Garmin Edge 800 vs other gadgets

Muffintop

Hiyah

I'm thinking of getting a Garmin Edge 800, but it's a lot of money. Is there another cheaper solution? I'm sick of faffing about with maps but I want to be able to plot a route and then just stick to it. My mobile's not ace, has both crappy signalling and battery. I could get a new phone but I grudge paying for something that's outside my mobile contract.


Mx

RoadMeridaBen

You could always go for a cheaper garmin like the 705

apreading

Just get it - once you have a craving for one, nothing else will do...!

I think Bryton do something similar for cheaper. Dont buy a new phone thinking it will solve your battery issues - new ones are generally even worse as the more power they have the quicker they eat the battery.

CRAIGO5000

I did this to death a few months back. I spent a month researching Garmin 200, 500 and 800's. (705 is discontinued)
I also looked at Brytons too. In the end I picked up a barely used second hand 800 with HRM for £200. The 800 does everything and recently saved me when I got lost navigating a strict course I plotted when I bonked!

I'd try and get a good second hand unit.

Brownyboy

I went for the 800 after a lot of to-ing and fro-ing. Expensive, yes, but worth it I feel.

tipped

I had quite an off the other day and my Garmin shot across the road and bounced around a little.

It's absoloutly fine. A phone strapped to my handlebars would certainly not have been.

slowondefy2

I use an iPhone with this case and mount.

The phone is in it's usual rubber case, inside this case mounted on the stem. The case is removable from the mount, but for extra security I use a zip-tie to fix it on. I think it's pretty well protected from impact.

I get on well with it, but no, it's not perfect. If I had the money to spare I probably would go with the Garmin 800, although I do like the amount of choice available with apps to run on the iPhone. Battery life is a problem - I only get 4.5 hours but that is with the screen on all the time, and it's fine for the vast majority of my rides.

rolf_f

Garmin 200, 500, Bryton 35, 40 or a Holux. Some of these start at less than £100

Much cheaper than the 800. No mapping but you can follow a plotted breadcrumb trail and the 500 and Bryton units are much neater than the relatively bulky 800. The lack of maps is mainly noticeable if you get dumped on a badly signposted diversion or you change your mind over your route mid session but otherwise not really a problem. With my Bryton units, I occasionally find myself going a 100 yards down a road in the wrong direction but it's generally obvious pretty quickly.

But since you have a phone with mapping already, which presumably you carry in a pocket for emergencies, you could always use as a mapping backup if you did have problems.

Unless your rides are short, using phones as a navigator seems to result in battery life issues - particularly if you think you might want to use the phone as a phone.

andrewjoseph

sometimes our garmins will be silly and try to guide you around and through silly routes. Even though we have set them to not recalculate, follow road etc. it seems the route you put in is not plotted exactly as you want, the garmin thinks it knows best.

Most of the time it's not a big issue, but sometimes in busy town centres especially, it can get a bit tedious following the route only to be told to do a u turn.

craker

A good cheap solution is to get a hiking GPS like a Garmin etrex. You'll need to plot some waypoints using PC mapping software (eg Memory Map) and buying bike mounts and serial cables can bump the price up.

Batteries last for agaes, it's well built but my basic etrex hasn't got any mapping - however if you've plotted the route beforehand then you don't need a map (though a paper backup might come in handy).

Butterd2

705 does the same job just you have to use buttons.

rolf_f

craker wrote:

A good cheap solution is to get a hiking GPS like a Garmin etrex. You'll need to plot some waypoints using PC mapping software (eg Memory Map) and buying bike mounts and serial cables can bump the price up.

Batteries last for agaes, it's well built but my basic etrex hasn't got any mapping - however if you've plotted the route beforehand then you don't need a map (though a paper backup might come in handy).

The only one that really represents a worthwhile cash saving is the basic unit - and that doesn't have any USB functionality (or didn't last time I looked - I have one so was interested!). The basic cycling GPS are far better really what with all the upload functionality. Not to mention neatness. You'd really, really need that extra £40 in your pocket to justify an Etrex over a Garmin 200.

Muffintop

Hi Guys,

Cheers for your insights. I got a Garmin 705 bundle. How many have you bought additional maps for uploading? Have you always bought the Garmin brand?

I bought it Tuesday and had planned to try it out today but after paying for express delivery and missed them yesterday, I won't get it 'til Tuesday. I'm a bit knarked to find DHL are closed on a Saturday (you can even pick stuff up from the Royal Mail on Saturday!)

Mx

freezing77

Muffintop wrote:

Hi Guys,

Cheers for your insights. I got a Garmin 705 bundle. How many have you bought additional maps for uploading? Have you always bought the Garmin brand?

I bought it Tuesday and had planned to try it out today but after paying for express delivery and missed them yesterday, I won't get it 'til Tuesday. I'm a bit knarked to find DHL are closed on a Saturday (you can even pick stuff up from the Royal Mail on Saturday!)

Mx

You will be disappointed with the garmin maps if you are expecting OS quality on screen.
Even the 1:50k series are blurry and pixellated at higher zoom levels.

With regard to the etrex series, only the very old versions are serial interface, newer ones are USB.
They have better navigational functionality than the edge series but do not have specific bike related features such as cadence etc.
The etrex series have a compass and pointer, the edge series do not. They also use standard AA batteries that can be replaced in the field or bought at any garage shop etc.

MJP

CRAIGO5000

Openstreetmaps are free and the cycling UK map is excellent. I run that on my 800.

freezing77

CRAIGO5000 wrote:

Openstreetmaps are free and the cycling UK map is excellent. I run that on my 800.

+1 for openstreetmap.

Lightning

Muffintop wrote:

Cheers for your insights. I got a Garmin 705 bundle. How many have you bought additional maps for uploading? Have you always bought the Garmin brand?

Great buy, perfect for what you want. Get some decent maps, plot a route on bikeroutetoaster, add course point warnings if you want beeps on turns, save as .tcx on the 705, remove "auto-route" or something like that and follow the line. It's way better than using maps and it never failed me.

I don't live in the UK so I don't know how maps are there and whatnot, but I have the Garmin Europe City Navigator maps or something like that (it's been a while since I got them and never upgraded). From what I've always read, people seem to like OSM (free), so I'd look into that.

andrewjoseph

the 705 has a compass and shows bearing etc.

I use openstreetmaps too. i have these imported into garmin basecamp so I can plan routes and save to the garmin. However, having problems doing this with my wife's 705, it's not happy with many routes I put in, whereas my 800 has no problem.

Peddle Up!

I agonised over this too (use search for old threads), but the 800 takes some beating. In particular its weather-resistance is excellent, something that may not matter until you need it.

andrewjoseph

yes, my wife's 705 started mis-behaving after getting repeatedly wet last sept, my 800 has been fine. Though the two 705's we had in 2010 got soaked on several occasions and had no problems.

Muffintop

I've got the gadget - Which brand maps did you purchase for it ? there are generic ones on amazon which I'm thinking of forking out for. Alot cheaper than the Garmin brand maps. They want £119 for a map I download to my computer and they don't seem to do area maps for Scotland (which is quite infuriating).

andrewjoseph

I initially bought full uk maps on dvd but after a year they wanted money to keep it updated. I've been using openstreetmaps for most everything. you can import the maps in garmin basecamp or roadtrip and create routes on there to send to the gps.

Muffintop

andrewjoseph wrote:

I initially bought full uk maps on dvd but after a year they wanted money to keep it updated. I've been using openstreetmaps for most everything. you can import the maps in garmin basecamp or roadtrip and create routes on there to send to the gps.

We tried this last night, but am only getting the route plotted, not the street features. For example, GPS'd my way to work and it only showed the line to follow, not the junctions or the street/city layout. What I want from the machine is close to a 1 50k map level of detail. It only has basemaps on it - which only shows A roads, and I have no intention of following them whilst cycling.

Are you able to download actual maps with features free and we haven't worked that out yet or do we need to purchase the extra map/put it on a slotcard?

Mx

pete54

andrewjospeh wrote:

Are you able to download actual maps...

You certainly are. You will need a blank memory card:

http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/OSM_Map_On_Garmin/Download

freezing77

Muffintop wrote:

andrewjoseph wrote:

I initially bought full uk maps on dvd but after a year they wanted money to keep it updated. I've been using openstreetmaps for most everything. you can import the maps in garmin basecamp or roadtrip and create routes on there to send to the gps.

We tried this last night, but am only getting the route plotted, not the street features. For example, GPS'd my way to work and it only showed the line to follow, not the junctions or the street/city layout. What I want from the machine is close to a 1 50k map level of detail. It only has basemaps on it - which only shows A roads, and I have no intention of following them whilst cycling.

Are you able to download actual maps with features free and we haven't worked that out yet or do we need to purchase the extra map/put it on a slotcard?

Here is a very good link for openstreetmap download
http://garmin.openstreetmap.nl/

and detailed instructions how to put it on the card here
http://ridewithgps.com/edge_800
specifically the last paragraph

Mx

apreading

download the maps from here - the os style ones are awesome, posiibly better than the real OS ones...

freezing77

apreading wrote:

download the maps from here - the os style ones are awesome, posiibly better than the real OS ones...

Where is here??????????????

andrewjoseph

Muffintop.

you need maps on the garmin unit itself, some of these are routable and some are not, they should specify before you download. to create routes for upload to the garmin, you need the same maps on your computer.

Also, the type of route you create will effect how the route is shown on the garmin. A gpx or gpxx file should give directions (e.g. turn left onto blahblah street in 100m). Some other route types will only show a line.

So, you need to make sure you have the same maps on the computer and the unit, that the maps are routable and you are using the correct format.

for a lot more info, you can join the garmin forums. Search around on google (or yahoo or alta vista, jeeves etc.)

I get our maps from

http://talkytoaster.info/ukmaps.htm

Muffintop

Thanks Guys!

Managed to down load talkietoaster's maps (http://talkytoaster.info/ukmaps.htm). I'll be doing a 60 miler this weekend so will test it out properly then.

Mx

apreading

andrewjoseph wrote:

http://talkytoaster.info/ukmaps.htm

Thats what I meant to say...!

Muffintop

Hi Guys,

Used it with the talkytoaster.info maps this weekend and it worked pretty well. Even managed to up load onto Strava (though not gone public yet - strava's not my first choice, it's a bit too serious for me).

Thanks for your help!

Mx