Nike+ Sportband

Check it out:

http://www.info.nike.com/media/pr/2008/04/01_Sportband.html 

Released this Thursday. Looks like it's going to retail for £39.99, seems pretty reasonable as it will also be bundled with the Nike+ sensor, which along with the watch will be all you need to get started. It works in the same way as the existing Nike+iPod system, but instead of the run data being sent to your iPod Nano, it get's sent to and displayed on the watch,

Should appeal to those looking for a speed/distance monitor without needing to buy an ipod nano. Or as in my case, will appeal to those already using the ipod nano system, but want an alternative for when taking music with you isn't really ideal, e.g. races where ipods aren't permitted, running with friends, running in wet weather, when you don't want to risk damaging your ipod.

Nike store in London will apparently be stocking them from Thursday this week, and this online retailer will have them in stock on the same day - www.foot-traffic.co.uk. Not sure when they'll appear on the Nike Online store.

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Comments

  • Anyone else got one? Mine arrived today and is charging as I write. 

  • I want to get one of these for my sisters birthday. Can any tell me if it shows the time (in other words acts as a watch) when not in use?? I have searched all over the Nike website but can't get an answer.

  • Nike SportBand does show the time when not in use. It is very lightweight to wear. Not easy to see display in poor lighting as it doesn't have it's own backlight. Fun piece of kit to help motivate, I quite like it but am only a beginner; can see its limitations though ~ definately not a serious training aid.
  • Bought mine from Niketown London Thursday, and went for a run with it yesterday, and am pretty impressed so far. I'm an intermediate runner, doing around 50 miles/week with long runs up to ~22 miles, and I have been using the Nike+iPod system for the past 18 months. I bought this as I would like the option to run without my nano/music for races, running with friends and when the weather's wet (and I don't want to risk damaging the IPod). I prefer the Sportband to the ipod system, as it means I can quickly view my current distance/pace/elapsed time at any time I want. The display is very good in daylight. The only time I can see that the lack of backlight would be an issue would be at night time in poorly lit areas, but I have not tried that yet, so cannot really comment. There will be an HRM add-on for this soon, as there is a "heart" symbol on the display that doesn't yet light up, and as you can see from the picture of the inside of the strap, there is a second hole behind the display which I can only imagine would be for a HRM sensor attachment.

    One thing to note, is that I have not yet been able to upload the run as Nike are currently making updates to the site. Hopefully this will be finished soon, so I can start uploading runs.

    Here's some pics: 

    http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/owen.delaney/NikeSportband 

  • For anyone who's interested, now that I've got the Sportband, and I'm going to get an iPhone, I'm selling my 8GB 2nd Gen Nano, Nike+ AMP Watch, Nike+ Sport Kit & Sennheiser LX70 Sports Headphones:

    http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=200215463892&Category=73839&_trksid=p3907.m29 

  • M Sportband refuses to synchronise time with my PC, or manually.  I have changed the settings in the software but it is not downloading to the Sportband.  Any ideas anyone please?  Thanks
  • Viv M, I had difficulty setting the time also but just kept trying ~ I think I set manually in the end rather than computer settings,but make sure that you click 'Done' before disconnecting. I've also got a feeling that it didn't set until I'd uploaded at least one run. Mine has kept the correct time since.
  • Viv
    I found a video tutorial on the nikeplus website. If you check the bottom right of the screen you should see a tutorials tab - this opens a new window and the first subject down tells you about getting started.
    Hope this helps.
    Paul - foot-traffic.co.uk
  • Thanks all.  I have followed the instructions, Mr Paul, but haven't uploaded a run yet, so suspect Ms FairyFeet has the solution.  I am recovering from mumps, can you believe - hope to run tomorrow morning.
  • Just curious - I assume that you require to wear Nike+ for these?

    I run in and like my asics and wouldn't like to change. How big is the sensor? I assume the shoe is fitted for it and in a non customised shoe it wouldn't really be viable to use this?

    (I'd love one but don't really want to use nike+ trainers...)

  • You don't need Nike+ shoes for it (no matter what Nike's advertising suggests!) as there are quite a few pouches for the sensor that lace into/fit onto other shoes.  I run in Brooks with a pouch-thing laced onto one of the shoes to hold the sensor, and it works fine - the one I use is http://www.grantwoodtechnology.com/shoepouch/ but if you poke around on google, there are plenty of others.
  • I use a small plastic freezer bag secured tied into the laces.  I was keen to use it image
  • I use these:

    http://www.istrap.co.uk/

    Cost £1 each, no matter how many you order the p&p is just £1 ~ full instructions on how to fit on their website. Bargain image

  • Lizzie MLizzie M ✭✭✭
    Hey they look well cool I am going to get one of these
  • That iStrap looks a bit dodgy - is it waterproof? The sensors doesn't last long once it gets wet. These are better, and keep the sensor dry and clean whatever the weather:

     http://www.switcheasy.com/products/runaway.htm 

  • Okay - another issue.  I ran today and yesterday but the sportband is not recording any km clocked up.  It just says zero km despite it telling me it is picking up the sensor.  Any suggestions please?  Thanks all.

  • Just a thought, Viv, after you've held the button down to get the 'walk' message... the next display is '0.00'... when you are then ready to start your run press the button again to begin recording, a line will begin scrolling along the bottom of the display. Once recording you should be able to use the side scroll button to scroll through time, pace, dist., calories. End workout by holding down button until 'end' is displayed.

  • I'm still researching but am currently undecided between the nike + sportband and the garmin forerunner 50 with footpod. Does the sportband do basically the same at a cheaper price? Any comments appreciated image
  • this is one of those products that works well but isn't as slick as it could be from the off. You have to set the time manually +9hrs to get the correct time showing on the watch, the desktop utility only auto logged on for me after the 3rd or 4th run, there has been an issue with run graphs looking wildly different from the upload screen to the run chart. The nikeplus website isn't the best, the run graphs have fat lines with vague X & Y axis markings and there are parts of the website that don't work well at all. It can also be difficult to get a calibration run recognised, you have to run at a very constant pace.

    It might sound like I don't like it but I really do, it's a great motivational aid, and it's so easy to log runs. There's a great 'map it' tool on the website that allows you to map your run routes and tell you how far they are.There are also external websites that take the nike data and show you it in proper detailed graphs with weather reports. Once I got it properly calibrated I find the distance to be very close indeed, and they are doing bug fixes for things like the graph problem.

    I would imagine that in a couple of months it will have gone through alot of bug fixing and the experience will be much smoother, but i do think it's fine now as long as you put in a little bit of time to get things working at the start. For £40 there's nothing around that gets close to his kind of functionality.

  • I'm having real problems with mine.  I have calibrated the sensor but it logs ridiculous distances.  Shall I persist or sell it on ebay???
  • Viv this is probably a long shot but you're not wearing it on your right arm are you? I wear my watch on my right so intinctively put the sportband there too, however it only started working properly when I switched arms.
  • I got mine yesterday & will go for very first Nike+ run today image I have the same Time-setting issue so at least i'm not alone there. Minutes are fine but hours? - yup, i thought of manual setting and adding on the requisite hours, but i'll try a couple of runs first & see what happens. No drama just yet anyway.

    Also, i have a Nike+ Community ID but the Nike utility just shows as 'pending'? - i guess this is cos ive not loaded any run data yet?

    Asics with Shoepouch (very neat) for me. Very excited - just hope i don't end up disappointed. Fingers crossed huh?

  • Well, how brilliant was that? ..... mapped my test run at 2.08 miles. Sportband, straight out of the box, no calibration as yet & it told me i'd gone 2.05miles. That's a bloody good start as far as i'm concerned.

     Viv. A colleague of mine at work said that hers also showed huge differences on her first run, but has settled now she's calibrated over 4 runs. Also, if you're not using Nike+ shoes, make sure the sensor is firmly attached. Any wayward floppiness affects the measurement. It's going to be based on stride pattern mainly isn't it? So i guess it'll need a few runs to settle into an 'average'. Info is very clear to read & just gives me the info i want to see. Now, adding a small HRM (nicely placed 'spare' hole in the band there Mr Nike! image) would make this even more of a genius training aid than it already appears to be!

    So far? so very good.

  • Hi there,

     I'm looking at getting one of these sportbands and was wondering what the general consensus is? Currently I just use a heart rate monitor and remember where my mile markers are on my planned routes, therefore I know what time I should hitting each marker etc.

     Does the sportband tell you your current distance covered, and your current speed/pace or is the pace just calculated as an average? I always fancied the Nike+ system but didn't want to shell out for the ipod as well so this seems a good alternative.

     Any help is appreciated.

  • Hello!

     I've just bought one of these - had the same problem with the time setting and the Nike + community log on, but after using for a run today VERY PLEASED with it!!

     Went for a 5.4 mile run (according to GMaps), sportsband logged 5.41 miles that'll do for me!!

  • hmm, I'm also tempted with these. I can't afford the super-snazzy GPS style forerunners, but a distance monitor with clock works. Plus I've just bought some Nike shoes, not intentionally for the foot-pod thing, but now I think it might be a sign....

    HRM would be fab, and would swing the vote for me. I might email nike.....

  • Sam Porter 2 wrote (see)

     Does the sportband tell you your current distance covered, and your current speed/pace or is the pace just calculated as an average? I always fancied the Nike+ system but didn't want to shell out for the ipod as well so this seems a good alternative.

     Any help is appreciated.


    it tells you the current distance covered and your current pace. The pace is displayed as the time you'd achieve over a km or mile (whichever you choose) if you carried on at the current speed. However it's not an average of the last km/mile ran, as far as i can tell it's a real time indication of how fast you are currently travelling.

    When you upload a run this bares out as you get a line graph showing you how your speed varied at any given point, along with km/mile splits.

  • That's great cheers Jonti, I didn't know whether it just took the distance covered and divided by time elapsed and gave you an average.

    I've just started another thread asking for comparisons between this and the Garmin Forerunner 50, any thoughts on that would be appreciated.

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