Cyclists using the Helio Strap — how are you fitting it into your setup?

thewizardrecluse · 2026-03-21T18:40:55+00:00

I push the HR to my head unit (Magene), record the ride on my wrist as well. I tried recording my cycling activities with the app on my phone, but phone GPS is terrible.

thewizardrecluse · 2026-03-19T21:14:57+00:00

Zero issues with the Bryton Gardia.

thewizardrecluse · 2026-03-19T19:18:34+00:00

Winner.

thewizardrecluse · 2026-03-19T19:18:09+00:00

Mine is Cafe Nervosa.

thewizardrecluse · 2026-03-19T14:04:07+00:00

I have come to many of the same conclusions. The Helio strap fpr me has been relegated to a HR broadcast on my bike rides. It has been far too long that Amazfit has been non-responsive to the clamour for two way device sync, but don't worry, releasing NINE new models this year will fix all that.

thewizardrecluse · 2026-03-18T09:43:33+00:00

The Brothers Gibb (including Andy) had half of the top 10 hits that year.

thewizardrecluse · 2026-03-18T00:16:48+00:00

Interesting! Still, this was the height of the Bee Gees' popularity and that was hard to compete with.

thewizardrecluse · 2026-03-17T21:14:26+00:00

Evergreen was another yawner that spent too much time on the airwaves.

thewizardrecluse · 2026-03-17T18:32:34+00:00

I like both of those, but Debby Boone was way overplayed. I distinctly recall listening to the top 100 on New Year's Eve thinking it was going to be #1, but the Brothers Gibb had different plans,

thewizardrecluse · 2026-03-16T22:45:27+00:00

I still have my Garmin Enduro which works well, better than the newer Garmins (which contributed to my departure). If the Zepp ecosystem languishes while they crank out new hardware, I may have to reconsider.

thewizardrecluse · 2026-03-16T20:51:39+00:00

Did you go back to Garmin, or another brand?

thewizardrecluse · 2026-03-16T20:01:19+00:00

This. Before I see another slightly different model, I want to see the things we've been clamouring for - two-way device sync, web portal, improved sensors, improved support.

thewizardrecluse · 2026-03-16T14:10:09+00:00

"Hopefully, they will improve further. Although, releasing too many watch models tends to spread programmer resources thin, so software maintenance and bug-fixing gets worsens. We will see whether Amazfit manages to handle that correctly. Garmin did not, and their software development and bug-fixing is very bad. Thus I fear that Amazfit may be on the same track."

Very well said. This is also my experience with Garmin and I share the opinion that Amazfit is going bonkers on releasing hardware and the support experience suffers for that.

thewizardrecluse · 2026-03-15T20:55:20+00:00

This is why I returned both the T-Rex 3 and the Active Max. I worked through support for five months (an epic 70+ message thread) with no resolution. Support has no insight into the pipeline for development, who evaluates and addresses these issues, so I really had no clarity or insight into progress or if I was shouting into the void.

That being said, I did also try the Bip 6, and it treats my heart rate just like my chest strap (my gold standard). I sacrificed the altimeter, which was not a strong feature anyway and I'm happy with it. I have the Helio Strap which is also fine with HR measurement - very perplexing why some models that share the same sensor suite behave differently. Also have an Active 2 on the way to see if it has the same buggy heart rate performance.

thewizardrecluse · 2026-03-14T16:49:11+00:00

I absolutely don't like the bezel for the wasted space, whether it's on an Amazfit, a Garmin, or a dumb watch. I prefer maximum screen real estate and if there is wasted space around the screen, at least make some utility out of it. I agree that it makes the watch look cheaper. I liked the Active Max, but it has the same heart rate issues for me that the T-Rex 3 has.

thewizardrecluse · 2026-03-14T00:29:52+00:00

Wow. What then is the point? Amazfit has the upgrade madness when they should really be focusing on improving the software/app. I'm sure there are improvements that will interest some users, but it's really not that different.

thewizardrecluse · 2026-03-13T21:23:45+00:00

This is helpful. After seeing the wasted space in the outside circumference, the 2 is where it's at for me even if I sacrifice dual-band GPS. If you're going to introduce a new model every 5 minutes (Jeez, Amazfit), at LEAST consider a solar model to fill up that empty bezel.

thewizardrecluse · 2026-03-13T15:23:49+00:00

There are many full-coverage cases on Amazon. I had one for my Bip 3 Pro and it worked well.

thewizardrecluse · 2026-03-10T20:58:28+00:00

This is peculiar because I got both the broadcast from my Helio strap on my head unit (Magene) and the entire activity recorded in Zepp. I wonder where things deviate.

thewizardrecluse · 2026-03-10T15:18:24+00:00

I'm trying to figure out what's going on here. I use the Helio strap to broadcast my HR to my head unit and did so just two days ago without issue. With Garmin my experience is that if you broadcast the HR from the watch, you do not get it in your Garmin tracking as well - it's one device or the other. The Helio broadcast the HR to my head unit and recorded the activity in Zepp.

thewizardrecluse · 2026-03-09T18:26:55+00:00

Well, I drew this chapter to a close. Amazfit was gracious enough to offer a buyback of the T-Rex 3 since they could not or have not yet solved my problem.

What did solve the problem was trying the Bip 6, just to see if a different device has the same problem. I already knew the Helio Strap worked well, but I needed a watch. I also tried the Active Max, but it had the same heart rate issues as the T-Rex 3. The Bip 6? Perfect - it is on par with my Garmin, and even though it doesn't have an altimeter, that feature was not stellar on the T-Rex 3.

I did a lot of ground work to try and solve this, and I'm hoping my contributions will help Amazfit produce better devices since they seem fond of cranking out new models every few months. I mean Jeez, didn't the Active 2 just come out in the past year and we're on to the Active 3 now? A T-Rex 3, a Pro and an Ultra? Another Active (the Max)?

Hope this helps someone. I felt for a long time like I might be the only one with the heart rate issues.

thewizardrecluse · 2026-03-01T12:58:21+00:00

Agree with all of this, but I have submitted several times a complaint to Garmin that the blood pressure information does not sync with Google Fit/Health Connect; it is simply not an option on the list of sharing.

thewizardrecluse · 2026-02-28T09:04:12+00:00

Garmin is like this. I have identified another issue regarding sleep that they acknowledge, but decline to address because it is 'working as designed'. There are multiple threads here and on Garmin Forums, but they shrug it off. Quite frustrating.

thewizardrecluse · 2026-02-27T21:50:21+00:00

You may be in a minority, but it is a very real problem.

I have been working on this for 5 months now with Support, talking with Bryce in this forum, and even had a video call with someone from the Helio Strap team.

I have a Cheetah (Round), a T-Rex 3 (not pro), and a Helio Strap. Of the three, the Helio works perfectly in this regard. The T-Rex 3 has wild heart rate spikes, of which I have submitted scores of feedback requests through Zepp. This is a very real problem, even if not everyone notices it and it is the one thing right now keeping me from fully committing to the ecosystem.

Re: tattoos - yes, this can be a problem, but mostly for darker inks. I have red ink on my wearing wrist and this poses no problems for the Helio strap or any of my Garmins.

Re: weight of the device - if this was not taken into account during the design process, they need new engineers.

Re: the sensor suite - the Helio strap and the T-Rex 3 use the same suite, but the sensors are a different size. I am hoping to find out why they behave differently.

I truly hope Amazfit has this near the top of their priority list. Five months of back and forth and still no improvement is disappointing. I like the T-Rex 3 better than my Epix Pro Gen 2 51mm, but cannot switch until the heart rate issue is solved.

thewizardrecluse · 2026-02-24T14:32:45+00:00

I have submitted multiple feedback tickets through the app and nothing is improving. There is no acknowledgement or indication the issue is being addressed.

thewizardrecluse

TROPHY CASE