too small and it kept flipping over. I went with a wahoo tickr fit, and so far it’s been great.
I have tried it on my wrist and it seems to work really well,,,both on top and underneath…anyone lese wear it this way?
update…does not work too well under the wrist, only on top…
@Guido: I have no problem with the Scosche Rhythm+ located on the wrist, either on the dorsum (“outside”) or flexor (“inside”) surface, providing the activity is sitting, walking or biking, and the strap is snugged up reasonably tightly.
But once I get into even a light run, the arm swing causes surges of blood pooling in the capillary circulation of the skin where the light sensors get their reflectance readings, and the “HR” reading gets hijacked by the frequency of those surges, which is the running foots-trike cadence frequency.
The best fix I can find for this is strapping the Scosche Rhythm+ high up on the arm on the inside of the biceps, in fact somewhat lower, more like the boundary of the inside surface of the biceps and triceps muscles. The high position diminishes the centrifugal effect of the arm length on the running arm swing, and if I get it snugged tight enough and try not to swing my left arm too much, it sometimes works.
But lately, in really cold weather, at -20 C or colder on Sunday the 17th I went for a 100 minute run and it was so cold that my skin capillaries on my arm shut down or something, because I got exactly zero accurate heart rate reading, only a value that was equivalent of my running foot-strike cadence. We’re talking frost-bite weather here, so maybe that’s not a practical objection. Any other warmer temperature and I can usually get it somehow to work, but not 100% reliably, which is a pain. But it’s still better than anything else.
btw the Rhythm+ now acts as an ANT+ stride sensor providing footpod functionality with the 3.01 firmware. Interesting
@Giles E: “Interesting”– are you being humorously ironic here (referring to the running cadence artefact hijacking the true optical HR signal due to the swinging movement of the arm and the poor capillary circulation)? Or is there something else about the 3.01 firmware that I haven’t heard about? I haven’t upgraded mine from the original 2.xx firmware that came with the unit 2 years ago — is there any reason I should upgrade the firmware?
No sarcasm at all, it uses the swing of your arms to give via ant+ footpod profile running speed and cadence, same as many garmin watches already do. Try it out…
Year, but if you’re serious about this, it will be annoying when it switches unpredictably to picking up the pulse rate driven by the Heart Beat, just as it is annoying when you are trying to monitor HR and it switches unexpectedly to running cadence due to the arm-swing.
It acts as two different devices, an HR sensor and a footpod. If you don’t want the “footpod” data you don’t pair it. No stress.
Sorry: My bad, I didn’t understand at first. So is this a function of the new 3.01 firmware? I wonder how it knows to distinguish the two overlapping capillary blush pulse waves — the one from heart contraction waves and the other from the centrifugal arm swing. Does the hardware include an accelerometer that was never called into use before with prior firmware, but now is used to distinguish the arm-swing rate from the heart contraction rate. If so that would be great and I should upgrade. But even if not, I should probably upgrade, as the firmware generally improves with each new version, right?
This sounds really dumb but I don’t know how to find out my firmware version, nor how to upgrade to the latest firmware. I purchased my unit in May this year, so it is most likely higher than 2.6, so ideally it should be user-upgradable. But how? The website and user manual don’t offer any help.
download and install the Fitness Utility app
just pay attention: V3.01 has some issues with ismoothrun which weren’t there in v2.6 (see comments above)
I received this HR monitor for Christmas and so far am LOVING the comfort factor. So less binding than the chest strap for sure. I have used it 4 times so far. For all workouts I wore it on my upper arm. The first three were with the monitor facing “out”. Today I tried it with the monitor part against my “inner” arm or facing “in”. My average HR while running is usually in the low 130’s….which the “out” runs were. Today my heart rate averaged in the mid 160’s while the monitor part was against the inner arm. I am going to experiment more but this seems very extreme. Any thoughts on why this might be? I have worn a chest strap for years so am quite familiar with effort and how my heart rate range should be.
Thanks!
@Bettina Shepard: Almost certainly the mid 160’s numbers are artefacts due to the superimposed arm-swing “jiggling” pattern onto the heart-rate pulse pattern you are trying to capture. I think that for me my skin is thinner and paler on the “inner” surface of my upper arm than the outer, so I usually get a better pulse signal in this position, but there are a huge number of other confounding variables — exact positioning on the inside/lower surface of the upper arm, how snug the device is cinched/vs how much it jiggles on and off the skin, how cold my arm is (which makes the capillaries constrict, reducing the transient heart-driven “blush”, which is what the optical heart rate sensor is trying to read, and how much I am swinging my arms.
When the stars are aligned right and I position the strap snugly and exactly where it gets a good signal and I’m nice and warm, I can get a good accurate HR signal throughout my whole run, unless I end off with a 5 minuted hard sprint. In that latter situation the heart rate record suddenly leaps from my appropriate heart rate, which, admittedly is rising slowly at the time, to a number that corresponds to my new sprinting stride rate, which is, of course, the same as the arm-swing rate, which is actually what the device is now picking up.
You are fortunate in that you have good insight as to what your actual HR is when you run, normally (130’s), so you are immediately aware when that number jumps abruptly to the mid 160’s (or, not jumping, actually starts out at that high number from the get go). This obviously is a motion artefact and represents your foot strike cadence rate. I would not assume yet that this is an inevitable result of placement on the inner surface of your upper arm.
Experiment a bit more, and move the device position around a bit, cinching tighter or looser, keeping the upper arm covered (allowing less light leakage to possibly defeat the pulse signal acquisition), and possibly keeping track of how cold you are generally and specifically at your arm, and how much you are swinging it. If your experience is like mine you’ll develop a feel for it, although likely not 100% successful all the time. But then, you’ll probably agree that the chest strap had its failings too.
A potential problem, not a common one, is when you’re doing a harder run, and your actual HR creeps up, maybe 150+ or more, into the range where the artefact might also register, and in that situation you may not be sure what is being reported, real HR or cadence artefact.
Thank you so much for your detailed response. I have done some further testing as well.(wearing two heart rate monitors simultaneously). The best/most accurate reading for me seems to be when I wear the device with the facing “out” position. I really do like my new toy!
Happy New Year to you!
I successfully upgraded to V3.01. I did a 4Mile indoor treadmill run (-30 deg C outside!) with the device snugged really high, almost in my armpit, on the inside of the triceps, and it read almost faultlessly for the duration of the run, including a quarter mile sprint (10.3mph) in mid run at very high cadence (and arm-swing amplitude!). I’m very impressed, and have no idea how they did it — an accelerometer in the device would seem to be the trick, to my simplistic way of thinking.
The only glitch was immediately after the sprint I hit the treadmill switch to “jog” and dropped down to 4.5 then 5, 5.5 mph for a few seconds to catch my breath before gradually ramping back up in stages back to my baseline 7mph pace. The Scosche immediately (as soon as my pace or cadence abruptly changed) dropped its HR reading to a low of 89. Actually the algorithm started to drop it in a straight line, i.e. a constant rate of decline to 89 bpm, then in another almost straight line up again, starting upwards to reach the real HR before I had regained the baseline 7 mph speed. In total, the Scosche lost the plot for about 60 seconds before recapturing the correct HR.
We’ll see if this faithful HR tracking holds up in outdoor cold weather, but like I said, I’m really impressed so far.
The most accurate way to use this during weight training exercises or swimming, where you use your arms a lot, is the forehead, just like the moov. Combine the two straps in the rhythm+ box to make a large loop which can be slipped on and off your forehead easily. Position it right over a temple. Since head movement is minimal and the band is snug, your readings are comparable to in ear monitors which are clinical grade.
Hi Ray, I finally managed to have a question you haven’t already answered in a post/comments! (Correct me if I end up being wrong 😉 )
After reading your review on the Wahoo Tickr Fit I noticed that the Scosche Rhythm+ has run pace/cadence functionality. Is the Scosche usable as ‘footpod’ on my older Garmin 910XT and if so, how do I connect it. I tried connecting it to my Garmin, a few apps and Zwift with little luck.
Ive checked the Firmware version: 3.01
Garmin 910XT: HR has always been fine, doesnt detect footpod
Strava iOS app: picks up HR and a cadence sensor
Zwift iOS app: only HR
same for Zwift on Windows (ANT+ dongle).
I’ve been looking to get a simple treadmill to use on Zwift, but dont have any footpod atm. Im not finding any dual BLE/ANT+ footpods yet and I don’t plan to invest in sensors without both. My Scosche could be the perfect solution if I can get it to work.
For all of you that have issues with 3.0 or 3.01 firmware, there is a way to downgrade to 2.62 !!
link to blog.lincomatic.com
Information very detailed. May be a bit more technical than this luddite ca handle but proof will be in results.
I just got the SCOSCHE Rhythm+ and I think it is awesome. I’m using it with my Fenix 5. Compared to the Polar OH1 i found the SCOSCHE Rhythm+ to be much more sensitive to wuick changes in effort (i.e. sprints or weight lifting).
Now I have one question:
Is there any possibility to update the SCOSCHE Rhythm+’s firmware? Are there any updates at all? is there an app?
Thank you in advance!
don’t do it
there are issues with 3.0 or higher
they even removed the update from their app (“fitnessutility”) and the app will be replaced by a new one in the future
here is a link even on how to downgrade again: link to blog.lincomatic.com
2.62 seems the best
lower (2.4) doesn’t allow “over the air” updates anymore so you are stuck at 2.4 then