If you’re new to heart-rate training, the Polar M450 and its free accompanying Flow software can be a helpful companion in tracking your workouts and offering basic insight into different types of training intensities and their respective physiological benefits. For more advanced cyclists interested in data-rich training, the M450 will seem a little basic though, and the lack of ANT+ compatibility severely limits your options for heart-rate straps, power meters or other third-party peripherals.
You can customize the display screens on the small GPS unit with the Flow software. This method is easier than clicking through multiple sub-menus on the unit — but it does mean you can’t alter the display when out on a ride. Also, display clickthrough is a little slow, especially in the cold.
The information displayed is fairly standard fare, with variations on metrics like distance, speed, heart rate, power (with a Bluetooth power meter), elevation and more. The display itself isn’t quite as crisp as a new Garmin Edge, but the visual hierarchy and little icons polish the presentation a bit.
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Polar’s stubborn insistence on using Bluetooth instead of ANT+ is limiting, as this is the standard protocol for most heart-rate monitors and power meters. Yes, Garmin owns ANT+, but this doesn’t seem to be an obstacle for other GPS computer makers. In any event, Bluetooth proponents tout the frequency as more stable than ANT+, and my testing certainly didn’t reveal any flaws in this theory, with no dropped data from the included heart-rate monitor or my Stages power meter. (Note that the most recent Garmin Vector power-meter pedals, like Stages, work on ANT+ and Bluetooth.)
The Polar M450 only works with Bluetooth Smart peripherals, not anything on ANT+
From the heart
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