Advantages of Garmins?

matthewbradly

I've got an average/entry level cycle computer that measures cadence, speed and the regulars.
I've been looking at some Garmin edges but there bloody expensive!
Could someone please tell me the advantages of them?

Scrumple

You can plug them in to the PC and get some fancy graphs that display data with the benefit of GPS.

So, you can see performance at any point on the ride, and where you were etc.

You can race yourself based on past rides, as it knows the route and can track your stored pace.

Apart from GPS and maps it aint much more than a regular computer (cos it is a regular computer with GPS!)

richa

Some, such as the Garmin 200, aren't so much:
http://www.handtec.co.uk/product.php/54 ... n-edge-200

TakeTurns

Well, ever since I got my garmin 800, I ride a lot more. I like the freedom of exploring and being able to go anywhere with the reassurance that my garmin will guide me back home.

Trev The Rev

TakeTurns wrote:

Well, ever since I got my garmin 800, I ride a lot more. I like the freedom of exploring and being able to go anywhere with the reassurance that my garmin will guide me back home.

Never used GPS.

Never got lost, always found it easy to find my way home. Mind you people born before 1960 instinctivly know how to navigate using the sun, stars and recognisable landmarks and a watch. We had an old style electrochemical device which automatically 'remembers' how you got to where you are and can replay this data in reverse allowing you to retrace your route home. It also automatically stored routes you have ridden in the past for years on end. Some people with a faulty device needed to carry a map, but women found them difficult to use. Some people used road signs, but I think that encourages lazyness and loss of navigational skills.

Just Cannondales

Would not be with out my 800 now.

It allows me to ride routes all over the country without worrying about getting lost.

Gives a nother dimention to rides as if a mate had done a ride you can load his data and do a virtual ride against him and compair times etc.

You get to be able to analise you ride data and compair against other rides etc.

Strava is another bonus.

If you ride on you own it can be helpfull as you can set tragets etc and you have plenty of screen options to keep you from getting board on a ride.

Rich...

Trev The Rev

Just Cannondales wrote:

Would not be with out my 800 now.

It allows me to ride routes all over the country without worrying about getting lost.

Gives a nother dimention to rides as if a mate had done a ride you can load his data and do a virtual ride against him and compair times etc.

You get to be able to analise you ride data and compair against other rides etc.

Strava is another bonus.

If you ride on you own it can be helpfull as you can set tragets etc and you have plenty of screen options to keep you from getting board on a ride.
Rich...

When really bored I once tried looking at the countryside. Does it come with a dead badger counting screen option?.

markp80

I find the heart rate monitor of my Garmin really useful (although plenty of other computers include this facility, granted).
Also, an ANT+ compatible Garmin allows you to connect to your PC for turbo sessions, if that's of interest (which I know to many people it's not).
+1 for connecting to Strave as well. Being able to see how you perform over a regular route I find motivating.

Cheers,
MarkP

dw300

Just Cannondales wrote:

If you ride on you own it can be helpfull as you can set tragets etc and you have plenty of screen options to keep you from getting board on a ride.

Rich...

I find getting board on a ride plays havoc with my training .. especially in high winds.

Alternatively .. if you're bored you could always proof-read your forum posts for typos .. that would keep you occupied for a while.

mattshrops

Some of us may be new to an area.

Some others may not be old enough to have memorised every road in the county.

So the night before a ride i can sit at home and plot a route of 100 miles and the only time i see an A road is to cross over it. I can also change it to a "flat" route or go hilly if thats what i want. I can change the route every time i go out if i want. Leaves me to concentrate on riding and checking the smarmy remarks counting screen.

705 or 800 does this.(apart from the lie/annoyance at the end.)

twotyred

Using HR and power it is a vital aid to doing structured training sessions. Lets you build up a data base of your riding so you can compare your performance year to year month to month. Really comes into its own when used with a power meter and something like SportTracks. If you aren't training seriously or a data junky and don't need GPS to navigate then its probably not worth it.

TakeTurns

Trev The Rev wrote:

TakeTurns wrote:

Well, ever since I got my garmin 800, I ride a lot more. I like the freedom of exploring and being able to go anywhere with the reassurance that my garmin will guide me back home.

Never used GPS.

Never got lost, always found it easy to find my way home. Mind you people born before 1960 instinctivly know how to navigate using the sun, stars and recognisable landmarks and a watch. We had an old style electrochemical device which automatically 'remembers' how you got to where you are and can replay this data in reverse allowing you to retrace your route home. It also automatically stored routes you have ridden in the past for years on end. Some people with a faulty device needed to carry a map, but women found them difficult to use. Some people used road signs, but I think that encourages lazyness and loss of navigational skills.

That's quite a good quality to have! I used to rely on photographic memory before I had my garmin. However, now I have more freedom. I sometimes prefer taking a different route to which I came from (bit more interesting) Also, now that the sunsets earlier, it can be difficult to retrace your steps when it's dark.

Tom Dean

twotyred wrote:

Using HR and power it is a vital aid to doing structured training sessions. Lets you build up a data base of your riding so you can compare your performance year to year month to month. Really comes into its own when used with a power meter and something like SportTracks. If you aren't training seriously or a data junky and don't need GPS to navigate then its probably not worth it.

It's not vital and you can train seriously without one.

Trev The Rev

TakeTurns wrote:

Trev The Rev wrote:

TakeTurns wrote:

Well, ever since I got my garmin 800, I ride a lot more. I like the freedom of exploring and being able to go anywhere with the reassurance that my garmin will guide me back home.

Never used GPS.

Never got lost, always found it easy to find my way home. Mind you people born before 1960 instinctivly know how to navigate using the sun, stars and recognisable landmarks and a watch. We had an old style electrochemical device which automatically 'remembers' how you got to where you are and can replay this data in reverse allowing you to retrace your route home. It also automatically stored routes you have ridden in the past for years on end. Some people with a faulty device needed to carry a map, but women found them difficult to use. Some people used road signs, but I think that encourages lazyness and loss of navigational skills.

That's quite a good quality to have! I used to rely on photographic memory before I had my garmin. However, now I have more freedom. I sometimes prefer taking a different route to which I came from (bit more interesting) Also, now that the sunsets earlier, it can be difficult to retrace your steps when it's dark.

I often ride a big loop, still never got lost, we used to have a survival instinct called sense of direction, but people born after 1960 seem to have lost it. Seemed to happen at the same time so many people started to get asthma and dehydrated.

t.m.h.n.e.t

Trev The Rev wrote:

TakeTurns wrote:

Trev The Rev wrote:

TakeTurns wrote:

Well, ever since I got my garmin 800, I ride a lot more. I like the freedom of exploring and being able to go anywhere with the reassurance that my garmin will guide me back home.

Never used GPS.

Never got lost, always found it easy to find my way home. Mind you people born before 1960 instinctivly know how to navigate using the sun, stars and recognisable landmarks and a watch. We had an old style electrochemical device which automatically 'remembers' how you got to where you are and can replay this data in reverse allowing you to retrace your route home. It also automatically stored routes you have ridden in the past for years on end. Some people with a faulty device needed to carry a map, but women found them difficult to use. Some people used road signs, but I think that encourages lazyness and loss of navigational skills.

That's quite a good quality to have! I used to rely on photographic memory before I had my garmin. However, now I have more freedom. I sometimes prefer taking a different route to which I came from (bit more interesting) Also, now that the sunsets earlier, it can be difficult to retrace your steps when it's dark.

I often ride a big loop, still never got lost, we used to have a survival instinct called sense of direction, but people born after 1960 seem to have lost it. Seemed to happen at the same time so many people started to get asthma and dehydrated.

Why are you on a cycling forum when you appear to hate or dislike pretty much everything to do with the sport?

Do you even ride a bike?

Trev The Rev

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

Why are you on a cycling forum when you appear to hate or dislike pretty much everything to do with the sport?

Do you even ride a bike?

That is an outragous slur.

I love cycling, I just hate unnecessary gadgets and guff like sports drinks, gels and recovery drinks, people who overcomplicate training, fragile carbon fibre bikes, time trials on dual carriageways, Lance Armstrong and all the other scum bag cheats, uncomfortable time trial bikes, tri bars, helmets, power meter software, unreliable power meters, heart rate monitors and the people who who have so much gadetry and software and data up their arse they have lost sight of what cycling is all about.

I commute every day on a minimalist single speed (sometimes fixed) steel frame bike with 32 spoke wheels. I train and do the odd club TT on the same machine (without tri bars). I have raced on the track, I have done time trials (even on a dual carriageway) I have sponsored a bike race. I love cycling and demand an apology.

t.m.h.n.e.t

Trev The Rev wrote:

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

Why are you on a cycling forum when you appear to hate or dislike pretty much everything to do with the sport?

Do you even ride a bike?

That is an outragous slur.

I love cycling, I just hate unnecessary gadgets and guff like sports drinks, gels and recovery drinks, people who overcomplicate training, fragile carbon fibre bikes, time trials on dual carriageways, Lance Armstrong and all the other scum bag cheats, uncomfortable time trial bikes, tri bars, helmets, power meter software, unreliable power meters, heart rate monitors and the people who who have so much gadetry and software and data up their ars* they have lost sight of what cycling is all about.

I commute every day on a minimalist single speed (sometimes fixed) steel frame bike with 32 spoke wheels. I train and do the odd club TT on the same machine (without tri bars). I have raced on the track, I have done time trials (even on a dual carriageway) I have sponsored a bike race. I love cycling and demand an apology.

Who are you to tell people what cycling is about? Cycling is what you make it yourself,if that happens to be with the use of Garmins and power meters then so be it. People have viable working methods(inc spending on gadgets),that differ from yours but work just as well if not better. No amount of miserable from you is going to change that fact, so it's about time you get used to it.


ps:there will be no apology from me. A bit naive of you to even think I would.

Trev The Rev

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

Trev The Rev wrote:

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

Why are you on a cycling forum when you appear to hate or dislike pretty much everything to do with the sport?

Do you even ride a bike?

That is an outragous slur.

I love cycling, I just hate unnecessary gadgets and guff like sports drinks, gels and recovery drinks, people who overcomplicate training, fragile carbon fibre bikes, time trials on dual carriageways, Lance Armstrong and all the other scum bag cheats, uncomfortable time trial bikes, tri bars, helmets, power meter software, unreliable power meters, heart rate monitors and the people who who have so much gadetry and software and data up their ars* they have lost sight of what cycling is all about.

I commute every day on a minimalist single speed (sometimes fixed) steel frame bike with 32 spoke wheels. I train and do the odd club TT on the same machine (without tri bars). I have raced on the track, I have done time trials (even on a dual carriageway) I have sponsored a bike race. I love cycling and demand an apology.

Who are you to tell people what cycling is about? Cycling is what you make it yourself,if that happens to be with the use of Garmins and power meters then so be it. People have viable working methods(inc spending on gadgets),that differ from yours but work just as well if not better. No amount of miserable from you is going to change that fact, so it's about time you get used to it.


ps:there will be no apology from me. A bit naive of you to even think I would.

You are entitled to your opinion. What does TMHNET stand for?

t.m.h.n.e.t

Trev The Rev wrote:

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

Trev The Rev wrote:

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

Why are you on a cycling forum when you appear to hate or dislike pretty much everything to do with the sport?

Do you even ride a bike?

That is an outragous slur.

I love cycling, I just hate unnecessary gadgets and guff like sports drinks, gels and recovery drinks, people who overcomplicate training, fragile carbon fibre bikes, time trials on dual carriageways, Lance Armstrong and all the other scum bag cheats, uncomfortable time trial bikes, tri bars, helmets, power meter software, unreliable power meters, heart rate monitors and the people who who have so much gadetry and software and data up their ars* they have lost sight of what cycling is all about.

I commute every day on a minimalist single speed (sometimes fixed) steel frame bike with 32 spoke wheels. I train and do the odd club TT on the same machine (without tri bars). I have raced on the track, I have done time trials (even on a dual carriageway) I have sponsored a bike race. I love cycling and demand an apology.

Who are you to tell people what cycling is about? Cycling is what you make it yourself,if that happens to be with the use of Garmins and power meters then so be it. People have viable working methods(inc spending on gadgets),that differ from yours but work just as well if not better. No amount of miserable from you is going to change that fact, so it's about time you get used to it.


ps:there will be no apology from me. A bit naive of you to even think I would.

You are entitled to your opinion. What does TMHNET stand for?

You'll be told when you need to know

mclarent

Tom Dean wrote:

twotyred wrote:

Using HR and power it is a vital aid to doing structured training sessions. Lets you build up a data base of your riding so you can compare your performance year to year month to month. Really comes into its own when used with a power meter and something like SportTracks. If you aren't training seriously or a data junky and don't need GPS to navigate then its probably not worth it.

It's not vital and you can train seriously without one.

You don't need a bike to train seriously. Helps though.

twotyred

Tom Dean wrote:

twotyred wrote:

Using HR and power it is a vital aid to doing structured training sessions. Lets you build up a data base of your riding so you can compare your performance year to year month to month. Really comes into its own when used with a power meter and something like SportTracks. If you aren't training seriously or a data junky and don't need GPS to navigate then its probably not worth it.

It's not vital and you can train seriously without one.

OK its an extremely useful aid- happy now?

Tom Dean

Yes

joe.90

Trev The Rev wrote:

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

Why are you on a cycling forum when you appear to hate or dislike pretty much everything to do with the sport?

Do you even ride a bike?

That is an outragous slur.

I love cycling, I just hate unnecessary gadgets and guff like sports drinks, gels and recovery drinks, people who overcomplicate training, fragile carbon fibre bikes, time trials on dual carriageways, Lance Armstrong and all the other scum bag cheats, uncomfortable time trial bikes, tri bars, helmets, power meter software, unreliable power meters, heart rate monitors and the people who who have so much gadetry and software and data up their ars* they have lost sight of what cycling is all about.

I commute every day on a minimalist single speed (sometimes fixed) steel frame bike with 32 spoke wheels. I train and do the odd club TT on the same machine (without tri bars). I have raced on the track, I have done time trials (even on a dual carriageway) I have sponsored a bike race. I love cycling and demand an apology.

Wow! Who do you think you are? Ha ha (awaits an attempted witty, pretentious response)