Wahoo Blue HR with Strava and Android

So the only reason that I purchased the Wahoo HR was because my Zephyr HXM wouldn't work with the Wahoo SC cadence sensor that I recently purchased.  This was a huge dissapointment, but I should have researched whether a Bluetooth 2.0 and a Bluetooth 4.0 device would work together at the same time.  In the end I think I made the right choice.

Fit and Comfort
I noticed the differences between my old HR monitor(top in the photo) and the Blue HR.  The Zephyr snaps in to the torso snaps and maintains a layer of fabric between the hard plastic and the skin, the Blue HR uses hard plastic mounts to connect the strap together, and they press directly in to the skin.

Initially this wasn't a big deal, but after even 30 minutes it began to leave impressions in my skin.  I can't tell just yet if it's going to cause a problem on long rides. I usually put it on and slide my sports bra over the sensor.  I'll have to see how this works during a longer ride.

Technical
The Wahoo Blue HR works on Bluetooth 4.0 low energy technology.  The biggest problem with this is that I couldn't seem to get my sensors with Bluetooth 2.0 to work at the same time as the HR using Bluetooth 4.0.  This means that if you want to use multiple sensors, such as the Wahoo Blue SC, they all have to be on Bluetooth 4.0.

Connecting with Strava is the same as the Blue SC.  Initially I just needed to turn my phone on and open Strava.  In the settings, under Bluetooth sensors, the option for Bluetooth 4.0 option needs to be set.  Once that happens, if you're wearing your sensor, you should see the sensor connect.

After this initial setup, I went ahead and started recording a ride.  I noted that when I open the record page a bubble popped up nothing that Strava connected with the heart rate monitor.  

I took a quick ride to test out the performance.  It seemed to work well.  I'll have to write more when I go on a longer ride.

Everything seemed to be in order at this point.

The Good

At $49.99 from Amazon, the price is pretty average for heart rate monitors.  It worked well with the Wahoo Blue SC speed cadence monitor.  In the end I ended up having all the bio metrics that I wanted.  The compatibility with Strava is super nice, and while there are other apps out there for recording rides, I'm pretty committed to Strava, I enjoy the interface, and I already have nearly two years of data on the site.  The app's compatibility with Bluetooth 4.0 is new to the Android platform.  I'm sure there are some bugs to work out, but at this point I'm pretty satisfied. 

The Bad

The two biggest problems I have with the Wahoo Blue HR is the way that the sensor mounts to the straps.  I prefer the way that the Zephyr mounts, keeping a layer of fabric between the hard plastic and my skin was much more comfortable.  The other issue I have is that the HR uses a battery.  My Zephyr has a charging dock that plugs in to a USB port, this is preferable over having to replace batteries.  It's too soon to tell how long the battery is going to last, but the manual says that it should last a year, but I'm sure this depends on how much I ride.

The last problem with the Blue HR is that it's not totally compatible with every phone when you use Strava.  When I tested it on my Samsung Galaxy S3, it never connected to the app, when I tested it on my Samsung Galaxy S4, I could use both the HR and the speed/cadence sensor.  

Conclusion

If you are looking for a heart rate, plus a cadence sensor then this combination works well.  Be sure check the compatibility with your phone before you purchase either the HR or the Blue SC.

Wahoo Blue SC With Strava on an Andriod

I recently had someone tell me my cadence was too slow.  I never really thought about it, and since I track my cycling on Strava I thought I'd start the search for bio metric sensors that I could use with my Andriod and Strava.  After some exhaustive searching I gave Wahoo a shot.

The first thing I bought was the cadence and speed sensor.  I liked it out of the box.  It's compact and easy to install.  I installed mine in less than 10 minutes.

Installation
The SC is attached to the chain stays in a position that will allow it to see the magnet on the cranks as well as the sensor on the wheel.  It comes with a rubber device to attach it to the chain stays, but I preferred to zip tie mine to my bike.

The magnet for the crank is not adjustable and consists of a rubber strap and a magnet.  You have to take the pedal off to install the magnet on the crank.

 There is another magnet that attaches to a spoke for the speed sensor.

 So pretty much at this point you're ready to go.  The trick is getting the SC to talk to your phone.  I have a Samsung Galaxy S3 and a Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini.  The cadence sensor seems to work well with both of them.  You have to go in to the settings and turn on the Bluetooth 4.0.  After that you should see something like this.  If you have a bluetooth sensor, such as the Wahoo Blue HR, it will sync at this point.

When you start up to start recording a ride there should be a little pop up noting that Strava found the SC.  You should see the speed indication pop up at this point too, this should show you that the SC is talking to the Strava app.  

Performance
I took a quick ride down the street just to make sure that the sensor was dialed in.  It seemed to work well.

At this point I have no complaints with the performance.  I will add more to this review after I go on some longer rides.

The Good

The price point for this was great.  At $59.99 from Amazon  it easily beat out the more expensive bike computers.  I don't like seeing my speed in real time, I prefer to do my data analysis on my rides after I get home.  So this works well for me.  

The Bad

While the SC works okay with both my Galaxy S3 and Galaxy S4, it won't work with some phones.  Android platforms vary so much that designing a single device that works across the spectrum is impossible.  The other issue is that since the SC works on a Bluetooth 4.0, which is low energy, trying to tie in a Bluetooth 2.0 device at the same time is impossible.  Initially I had planned to use the SC with my current heart monitor, the Zephyr HXM BT won't read in to Strava at the same time as the SC.  This prompted me to have to purchase another heart rate monitor that worked on Bluetooth 4.0.  

Conclusion

In the end if you have a newer Android phone, and you have all Bluetooth 4.0 bio metric sensors this might be a good choice for you.