You might expect a £33 HRM to be the Happy Shopper version, but though this isn't the most advanced device, it boasts some useful features and is simple to operate. After Polar's, the soft transmitter belt is the most comfortable on test and it's the only one we've ever used with an LED to show it's working – handy.
The monitor gives you two training sessions based on your gender and theoretical max HR, which we immediately ignored in favour of programming in our own target zone and exercise time.
The alarm that says you're outside your limits sounds only every 30 seconds, which is a shame, but the time you spend above both the top and bottom of your range is recorded: take one from the other and you get your in-zone time. You also get your average and max HRs.
Some of the on-screen numbers are small, the bike mount is just a strip of neoprene, and there's no lap/split on the stopwatch. Plus, the fact that we couldn't input our true max HR meant the exercise intensity figure was always wrong (although you could lie about your age). But despite these niggles, it's 33 quid… you're getting an awful lot for your cash from the good people at X-Train.
