I hate my NIKE+!!!

girlruns
girlruns Posts: 344
edited September 20 in Health and Weight Loss
I purchased a Nike+ sportsband back in October. I knew that it wouldn't be 100% accurate, even if I did calibrate it (which I didn't since it's hard to find an open track in my area). Through several runs on the treadmill and some known outdoors run, I saw that the watch was usually accurate to about .05 or .1 of a mile over or under. Good enough for me! Now the NIKE+ itself isn't perfect--despite repeatedly entering my weight it doesn't pick it up to track my calories, and the mini me screensaver that appeared is annoying, but for what I wanted and paid I thought I had a pretty good deal.

Now given the small descrepancies if I am running on the treadmill, I stay on until the machine that is behind hits my mileage goal. However, twice now, NIKE+ has been horribly behind. The first time I was going for 4 miles, and the treadmill was at 4.72 before NIKE+ hit 4! Then afterwards, the pace on NIKE+ showed 13'30" miles when I was set at 11'30" miles--I know the treadmill was closer because 13'30" would be a fast walk for me and I was certainly running.

Today was even worse, when the treadmill hit my planned 3, the watch was at 2! I didn't have time for the watch to catch up. The worst part was that when I saw the watch was behind, I picked up the pace from 5.2mph to 6.0mph, it made it worse! At the end NIKE+ said I had done 15'30" pace : (

Mainly I wanted to vent, but does anyone have any ideas why this might be happening? (BTW, it has only been these two instances, with it functioning normally otherwise)

Replies

  • vandinem
    vandinem Posts: 550 Member
    I agree. I used one for a couple of weeks but it was often way off (20-25%) I guess the only alternative is something like a Garmin GPS watch, but those are really expensive.
  • deaubreydigest
    deaubreydigest Posts: 9
    Silly question, but have you had the batteries checked and/or replaced? A friend of mine was having trouble with things calculating and once he changed the batteries out his was fine again.
  • Chiny
    Chiny Posts: 321
    Wow! I'm glad I read this since I was looking into purchasing the Nike+. I do have a Polar F4 but also looking for something that can tell me how far I jogged. I do have an iphone maybe there's an app that can do it.
  • girlruns
    girlruns Posts: 344
    The watch itself charges when I hook it up to my computer. The footpod has to be completely replaced, so it's not possible to check. I guess I just assumed it was okay since I've only had it since October.

    By the way, overall, I would recommend it, just try to know about how far you are running so you can compare.
  • gabrielled
    gabrielled Posts: 247 Member
    Wow! I'm glad I read this since I was looking into purchasing the Nike+. I do have a Polar F4 but also looking for something that can tell me how far I jogged. I do have an iphone maybe there's an app that can do it.

    I think there is an iphone app (map my ride, I think?) that a friend of mine uses for bicycling. Wonder how it would translate for running. Maybe they have a "map my run" app.
  • gabrielled
    gabrielled Posts: 247 Member
    Wow! I'm glad I read this since I was looking into purchasing the Nike+. I do have a Polar F4 but also looking for something that can tell me how far I jogged. I do have an iphone maybe there's an app that can do it.

    I think there is an iphone app (map my ride, I think?) that a friend of mine uses for bicycling. Wonder how it would translate for running. Maybe they have a "map my run" app.

    Just checked, and YEP, map my run.
  • Chiny
    Chiny Posts: 321
    Problem is I have the first original 2G edge Iphone not any of the new 3G or 3Gs which I think is the only version(s) that have GPS but I'll keep reading.
  • gabrielled
    gabrielled Posts: 247 Member
    Problem is I have the first original 2G edge Iphone not any of the new 3G or 3Gs which I think is the only version(s) that have GPS but I'll keep reading.

    Well, if it's any consolation, I have a polar watch AND an iphone with GPS. I think my watch is way more useful than any workout tool I have ever acquired, although I do love the c25k app for my iphone AND my polar watch together. They make a good team.
  • Chiny
    Chiny Posts: 321
    I absolutely love my Polar F4 it just doesn't track my distance or speed :ohwell:
  • uriaha
    uriaha Posts: 4 Member
    My Nike+ is pretty accurate on the road. It reported 2.45 miles this morning. Google Maps says it was 2.5. Poor accuracy on a treadmill, however, appears to be pretty common (see, for example, this thread on the Nike website: http://preview.tinyurl.com/yjmo7n9).

    The general consensus seems to be that it tends to underestimate distance on treadmills, in part because your stride/gait is different on the treadmill. Because you aren't actually moving forward, the sensor probably doesn't detect the same forward momentum that it would if you were outside, so it assumes you aren't moving as far. Given the lower accuracy, you may want to just trust the treadmill's distance measurements.
  • afyfe
    afyfe Posts: 93
    Mine was always off by 0.10, road or treadmill. Be sure to calibrate it though, it really helps (when mine would veer off by more, I'd calibrate it and it would only be off by 0.1 again).

    I now use a Polar F6 and RunKeeper Pro on my iPhone though.
  • Deweypc20
    Deweypc20 Posts: 68 Member
    Mine was always off by 0.10, road or treadmill. Be sure to calibrate it though, it really helps (when mine would veer off by more, I'd calibrate it and it would only be off by 0.1 again).

    I now use a Polar F6 and RunKeeper Pro on my iPhone though.

    I have calibrated my new Nike+ to the treadmill, and I am finding it to be DEAD ON. Sometimes the pace is off just a tad, but end result is the same.

    I am curious to see, once I get outside, to see how accurate it is, I am thinking it may be best to have one calibrated for outside and one calibrated for treadmill, not sure though.
  • deenanskip
    deenanskip Posts: 1 Member
    I just realized my Nike+ is really off, it's tells me I ran 8 miles but when I finally used mapmyrun, it's says I only ran 6 miles, how can the Nike+ be off by 2 miles??? I am going to buy a Garmin
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