Garmin 800 what to buy, where to buy?

IanT187

I have decided that I absolutely need to buy a Garmin 800 - however I'm a bit confused as to what package to get? There seems to be a lot of options with different maps!

I want the heart rate sensor (the cadence sensor would be nice, but not essential) but most importantly I would want OS maps so I can do general rides around the UK on country lanes etc. but nothing off road.

Is there any advice you guys have got as to what package or maps I should get and if there's a good place to buy from? I'm a bit confused about what the difference is in the different maps and what they give you.

kettrinboy

I went for the Trail bundle and bought the HR strap separately,as far as the mapping options go, the OS 1;50,000 all of GB maps give you much more than i thought, i thought it would be basicly just the maps and not much else, but out on the road you get prompts of which street you are approaching, and its very accurate, even if streets are very closely spaced,on the PC on Garmin Basecamp ,if you use it on there it will give you points of interest ie banks,restaurants,shops,filling stations etc so if your drawing a ride in an unknown area you can locate say a pub ,shop or filling station to get some food and drink if you need it,theres also an option to view the maps in 3D so you can see the topography of a hill or mountain,thats really handy,on its own from Wiggle the OS maps are about 180 quid, as part of the Trail bundle your getting it for about 50 quid ish,perhaps even cheaper from elsewhere,for navigating to a specific address maybe the City Navigator maps are better,but it depends on what you want to do,i want to do on and off roading,theres also plenty of free maps to download and put on a micro SD card and use in the Edge,i,m going to get one of these to use on Basecamp to save me taking the card in and out of the Edge everytime i want to draw a new ride.Wiggle are not the cheapest but i use them a lot and it was delivered in less than 24 hrs from ordering it.

banditvic

Trekkinn are selling for £347 for the whole package. £355.27 with postage, I've never herd of them, so done a price promise with Evans, Just going to pick up from UPS now.
Next cheapest are Handtec.

careful

If you want the os maps then the discoverer 1:50 is the one for you. Wiggle have a good deal at the moment:
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/garmin-edge-800-gps-plus-gb-discoverer-150-trail-bundle/

The discoverer 1:50 os map costs a lot more if you buy it separately. This package does not come with a cadence or heart rate monitor, but these are pretty easy to obtain. The other main map choice is the European city map which doesnt give nearly as much detail as the Discoverer - however it is perfectly adequate for most road use. I have used both and find the detail on the Discoverer is very useful. There is a possible snag though if, like me you have poor eyesight at short distances. The amount of detail can be a bit hard to see. The menu gives an option of auto-zoom at junctions and I manage ok. If you dont really need all the detail, the city map gives a clearer picture of the course you are following and it is easier to distinguish between roads and tracks etc. Both maps will give turn-by turn arrows on courses that you have planned, unlike most of the maps that are freely downloadable from the net. Both also give street maps in towns. You probably already know that the Garmin base map that comes with all units is a waste of time. All depends on your needs, but if you want the Discoverer, go for the package to save some cash.

IanT187

Thanks Chaps - brilliant advice.
Just one other question?

Is there any difference between the Black and White version or the Blue version (apart form just being different colours!!) Is it like cars and bikes where everyone knows Blue ones are faster

kettrinboy

Only difference is the colour from what ive heard

IanT187

Right - I am now the proud owner of a Garmin 800 (Black and White) with the Discoverer 1:50 OS maps..

I phoned Evans cycles in Bristol who are open till 20:00 and they said they'd price match the Wiggle price, so I drove over to them and bought it for £339.99

After getting home I realised it had been previously used - having somebody elses data already on it and the screen cover missing and the cardboard pocket holding the SD card was ripped :? Feel a bit miffed about not having something brand new (especially when I specifically asked the sales guy if this was new and not a demo model or anything), but everything seems to work OK, so fingers crossed and thanks for your advice.

nferrar

Hmm they shouldn't have sold it like that without telling you. funnily enough I was in the Evans Bristol a couple of weekends ago and asked if they had an 800 I could look at (already have a 705 so want to see if the improved display is worth it), the only one they had was one that had been returned for a warranty repair (unfortunately only had base map loaded so couldn't check what I wanted). I hope they didn't sell you that one (even after repair) without telling you (and discounting further). I'd call them and complain, they'll probably offer you some vouchers if you say you're happy to keep it regardless.

banditvic

Was that with the hear trate monitor and cadence sensor. If it wasn't brand new I would take it back.

Paul RS

I would return it too.

Mad Roadie

IanT187
http://www.handtec.co.uk/product.php/35 ... ack-white-

£288 all in - but you would need your maps

IanT187

banditvic wrote:

Was that with the hear trate monitor and cadence sensor. If it wasn't brand new I would take it back.

No I bought it as the trail package, so was just the unit and the maps.
Got to say I am pretty dissapointed that they would sell it like that, I might be able to track down the previous owner because I know he is 53 years old, 5' 8" weighing 195 lbs!!!
If it were more convienient for me then I would take it back, but Bristol was a nightmare to get into by car and I couldn't find anywhere to park. I haven't ruled out taking it back, but then I want to use it and would be without the unit for a while - although I supose I could order another one from Wiggle and when it turns up take the Evans one back to the store!

IanT187

nferrar wrote:

Hmm they shouldn't have sold it like that without telling you. funnily enough I was in the Evans Bristol a couple of weekends ago and asked if they had an 800 I could look at (already have a 705 so want to see if the improved display is worth it), the only one they had was one that had been returned for a warranty repair (unfortunately only had base map loaded so couldn't check what I wanted). I hope they didn't sell you that one (even after repair) without telling you (and discounting further). I'd call them and complain, they'll probably offer you some vouchers if you say you're happy to keep it regardless.

Thanks for letting me know nferrar - I've just decided i will definately take it back. I was using it last night and it suddenly just switched itself off, it seemed OK this morning and I thought nothing more of it, but now you've got me thinking they've just fobbed a warranty repair onto me!!! All in all pretty poor effort from them!

Ands

I would take it back too. If someone has used it and it has been returned then it surely must have been faulty otherwise the shop wouldn't have taken it back.

There are quite a few threads on the Garmin 800 forums about units with low serial numbers having problems that don't exist on units with higher serial numbers. Maybe the firmware upgrades fix these earlier problems anyway, but also, from what I have read, there were tales of units with early serial nos having screens that easily chipped, or with gaps round the edge, and that when replaced under warranty with later versions, there were no actual physical problems.

I would phone the store, ship it back to them using Special Delivery and get them to refund you the cost of postage. It's their fault/problem, not yours.

You could also check with Garmin support to see if the actual serial number has been registered online, which would further back up your claim with the retailer.

IanT187

Hmmm - you're right!!!
I phoned the store and spoke to a different chap who said:
"Oh yeah, that was the unit that was returned because it was faulty!" :shock:

So after I gave him a piece of my mind, he changed the story to:
"No it was just a chap had bought it and decided he didn't like it so returned it to the store!"

Well either way I'm taking it back and getting a refund.
Going back to the original question, I'm happy with the Trail Package which is the Black and White Garmin 800 and the Discoverer OS maps 1:50.

I am however very unhappy with the assistant at Evans that specifically told me it was a brand new unit :evil:
I'm sure not all assistants at Evans are like that

okasha

Definitely take it back!

I live in Bristol and have found the Evans shop assistants to be really poor, not at all knowledgeable about bikes, and some of them a bit rude too.

I don't go there any more.

I'm also looking for a Garmin 800 but also confused about which package to get.

I need the HR and Cadence monitors, only do road biking and touring, no off-road, and don't want to have to spend too much time downloading maps etc.

Any advice appreciated

Samir

lucca

Is it easy enough to up load your routes on the unit from say Map My ride / Route toaster ? I am also thinking of investing in either the 705 / 800. I would like to map my routes then load them to follow etc. wouldnt say I was a wiz with the old I.T. though :shock:

markmod

+ 1 buy from wiggle... Sign up for the newsletter, or unsubscribe and resub... Another £5 off... Buy with quidco.com too for more cash back...

Legshaver

+1 for handtec.co.uk.

I bought the performance version of the Edge 800. I wasn't too bothered about the maps. It's got to be the cheapest you'll find anywhere, and their service was excellent.

I bought a 2Gb SDHC flash card, (£3.99 from Ebuyer), and downloaded the free UK maps from talkytoaster. And that's another great website - that guy deserves every Garmin 800 owners thanks for what he does.

Great stuff!

chill123

i got mine from wiggle (one of the first ones) and have had no issues.

as far as i know the diff in colour is only related to if u buy a standalone unit (black and white) or a bundled version with maps (black and blue) - i think.

lef

I have an edge 500 but Im thinking of getting the 800 for those longer journeys where I dont have a clue where Im going. The 500 can be a bit hit and miss on the gps when youre out in the middle of nowhere. Does anyone know whether the cadence sensors and heart rate from the 500 are compatible with the 800? Im thinking yes but thought I'd ask.

Also is the GPS pretty stable as far as limited loss of signal?

kettrinboy

lef wrote:

I have an edge 500 but Im thinking of getting the 800 for those longer journeys where I dont have a clue where Im going. The 500 can be a bit hit and miss on the gps when youre out in the middle of nowhere. Does anyone know whether the cadence sensors and heart rate from the 500 are compatible with the 800? Im thinking yes but thought I'd ask.

Also is the GPS pretty stable as far as limited loss of signal?

Yes,the sensors are compatible, and as far as losing signal, no, unless you go under a tunnel or are in a very built up area, the trouble with the 500 and 800 is unlike the 305/705 they are both susceptible to erroneous GPS signal waypoints, meaning you can suddenly get a huge mileage and top speeds,and the map might go halfway across the world, in 20 rides ive had two like this albeit in my case going just a few miles off piste,but its something that should be sorted in future firmware upgrades,the good points of the 800 far outweigh the few glitches though imho.

lef

great thanks for the response. At least the 800 has a map so if it does lose gps you have some idea of where you are unlike the 500 which if the gps goes the trail it gives you disappears!