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forerunner 60 (Read 1628 times)

dmartinez


    I've had my FR60 for 1 year. For the most part, it does a good job with the distance. I'd say 95-98% accuracy with the footpod. I think I calibrated it twice last year when I was doing track workouts. Haven't calibrated since last October and still within that range. For example, I run a 7.17 mile loop on a regular basis. The footpod has recorded 6.84, 6.91, 6.94, 6.95. & 6.93 over the last 5 runs.  I think thats an acceptable range. The only problem I had with the footpod had to do with the battery. About 4 months into use, I ran a half marathon and about 4-5 miles into the race, the pacing got way off. The watch said I was running 5:30 /mile, which would be great except at the time, I could only run 9 + minute miles. It also recorded a 16 mile distance. After reading the manual, I found a blurb about applying mineral oil to specific contact points on the footpod battery. Once I did that, I no longer had any problems with the footpod.

     

    A nice feature that took me a while to put to use, is the option of customizing the display. You can select the data you want to see. I think it defaults to 2 screens, but you can add multiple screens to suit your needs. For example, I set up a screen that shows me my average pace & average cadence. This helps me adjust my pace over a longer distance if I've got a specific target pace for a particular race. You can also set it up to auto scroll and at the speed that it scrolls through the data.

     

    The watch battery was recently replaced. Manual says it'll last about 1 year and that's fairly accurate. Footpod battery may have lasted 10 or 11 months. The battery is user replaceable which is one of the reasons I purchased this particular model. I had no problem replacing the watch battery. There is a thin rubber gasket that helps seal the inside of the watch. As long as it is not removed, it will continue to be water proof. Since I swim with my FR60, I can attest to the fact that it continued to work after replacing the battery.

     

    Since I do swim in a pool with the watch, I have noticed that the band started to crack. It wasn't where I usually buckle the band, but much higher and I'm not sure why it would crack at that particular spot. I think the chlorine from the pool has contributed to the problem. Anyway, I know it's a matter of days before the band snaps. The band is not replaceable. The band is part of the FR60. I contacted Garmin support and asked If and how much to replace the band. Since it's still functioning, I had no reason to replace it with a newer model (really want the 301XT). I was told it would be $80 but if it was under a year, it would fall under warranty. I needed to provide a receipt to prove date of purchase. I informed the CS Rep that I did not keep the receipt and that the watch was right at 1 year or just over and it was my own fault for not keeping the receipt and that I would pay the $80. The next e-mail I got, informed me that I could go ahead and send my watch back for exchange free of charge. I must say that I'm very happy with Garmin customer support. I was ready and willing to pay for the exchange/repair, but I'm getting it for free instead. Not sure that I would get this lucky again. Lesson learned, keep receipt. I'm also going to stop wearing it in the pool and hopefully the band will last for more than 1 year.

     

    I'd really like the options or data(elevation, map, etc) that a GPS enabled system would provide, but for the FR60 being a non-GPS system, I'm really pleased with the data I'm getting and the level of accuracy it provides without being a GPS unit.

    Hoban-Jay


      You're okay with the fact that it's calculations are off by a quarter of a mile? 

        My FR60 is much more accurate then dmartinez watch. recalibrate the footpod.

         

        I raced with it three times and noticed on the last two the distance and pace were way off and I was using the ave mile pace to pace myself. The first race was only two months after I bought it and seemed to calculate the distance pretty accurately. The second and third races were about 5 months after I bought it.

         

        Shortly after the thrid race, I got a warning page that the foot pod battery was low. I haven't raced since I replaced it but maybe the weak battery was the reason for the inaccurate calcs. I might have to try the mineral oil trick and see if that halps.

         

        For the every day running its worked quite well.

         

        The pain that hurts the worse is the imagined pain. One of the most difficult arts of racing is learning to ignore the imagined pain and just live with the present pain (which is always bearable.) - Jeff

         

        2014 Goals:

         

        Stay healthy

        Enjoy life

         

        dmartinez


          @StellarsJJayS

           

          I'm okay with it being off by by .25 mile. I know what the actual distance is that I'm running. When I upload the data to RA, I adjust distance to get an accurate pace. Remember, this is just a foot pod and you're paying a lot less than a GPS model. If I got the 601 or 310XT GPS models for $350, then no,  I would not be okay with it being off by .25 mile. Considering the FR60 is less than half the price of the 610 or 310XT, I think it's a good deal. There will be a margin of error with this kind of device and you'll have to compromise, accuracy vs. price. Since I'm not ready to spend $350 on a GPS watch, I can accept the margin of error. I once ran with my iPhone using a running app that used the phone's GPS feature and the signal bounced around and recorded twice the distance that I actually ran. Now that was unacceptable. In any case the heart rate data is the most important to me when training.  Like I said when you know the distance you're running, you can make the adjustment in RA to get a more accurate average pace.

           

          When I ran the Peachtree Road Race 10k this past July 4th, it was only of by .05 over the 6.25 distance. I have found that during a race when I'm running at 100% it's more accurate than during training runs. 

           

          BTW, I do triathlons and use it for all 3 sports. So, the FR60 has gotten a lot of use with training 5-7 days a week.


          Am I doing this right?

            @StellarsJJayS

             

            I'm okay with it being off by by .25 mile. I know what the actual distance is that I'm running. When I upload the data to RA, I adjust distance to get an accurate pace. Remember, this is just a foot pod and you're paying a lot less than a GPS model. If I got the 601 or 310XT GPS models for $350, then no,  I would not be okay with it being off by .25 mile. Considering the FR60 is less than half the price of the 610 or 310XT, I think it's a good deal. There will be a margin of error with this kind of device and you'll have to compromise, accuracy vs. price. Since I'm not ready to spend $350 on a GPS watch, I can accept the margin of error. I once ran with my iPhone using a running app that used the phone's GPS feature and the signal bounced around and recorded twice the distance that I actually ran. Now that was unacceptable. In any case the heart rate data is the most important to me when training.  Like I said when you know the distance you're running, you can make the adjustment in RA to get a more accurate average pace.

             

            When I ran the Peachtree Road Race 10k this past July 4th, it was only of by .05 over the 6.25 distance. I have found that during a race when I'm running at 100% it's more accurate than during training runs. 

             

            BTW, I do triathlons and use it for all 3 sports. So, the FR60 has gotten a lot of use with training 5-7 days a week.

             

             

            I don't understand the FR60 when you can get the 305 for $30 more. 

            No excuses....

              I paid 100 for mine with HR monitor and foot pod. The 305 doesn't have a foot pod but is available as an option for 69.99 and you need one if you want to keep track of your workouts while on the dreadmill.

               

              Honestly I couldn't care less about GPS tracking, just pace and distance. I don't need a pretty map with a line to show me where I just got done running.

               

              The pain that hurts the worse is the imagined pain. One of the most difficult arts of racing is learning to ignore the imagined pain and just live with the present pain (which is always bearable.) - Jeff

               

              2014 Goals:

               

              Stay healthy

              Enjoy life

               


              Am I doing this right?

                I paid 100 for mine with HR monitor and foot pod. The 305 doesn't have a foot pod but is available as an option for 69.99 and you need one if you want to keep track of your workouts while on the dreadmill.

                 

                 

                Thanks for the explanation.  I always wondered why someone would want to get the foot pod along with the 305.  Of course, I'm not interested in cadence or running on a dreadmill.  I can see why the FR60 is a choice for some now. 

                No excuses....

                  I'm interested in cadence!  Also, the FR60 is significantly smaller and more normal-looking than the PalmPilot-on-your-wrist FR305.  I don't care, but others' mileage may -- and often does -- vary.

                  "I want you to pray as if everything depends on it, but I want you to prepare yourself as if everything depends on you."

                  -- Dick LeBeau

                  dmartinez


                    I got the FR60 replaced by Garmin for free even though I didn't have a receipt. I think I mentioned that in one of my previous posts. They sent a new unit along with another HR strap. Which is cool and now I have an extra one. I never calibrated the foot pod and it has been more accurate than before. I've done 5 runs with the new FR60 and it is dead on accurate. The most it has been off is .02 miles on a 7 mile run. I don't know if there was a firmware update on the FR60 that I missed with my old unit, but this one is accurate. I even ran with someone who had another GPS Garmin (305?) and it was off by .3 mile.

                     

                    I'm not going to wear the FR60 in the pool and just use a regular sport watch. Hopefully that will extend the life of the band for longer than a year.

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