The Polar CS500 is packed with great features for anyone who wants some serious feedback on their riding. Ours came with sensors to measure speed, cadence, altitude and heart rate, with the option of purchasing a power sensor separately (£304.50).
The computer can be set to start recording when the wheels are turning, which we found particularly useful for racing, where we have often forgotten to start other devices.
Menu navigation is made simple by the cleverly designed two-way rocker switch – we found ourselves lazily leaving our hands on the tops and scrolling through using our thumbs.
Riding along you can choose from a series of displays: for time trialling, for example, we could usefully show heart rate, distance travelled and speed simultaneously, though it’s reassuring to know the real-time data is being stored.
It’s useful for specific sessions – you can program lap distances, interval times or heart rate zones, for example. The DataLink (USB) wirelessly uploads data onto Polar’s www.polarpersonaltrainer.com website which takes the form of an online training diary, where additional notes can be added and any progress can be reviewed.