The PC-15 packs a hefty punch for its price. Once you've entered your personal details, the unit automatically sets your max HR and three consecutive training zones but you can alter any of these. The unit doesn't have an alarm option to keep your exercise on track, although a graphic shows your intensity alongside the HR figure. Both the amount of time and the percentage of your session spent in each zone are available on screen too, along with your average and max HRs and the number of calories used – and you can review all this once you've finished. The lap timer on the stopwatch is another valuable function but it doesn't record your HR details for each split.

Mar 16, 2010 - The PC-15 packs a hefty punch for its price. Once you've entered your personal details, the unit automatically sets your max HR and three.

You have to wait three seconds for the unit to 'wake up' at the start of a session which is soooo last century – time is money, guys – but it's easy to navigate once you're used to the format. The widely-spaced buttons are simple to operate on the fly, you get a bike mount included and, along with the Suunto and the CicloSport, this is one of the few watch units here where you can reasonably change the battery yourself. Get inspired by our deals.

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. 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.