garmin

w2darren

i'm looking for a new bike computer that i can easily exchange between a mtb and road bike,

requires little set up
is accurate


Has anyone any advice on the garmin 500 or 800, are they worth the money,

Any advice is welcome, thanks in advance
darren

Anonymous

The handy thing with GPS computers is that you don't have to callibrate it to your wheel size.
However, whether it's worth it or not depends on what features you need. the 500 will measure distance, altitude etc etc. The 800 also has mapping. Unfortunately I gather that the maping on all these devices is mediocre at best.

On the cheaper end of the scale, I believe almost all modern cycle computers allow you to store at least two wheel sizes in them, and quickly switch between them. I have an ancient VDO wireless unit which does this. You'd still need a fork sensor on each bike, but it would still work out cheaper than buying one Garmin Edge 500!

Briggo

yeehaamcgee wrote:

The 800 also has mapping. Unfortunately I gather that the maping on all these devices is mediocre at best.

You gather wrong.

bobgfish

The 500 is great and easy to swap. You can set up to I think 4 bikes on it and it will autodetect wheel size if you have a cadence meter fitted.

camerauk

I use a Dakota with the Discoverer 1:50k full uk maps and the detail is great just like using a os map would highly recommend this combination
the dakota does not come with some of the biking features of the Garmin 800 but as I use my Dakota for walking I discounted getting the 800

bigj205

I have both the 310xt and the Edge 800
Both work great on either mtb or road bike and the 310xt also works great for running and ok for swimming (I do triathlon)
The mapping on the 800 is great albeit with a pretty small display.
I have the OS 1:50,000 maps of the UK installed.
Garmins own training centre software isn't great, but you can upload to Garmin connect for better analysis or buy third party software such as Training Peaks.

Hope that Helps

John

dizzyblonde82

I have just got a Garmin Edge 800 and it is fantastic, can either follow a route you plan or it records where you ride and then you can upload that route online.

There are hundreds of routes online that you can just download to the 800.

I live in the countryside and there are lots of little lanes/tracks and the GPS system really helps me from getting lost. I have the 1: 50k OS maps on it.

It was relatively easy to set up but still playing around changing the displays etc.

Anonymous

Briggo wrote:

yeehaamcgee wrote:

The 800 also has mapping. Unfortunately I gather that the maping on all these devices is mediocre at best.

You gather wrong.

Would you care to elaborate? I've been told by several users not to bother with them, since the grainyness of the maps mean you still need a paper OS map to get out of trouble. Following a pre-determined route is ok, but you can;t just use it as a map-replacement when exploring, since a lot of bridleways and footpaths aren't readily visible.

FWIW, I wouldn't bother with the 1:50,000 scale paper maps either, I prefer a larger scale.

dizzyblonde82

I find the maps fine to view and all the bridlepaths around where I live (blackpool) are visible, there is a zoom function which easily allows you to change the views.

camerauk

Same here around Dartmoor all bridleways etc visible and you can get 1:25k maps if you want but I have not found the need for em
I have gone exploring with just the Garmin and been fine

Anonymous

Hmm. Seems to be a difference of opinion then. I'll have to re-add them to the list of my "to be considered" purchases.

chiefinspector

camerauk wrote:

I use a Dakota with the Discoverer 1:50k full uk maps and the detail is great just like using a os map would highly recommend this combination
the dakota does not come with some of the biking features of the Garmin 800 but as I use my Dakota for walking I discounted getting the 800

I just bought one of these last week after much deliberation. I opted for the 1:50000 OS map option and i certainly haven't been disapointed.

Like you, i do some walking as well but nowhere near as much as biking meaning the 800 was the one to go for. The screen is slightly small and the resolution could be a bit better but the sheer amount of options and ease of use more than make up for this. The maps are easy to read but with any GPS unit you should always have a paper map as a back up.

Bought it off wiggle when they had a 20% off day so made a saving of £80. I would highly recommend this unit.

Briggo

yeehaamcgee wrote:

Briggo wrote:

yeehaamcgee wrote:

The 800 also has mapping. Unfortunately I gather that the maping on all these devices is mediocre at best.

You gather wrong.

Would you care to elaborate? I've been told by several users not to bother with them, since the grainyness of the maps mean you still need a paper OS map to get out of trouble. Following a pre-determined route is ok, but you can;t just use it as a map-replacement when exploring, since a lot of bridleways and footpaths aren't readily visible.

FWIW, I wouldn't bother with the 1:50,000 scale paper maps either, I prefer a larger scale.

As the others have mentioned there is no grainyness etc, its very visible and very clear. I have the UK 1:50k which is more than adequate to navigate even without a pre-determined route, I usually use it for when I'm hiking as well.

However don't get me wrong, I still carry an OS 25k map or some other form of paper mapping as a backup in case of battery failure/GPS loss, as OS maps weigh nothing, just the beauty of navigating with the Garmin is so much quicker.

Frodo1095

I just picked up s Bryton Rdier 30 which I used for the first time today.

Uses the same mount sytem as the Edge 500 and you can store 2 wheel sizes as well.

Here is the ride I did today when uploaded:
http://www.brytonsport.com/mapTrackView/2?id=104631

diy

I have an Edge 800 as a replacement for my 305. I have the cadence + HR pack, the Edge 500 has fewer features than the 305, so it was not really a consideration for me. I would say the mapping of the 800 is worth the extra, but I would not waste money on the OS maps, just go to open mtb map and open cycle map and stick them on a 1 or 2 gb micro sd card and they'll do just fine.

I too would disagree that the 800 mapping is not worth the bother, they are perfectly usable and with open mtb map you can basically go to a new area and pick up everyone else's favorite trails.

However the 800 does have some niggles.

- It uses the new fit file format which is binary and can get corrupted easily.
- I have had to factory reset mine a couple of times due to failure to pick up data, might have been user error as I was fiddling with settings.

+ bat life is excellent, mine lasted, 13 hours navigating and data recording, but when they power down you lose the data (corrupt fit file), so when the low power warning comes up you need to stop and start, which is annoying.