Best heart rate monitors

Best heart rate monitors
(Image credit: Wahoo)

The best heart rate monitors are those that you can easily forget you're wearing, while gaining consistent, accurate and insightful data. The humble heart rate monitor can provide insight into training effort, exertion, fatigue and more. 

They range from lightweight chest straps to small optical wristbands that track your pulse. The latter is now used in fitness trackers and smartwatches at all price points. Each option can map other metrics like heart rate viability, remember workout data, and even determine cadence.

Mildred Locke

Mildred joined as Reviews Writer for Cyclingnews and BikePerfect in December 2020. She loves all forms of cycling from long-distance audax to daily errand-running by bike, and does almost everything on two wheels, including moving house, and started out her cycling career working in a bike shop. For the past five years she's volunteered at The Bristol Bike Project as a mechanic and session coordinator, and now sits on its board of directors.

Since then she's gone on to write for a multitude of cycling publications, including Bikeradar, Cycling Plus, Singletrack, Red Bull, Cycling UK and Total Women's Cycling. She's dedicated to providing more coverage of women's specific cycling tech, elevating under-represented voices in the sport, and making cycling more accessible overall. 

Height: 156cm (5'2")

Weight: 75kg

Rides: Stayer Groadinger UG, Triban RC520 Women's Disc, Genesis Flyer, Marin Larkspur, Cotic BFe 26, Clandestine custom bike