The HAC5 is a downloadable HRM and bike computer that offers an incredible amount of performance info for the data-driven cyclist. You get all the HR functions you could want, including programmable zone limits, while the bike sensors measure cadence and even wattage – which is interesting but nowhere near as accurate as a dedicated power-meter.
You also get altitude, gradient, cumulative daily ascent, your skiing speed – no, really – and we've barely begun. Press the right buttons and it'll probably beam you up to the Starship Enterprise. You can customise the info shown on each of the screen's three lines to minimise the need for button pressing during exercise and a bike mount comes as part of the deal.
That brain is housed inside a watch unit that's the big and heavy and you'll need to read the 38 pages of instructions a few times to get the most from the HAC5. But once you've installed the software (Windows 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP), all the recorded data is easily downloaded to your PC where it's automatically converted into a host of ultra-clear tables and charts for you to pore over at your leisure.
