Customer Reviews

Timex 53501 Speed and Distance Ironman Triathlon Watch

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I'm disappointed.

Due to limits of gps accuracy
the short term speed data (at running speeds)
is so noisy it's useless.
My pace varied +/- 1 minute/mile
while running at a steady 7 min/mile pace.
The average speed is a bit more helpful
but sort of useless towards the end of a long run.

You'd think they'd have tested this out
and created a moving average to smooth out the data.

Also there's no option to display your position.
It is a GPS--seems an easy thing to add
and could be very helpful in a pinch!

The GPS receiver itself is a bit cumbersome:
uncomfortable bouncing with the belt strap
and picked up interference from my heart rate monitor.
Wearing the GPS receiver on the arm band
rather than the belt clip is a bit uncomfortable at first,
but you can get used to it, the bouncing is eliminated,
and there's no interference with the heart rate monitor.
I have the feeling that you may get some hand and wrist swelling from the arm strap for long runs (3-4 hours).

On the positive side,
the distance data is accurate
(over more than very short distances).

Compared to heart rate monitor, which can revolutionize your work out, I'd call this an over priced running gadget, rather than a serious work out tool.

I suggest waiting until the prices come down, the speed data is smoother, and GPS data is included.

-bill

I've been a distance runner for 20 years and have always been fascinated with how far each run took me, how far for the year, how far for career, etc. Until now, I've had to estimate the distances for which I couldn't drive a car or ride a bike. With experience, one can do this pretty accurately by time if the same course is run several times. This new Timex product makes it easy to do every time.

I've never worn any sort of radio or tape player on my arm, but had no trouble at all with the GPS tranceiver. I was able to adjust the band so it was secure and after a half mile or so forgot about it. The watch is bulkier than a normal Timex Ironman; women with slender wrists may have trouble wearing it. Being larger, however, means a larger display (which is also very crisp) that is easy to read while running.

In addition to the normal Timex Ironman functions, this unit gives distance, an odometer, and all kinds of time/distance data such as average speed, max speed, current speed, etc. The speed information isn't very interesting to me. I have a hard time relating MPH to pace per mile. Also, I can calculate average speed on my own. But that ability to track distance...

I enjoy being able to head out on an unknown course (and frequently have to when on business travel) and know just how far I've gone when I return. This watch is especially useful this week when the Northern Virginia area is covered with two feet of snow and I'm forced to improvise with parking lots, cleared residential loops and other unfamiliar areas.

Will I wear this watch every day? No, only when running unfamiliar routes (I have a perfectly good Timex Ironman that I'll use). Will I miss it if I'm forced to alter a course for some reason? You bet! Would I wear it in a race? No, of course not. 1) Race courses are already measured; 2) I know what my mile splits should be; 3) It is kinda bulky--not something I'd combine with my racing flats.

Overall: awesome technology for running geeks! It won't help you run faster, but for those of us who must know "how far," it's liberating. I gave it a 4 versus 5 only because I haven't had it long enough to evaluate things like battery life (advertised 12 hours for transceiver, probably 3-5 years for watch).

If you're a serious runner who never wears a watch, don't get this. If you're a serious runner who always wears a watch, who's always trying to work out distances, this is the watch for you.

What a good concept, a GPS wrist watch. If it only worked.

First, if you live in a city with tall buildings (like New York City), good luck getting a constant signal. The GPS receiver only works with a very clear (not just clear) view of the sky. Also, hiking in the woods poses a problem for the unit which is much more tempermantal than conventional GPS systems and like buildings is effected by trees and mountains.

Despite Timex's claims that it can work under a light garment, I found that to really work, the GPS receiver must be totally exposed. The unit also had difficulty working in poor weather.

I also noticed a significant delay in registering changes in speed and, on several occasions, the unit would show that I was moving between 2 and 2.3 mph when I was totally still. It even showed movement when the GPS receiver was placed on the ground.

If you want to see how fast you are going or how far you went, use a conventional GPS which are more reliable and which unlike the GPS 100 can tell you where you are and where you have been.

I am a 3,000+ mile per year competitive marathon runner who received this watch as a Christmas present. I have now logged a half dozen runs with the watch and have a pretty good feel for its operation.

RECEPTION: My first run was in a mild snow blizzard. I had virtually no reception during the 8 mile run. I figured that either I was using it incorrectly or it was broken. My next five runs or so were in clear conditions and the reception has been much better. The watch will lose a signal or (worse) become inaccurate when dropping into deeper valleys or when running amongst thicker tree cover. But the watch recovers with an accurate distance once you emerge back out in the clear. The receiver does not work well on the belt; you'll have to put it on your arm which for me is a less desirable location.

ACCURACY: The distance is rather good. The "current pace" is often ok and sometimes poor. In very clear conditions it gives a reasonably solid reading. But in even mild tree cover the pace varies wildly. I ran the last three miles of my long run at exactly 5:52 pace (over flat course with measured 1/4 miles) and the watch reading varied from 7:03 pace to 5:22 pace. This is a bit more extreme than normal operation, but you will likely also find the pace to vary.

ERGONOMICS: I am a skinny runner and I don't know how big Arnold's bicep or wrist is, but the straps on these things are ridiculously large. There is a strap for the receiver unit (around the arm) and a strap for the watch. I have double and triple wrapped the straps and still have annoying yards of extra straps flapping about. At the very least, Timex should have included smaller straps to fit the "average" runner. The receiver unit is a bit bulky and heavy but I guess it is up to Garmin/Timex to try to make it smaller. The watch strap has some new "snap" latching mechanism that doesn't work for smaller wrists so the watch keeps falling off. I dropped the watch in a snowy mud puddle on my first outing (so much for having the option to return it) and it has fallen off frequently since. I am a bit annoyed that I now need to go out to purchase a $3 velcro strap to replace the one it came with.

Overall -- a decent unit for measuring overall distance and sometimes for reasonable current pace readings. The straps and latching mechanism are obvious areas for improvement. You might wait a year or two to see if Garmin/Timex can improve the reception quality, the current pace accuracy, and make the unit smaller; who knows, maybe the price will drop too?

I received my Timex Ironman Triathlon Speed + Distance watch/pedometer today and just finished using it on an inline skating outing. The paved trail I skate on is mostly in the woods yet the GPS received kept a signal despite the foliage. I hooked the receiver to by belt which was underneath my shirt and still worked fine. There is a slight delay on your current speed however, it's about a 5 second delay but that was easy for me to overlook. Also, before I purchased it I thought there must be a cable connecting the watch and the GPS receiver and maybe it states this above and I am just a lazy reader, but the GPS receiver and the watch communicate wirelessly which was a big bonus for me.

All in all it does what it says and $80 is about the best price I've found for a GPS pedometer watch (there was a sticker on the box that said $200).

I have had my Speed & Distance system for almost a year now and you won't hear any complaints from me. I train 3 to 4 days a week using various runs (Long, Tempo & Speed) and my system has helped me keep track of all of them. I find it to be accurate and easy to program. My only wish would be to have the faceplate angeled so I could read it a little easier, especially while doing my speed work.

I live in New Mexico so I haven't had any problems with reception like other people have had. Even when I was vacationing in the Midwest during the Summer I never experienced any reception problems. When I wear it during a race I just make sure to look around to see if anyone else has one and I make sure I stay away from them.

The reason I especially like my system is that I don't have to limit myself to where I run. I can run anywhere and still know how far I have gone and at what pace. It really keeps the boredom out of my runs, especially the long runs. During races it has kept me on my goal pace and has helped me improve my "personal best" times. I also wear my watch when I bicycle and rollerblade with my kids.

If you do plan on buying one and using it alot then buy rechargeable batteries, it will save you money.

I got this as a motivator for helping me stick with my long runs in training for my first marathon. I run mostly in the Cleveland suburbs, fairly dense with buildings and some tall buildings as well as some fairly heavy wooded areas. I have had no problems with reception, although I have noticed a couple of delays now and then, but nothing severe. It has great options so you can track your distance along with other data, such as speed, pace, average pace, and lots of other things.

You can tell that there is a bit of a delay on the speed and pace data, but you can get a very accurate idea of how fast you are running from the information provided.

I'm a student, so my budget is somewhat limited. I think this is going to be great for me in my training, and I'm really happy with it so far. Fancier GPS units such as ones that show position are several hundred dollars, and for the average runner who will use this, I don't think position is really necessary. No it's not the best, or the lightest, or the fastest, but then again, some of us aren't looking for the entire bag of chips...we just want good functionality, which is exactly what this watch offers.

I am not a runner, I use it landsailing, and it is perfect for showing me how fast I'm going and how far I've gone. Of course, I'm always in the open and don't use it in inclement conditions.

It's much better than any other kind of speedometer I could get.

I bought mine on sale more than two years ago and was satisfied with the performance. Recommend you avoid using the alarms and light as much as possible to avoid draining the battery.

When I took it to a watch shop for a new battery, they said they couldn't guarantee it would remain watertight and that was the case.

I may buy another one since the price has dropped 50%.

I am very disappointed with this watch. First, the instruction manual is indecipherable. It has very little to do with this actual watch. Second, although I am familiar with GPSr's and the problems with lost signals in adverse terrain, it is unacceptable that this watch wipes out all previous data every time it loses the GPS signal (which it does a lot, even under for what are ideal conditions for other GPSr's). So much for the "distance" function.