I have a question.  With the recent conversations about us old guys (some faster than others) I was wondering about heart rates and the heart rate monitors.  I'm fairly fit guy and have decent speed on the bike.  I'm definitely not a slug (57-58 minute lap at Sherman-all 3 loops) but not as fast as the Enoch machine.  I have a heart rate monitor (Sigma Sports PC15) that I wear from time to time.  If I figure the old conventional method for max heart rate (220-your age=max rate) I come up with 220-56=164 for my max heart rate.  I am familiar with the different heart rate zones 50% to 70% is the fitness zone, 70% to 80 % is the aerobic zone, 80% to 90 % is the anaerobic zone, and 90% to 100% max is the VO2 Max Zone.  My question and concern is that I don't think that this is a very good judge of figuring my max heart rate.  According to my monitor I have maxed out as high as 180 before.  Although most of the time my monitor shows the majority of my ride 90+% close to the generic formulated max heart rate of 164 and a max rate attained of 174.  I recently manually changed the max rate on the monitor to 175 because this seems more realistic.  While I do get tired I am not completely gassed and occasionally go for a second lap without any problems.

Just wondering what every one else has experienced with the heart rate monitors and this generic formula.  We even use this formula in our fitness evaluations at work (Fire Dept.) and I have never agreed with the calculated rate.  I'm wondering if it's just the monitor, the formula, or both.  Anyone have any thoughts or advice?

220-your age is an old ball bark method and not very accurate, to find your MHR you need to do a test. I'm 58 and can still hit 175~180 with a resting rate of 45/46. Don't drive your self crazy over the numbers unless you race or are planning to.

Max heart rate isn't really that important in my opinion. I have no idea what mine is.  Your VO2 max is the important number and I suggest everyone know theirs.  An easy way to calculate it is to do a 30 minute time trial on an open road and take your avg hr.  Or you can figure it out within a beat or two by paying attention to that feeling you get when you go over your lactate threshhold. Every time you go over that number you light a match. You only get so many matches so it's best to peg it just below that number. Those rides that were fast that felt so easy were probably because you inadvertently managed your lactate threshhold hr.

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I'm 25 and I see my max HR hit 180-183 if I race up Goat Hill.  Otherwise, my average fast paced ride is around 145-155bpm.

Are you interested in understanding your MAX heart rate or are you interested in understanding the different ranges? 

It has been pretty well established that the "220-age" is a general rule and there is much variance. I still remember hitting 205 after climbing carpet when it was 100F outside. I nearly tossed my cookies, but I figure I hit my max HR...

For determining your max heart rate, I READ ON THE INTERNET sometime ago that you should do a steady 30 min ride (not strenuous), and then on a stretch with a 1-2 mi gentle incline, push it as hard as you can for 1-1.5 miles. DISCLAIMER - Having mentioned this, I would recommend being careful before doing this type of stress test -- I am not a physician and can only state that his approach has worked well for me. Also, if you have any kind of heart condition and push your heart to hard...

A while back (6-7 years ago), I hit 203 doing this. While riding, back then, I peaked 200 a few times (i.e., see above). More recently, when doing this test, I hit 185-190, which is consistent with what I have observed when riding recently (i.e., my riding had dropped off for 1-2 years). 

As mentioned by bikermedic, the only truly accurate method for measuring VO2 Max & your anaerobic threshold is via a lab -- the last I heard, Cool Breeze does this. 

Why look at this though? Most people who are interested in max HR and the corresponding HR zones, are looking to do it for racing. One of my neighbors went through the process (she was training for a half-iron man), and once she knew her anaerobic threshold and the HR zones, she targeted her HR under that number when exercising. Using the information, she developed the stamina she needed for longer rides / runs. As you get in better shape though, your thresholds / ranges can change, so it can be an expensive proposition   

Some people who plateau in their speed-endurance and/or are not loosing any weight, do not understand why -- typically, these are people who primarily exercise in zone 3 -- they are not going fast enough to develop their speed and not going slow enough to burn fat from carbs / increase their endurance.