What To Do

Social Bookmarks

Feeds

Running Gear: anyone use the nike sportband?

Bottom of Page

1 to 13 of 13

  1.  
    • CommentAuthorFree Memberlakai
    • CommentTimeOct 25th 2008
     
    lakai
    hey im new here, i was thinking of getting the nike sportband. i was wondering how it works if you combine running and walking. i walk for 3 parts of my run it probably ads up to like .2 or .3 of a mile. just wondering how it works if you walk to take a break. thanks.
    • CommentAuthorFree Membersyosset11
    • CommentTimeOct 25th 2008
     
    syosset11
    I've been using it for a few months and so has a friend that runs. Both of our sportsbands had display problems and I recently returned it for a replacement. It is fairly accurate for walking, less so when combining running and walking. Unlike a GPS watch, t's a good solution for people who train both on a treadmill and run outdoors. You can pause the timer at any time during a run so you don't have to worry about that.
    • CommentAuthorFree Memberlakai
    • CommentTimeOct 25th 2008
     
    lakai
    how accurate do you say it is out of the box?
    • CommentAuthorFree Membersyosset11
    • CommentTimeOct 26th 2008
     
    syosset11
    You will need to calibrate it when you start using it but once done it's pretty good. I did a 2 mi run this morning that the sportsband captured accurately to .1 of a mile. I find that it does even better with walking. A couple of things to note: if you aren't using Nike+ running shoes the RFID chip needs to located so that it sits flat near the ball of your foot, above or below the foot. I used to put it atop my foot and let my sock keep it in position with good results. I bought Nike+ shoes about two months ago and it's better because there's a well for the chip under the sole. If you are using more than one pair of shoes or moving the location of the chip between runs you will get inconsistant results unless you calibrate each time.
    • CommentAuthorBronze membershipViggen
    • CommentTimeOct 26th 2008
     
    Viggen

    Yes I would agree the sportsband is a good investment.  The only complaint that I would have is the display on the band gets easily damaged.  Aside from that it is great and I am sure that Nike will fix this issue in future models.

    Also check out the Nike+ Mini which is a great motivator.  It is a character screen saver that you create.....that keeps track of your running.  Best part is if you haven't logged any runs for a while the screen saver reflects this by showing inactivity tells you how many days since your last run.  Your character will thank you for keeping you active.  Check out the link here http://nikeplus.nike.com/nikeplus/

    • CommentAuthorFree Memberlakai
    • CommentTimeOct 26th 2008
     
    lakai

    yea for 60bucks it seems pretty good. i have nike+ shoes already and plan on getting another pair when these wear out. i just heard that for some people it wasnt so accurate. how far do you need to go to calibrate it? i know a route that is just about exactly 1 mile (1.03 or something to be exact i think) would that be good enough? what happens though if you say take a break and start walking, would it get messed up?

     

    thanks.

    • CommentAuthorFree Membersyosset11
    • CommentTimeOct 27th 2008
     
    syosset11
    Your best bet is to use a mapping app like Google Earth to determine an exact distance for calibration. You need to go at least .25 mile for the system to calibrate. You can pause the sportband if you stop by pressing the button next to the display. Pressing again will restart exactly where you left off.
    • CommentAuthorFree MemberBodeen85
    • CommentTimeOct 27th 2008
     
    Bodeen85

    I have a Nike sportband. A specific response to the sportband being good for both running and walking is: No, it isn't good, unless you have 2 sensors, and one is calibrated for running and the other is calibrated for walking. I don't walk with mine, but I do a lot of different types of workouts (slow, speed, hill, trail, road, etc.) and have found that the Nike + Sportband will be very accurate on one type of workout and terribly innacurate on other types.

    Things I liked about the Nike + Sportband:

    • compact and simple
    • plugs directly into your computer
    • like the Nike + site and community interaction (challenges, etc.)
    • relatively inexpensive

    Things I didn't like about the band:

    • not accurate enough for me (biggest detractor for me)
    • no enough features for me
    • band face is easily scratched, and LCD not very resistant to heat

    I bit the bullet and bought a Garmin 405. Not saying you wouldn't like the Sportband, just know the limitations. Also you can pick up sensor pockets (Nathan makes a good one) that you can strap to your shoe, so you can wear the sensor with other shoes.

    • CommentAuthorFree MemberBodeen85
    • CommentTimeOct 27th 2008
     
    Bodeen85
    I forgot to add that Nike made a huge compromise in some of their shoe lines to make room for the sensor. In any shoes that had a full length air sole, the Nike + version had to eliminate that to put the little well in there.
    • CommentAuthorFree Memberlakai
    • CommentTimeOct 27th 2008 edited
     
    lakai
    damn. well, i guess i could always stop and take a break instead of walking and pause it. for $60 its not too bad, better than the 200+ for a gps watch. i have nike+ shoes already and i like them so finding another way to attach the sensor isnt a problem. i had the shoes before i thought about getting the sensor already.
    • CommentAuthorFree Membercsboehm
    • CommentTimeOct 27th 2008
     
    csboehm

    I've had the sportband since its initial release, and the results are varied.  It works well as long as you run close to the pace at which it was calibrated.  I have mine calibrated for a training pace (7:30m - 8:00m miles), but use it in a race (6:30m miles), it will not record the full distance.  Likewise, if I run slower (9:00m miles), it will records too much distance.  Another huge drawback in my opinion is the lack of splits.  It records your exact pace over the entire run and graphs it, but you cannot look at a time versus distance chart.  I find it absurd that this cannot be viewed, especially since all the data to report it is configured.

    On the plus side, the challenges offered through the website are great fun, and the watch is small, light, and easy to use.  

     In my opinion you're paying for what you get- $60 worth of features versus $300 worth of features.

    • CommentAuthorFree Membersyosset11
    • CommentTimeDec 2nd 2008
     
    syosset11
    Nike admits the sportband is defective: http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/081112/nike_running_product.html?.v=1
    • CommentAuthorFree MemberLostsheep
    • CommentTimeFeb 6th 2009
     
    Lostsheep

    I bought, and loved it. I used it religiously and put it through it's paces. Now, not so much...

    It's fairly accurate out of the box for most runners. Start adding hills, speed or tempo, and the accuracy goes down the drain. The pace gets off too, b/c well, it's based on the distance.

    I've had it since August, and just recently (Dec-Jan)the display quit working. It would show the shoe in the top to show me it's connected, but that was it. I relied on the computer to give the info - post run. Not very easy to judge your workouts that way.

    Now, the display is completely done. It will still pick up on the shoe, but I cannot read anything at all. And the worst part is that the onboard battery is good for MAYBE 2hrs. Pretty crappy that it needs to be tethered that long to the computer.

    The bad thing is that is now having issues linking up to the comptuer to charge.

    So, yes, initially it's great. Now, after several months of sweat, heat, cold, it's not so great. I've gotten away from using it just b/c of the unreliability of the thing.

    Too bad too...

1 to 13 of 13

  1.  

Report Offensive Content