Customer Reviews

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

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

 

 

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.

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!

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.

Like others, my unit has a sticky button, especially under 12°C. Other negative points: The user interface is poor - it takes 4 separate operations to start recording a ride from scratch, which is ridiculous. While it has an altimeter it does not display the rate of vertical climbing, which is a great function to have. The wattage function is poor and average wattage is missing.

Ergonomically, the design is poor. The buttons are placed on the sides and require a strong push, best administered against an opposing thumb or finger. This is awkward to do while riding, because you have to bring your elbow into your gut to get your hand in the right place. If the buttons were top and bottom it would be much easier.

Worst of all, every so often it stops recording: on a recent ride of 380 km only 233 were recorded in detail, which is utterly unforgiveable.

The only positive thing about it is that my B&M headlight doesn't interfere with it: otherwise I would have stayed with my HAC4, which is a 2007 product but infinitely superior in handling.

The software has so many features that it is hard to work with, the graphic portrayal of performance is poor, and I am not convinced that it works as it should. I haven't yet found out how to extract my total km and metres climbed from it. The best thing about it is that you can export the data in Excel format and do your own evaluations - but this is rather laborious, because you have to do it for every little chunk that the idiot counter has chopped your ride into.

Abyssmal value for money.

PS: my unit gave up the ghost today. Despite all blandishments, the screen remains blank. What a crock!

very well made- a bit complicated since so many functions yet pretty logical to learn the basics.
the heart rate monitor chest strap insertion tab that attaches to the monitor belt has too sharp and narrow tabs. they need more material and softer radius. the tab on mine broke after a week while trying to detach the strap from the monitor belt. amazon sent me an entire new unit overnight- all I needed was the elastic strap. it needs a basic design improvement on the chest strap tabs otherwise a good unit with many useful functions. the real time wireless works well.

I do not agree with the previous 2 reviews. This thing is awesome. It does everything. The VDO z3 is loaded with so many options and functions learning how to use it and program it can be difficult at first. You have to read the manual, it may take a few tries before you get it right. But the payoff is huge. Once properly programed this device turns your ride into a carefully monitored and documented performance. At the end of your ride simply plug it into you usb port on your computer and download your ride (the memory is measured in hundreds of hours). The software processes your data and presents you with high qualitative & quantitative information. You know how you think to yourself how you would like to keep a journal with all of your ride stats so you can show and track improvement. Well this does it in spades. As long as you bring it with you and sync it, every inch your bike travels will be recorded in extreme detail. Used in conjunction with the heart rate monitor the VDO z3 truely becomes a mobile human dynometer. It not only records the altitude but also the % grade. The only option the VDO z3 lacks is real time o2 measurement. The only reson I bring this up is because the software has this option but an o2 senor is not sold. This option would make this device perfect. Also, the handle bar mount should be mounted flush infront, instead of on top. Though the device is so small it really does not matter.


I have owned the VDO z3 for 1 year. I love it.

It works for the porpose. But this product has problem on the buttons. When I started using it, I realized #1 button (left bottom) was sticky. After using several times, the button stuck and tried to change the settings. It came out hours later. I returned it and received replacement from Amazon. This time, #2 button (right bottom)is sticky. It's not as bad as first one, but it's unconvenient because #2 button resets the trip data. Since I got 2 out of 2 bad ones, I suspect this is the quality of the product. PC software is poor compare to Garmin's.

Brand new install & 1/2 the functions (cadence, speed, HRM etc) don't work. Changed batteries, reset, re-install - wasted 2hours of my time troubleshooting etc.....Piece of X#@! Get a Garmin.