When I first started training for racing, a heart rate monitor (HRM) was one of my first purchases. I used it religiously for years, but eventually started riding without it for the most part.

Last year I picked up another HRM just to have around (since my old one was broken.) I didn’t want to spend too much, so I chose the Sigma Sport PC15 for $40 at Nashbar. It was cheap since it was a 2006 model still in stock in March 2009, but it had plenty of features and worked fine.

Here’s a quick review:

Durability

I like Sigma Sport, but I’ve had a number of Sigma Sport products die untimely deaths (my PC3 HRM and BC1600 cyclocomputer, for instance.) But even with early replacement, they are still cheaper than Polar or Suuntu offerings!

My Sigma Sport PC15 has held up fine with occasional use for the past year, so durability seems good enough for me.

Features

The PC15 offers a lot of features. Many more than my PC3 did, and quite frankly, so many that I didn’t even use them all!

You have your current/avg/max HR, HR zones with a beep system to alert you to zone changes, stopwatch, alarm, etc. All these features seemed to work just fine.

There is also a backlight which is cool. If you run at night or venture deep into the woods, or are doing a 24 hour mountain bike race, you might need the light.

The PC15 also comes with a bike mount (i.e. you can mount it on the handlebars.)

Ease of Use

While not exactly as simple as put on the chest strap and go, like my PC3 was, the PC15 is pretty simple to figure out. Once I reviewed the buttons in the manual, I picked things up without hassle.

Comfort

First, the chest strap is great. It fits snugly and comfortably.

The watch part gets left on the bike mount though. It is just not comfortable on my wrist! The wrist strap sucks, so I rarely use this when running, but everything is fine for the bike mount.

My final verdict is…

Overall I am happy with the Sigma Sport PC15. Durability seems alright, and the features are great for the price I paid. If you’re looking for a fairly simple heart rate monitor that won’t break the bank, take a look at this one.

Official website: www.SigmaSport.com

After riding for a full season without any speedometer or odometer (since my Sigma Sport BC1600 broke down,) I finally caved in and bought a new computer last year.

Despite the past problems, I’m still a fan of Sigma Sport (to an extent,) and the display and button setup on this model looked good, so I grabbed one. Plus, the Sigma Sport BC1106 “team edition” color was on sale for $19.99 at Nashbar, and I couldn’t pass up a good deal.

(The team edition is red, which looks weird on my silver/blue Trek, but perfectly matches my white/red Cannondale.)

Installation and Setup

Setting up the BC1106 was as simple and straightforward as any wired computer can be. The only problem is the time consuming initial installation, thanks to the wire that must be wrapped around the brake cable.

The instructions involving setup were clear. After easily setting the time and wheel diameter, it was time to roll.

In Use

I really like the interface of Sigma Sport computers. It’s nice and simple. And the fact I was familiar with it already was a big plus.

This computer was on par with my BC1600 from years prior, with two minor differences. First, this one takes an extra two seconds to reset everything before a new ride. Second, the “sweet spot” on the buttons is a little different and took some getting used to. (The buttons are big, but there is a certain angle where you have to hit them.)

The display on this one is a tad bigger and brighter, which I like.

Functionality

The BC1106 offers 11 functions:

• Current speed
• Average speed
• Comparison speed / average speed
• Maximum speed
• Clock
• Trip distance
• Total distance bike 1+2
• Trip riding time
• Total riding time bike 1+2
• Memory function
• 2 wheel sizes programmable

I only set this up for one bike, so I can’t speak to the multi-bike and wheel size functions, but all the features I used seemed to work fine.

We Have a Problem!

Well, the computer worked fine for a few rides. Then one day I’m descending a 4 mile hill at 40mph. I tucked down to go faster, checked the computer, and it said 28mph! Next thing I knew, it said 0mph!

Since I was still cruising down nicely, I was sure the magnet had fallen off, because I thought I heard a little “ting” on the road. Nothing else seemed to happen, so I just rode calmly to the bottom (there was no way I could stop on that steep downhill!)

Once I had a chance to slow down, I stopped and checked, and everything looked perfect! The sensor and magnet were still lined up as before, the wire was still hooked in, and the clock function on the computer still worked.

It must be another case of the mysterious burnout of Sigma Sport computers!* This is the third computer I’ve had from Sigma Sport, and the third one that failed mysteriously! But while the others lasted a couple years each, this one lasted for about a week! The total time was about 7 hours and total distance just about 109 miles.

*Keep reading to see what happened…

The Sigma Sport Big Magnet

As luck would have it, a few hours after that fateful ride, the mail arrived, and there was my big magnet I ordered from Sigma Sport. I had ordered it mainly to test my BC1600 Wireless computer, but it will make a good test here…

As I went to remove the old magnet, I noticed something… the plastic case was still firmly attached to my spoke, but there was an empty hole in it! The actual magnet must have ejected on the downhill! Now it makes sense!

But man, talk about a poorly built magnet. It fell apart while cruising down a smooth road!

Anyway, the big magnet solved the problem and has worked well for six or eight months now.

Customer Service

I never bothered doing anything with a warranty since the computers did last a couple years each, but after three failures, I decided to email them my story about all the mysterious failures.

A Sigma rep responded the next day thanking me for the information and said she forwarded it to the service techs. I can’t say how good they are with warranties, but they are kind and courteous at least.

My final verdict is…

I used to think Sigma Sport was so great, but now I have had two Sigma computers mysteriously quit working, and the third one I get falls apart within a week!

So… “fool me once, shame on me. Fool me three times, well, the point is you won’t be fooling me any more!” Actually, the joke is on Sigma Sport’s competitors, because I’m finding these computers so cheap it’s still a better value to replace them consistently than to switch brands!

If you don’t mind replacing $20 computers every year or two, this is a good option.

Official website: www.SigmaSport.com

When my first heart rate monitor (HRM) broke, I also happened to be flat broke. Not wanting to give up heart rate training, I starting looking for the cheapest HRM out there. Amongst the $100-500 units from Polar and Suuntu, I found this little gem called the Sigma Sport PC3.

This was a very basic unit that did nothing more than display my current heart rate, but that was plenty for me, especially since this was my only option price-wise, at under $30. (It did offer a stopwatch and clock, but other than that, it was just current heart rate.)

Note: My PC3 is an older model from 2003 or 2004. There is a newer version available, but the functions are virtually identical.

Here’s what I thought of this HRM, based on three years of use:

Looks and Comfort

The PC3 is pretty plain when it comes to looks. It’s just a solid black sport watch.

It was fairly comfortable, though. I could wear it on my wrist while running or riding, but normally I’d leave it attached to the bike mount, so comfort wasn’t a top priority.

Ease of Use

Due to the lack of functions, this HRM was very easy to use. You just put on the chest strap and go. You only have to hit a button if you choose to use the stopwatch.

Also, the display only displayed two numbers at a time, so each was large and easy to read in the daylight.

The chest strap was very easy to position on my chest, and the strap adjusted for a precise fit.

Interference

Before the PC3, I used some sort of HRM from Vetta. That thing would always lose its signal if I was near power lines. With the PC3, I rarely had any interruptions due to overhead power lines.

Battery life

I used this HRM almost daily for two years before the first battery change (in the chest strap.) That’s pretty good. Plus, it takes the CR2032 battery, which is inexpensive and easy to find.

After replacing the battery, I used this HRM for another year. (And it still seemed fine at the end of the season.)

Durability

On my fourth season with this HRM, I grabbed it and put it on like any other day. But this time, there was no HR display!

Not sure what to do, I replaced the battery again. No luck this time. The watch still worked fine, but apparently the chest strap wasn’t transmitting anything.

I tried yet another change of batteries but never got it working again. Much like my BC1600 computer, I had another Sigma Sport product mysteriously quit working! Apparently Sigma Sport products work great for 2-3 years and then poof, something goes wrong.

Note: I’ve heard that the Sigma chest strap transmitters are prone to leaking, and sweat can get in and ruin it. That’s just hearsay, and I can’t see how the transmitter leaks, but that would explain the problem. Whatever the cause, the fact of the matter is, the transmitter crapped out and it wasn’t a dead battery.

Customer Service

In my experience, Sigma Sport is very responsive with customer service. They respond to email and even have a phone line where a real person answers.

(I never requested a replacement or repair since my products that broke were long out of warranty.)

My final verdict is…

The PC3 worked fine as a basic heart rate monitor. It gave me no problems during use, so it was good for the price.

I can’t say it’s perfect, due to my experiences with Sigma Sport products breaking mysteriously, but it’s a good enough value that I actually bought another Sigma Sport HRM when this one bit the dust.

Official website: www.SigmaSport.com

Buy online: www.Amazon.com

The first accessory that everyone wants when they start riding is a speedometer. It’s so cool to see your speed while riding. For kids it’s usually a novelty to have a speedometer like a car, but for serious riders, it can be a useful tool for measuring fitness and pacing yourself.

After going through a few crappy computers, the first computer I used that really pleased me was the Sigma Sport BC1600 Wireless CycloComputer.

This computer offered every basic function: current/average/max speed, trip distance, total odometer, clock, stopwatch, etc. Plus, it was totally wireless!

And you know how much it cost? About $26 on sale at Nashbar or Performance Bike! (About 3 years ago.) That’s a sweet deal for quality German engineering without wires.

You can see it looks normal, but instead of wires, there are wireless sensors to transmit the signal. It’s a little bulkier but it saves you about 10 minutes of setup time, and makes it easy to switch the unit between bikes.

This Sigma Sport computer was very easy to set up and configure. Then it worked great for about two years. Sometime after 2 or 2.5 years I had to replace the batteries. That’s perfectly easy to do, but being a wireless computer, it needed three new batteries!

I’m willing to spend a few bucks more to not have to deal with wires, so I see it as a worthwhile trade-off. (The battery is a CR2032, which is easy to find at most department stores.)

Another nice part of this computer is the magnet. The magnet is molded into the plastic piece that clips onto the spoke. That means, for all practical purposes, that the magnet is a one-piece unit. (Which means it’s unlikely to break.)

You also get a little piece of metal to help hold the magnet to the spoke. I never needed it though because the clip fit tightly onto my round spokes.

(It’s a good thing, too, because I was sick of sliding that metal piece up and down when switching wheels, so I slid it over the other side of the magnet and it got stuck for good!)

Anyway, after about two years, I totally loved this Sigma Sport BC1600… Then one day, halfway through a ride, it just quit working!

I inspected everything, and all the parts were fine. First, each sensor has a little green light built in for a battery indicator. Both light up just fine. The clock and stopwatch still work, so the actual computer piece is fine. And the spoke magnet works fine when paired with a different computer, so it’s still good.

But when it comes to speed, distance, and ride time functions, nothing works! I tried everything, from cleaning contact points and moving the sensor and magnet around, to resetting the computer and testing it indoors and out!

See, each part of the computer seems fine, but when put together, it does not work!! It’s a mystery!

I have contacted Sigma Sport before and their customer service is fast and friendly. I didn’t bother asking for a refund because I still got my money’s worth out of this, and I still use the stopwatch function on my mountain bike, but they surely would have replaced this unit.

But I just want to know why it mysteriously quit working??

My final verdict is…

Despite the setback, I’d get another one. It’s just so easy to use and it looks good. For the $26 I spent, I was very happy with the years of service I got from it.

Actually, I have already purchased another cyclocomputer from Sigma Sport! I like the Sigma Sport display screen and button setup the best, and the prices are very reasonable. So until I find something better, Sigma Sport is my personal favorite brand when it comes to cycling electronics.

(Stay tuned for a review of the BC1106 computer, which I am currently using.)

Official website: www.sigmasport.com