Suunto heart rate belt with Race - major issues at the start of each exercise

sir_max

Thanks all - I’ve tried wetting it first and warming up without starting the watch and the heart rate displayed seems normal (<100bpm). I turn off wrist on and off, pair on and off to no avail and it happened again today with a slow recovery jog.

I’ll try the gel and if it still has issues, I’ll contact support about it - thanks.

landlord4714

@sir_max

Just for reference this is what my suunto HR monitor looks like.

sir_max

@landlord4714 thanks, I have an old belt with my ambit 2 and this was the chart I was expecting. I’ll try again one more time and will message support. Thanks for the comparison

Brad_Olwin

@sir_max There may be issues with some belts. I don’t use gel and if you have made the belt wet and still see this contact support. I think you should be sent a new belt. Sensor is likely fine

sir_max

@Brad_Olwin Thanks for the advice!

Mattg576

@sir_max I noticed exactly the same issue using a Suunto belt with my Race, I never had this previously with my Ambit 3peak.

I now enter the sport mode I want to use whilst on my way to my run (I usually drive out of town) so it’s had some time to settle down & it then works fine when I start the activity.

Not ideal but seems to be a workaround that I’m happy with.

sir_max

@Mattg576 Thanks for sharing - how long do you need it to settle? Maybe i’ll even start a fake run to 100% get it going.

Mff73

just for the sake of testings : do anyone with this HR starting issues have other watches than SuuntoRace and could try with it and the same HRbelt ? Just to know if it is the Race itself or the belt/sensor/body combination ?

Mattg576

@sir_max only a few minutes seems to do the trick.

Last night I had to dash straight out for a run as the light was fading & I didn’t have a head torch so couldn’t wait the few minutes I normally would & the HR was all over the place again for the first 5 minutes.

(It turned into a bit of a threshold session as it was getting darker by the minute & I was in the middle of nowhere).

Mattg576

@Mff73 I used a 9peak for a few months before getting the Race & don’t recall seeing the issue with that.

I’ve given it to a mate so will borrow it back & have a play

Mff73

@Mattg576
i read this post again, and it seems that no one mentionned that, either the sensor battery could be weak (so it could be worth trying to change to a new one) or the belt itself could become to be out of usage or dirty …
It may not be the Race watch itself.

sir_max

@Mff73 I’ve replaced the battery, washed the belt - at this point, I’m going to report the issue to Suunto, could be the belt is failing though it’s weird only the start. I bought the belt shortly after the race came out

Brad_Olwin

@sir_max The belt should last longer than this.

Mattg576

@sir_max I got my Suunto HR belt with an Ambit 3 peak (HR) as a set in 2017 & it was secondhand then.

It gets the occasional wash & regular battery changes but other than the issue we’ve discussed works perfectly.

I’m sure a previous Suunto would alert me when the battery was running low (Ambit 3 peak, ambit 2R or a T3) I’d be interested to know if the Race does a similar thing ?

A Former User

@Mff73 said in Suunto heart rate belt with Race - major issues at the start of each exercise:

@Mattg576
i read this post again, and it seems that no one mentionned that, either the sensor battery could be weak (so it could be worth trying to change to a new one) or the belt itself could become to be out of usage or dirty …
It may not be the Race watch itself.

You can “measure” if the belt is damaged or not, check this video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXJ0spt9A1E&t=325s

Brad_Olwin

@André-Faria

I’ve tried replacing the HRB battery, resetting pairing etc… still get this issue - any ideas?

DF130

Just adding my 2c: I‘ve had (have) similar issues with my S9P and a new Suunto belt - sensor is the same, battery is quite new (and has a decent charge as verified via a BT app), but since I have started using the new belt (same running attire, always wetting it before running) I almost always get a very high HR (180-190) for roughly the first 2k, everything settles down after that. Generally, there are no issues if I wear the belt for some time before setting off for a run and I have not experienced issues w/ other sports, eg HIIT. Almost seems as if the belt needs „proper“ sweat to work !

Brad_Olwin

@DF130 should not happen and virtually never happens to me. I use the belt 6 days per week and do not have high HR at beginning of running or skimo.

sir_max

@Brad_Olwin support said to try and pair the belt to the phone app and see… not sure how it will help but will try tmr

Dimitrios Kanellopoulos

Ok a couple of things here.

First of all in the end all belts wear out. Suunto could replace it if needed but we are not there yet

change the battery. Make sure you get a non expired well stored battery. I say this to exclude kiosk batteries.
Wash the belt without soap. Let it dry.
Use a little of dishwasher cleaner only directly to the pads and rub it gently with the dish cleaning sponge on the soft side. This will remove any body residue pile ups.
wear the belt and test after that without washing off the soap used in the step before. It will act as conducting. Do not wear a t-shirt.
if all goes well, then wear a t-shirt. Test again. Does it create electrostatic that the belt picks up? Imitate a run static, to perhaps create electrostatic via the t-shirt.
if all goes well you are good to go. Notice if this procedure is needed more and more often that it’s not possible anymore and then replace the belt.