Review of Polar CS200cad Cycling Computer Heart Rate Monitor with Cadence

Polar CS200cad Cycling Computer Heart Rate Monitor with Cadence
By: Polar Average Rating: 3.5 Total Reviews: 18
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Don't buy this one

On: 2010-02-26

I purchased this cyclometer less than a year ago. Ive put a lot of time in making it finally work correctly. The HR function is great, but the transmitter on the wheel works sporatically. I figure it needs a new battery, but frankly, Im unwilling to go to the trouble of sending it back for replacement. This would be one of the best products out there if POLAR would have made the transmitter batteries user replaceable. Its disappointing to have to ship it off or buy a new transmitter. Buyer beware. You will fall in love with this bad boy, but he WILL disappoint.

Three years and still running perfectly

On: 2009-09-05

Im a user of the CS-400 for several years. I swap the receiver between my road bike and my mountain bike. It has two wheel diameter set-ups but fortunately both my bikes have identical circumferences. I want to try to offset any complaint that the sensor does not work well. Actually, it might require some adjustment of the location so I have a few tips. Ive used the CS-400 for years and had zero problems after setup. Setup can be somewhat frustrating sometimes though. Thats why I decided to enter my two cents here.

1. Mount the sender/transmitter/pickup device and the monitor on the same side of the bike. These guys dont work very well if theres material between the two. Make sure the monitor is overhanging the handlebar or it cant "see" the transmitter. I can imagine that a fat road bike bar wrapped with rubber tape might cause the unit to be hidden from direct view of the fork-mounted transmitter.
2. Locate/position/install the transmitter very close to the magnet. As close as possible without clicking as it spins past the transmitter. A light will flash one time for each time theres a signal pick up when youre testing to see if theres a pick up between the magnet and the fork-mounted transmitter. Sweet! When the wheel rotates past the transmitter, a dim red light flashes one time. This tells you that the sensor/transmitter is picking up the signal from the magnet. Spint the wheel a few times and youll hear a beep from the monitor as it automatically turns on. You have to set the program to AutoStart for this "beep-on" feature to work. After a few flashes, the light goes to sleep so if youre still testing after a few minutes you might not get the flash so dont think its not working. Let it rest a few minutes and start again and youll see the dim red light flash if the magnet is properly placed.
3. I like to use zip ties to install the hardware but beware, zip ties slip unless pulled very tight with a zip-tie puller which is basicaly a plier-type tool that grabs the tail of the zip and tugs it as tight as you dare to squeeze the handles. Buy or borrow one and the zips will hold forever. Fail to pull zips super tight is a guarantee that something will move after a while.
4. I dont know what kind of cadence magnet they are currently sending in this kit but mine was a tiny flat rectangular shaped magnet with sticky tape and a band of adhesive tape to wrap around the crank arm. Not good enough. A shop gave me a better crank arm magnet which is housed in plastic with a slot for a zip tie. See if you can find one of these for a better way to fasten it to your crank arm.
Final note: Did you ever wonder what we used to be doing with our time before we began to write and read dozens if not hundreds of reviews like these?

Not as good as I hoped

On: 2009-06-30

I purchased this a year ago and already need to replace the speed sensor. Polar does not offer battery changes for the sensors, only the receiver. You will need to purchase a new sensor (speed, cadence) each time a battery dies. This can be pretty expensive after a few years. I tried to find a system that offers both heart rate and replaceable batteries and most are very expensive to purchase. Polar has a lock on the pulse rate market and it would be good business sense for a company to design a good inexpensive heart-rate bicycling computer.

poor quality - not suitable for mountain biking

On: 2009-02-10

I bought this product in may 2008 and since then it used up about 10 batteries (the computer, not the sensors), even if i always turned it off after rides. Thats a lot of batteries - on an older bike i have an antique cateye that was very cheap when i bought it and i think i changed the battery once in 7 years or so.

Almost certainly my model must have an electronic problem of some sort. Thats really annoying but thats not the main reason why i rate this product so low.

The main reason is that the design is unsuitable for rough mountainbiking. On a recent cross country ride I have lost the computer - it just came off the handlebars (due to vibration i assume) and i have just noticed its not there anymore when i got home and washed the bike. I think thats just unacceptable - my old cateye never even once fell off the handlebars in many years of abuse.

These two problems combined make it a pretty bad investment in my opinion, and you should only buy it if you have access to as many batteries as you want AND if you mostly do spinning or roadriding. If youre into MTB and like to ride in places where they dont have shops selling CR2032 batteries around every corner, you may want to stick with more solid and most likely cheaper products.

Polar CS200cad cycle computer

On: 2008-08-15

This unit is a good all around unit for a road bike or short travel mountain bike. I was having an issue with the accuracy of the distance on my mountain bike, but it was working ok on the road bike. I was told by the Polar customer support that it was designed for ROAD only. But the installation instructions said that it could be used on mountain. Long story short, I moved the speed sensor as high on the fork as I could get it and all seems to be well. If I were to do it all over again I would not use it on my mountain bike. It works great for the road.

PURE GARBAGE

On: 2008-07-14

If this functioned as advertised then the review would be much better. In short, here are the problems:

1) SonicLink is not effective. After about 30 attempts at downloading data, Ive about given up. Ive tried different mics, settings, environments, etc.

2) Even if I were able to get the data on a computer a lot of it would be useless. The HR monitor on this unit does not work properly. At least half the time it has readings over 200. Thats not possible, especially since it jumps from say 138 to 233 in about a second. And then stays there for a few minutes before going back to a truer reading. I thought maybe it was interference, but no. Maybe the sensors? No. I dont knwo ehat the problem is.

These the MAJOR FAILURES render the product useless. Customer support tells me what a great technology SonicLink is. I beg to differ.

DO NOT BUY THIS PIECE OF TRASH, GO WITH ANOTHER MANUFACTURER, and save yourself some frustration.

put your money elsewhere

On: 2008-03-27

I assumed this would be a great product based on the brand and price. As a spinning instructor, I have endorsed the Polar brand heart rate monitors for years because of their accuracy and durability. However, when I recently purchased a new road bike and bought this cs200cad as an accessory I was highly disappointed. I expected to be able to install the computer and magnets myself. After hours of unsuccessfully syncing the cadence/speed magnets with the computer, I finally took my bike to a shop to have everything professionally installed. I was then told that this particular brand was considered to be one of the most difficult to install because it was so "touchy." Next, I was told that even after professional installation, bikes were often returned to have things fine tuned because the whole system was so "delicate." At that point, I decided to abandon the whole Polar computer and ended up purchasing a Cat Eye double wireless which has been just awesome. I wear my regular Polar heart rate monitor so that I can keep an eye on all of the cardio stuff, but I leave it up to my Cat Eye to keep track of my biking info. Lesson learned..you cant be good at everything. Polar has heart rate monitoring down to a T and Cat Eye has cycling computers down to a T. No fusion necessary. Hope this helps. Ride on. Ann D

Great unit but delicate

On: 2008-03-20

This is my first and only bike-mounted monitor, so I cant make product comparisons. Its does everything that its supposed to, and does it quite well. It took some adjusting to get it to settle down - I dont know how else to explain this part. At first, it seemed to skip readings a lot (heart rate, speed, cadence). I cant say that I really changed much in the setup, but it now reads just fine on a consistent basis. I have logged 3000 miles with it, and bought one for my wife.

My biggest peeve right now is that the mounting bracket on the back broke. It only holds 7 exercise sessions, so you have to twist-to-unlock the unit every time you take it off. Somehow, one of the three locking flanges busted. These flanges are thin plastic extrusions. A component that gets used so much (on/off all the time to download) should be better built.

Polar sayss $39 to fix (plus shipping, and lost time)
If another product has this functionality, but seems to be better built, you might want to consider it.

Good Product Poor Instruction Manual

On: 2008-03-10

The product is reasonably good once you figure out how to install it based on the instructions provided in the Manual. The instructions for installing the Cadence sensor are extremely confusing. The picture is hand drawn and it is very difficult to see how the sensor is mounted. Polar did not take the trouble to have someone install the sensors based on the instrucitons and proof out the installation procedure. If you are trying to check out the installation on a stationary bicycle stand it takes a lot of turns of the crank to register cadence. This could have been mentioned in the installation manual. Polars website has a fairly good tutorial on the use of the computer. It would have been nice to have a tutorial on the installation with clear pictures.

I will have to think twice about buying another Polar product because of their lack of concern for the customer.

Great as expected

On: 2008-02-29

As customary for Polar, delivered what offered. Has all the features that I required and is helping me exponentially in my training. Was wasting training sessions by not using it. Cadence meter is essential. Best return for the money. DOWNSIDE: Cadence sensor attached to bike, is too big, might be damaged during mountain biking. Monitor does not measure VO2 MAX consumption.

The sensors are not user serviceable, and thats a shame.

On: 2007-11-18

This is a good cyclo-computer for the enthusiast like myself. Its hard to find a unit that combines speed, cadence, and an hrm at this price. The display has several options and most cyclists will find one that offers a decent combination of what they want to know without having to flip through different views. Sensor reliability is ok with the hrm and speed sensor, but somewhat unreliable with the cadence sensor. I transfer this unit between 3 bikes and on one bike I had to mount the unit on the top tube to pick up cadence.

Data transfer is done by sound, yes sound, and youll need a computer with a microphone to record a ridiculous chirping song that is uploaded to the polar web site for their simple flash based analysis tool. Ill admit that the process has worked every time, but if data analysis is important to you then look elsewhere. Regardless, the data transfer is probably not a selling point to a cyclist looking at the cs200 anyways. But if it is, youre probably going to want to transfer the averages to other software if you are willing to work within the limitations.

My biggest gripe with the cs200 is the sensors and their battery life. The sensors are sealed and you cannot change the batteries without breaking them open. Polar claims they last for 2400 hours. I would claim about 200 - 400 hours ,if that much. Ive been able to break a couple of them open to replace the battery, but it is easy to destroy the sensor during this process. The sensors arent extremely expensive (less than 40 dollars), but across 3 bikes they could add up to a couple hundred dollars a year. Moreover, its aggravating to know that it would have been simple for polar to design them so the batteries were replaceable.

Cycling gadgets are never perfect (or even close for that matter), and having used several wireless computers (including the cheap ones, mavic, cateye, shimano, and campy ergopower), Ill admit that none of them have impressed me. My next purchase will either be wired, or something expensive, but my expectations are the same.

The sensors are not user serviceable, and thats a shame.

On: 2007-11-17

This is a good cyclo-computer for the enthusiast like myself. Its hard to find a unit that combines speed, cadence, and an hrm at this price. The display has several options and most cyclists will find one that offers a decent combination of what they want to know without having to flip through different views. Sensor reliability is ok with the hrm and speed sensor, but somewhat unreliable with the cadence sensor. I transfer this unit between 3 bikes and on one bike I had to mount the unit on the top tube to pick up cadence.

Data transfer is done by sound, yes sound, and youll need a computer with a microphone to record a ridiculous chirping song that is uploaded to the polar web site for their simple flash based analysis tool. Ill admit that the process has worked every time, but if data analysis is important to you then look elsewhere. Regardless, the data transfer is probably not a selling point to a cyclist looking at the cs200 anyways. But if it is, youre probably going to want to transfer the averages to other software if you are willing to work within the limitations.

My biggest gripe with the cs200 is the sensors and their battery life. The sensors are sealed and you cannot change the batteries without breaking them open. Polar claims they last for 2400 hours. I would claim about 200 - 400 hours ,if that much. Ive been able to break a couple of them open to replace the battery, but it is easy to destroy the sensor during this process. The sensors arent extremely expensive (less than 40 dollars), but across 3 bikes they could add up to a couple hundred dollars a year. Moreover, its aggravating to know that it would have been simple for polar to design them so the batteries were replaceable.

Cycling gadgets are never perfect (or even close for that matter), and having used several wireless computers (including the cheap ones, mavic, cateye, shimano, and campy ergopower), Ill admit that none of them have impressed me. My next purchase will either be wired, or something expensive, but my expectations are the same.

Great Computer

On: 2007-10-09

This is my first cyclocomputer. I was debating between this and the Garmin 305. Through research (lots!), I found that the Garmin 305 has proven to be very unreliable. Maybe Ill consider the 2nd or 3rd generation, once they work out the bugs. I chose to go with the Polar and am very pleased.

I read complaints about the speed not showing until a few pedal strokes. But, this has not shown to be an issue for me at all. My riding experience has changed dramatically with this little device.

The only draw back is that it took a while (>1 hour) to correctly set-up on my bike and there is a little learning curve with the device itself as the instructions were not straight forward. But, this may just be me since I have not used one of these before(?). Once I figured out what I needed from it, I could not be happier.

Cycling Computer

On: 2007-09-06

If you are serious about keeping track of your stats you should buy this cycle computer. It is easy to use although the buttons could be a little easier to use. I have had no problem with any electronic interferance. It is a little pricey as accessories go but I consider it worth it. Being able to see this kind of information while you ride will help you keep motivated.

does what it says -- good solid product

On: 2007-07-09

Im an average biker -- 18 mph -- and not training for any races right now.

Ive been using my CS200cad for about 18 months now and still like it as much as when I bought it.
When it breaks, Ill buy another one. Note that the price of this unit has not come down in 18 months! This is quite unusual and probly speaks to the demand for this specific set of features. I disagree with the reviewer who said that it should provide bar graphs or record more than simple averages; Ive just been copying the stats to an Excel spreadsheet anyway and so I dont really need that on a tiny display.

What makes this unit different is the dual wireless (wheel speed & cadence) and so theres really no wires, but theres 2 extra batteries to maintain due to that (3 total). Pay attention to the cost to replace these batteries and find a cheap source for them. The backlight *eats* batteries, but its really nice and bright.

The heart rate strap is good but the contacts need to be wet. It is quite comfortable in all positions and does not pinch. There is a particular building with lots of satellite dishes when the heart rate goes from zero to 230 and back repeatedly, so Im guessing this is a wireless transmission failure.

Its easy to take the monitor off the bike quickly by a simple twist so you can take it with you when you lock up your bike OR to move it to say, between 2 bikes (buy a second mount for the other bike; it keeps the bikes stats separately).

I mostly bought it because I wanted to increase my cadence while keeping heart rate in zone, and it did just that: I went from 60 to 70 on the long rides. I like that its got 6 different displays and one of them is always what I want to see, so those are well-designed. Compare this to my db unit that displays half its numbers at the same time on a slightly larger display, and has one other mode to see all the other numbers, but I find myself getting a bit confused because all the numbers are the same size. Ive seen more advanced DB displays that color-code numbers and change their sizes throughout the display, but those have wires.

It beeps when Im out of zone, which is a little annoying to fellow bicyclists during warm up (below min rate) but is really good in a pace line on steep hills because the guy behind me can hear my beeps to know when Im about to slow (before the hand signals). Another pace line goodie is that it tells when the instantanious speed is above or below the average, so if youre trying to keep a pace line at a constant speed you just look for the arrow and dont have to "do math under stress". It can take 10-20 seconds to acquire the heart signal.

The 3 button design is fairly clear for a unit of this type. Some commonplace settings may require 5-10 button presses to find and enable, so youd want to avoid doing that while on the bike. All of the things I need to do on the bike are much more simple. They really thought out the usage of the buttons.

Its also tough: I flipped over my handlebars and hit the computer with full force and its just a little scratched but still works fine.

does what it says -- good solid product

On: 2007-07-08

Im an average biker -- 18 mph -- and not training for any races right now.

Ive been using my CS200cad for about 18 months now and still like it as much as when I bought it.
When it breaks, Ill buy another one. Note that the price of this unit has not come down in 18 months! This is quite unusual and probly speaks to the demand for this specific set of features. I disagree with the reviewer who said that it should provide bar graphs or record more than simple averages; Ive just been copying the stats to an Excel spreadsheet anyway and so I dont really need that on a tiny display.

What makes this unit different is the dual wireless (wheel speed & cadence) and so theres really no wires, but theres 2 extra batteries to maintain due to that (3 total). Pay attention to the cost to replace these batteries and find a cheap source for them. The backlight *eats* batteries, but its really nice and bright.

The heart rate strap is good but the contacts need to be wet. It is quite comfortable in all positions and does not pinch. There is a particular building with lots of satellite dishes when the heart rate goes from zero to 230 and back repeatedly, so Im guessing this is a wireless transmission failure.

Its easy to take the monitor off the bike quickly by a simple twist so you can take it with you when you lock up your bike OR to move it to say, between 2 bikes (buy a second mount for the other bike; it keeps the bikes stats separately).

I mostly bought it because I wanted to increase my cadence while keeping heart rate in zone, and it did just that: I went from 60 to 70 on the long rides. I like that its got 6 different displays and one of them is always what I want to see, so those are well-designed. Compare this to my db unit that displays half its numbers at the same time on a slightly larger display, and has one other mode to see all the other numbers, but I find myself getting a bit confused because all the numbers are the same size. Ive seen more advanced DB displays that color-code numbers and change their sizes throughout the display, but those have wires.

It beeps when Im out of zone, which is a little annoying to fellow bicyclists during warm up (below min rate) but is really good in a pace line on steep hills because the guy behind me can hear my beeps to know when Im about to slow (before the hand signals). Another pace line goodie is that it tells when the instantanious speed is above or below the average, so if youre trying to keep a pace line at a constant speed you just look for the arrow and dont have to "do math under stress". It can take 10-20 seconds to acquire the heart signal.

The 3 button design is fairly clear for a unit of this type. Some commonplace settings may require 5-10 button presses to find and enable, so youd want to avoid doing that while on the bike. All of the things I need to do on the bike are much more simple. They really thought out the usage of the buttons.

Its also tough: I flipped over my handlebars and hit the computer with full force and its just a little scratched but still works fine.

Big performance in a very small package

by: aedezutter On: 2007-01-12

Pros: This cycle computer does it all, speed, heart rate, and cadence. Easy to install. The Own Zone heart rate limits are amazing. Stick to them and youll feel great after your work out. Wireless sensors are terrific.

Cons: Instructions are sketchy. Cant quite figure out the timers. The cadence sensor didnt work and had to return it. The replacement took nearly 3 weeks but it worked. Had a little trouble with the battery but got it going OK.

Great computer!

by: hoseb On: 2007-01-04

After some set up issues got resolved, the computer worked better than Id hoped. Its important that the sending units are on different sides of the bike.

Great computer!

by: hoseb On: 2007-01-03

After some set up issues got resolved, the computer worked better than Id hoped. Its important that the sending units are on different sides of the bike.

Not that good

by: brad_fiske On: 2006-12-09

Pros -
Display is large, easy to read
Backlight makes it easy to read at night
Will give the "time-in-zone" reading - great for training
The website for recording your workouts is very user friendly

Cons
Unit only records averages - will not show you a graph of your workout - for that much money I would expect a memory, recording data at regular intervals, like the Polar 7xx units have - not much more info than an inexpensive HR monitor.

I wish Polar would put the features of the 7xx series into this shell - then it would be perfect!

Overall a clean, easy to use bike computer - but very expensive for what you get.

Great bike comp

by: Anonymous On: 2006-07-09

Well, this is very famous model for serious road cyclists, so I dont need to say too much. This CS 200cad has all functions that I need (wireless, Spd, cad, HR...etc). Its also easy to set up. Sometime, I have to adjust the cad sensor position but thats so easy, and the screen is a little busy (that means it has many info...well, thats I wanted to know, so thats okay, too!!) I also use my bike to commute sometime, so if this has the backlight, and then its gonna be perfect. I love this, and I strongly recommend it.

Good Product

by: Anonymous On: 2006-06-05

Excellent performance, loads of features, I like that i can change the batteries myself, good price.

Good Product

by: Anonymous On: 2006-06-04

Excellent performance, loads of features, I like that i can change the batteries myself, good price.