I’ve been a big fan of Wahoo’s TICKR ever since I bought my first in 2015, replacing the two Garmin HRMs I had destroyed in a single season. While it’s quite rare for a simple product like a heartrate monitor to inspire a dedicated Zwift Insider tribute post, the TICKR left me no choice – it just worked too well, and took all the abuse I threw at it!
The original TICKR was released in 2014, and it has since become a hugely popular heartrate monitor – certainly the most recommended HRM if you ask the Zwift community.
Today Wahoo released long-awaited updated versions of the TICKR and TICKR X. Simple labeled “TICKR V2” on the back of the unit, the new TICKRs are incremental but welcome upgrades to an already established and hugely popular first generation line.
New Features
The TICKR and TICKR X include the following new features:
- Increased battery life: Wahoo claims to have increased the battery life of the new TICKRs by nearly 50%, meaning you’ll get up to 500 hours of use on a single battery. If you ride 10 hours/week with 2 weeks of vacation annually, that means you’ll only need one 2032 coin cell annually!
- Slimmer and lighter: most athletes want to be slimmer and lighter… why not ask the same from our heart rate monitors? 😃 The pod itself is about the same depth as before, but lighter in weight. The strap ends which attach to the pod are much thinner, making the whole assembly thinner. (Note: although Wahoo claims these are the lightest HRMs on the market, DC Rainmaker says otherwise!)
- 3 Bluetooth connections: most Bluetooth devices only allow themselves to be connected to one device at a time – so (for example) you could pair the old TICKR to Zwift Companion, but not your Apple Watch at the same time. The new TICKRs support up to 3 different Bluetooth connections – like the Wahoo KICKR and KICKR Core smart trainers do after last year’s big KICKR firmware update.
- LEDs more visible: the indicator LEDs have been moved to the top of the unit for easier visibility, so you can easily check to make sure your TICKR is connected and recording data.
All nice upgrades, though probably not significant enough to get anyone to go out and buy a replacement for an already-functioning HRM. The multiple Bluetooth connections is a feature rarely seen in HRMs, though, and it can come in handy if you’re running two training programs concurrently (eg, Zwift and Trainer Road) or want to connect to your watch or phone as well as Zwift via Bluetooth.
In addition to the upgrades above, TICKR X includes these new capabilities:
- Enhanced ANT+ running dynamics: enhanced running dynamics data can be transmitted to compatible smartwatches (Garmin watches, basically) via ANT+, giving runners real-time access to their cadence, vertical oscillation, and ground contact time. TICKR X also offers runners a proprietary Running Smoothness ® score through the Wahoo Fitness app, helping to improve their efficiency and form.
- Expanded memory: TICKR X can also store up to 50 hours of workout data (up from 16 on the original TICKR X). This data will sync to your smartphone via the Wahoo Fitness app.
TICKR X is especially popular with runners – most of the features it supports beyond the standard TICKR are run-specific. It can even transmit your running pace to Zwift, which is handy if you don’t already have a RunPod, NPE Runn unit, smart treadmill, or some other way to get your pace into the game.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for a new heartrate monitor, I can’t recommend the TICKR enough. Read this post for a list of the 7 features which made me love my original TICKR, then go buy a V2 TICKR yourself! Retail price is $49.99US for TICKR, $79.99US for TICKR X.
Note: this post contains affiliate links to Wahoo. Zwift Insider makes a small commission on purchases made from these links, so please shop through them to support our efforts!
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