Wahoo has updated the Tickr and Tickr X heart rate monitors to improve battery life, comfort and connectivity. The unit, which now has a slimmer design, is also claimed to be the lightest heart rate monitor available.
The Tickr range continues to be made up of two chest straps, the standard Tickr and the Tickr X, and the arm-mounted Tickr Fit tracker (that remains unchanged, however).
We’ll focus on the chest straps here, given they’re new and likely to be most relevant to cyclists who want to accurately track their heart rate data. The Tickr is the more affordable model in the range, while the Tickr X offers internal memory and additional analytic features.
Both the Tickr and Tickr X can now simultaneously pair up to three Bluetooth devices (up from one), should you wish to track your data simultaneously on, say, a phone, smartwatch and bike computer. Both also offer Ant+ connectivity.
Battery life has increased by nearly 50 per cent, from 350 hours to a claimed 500 hours via a single coin-cell battery, according to Wahoo.
The Tickr and Tickr X share the same strap and pod, which Wahoo says is slimmer than the previous design to reduce the weight of the overall device to a claimed 48g.
Wahoo says the new pod “pops" into the strap and now sits on the user’s chest as a single flat surface, reportedly improving comfort.
The LEDs, which indicate when the unit is connected to a device, are now at the top of the pod body, rather than the front.
Wahoo says this allows users to easily check the device is recording data, though we haven’t had any problem seeing the front-facing LEDs on the existing Tickr.
While the Tickr and Tickr X share the same design on the outside, the Tickr X gets more advanced software features.
It offers up to 50 hours of internal memory (increased from 16 hours), allowing the Tickr X to record heart rate data, estimated calories burned and workout duration without being connected to an external device.
The workout will then sync to the Wahoo Fitness app when it’s next connected.
Meanwhile, when paired with the app, 'indoor cycling mode' can track cadence on a turbo trainer using “advanced motion tracking”. Wahoo says the Tickr X can detect a cyclist rocking side-to-side while pedalling and then translate that to cadence.
If you’re a runner as well as a cyclist, the Tickr X can record speed and distance on a treadmill, while Wahoo says it can also track vertical oscillation, ground contact time and running cadence and display it via a smartwatch.
As for the Tickr Fit, well that’s unchanged but, if you're not familiar, it's a rechargeable arm-mounted strap that records your heart rate optically, rather than via ECG (the latter is widely considered to be more accurate).
Wahoo says the Tickr Fit offers “accuracy, comfort, and reliability for those looking for an alternative to a chest strap or sports swatch”.
The Tickr Fit, which has Bluetooth and Ant+ connectivity, also records workout duration and an estimate of calories burned. Two sizes are available.
Wahoo Tickr, Tickr X and Tickr Fit pricing
Wahoo Tickr
- £39.99, €49.99, $49.99, AU$79.99
Wahoo Tickr X
- £64.99, €79.99, $79.99, AU$129.95
Wahoo Tickr Fit
- £64.99, €79.99, $79.99, AU$129.95
The Tickr will also be available in a bundle with either the Wahoo Elemnt Bolt (£244.99) or Elemnt Roam (£359.99) GPS computers, as well as Wahoo speed and cadence sensors.
