8,153
edits
Changes
m
comment: batch update
* The Bluetooth transmission will work with a Smartphone as well as many other companies running watches. However, Bluetooth will only work with one device at a time, so you can't use it with a Smartphone and a running watch concurrently. If you're using a watch, the Bluetooth will only provide heart rate data.
* If you use the Wahoo app, you can get a number of additional running metrics. The TICRK will work with many other smartphone apps, but those other apps will only get the heart rate data. This is a major limitation when compared with Garmin's Running Dynamics that can display the metrics on a watch. It's tough to keep your eye on your phone when running outdoors.
* Rather like Garmin's [[Running Dynamics]] the TICKR will provide both Ground Contact Time and [[Vertical Oscillation]].
** Cadence. This is probably the single most important metric in running, and this approach is more accurate than using the accelerometer built into a watch itself.
** [[Vertical Oscillation]]. This is how much the torso moves up and down with each stride. It is generally believed that less [[Vertical Oscillation ]] is a better, but I suspect that this is an oversimplification. Some are part of a runner's vertical movement is likely to be elastic in nature (consider a bouncing rubber ball), some of the vertical motion will be while the runner is airborne (ballistic), and some of the vertical motion is the deceleration as the runner lands. So it seems likely to me that excessive vertical oscillation [[Vertical Oscillation]] is bad, but it's a tricky to know what excessive is likely to be, or how to correct it.
** Ground Contact Time (GCT). [[The Science of Running Economy]] generally shows that longer Ground Contact Time is correlated with poorer [[Running Economy]].
* One of the most interesting metrics is "smoothness" which is measured in three axes; forward-backward, up-down, and left-right. Smoothness is not a measure of acceleration, but rate of change of acceleration, also called "jerk". A high value of smoothness indicates low jerk, and could be related to both running economy and injury rates, though neither are proved. Sadly I couldn't get this to work for me (see testing below).
* '''Heart rate''' looks accurate as you'd expect. I'll do some statistical analysis once I have sufficient data.
* '''[[Cadence]]''' also looks accurate and again, I'll do some statistical analysis after further testing.
* '''[[Vertical Oscillation]]''' matches other devices, but I've not independently verified it yet.
* '''Ground Contact Time (GCT)''' will require more analysis, but my initial results suggest it's measuring a bit shorter than reality (based on a comparison with high speed video.)
* '''Smoothness. '''This is the most interesting metric, and I've enjoyed getting useful and actionable real time feedback on my running form. However, I've hit a couple of issues. The first is that the smoothness value seems to depend directly on the tightness of the chest strap. If I have the strap as tight as I'd normally have a HRM strap the smoothness values are so bad they don't register right. If I tighten the strap so it's as short as it goes, my smoothness values start to get reported. If I tighten the strap by knotting it so that it's constraining my breathing then my smoothness values reach the "average" range. This problem is exacerbated by the way that my breathing changes the smoothness value; breath in and it reports I'm smoother than when I breathe out. The second issue is that I really want the metrics shown on a watch not my phone, as it's tough to run so you can keep an eye on even a small smartphone. The Wahoo app works well on a treadmill where you can prop your phone up or even use a tablet instead.