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My experiences with the Calibre Biometric Tracker (regular VO2Max and FatMax testing)
2 months ago (edited)
I ordered the Calibre Biometric Tracker (US) from Germany and will receive it today (shipment duration approx 10-12 days with default Fedex shipment option). My goal is to analyze VO2Max and FatMax in the context of cycling on a regular basis. If any of you are interested in the device, feel free to ask questions or comment on your experiences here.
By the way, ordering directly from Calibre Biometric (US) was easy, but keep in mind that you will have to pay additional import duties and processing fees. For me, that was 102.29 EUR. But still a fair investment compared to VO2Master or similar devices. I am looking forward to my first test sessions.
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€443,95 EUR + 100 EUR + in fees sounds a lot but FatMax and RMR (Resting Metabolic Rate Protocol) are special and maybe worth the money... I´d love to have a good VO2Max Tracker that i can wear all the time... What do you all think about the Apple Watch VO2Max Tracking quality?
@andy O2Max numbers from smartwatches are only "calculated" base on heart rate (and performance metrics, e.g. power measurement on the roadbike). If you want real numbers you must use a device based on respiratory gas analysis.
Curious to hear how satisfied you are with it! It would be great to compare it against a proper spiroergometry test at some point to gauge its accuracy.
I did one on an ergometer at years.co two weeks ago, but to be honest, it wasn’t the best experience given my current training routine. I usually lift heavy weights twice a week and do 2x Zone 2 and 1x VO2max interval run per week, so using a bike felt quite off. My legs got sore quickly since the stimulus was very different from my usual training, mostly targeting my lower body.
In Germany, a lab-based spiroergometry usually costs around €199–259. So if the device turns out to be within 3–5% accuracy of that, it would still be a really solid value.
UPDATE: What I discovered in my testing with the Calibre Bio:
The device must be charged at least 30min before you can use it. This warms up the oxygen sensor. Without that the device doesn't get ready to measure correctly.
The calibre bio device is really sensitive to external air sources. You can't even use a fan when doing VO2max tests on your indoor bike and it won't work outdoors.
The power button feals too cheap/plastic. It's really hard to find out if you put off the device correctly.
But besides that downsides: the measuring just works and I really like the possibility to check my VO2Max and FatMax based on the live measuring in the calibre bio app. Really cool!
Updated my Calibre Bio to the new 2.0 firmware. Upgrade was easy and fast. Don't know if it has something todo with the firmware but my battery issues are gone (device did not show more than 30% battery even when charged for ours).
Ahh. This is cool! You can export your calibre bio sessions as csv and let ChatGPT build graphs (e.g. my short indoor bike session test this morning). I'll try to combine my Garmin Edge data with the data from the Calibre bio based on the heartrate next. Stay tuned.
