Garmin edge -are they worth their cost

brin

Toying with the idea of purchasing one, but gut feeling tells me £300 could be better spent, how good are they?

I am the god of hell fire

What do you want to do with it?

If you often get lost then the Edge 800 may be worth it for its nav function

If you want to crunch lots of obsessive compulsive data only the 500 is pretty good for a lot less money

I have a 500 - I didnt need an 800
You get to play with all kinds of "cool stuff" here:
http://connect.garmin.com/explore

If you dont want either of the above functions stick to a Cateye

alfablue

If you want mapping and ride data then theGarmin Dakota is a great alternative at £188. It isn't as neat or slick as an Edge 800, but it does take AA batteries (a distinct advantage on multi-day rides). It can use a HR strap and Cadence monitor, and will collect and display all your ride data which you can save online or on the PC using the same Garmin software as the edge. I plan routes on Bikeley or use the Cycle Journey Planner and download to the device. I get all the mapping free (both UK and Europe) which has been brilliant. I have ridden so many new routes since having this it has been worth every penny.

The main thing I think it can't do is the training partner thing. It is also about twice as fat as the 800 so not as elegant (not a big issue for me).

As above, if you don't want mapping then the Edge 500 is enough. If money is no object then maybe the Edge 800 is best, though for me, the internal lithium battery of the Edge (that will deteriorate like your mobile phone one does, and is not user replaceable, and needs mains input every day on tour) would still make the Dakota, which runs for about 2 days on 2 NiMH AA's which I can then swap out, is better for me.

Omar Little

I have the edge 800 and it is a great bit of kit. All the stats i could ever want plus the mapping is really good. The virtual training partner feature can be a bit annoying though...i relax for a minute and he gets a lead that then takes me a good 10 miles to try and clawback...little bastard going on the attack when i'm trying to eat a banana

ajb72

Worth it if you use it / want it I guess. I love the mapping for planned rides, and the cadence / heart monitor for winter turbo training.

You can pick up a brand new 705 with HR monitor for just over £200 from the likes of handtech - not as bling as the £300 but functionality wise just as good. I would find it hard to go back to a basic bike computer now.

Pokerface

Garmin 500 all the way - but I need a god device to give me feedback from my SRM.

flasher

Very pleased with my 605, all I wanted was speed, time and occasional mapping, so the 605 is perfect!

Anonymous

http://www.handtec.co.uk/product.php/904/garmin-edge-705-heart-rate-monitor


Here, just over £200. Doesn't include maps, but you can download free opensource maps of the internet and convert to Gamin format. In fact I think you may even be able to simply download them these days. I've done it in the past but forget how. I also found the free maps better than the Garmin ones, as in more info and also altitude info.

meanredspider

Or, if you just want to collect data, Forerunner 305 (inc HR strap) £99 from Amazon. Might want to add cadence sensor +/- £30. 10 hour battery life, all the data, Garmin Connect etc and you can use it for running, hill walking (with the Track Back function), has the pesky training partner, gym, snowboarding etc You can load point to point routes too. Great value and bulletproof.

Im Bald Ok

I don't think i could ever go back to 'standard' bike computer such as my old cateye.

My edge 500 gives me everything i want. I find the bread crumb trail of a map is good enough if you have a rough idea of where your going. Maybe an 800 would be better if your doing new routes every time you leave your house.

To answer your question. Yes, definitely.

Lightning

Depends on what you want it for. I wouldn't spend that much for HRM/cadence since I don't really need them. I also don't use those training functions like virtual partner or anything since all my training is actually done on a turbo (with power).

However, I do have a 705 and never go out without it simply because of the mapping. With the city navigator maps you really just plan a random route and go for it which is amazing for me. The 705 is much cheaper now with the release of the 800 by the way.

JRooke

most people i know who have them barely even use them

twotyred

I've got a Garmin 500 with HRM and cadence sensor and its used for every ride and turbo session. I use it with Sporttracks and Garmin Connect to analyse my training and to share my training data with my coach. The cadence/speed sensor is very useful for turbo sessions. The course function gives a breadcrumb trail which as the poster above says is useful if you know roughly where you're going and just need a reminder now and again. I wouldn't go back to a normal cycle computer now.

If I was buying again I'd go for the 800 for the larger brighter screen as the 500's screen is lacking in contrast and can be hard to see sometimes. The full mapping and turn by turn guidance of the 800 would be useful for following new training routes or for guidance in sportives where the signage is a bit dodgy.

There's a new sound track at the end of sportives these days- the sound of multiple Garmins being switched off.

c0ugars

meanredspider wrote:

Or, if you just want to collect data, Forerunner 305 (inc HR strap) £99 from Amazon. Might want to add cadence sensor +/- £30. 10 hour battery life, all the data, Garmin Connect etc and you can use it for running, hill walking (with the Track Back function), has the pesky training partner, gym, snowboarding etc You can load point to point routes too. Great value and bulletproof.

+1

This is what i went for and im really happy with it, since i do alot of running aswell it was the perfect thing for me. The cadence sensor is really handy and i couldnt live without it now.

APIII

You're probably right i.e. money better spent elsewhere. I've had the 305, currently got the 705 which I use only for the powermeter compatability. The maps can be useful if you get stuck, but to be honest I've always found an OS paper map to be far more useful if I'm exploring. Cadence function is useless IMO, really cannot understand what people use this info for

Secteur

I am new to road biking, and bought one after much deliberation on here about 2 weeks into my cycling.

I use it on every ride, but to be honest I dont NEED it.

I plan to venture further afield soon, and as my own navigation skills are somewhat lacking, it will serve me well (I have the performance bundle - cadence, pulse and road maps - dont get the OS map version unless you will go completely off road).

I find the HR & cadence useful - since I read that a higher cadence is more efficient (around 80-90 is ideal, I believe), I definitely focus on that.

I look forwards to getting back home so I can hook it up to Garmin Connect and pore over the tons of data it collects & downloads, displayed in a series of beautiful tables & graphs. It's very geeky but good fun!

Anyway, if you have disposable income / cash, then it's a fantastic gadget that you won't regret & is a class leader.

If you're on a budget or dont really need it, then leave it (I thought twice due to the cost £££)

orbeaorca

My Edge 205 is near the end of its life, keeps cutting out, one of the buttons no longer works and I can no longer reset it
I will be replacing it without a doubt, probably with a 800, as I feel lost if I dont have a Garmin on my stem!
I know its not needed most of the time but I like to be able to see ride data as I ride and also to download and store on Sporttracks.
It all adds to my enjoyment.

brin

Thanx for replies, some good points for/against, still undecided at the moment, don't really need cadence/HRM or the other gizmo's mentioned - my cateye is good enough for ride data, just hopefully will be venturing into pastures new this year whilst training and thought the mapping navigator would come in handy for peace of mind - altho days like today getting 'lost' for a couple of extra hours would be fun. As it's not such a major issue i'm gonna dwell on it, ta

pompy

Brin,

If you want it for navigation more than training info then look at the etrex series. I have just got an Etrex Vista HCx for an impending LEJOG trip and its brilliant. I load tracks onto it from bike route toaster and then follow the tracks on the gps. It has allowed me to go much further and to unfamiliar places that I probably would have got lost at just trying to remember the route! Think it will work out cheaper than an Edge gps too. Mine was £210 inc the city navigator cd. Let me know if you want any more info on it.

blackpoolkev

brin wrote:

altho days like today getting 'lost' for a couple of extra hours would be fun.

Getting lost is one of the joys of cycling.The temptation to take unplanned detours is sometimes too hard to resist.

genki

I absolutely love my 705. If you like riding new routes or cycle in other countries the maps are awesome so long as you work out a planned route on your PC before. Yesterday I tried a new ride without having loaded the route beforehand, and going back to a few printed pages from googlemaps just reminded me of the pre-Garmin days - frequent stops and U-turns on poorly signed roads :evil:

For data, battery life, ease of use and reliability it beats anything else I've had - Suunto, Polar

For a final endorsement, in a roundabout way, my 705 fell off my bike at 25mph last night. Not great that the plastic attachment on the handlebars broke (it gets a lot of cobble-abuse in Luxembourg and had lasted over two years), but the unit has only the slightest scuff and still works fine. I was dreading hearing the crunch from the car following me, but I got lucky 8)

Craig McA

I have an edge 800 and in 1 word YES it is worth the money. It gives you far more data than any other brand on the market and is great for TT's and road races

lee337

I usually ride alone & find the virtual partner essential in preventing me going into trundle mode.

TheStone

Had a 205, which I only used for navigation, but really liked following the bread crumb routes. Even put it through GPX2CRS app, which gives you all the peaks etc as a small icon.

Tried the 605 when touring the US using the shareware maps, but I didn't really like it and only used it as an expensive version of the 205 (more memory, battery life and slicker).

Then purchased, sent back and purchased again the 500 (originally it had no manual zoom on the courses, which meant I couldn't really use them as before, but now that's been fixed). This replaces the 205/605 and the Polar S725X watch I used to use.

Very happy now, although I think the Polar software was better that the current Garmin Connect stuff and the Training Centre is very poor.

fenski

I've had a Edge 205 for a good few years now and while it's not essential (what bike computer is?) it has really added to my enjoyment of cycling.

I use MapMyRide to plot new routes (I've 124 routes plotted in my area), convert the route to a .crs file and use it for navigation purposes. After my ride, I log ride stats using Sportracks which lets me monitor things like weekly and monthly distance totals, trends in my average speed etc. I then export the ride to Google Earth which gives me good overview of where I've been and where I've yet to go in the area. This all adds to the interest and stops me getting bored with the same roads.

On midweek evening rides I tend to ride the same shorter routes for training purposes. In this case, I use the Edge training partner which encourages me to work harder and ride a faster time.

I even take the Edge out with me when I go for a run...

I've become so used to the Edge that when I temporarily mislaid it a couple of weeks ago, I was struggling to get out! I hate to think of the day when the 205 gives up the ghost and I'm forced to buy a replacement.

derbygrimpeur

I have an Edge 800 and it's worth the cash for me. Just plot a route and upload it to the Garmin and I'm off. No need to spend ages memorising a route. Brilliant if you're cycling on roads you don't know well.

The post-ride analysis stuff is good to look at to. Not sure it helps my cycling much, but it looks pretty

must-tri-harder

I have an edge 500 and have found it very useful for making me worry about my average speed etc.

i worry about it more, not sure that it's made me any quicker. but it looks pretty and does capture practically all the information you could wish for. I didnt want mapping so an 800 wasn't appropriate (or available at the time of purchase) for me.

i usually plan my route using how i feel, wind direction, voodoo etc prior to leaving the house.

Garmin connect is fantastic, particularly with my FR60 as it's entirely wireless. That's my biggest grumble, having to plug the Edge 500 in to upload via USB is a pain in the arse.