edge 705 or 800 - again!

clunkychunky

Hey everyone

I know its been debated back and forth, but ive been given permission by my wallet manager to buy one of the above (obviously, as i told her, they are essential for road bikes today).

I cant decide which one. the 705 is solid, but i do like the touchscreen on the 800.

But is the 800 really worth the extra £100??
The only difference i can see is the touchscreen.

Ordering later today or tomoz (whilst im allowed! ) so any help / advice muchly appreciated!!

ooh, and i know they both have base maps, but on the 800 can you download maps?? (ie no need to buy the garmin maps)

sungod

you can download maps for the 705, i'm sure the same will work on the 800, format is standard

i've got a 705, works fine, barring garmin's dire software (which may also afflict the 800...)

not really fussed about touchscreen, the 800 does also log temperature i think, but imho the only important difference is if you are using it for navigation the larger screen on the 800 should make it easier to read maps

the 705 is available now, the 800 you might be waiting a while if lots of people back ordered, and no doubt the ebay touts will be bulk buying and reselling for a markup while supplies are tight

whichever you buy, look for a bundle that includes cadence/speed sensor and hrm, also the europe city navigator is a good map if you can get it cheap in a bundle (covers whole area, not just cities)

Wooliferkins

Just a thought that a club mate put to me. What happens with the touch screen in the rain when you wipe a glove across it to clear the raindrops?

sungod

Wooliferkins wrote:

Just a thought that a club mate put to me. What happens with the touch screen in the rain when you wipe a glove across it to clear the raindrops?

you go straight to hull

spasypaddy

im selling my 705 as ive got my 800 on preorder. 8)

Wooliferkins

sungod wrote:

Wooliferkins wrote:

Just a thought that a club mate put to me. What happens with the touch screen in the rain when you wipe a glove across it to clear the raindrops?

you go straight to hull

StillGoing

I have a 705 and was affected by the firmware gremlins. If I was going to do it all again I'd buy the 500 and a separate device for map reading GPS.

clunkychunky

thanks for all the advice.

think i am going to get the 800.
after a lot of thought i figure it will be like most technologies - newer =better??

redvee

Have a look at Handtec for whichever Garmin you chose. £232 for HRM & Cadence and stock availabe on the 705.

plowmar

If buying new would recommend that you get the 800, however as I already own a 705 would not consider the outlay for a 800 worth it.

By the way where can you download maps from for the 705?. When I contacted Garmin they said that the base map was 'set in stone' and couldn't be updated so I just got the standard UK cities chip insert. :?

clunkychunky

you know the more i thought about it over night the more im thinking i might just go with the 705. i looked across the net at the prices and handtec does seem cheapest (wish they offered free delivery though). anyway, i realised that the only edge 800 package to come with the maps sd card is £400, whilst you can get the equivalent 705 for £261!
hell of a difference, and if the 705 is as good as everyone says then maybe thats the way to go??

Monkeypump

Clunkychunky - I'm in exactly the same boat, and don't know which to choose.

I'm leaning towards the 705, simply because it's cheaper, available in stock, and is a 'known quantity'. Despite the firmware gremlins, at least the reviews are pretty positive - I'm paranoid about getting an 800 for lots more cash and realising it really wasn't worth it.

I'm fighting off the "must have latest technology" urge, as I'm sure the 705 will do everything I ever need and more.

clunkychunky

its a nightmare picking between the two isnt it!
i was all set for the edge 800 but then i realised that you are seemingly paying an extra £100 for the touchscreen. and like it has been pointed out, how will the touchscreen behave in the winter??

durrin

a couple things:

the 800: in addition to having a touchscreen, it has a neat map-overlay function, and the CPU is significantly faster. DC rainmaker did a full, comprehensive review: http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2010/08/garmin-edge-800-in-depth-first-look.html.

maps: personally, I hate the garmin map, it costs money and isn't terribly readable. Instead I use the velomap (http://www.velomap.org/), a freely downloadable map based on openstreetmaps. The coverage isn't complete, but OTOH it has lots of bike paths/routes and is really easy to read.

If I were buying, I would buy the 800, although I am a bit apprehensive about the differing file formats for trackfiles (705 uses .tcx, an XML variant, 800 uses .fit, a proprietary (I think) garmin format). I am considering it anyway, despite the fact that I own a 705, my rational being: it is probably the electronic device I use more than any other (discounting my computer at work ) If they had just removed/expanded the 3 bike-profile limit, I would definitely buy it.

chill123

i read somewhere (can't remember where) that the 705 will be phased out in the new year. not sure if this is correct or not?

clunkychunky

really??
seems a bit strange. i mean the 205 and 305 are years old yet they are still available.
unless garmin have decided to cut all the old ones and stick with the 800 and 500???

chill123

i read it somewhere. it was probably on a forum though so can't vouch for the source.

if i were garmin i would drop the older models. if they have sorted out the software issues on the 800 (big IF) and given the gui a good face lift then why not scrap the older models and get punters to buy the newer shiny more profitable models.

the 205/305/705's must be near the end of their natural product lifecycle. it'd wouldn't really be efficient for garmin to try and support so many models in the coming years. they must be aware of everyones complaints about the 705 bugs. it'd make sense for them to focus all their efforts on the new products.

redvee

plowmar wrote:

If buying new would recommend that you get the 800, however as I already own a 705 would not consider the outlay for a 800 worth it.

By the way where can you download maps from for the 705?. When I contacted Garmin they said that the base map was 'set in stone' and couldn't be updated so I just got the standard UK cities chip insert. :?

There are places that have the maps to freely download, it all depends on wether you want them in a dribble or in a torrent

ThereMichael

I have an Edge 705 and a brand new Edge 800 and I'd advise you get the 705, or wait. The 800 firmware appears to have some serious issues with calorie computation, and perhaps some other things.

See the garmin forums @ Garmin for more information:

https://forums.garmin.com/forumdisplay.php?s=5a493976d754570fb9004432830a7c24&f=245

Don't get me wrong, it's going to be a great product, just not today :-)

chill123

i'm really pleased with my 800 so far. i've not had any issues with the calorie readings being off - or any other readings to be honest.

here are some of my inital thoughts from using the edge 800:

http://www.bicyclecenturytraining.com/b ... 00-review/

paul64

Probably sacrilege but I liked the look of the Bryton Rider 50 ( http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/b ... look-28318) once the prices start coming down. It would be interesting to see a review of it compared to the 705