The STRATOS triathlon watch adds multi-sport glory to the lower end of sports watch pricing. It is a nice unit to look at and generally well made. It is FEATURE-FULL and competent in many aspects. It does have problems though.
The new Suunto 3 FITNESS is an intriguing addition to Suunto range of products and takes the learnings from the SPARTAN range to new markets. On first inspection, those of you who know about all-things-Suunto, might think we have another SPARTAN TRAINER in our midst. It certainly LOOKS like the SPARTAN TRAINER. But there are…
Today’s new SPARTAN firmware release is a combination of ‘meh’ and ‘oooh’. There are some general stability improvements and better connectivity. Some people experience issues when first connecting to the HR belts…that is addressed. So that’s definitely bug-fixed mehness. Then the firmware also introduces HR Zones on to the watch. This is no huge secret…
In the recent Suunto SPARTAN Trainer review we looked at the first 5, ‘dressy’ variants. Suunto has reverted back to its outdoor heritage with 3 new OUTDOOR variants on the SPARTAN TRAINER. The SPARTAN Trainer is a great entry-level triathlon watch. Does this new OUTDOORs version do the same for al you adventurous types? This…
It’s taken a while but Suunto’s SPARTANs now appear to properly support the STRYD footpod. The word “TaDa !”, springs to mind. Prior to firmware v1.11.56, STRYD could be paired as either a footpod (pace, etc) OR as a POWER pod (only power). So if you wanted ACCURATE PACE and POWER then you would have…
Suunto Spartan Sport Wrist HR Baro Preview The Suunto Spartan Sport Wrist HR Baro Stealth is certainly a mouthful but probably better than SSSWHRBS. I’m feeling sorry for myself today having just failed to get a 10 mile PB. Writing a full review takes a looong time so I got the camera out and enjoyed the…
Today’s announcement from Suunto signals, possibly, one of several incremental/upcoming additions to the existing SPARTAN range. It’s snappily abbreviated to SSSWHRB. Glad we cleared that one up. Like with the previous AMBIT series and its variants, I expect any further SPARTANs to be ‘tweaks’ to the exiting models. What is the SSSWHRB? It’s a mouthful,…
A Great UK deal for runners wanting to start out running with power with STRYD. Well 2 deal bundles to be precise. You can get the Garmin Forerunner 235+STRYD for £350 or the Suunto Spartan SPORT WHR + STRYD for £300. Both are great options. The SPARTAN probably has more accurate hardware and the Garmin…
Suunto Spartan Trainer Review This Suunto Spartan Trainer Review looks at the lowest cost sports watch SPECIFICALLY designed for triathlon and running with power (STRYD). It’s over a year since Suunto sprang the SPARTAN on an expectant sports gadget world (Summer 2016). We all were waiting for the AMBIT 4 and we got the top-end SPARTAN ULTRA. Then…
For those of you who don’t know about STRYD: It’s a running power meter and an accurate footpod For those of you who don’t know about the Suunto SPARTAN TRAINER (WHR): It’s probably the go-to tri-specific BUDGET watch of any current model. It’s a mean running watch too, by inference. REVIEW: STRYD FIRST THOUGHTS: SST…
The new Suunto SPARTAN TRAINER looks to be a great addition to the SPARTAN line. On first inspection, those of you who know about all-things-Suunto, might think we have the AMBIT4 in our midst. It certainly LOOKS like the AMBIT3-tweaked. It’s not. I have had 2x SPARTAN TRAINERs for nearly a week and 5 non-working dummy…
Another significant upgrade to the SPARTAN series was released yesterday. Some lucky people had access last week. These are the headline features: Start planned Moves on your Spartan [SEE BELOW] Find back navigation [BACK TO START] Notifications for daily activity targets (steps and calories) Triathlon mode customization [SEE BELOW] Do not disturb mode 30-day activity sync after…
Suunto Spartan Sport Review – Wrist HR It’s nearly a year since Suunto sprang the SPARTAN on an unsuspecting world (Summer 2016), here in this Suunto Spartan Sport review, we take a detailed look at the wrist heart rate (whr) version. We all were waiting for the AMBIT 4 and we got the top-end SPARTAN ULTRA. Then we…
Polar have confirmed to me that the M430 running watch has indeed got new innards. Obviously the optical HR gave away the fact that something had changed internally 😉 Well, the GPS chip has also been updated to the same one as used by the V800 (SiRFstar IV) – generally renowned for good GPS accuracy.…
OK here is a test from yesterday on my MTB on a trail. I was specifically looking at how optical HR handled a bumpy but flat hardened, mud/grass trail. The vibrations can cause problems for optical HR in general, so that is what I was looking at ie a demanding scenario. The Edge 820 is…
I’ve had the SPARTAN Sport WHR for a couple of weeks now and I have used it for lots of varied sessions, from 30 minutes to 4 hours, and probably well over 30 total hours of training. I’m still taking an overall view on the optical HR. I’ve been using either the SPORT (non-WHR) or the SPARTAN…
Just finished off a whole bunch of testing and then new firmware v1.8.26. Grrr !! 🙂 I need more pictures too don’t I? Just the one so far that’s any good !! 😉 Why take photos of beautiful watches when there are year-end accounts to do? (Not much to add up 😉 ) This firmware…
Garmin’s new 935 is currently priced at a near identical price point to Suunto’s Spartan Sport. Fix that in your mind and read on. The Spartan Sport has pretty awesome GPS and native STRYD support. I actually use it now for running most times I go out. I’m currently also using the WHR optical version…
I’ve had the SPARTAN Sport WHR (WHR = Wrist optical Heart Rate) for a couple of days now. For followers of the introduction of the SPARTAN series to the market there is nothing unexpected to write about at present. You knew it was coming and here it is. It’s real! It’s pretty much the same…
Best Running Watches for each type of runner
