Heart-rate driven power assist ... Kalkhoff Impulse Ergo

[103Alex1]

Very interesting idea :

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Motor assist is now proportionate to heart rate rather than pedal cadence or pedal effort. So presumably you get more as your heart rate goes through the roof trying to climb up that vertical slope to the pub with a view ? !

Perhaps a racing pulse at the thought of nearing the pub might also help get you there sooner ... an incentive to stay excited ? Wonder how the HRM communicates with the controller ... if someone made HRMs that measure off your wrist / hand rather than a strap around your chest I'd be tempted by it. As it stands, I hate chest bands and never wear them doing anything active. But for medical use or those without a phobia about constrictive accessories in their chest area it could be very good option.

 

[Spinalot]

A chest mounted option put me off too alex. Not sure how it does it TBH. Would be very cool if it was built into a watch with lots of other health functions on.

 

[flecc]

I suppose a microphone to measure one's increasingly desperate gasps for breath could substitute for a chest band to signal when more motor help was urgently needed!

 

[103Alex1]

A chest mounted option put me off too alex. Not sure how it does it TBH. Would be very cool if it was built into a watch with lots of other health functions on.

I looked at those watches recently to use if I go trail running again when the weather cheers up a bit. I didn't realize you had to wear the chest strap to get them to work as well. It was a short-lived investigation !

I suppose a microphone to measure one's increasingly desperate gasps for breath could substitute for a chest band to signal when more motor help was urgently needed!

They could call it a "pant monitor". PM for short ....

 

[Spinalot]

I looked at those watches recently to use if I go trail running again when the weather cheers up a bit. I didn't realize you had to wear the chest strap to get them to work as well. It was a short-lived investigation !



They could call it a "pant monitor". PM for short ....

No no, it is called a Pant Monitoring Telemetry or PMT for short.

Didn't know about the chest straps on the watches either, that sucks. :-(

 

[jackhandy]

I use a cheapo Crane hrm, from Aldi:
It has a chest strap, but is not the least restrictive - In fact, I've forgotten I'm wearing it several times & wondered what the hell the bleeping is when driving & the "below training range" alarm has triggered.

 

[Artstu]

it'll still call time on any help you might need above the silly low 15.5 mph limit.

 

[103Alex1]

it'll still call time on any help you might need above the silly low 15.5 mph limit.

.... unless one of those dongle things gets developed for Impulse and it's compatible with the HR system . I'm guessing (hoping) you can select HR as a mode rather than not being able to get any assistance from the bike if you lose your chest strap - like on all those occasions you strip off to bask in the Saharan British weather...