Polar's CS600 HRM is a stunning piece of kit for the serious cyclist who loves a bit of number-crunching to keep their training on track, and it’s really pretty simple to use.
What does it do? Geez, where do you start? Aside from brewing a post-ride cup of tea and giving you a massage, there’s not a lot the CS600X doesn’t do.
You get all your common or garden bike computer functions: speed (current, average, max), distance, duration, stopwatch… all the usual stuff. Then there are a bunch of less expected features like temperature, altitude, gradient, cumulative ascent/descent, calorie consumption… You get the idea. Go to www.polar.fi for the full list: it’s massive. You can measure cadence (crank rpm) too, although you have to buy an extra sensor for that.
Plus, as you’d expect from Polar, the CS600X delivers your all heart rate information. You can set the zones you want to hit and have visual and audible alarms alert you if your intensity drifts, and you can even have your heart rate displayed as a graph to show you how it’s progressing.
If you want to get even more technical, you can use this with Polar’s G3 GPS Sensor WIND to track and record your routes on mapping software like Google Earth. Or you can match it with Polar’s Power Output Sensor WIND which measures left/right leg balance as well as a reasonable power reading – although, in our experience, it’s nowhere near as accurate as a PowerTap hub or SRM cranks.
All of this data is saved so you can scroll through it when you get home or, much more convenient, transfer the files via infrared communication to your PC. There you can analyse away on Polar’s ProTrainer 5 software which comes as part of the package (you need Windows 2000/XP/Vista; sadly, it’s not Mac compatible). This acts as a training diary but also puts all the data into easy-to-understand charts and graphs so you can see exactly how your fitness is developing.
It might sound intimidating but this computer is actually very intuitive to use and all the info is easy to understand. You get used to it quickly and will soon wonder how you ever managed without.
Verdict
A complete training management system in a user-friendly package
If you're thinking of buying this product using a cashback deal why not use the road.cc Top Cashback page and get some top cashback while helping to support your favourite independent cycling website
road.cc test report
Make and model: Polar CS600 Wireless HRM Cycle Computer
Size tested: 1 size fits all?
Rate the product for quality of construction:
9/10
Rate the product for performance:
9/10
Rate the product for durability:
9/10
Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
9/10
Rate the product for value:
7/10
Did you enjoy using the product? Love it
Would you consider buying the product? Yes, it's our favourite bike computer/HRM/software package
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes
Age: 36 Height: 184cm Weight: 74kg
I usually ride: My best bike is:
I've been riding for: Over 20 years I ride: Most days I would class myself as: Expert
I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, sportives, general fitness riding, mtb,
Well said. I commented here just the other day that if you were to measure the actual effect of increased positivity/negativity towards cyclists...
I think they are going to court and attempting to "do" the council into at least making some more effort to justify that they didn't actually...
Looks like they've flattened the first light-up bollard thing, then bottomed out on the raised kerb.
How on earth did anyone accuse you of being trollish...
Is the microphone any good?
Exactly my view. The old cheaper Shimano button wasn't great (and even then it wasn't awful) but the Campag one is much better.
True, but I imagine that (given headtube angle) forward and backward flex translates to at least a tiny amount of upward and downward movement, and...
According to Tobes of Cold Dark North we're still just in Fool's Spring.
If the theory test was "just introduced" then this story didn't happen in 2020....
I love reviews like this, because they make me feel a lot better about how much I've spent on bicycles (probably about this much total for the four...