VDO Z3 PC Link Altimeter, Heart Rate Monitor and Cycle Computer with PC Syncing Cable and Training Analysis Software

by VDO

Product Features

• Wrist-style cycling computer with heart rate monitoring and integrated altimeter
• Download data to PC for analysis with included software; USB docking station; compatible with Windows XP/Vista
• Displays current altitude and gradient in %; altitude/distance gain uphill on current trip
• Current heart rate in % of personal maximum heart rate; audible signal if above or below limit settings
• Backed by 5-year warranty

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Elegantly designed, the wrist-style VDO Z3PC cycle computer keeps track of your training run times as well as includes integrated heart rate monitoring and an altimeter. The Z3PC offers data storage and the ability to download it to your PC for analysis with the included software. It also offers power measurement (WATT), calorie consumption, and fully digital wireless transmission for speed, heart rate, and cadence (with optional accessory). And it features ANT+Sport wireless signal coding that transmits to your computer without interference from other training computers nearby. It's backed by a five-year warranty.

PC Download Features

• 100 hours storage capacity (maximum 100 individual trips of 1 hour each)
• Download of all cycling, cadence, heart rate data to PC
• Lap data individually flagged for easy identification and analysis
• Graph or spread sheet-display of trip (either on time axis or on distance axis)
• Training-Analyzer-Software (by week, by month, by year)
• Docking-Station with USB connection, compatible to Windows XP and Vista

Altimeter Features

• Current altitude and gradient in % (permanently displayed)
• Current temperature (Celsius or Fahrenheit)
• Altitude gain uphill on current trip
• Distance uphill on current trip
• Maximum altitude on current trip
• Maximum/average uphill gradient of current trip in %
• Fast re-calibration of actual air pressure to home altitude

Timing and Heart Rate Monitoring Features

• Current speed and distance; average speed
• Real time comparison of actual and average speed, indication by arrows showing speed difference of +/- 1 km/h
• Second, individually programmable distance counter; either forward or backward counting possible
• Cadence Data (optional, with cadence sender equipment installed)
• Two presettable wheel circumferences (wheel sizes)
• Six selectable timers
• Current trip timer (up to 24 hours)
• Current heart rate (permanently displayed), ECG-precise measurement
• Average/maximum heart rate
• Current heart rate in % of personal maximum heart rate
• Time in % of total training time:
  • within the preset heart rate limits (Limit Zone)
  • below the preset heart rate limits (Limit Zone)
  • above the preset heart rate limits (Limit Zone)
• Calorie-consumption on current trip
• Recovery time or recovery heart rate measurement (adjustable time or heart rate)
• Lap-timer for 50 laps with data for lap time, average speed and average heart rate
• Audible signal if current heart rate is above or below limit settings.
• Personal data presettable (age, weight, sex, personal maximum heart rate)
• Automatic calculation or manual setting of upper/lower limits for each of the three training zones
• Current time, selectable 12- or 24- hour display
• Alarm function

Product Description

For the cyclist that wants the complete picture of the ride! Z3 PC Link comes with PC docking station, USB cable and training software to record, download and analyze riding data. Cycling functions include: current/average/max speed, ride time (total bike 1/bike 2/bike 1+2),Trip (total bike 1/ bike 2/ bike 1+2), 2nd trip distance, cadence current/ ave./ max (with purchase of separate cadence kit), Power measurement (Watt), 5 different training timers can be selected. Altimeter functions include: Current altitude/gradient/ temperature, altitude difference uphill/ downhill, highest point current / all trips, annual altitude difference uphill/ downhill, hiking/ jogging nordic walking mode can also be set. Heart Rate functions include: current/average/maximum heart rate, heart rate as a perchentage of personal max heart rate, 3 training zones can be set, training timers can be selected, lap timer for 50 laps, calorie consumption, recovery measurement (time or target rate). Further features: Digital wirless on 2.4 Ghz with Ant+Sport protocol, 6 functions at a time on display, sleep mode, clock/alarm, service interval indicator (programmable), can be warn as a wrist mounted sports watch, 5 Year warranty. VDO's Z Series offers the latest high frequency, digitally coded technology available so that much more of your ride data can be measured simultaneously without interference. VDO have been making cycling speedometers since before the automobile. While VDO are widely recognized around the world for producing the majority of German Luxury and Sports car instrumentation, VDO's cycle company only make devices for bikes and are focused on offering the cyclist uncompromising product that is cycling specific so it is easy to get the most out of the device during the ride. German precision engineering and reliability: 5 Year, industry leading warranty.

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 2 x 1.8 x 0.6 inches ; 1.4 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B001CK7Q1S
• Item model number: 6020
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #269,697 in Sports & Outdoors (See Top 100 in Sports & Outdoors)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars VDO Z3, April 22, 2011

By 

TFrank - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: VDO Z3 PC Link Altimeter, Heart Rate Monitor and Cycle Computer with PC Syncing Cable and Training Analysis Software (Sports)

I have only used it for 5 weeks and have about 350 miles on it (about a third on rollers and two thirds on the road). I can't speak for longevity, but I can address the functionality.

The computer comes with a speed sensor, heart sensor, and a wrist strap for hiking. I also got the cadence sensor separately and I am not sure why it doesn't come with it. The reason I upgraded to the VDO was because my old wireless computer could not maintain a consistent signal no matter how I mounted it. I am very pleased with the VDO in this regard. The ANT technology uses an encoded signal so it can be stronger. I have never had a signal interruption on any of the three sensors.

I ride in a hilly area so I was interested in the altimeter function. It is nice to see actual evidence to support the pain. It shows altitude, grade and temp. Since the altimeter is a barometer, it is very sensitive to weather changes. You can see it change 8 feet just by going up and down stairs, but your house may be 30 feet higher after a 2 hour ride. I have seen my house move 700 feet in a bad thunder storm. All I care about is the hill I am on so small changes over time don't really matter. It is really easy to recalibrate to the home altitude by holding down one button for 4 seconds.

The buttons have a strong click feedback so you can tell that you have pushed one even while riding with gloves. The 4 main buttons cycle you through 13 altitude, 5 heart rate/timer, 7 trip stats, and 8 total stats. By picking between the buttons, you are never more than a few clicks from the most useful functions. The fifth button is to start, stop and reset the timer. There are also several two-button short cuts.

The timer has a stopwatch, count down, lap timer/counter, timer 1, timer 2 and timer 1+2. This may seem like overkill but I have used all of them. I really like the timer 1+2 for indoor riding because I can set "1" to 5 minutes and "2" to 2 minutes and they continue to run back to back making different tones to indicate the end of each time. This is great for interval training because you can just listen for the tones while you watch the cadence display.

You can plug the computer into your PC with a USB dock. The software is fairly large and I haven't used a whole lot of the system yet. The screens look a little like Microsoft outlook calendars and Excel spreadsheets and graphs. The record function captures 5, 10 or 20 second increments. I upload after each ride so I don't really worry about the capacity of the recording. I usually graph the altitude, cadence, speed and heart rate, although there are many more choices. The calendar function shows you all of your activity with weekly summaries. The rides from the VDO show up as cycling but you can manually enter any activity you want if you wish to use it as a comprehensive exercise diary.

There are some things that take some getting used to. The record function requires that you start and stop it separately from other timer or riding functions. It makes sense, because it is recording entries into a data file, but I have noticed several times partway into a ride that I forgot to start it. I may just need to put a note on the handlebars.
The ride time and timer functions are separate. The ride time only runs while you are moving and you control the timer manually. The aggregate functions like average heart rate, average cadence, etc. only work if one of the timers is running. This is not a problem, it just is odd.

The configuration menu is big and inconvenient at times, but since the thing doesn't come with a keyboard, you are limited to the 4 buttons to navigate and set the parameters. That isn't really a complaint, just the reality of putting so many functions behind a 4-button interface. Perhaps VDO can make a GUI wizard that uses the USB to download the configuration back to the unit from a PC. That would be nice.

I had a question about one of the functions and got a return email the next day. After exchanging a few more emails it was cleared up. I was pleased with the service.

Overall, I am very happy with the VDO. It is a little more expensive than other bike computers, but if you really like metrics, this gives you more than I was able to find in any other unit.

2.0 out of 5 stars All promise but no delivery, January 8, 2012

By 

A. Eades "Ady-E" (UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: VDO Z3 PC Link Altimeter, Heart Rate Monitor and Cycle Computer with PC Syncing Cable and Training Analysis Software (Sports)

This promised to be the best cycle computer I had ever purchased. I bought it to replace an aging VDO M1 unit. The M1's screen went blank and did so again after changing the battery after only a day or so. Anyways, bought the Z3 PC link and it was great, for a while. The first unit suffered with sticky buttons until eventually one stuck permanently and the unit had to be replaced. This unit (approx one year old) now has the same blank screen issue the M1 and so many other VDO units had. Buy this product (or any VDO cycle computers) at your peril! Please don't waste your money as I have!

3.0 out of 5 stars Owned since initial release: ~ 2years (or more), October 13, 2011

By 

jcb "jcbenten" (austin, tx) - See all my reviews

This review is from: VDO Z3 PC Link Altimeter, Heart Rate Monitor and Cycle Computer with PC Syncing Cable and Training Analysis Software (Sports)

I purchased on initial release (2-3 years ago at least) and replaced a Polar CS300. Many of the comments will be with the Polar in mind:

Pros:
No data drops
Strong wireless signal
HR acquires easily
Data can be exported to Excel
Lots of info on screen
Batteries last a long time

Cons:
Non-use for a couple of weeks will cause the unit to reset and must re-acquire all the signals: HR, Speed, Cadence
PITA to reacquire all signals
Cannot do multiple tasks in menu; each "Set" sends the unit back to main display and now you have to scroll through all the menus

Neutral:
Power is calculated so is only reasonably accurate on trainers
Altitude is barometric and not as accurate as a GPS unit; if out on a ride and a weather front blows through, the vertical profile will shift
Watch is kind of clunky

For the primary purpose of being an HRM and cyclocomputer the Z3 is awesome compared to the old Polar. The ancillary functions, Power & Altitude, are good for general guidelines but not as good as a power meter or GPS unit to do altitude. Playing with the data in Excel can kill a bunch of hours and is nice to have.