Garmin Alternatives

mickcee

Yes we would all love a Garmin but they just seems so expensive to me.

I have a Iphone 5 which is on my handlebars and am using Strava to log my rides and it is open all the time PanoBike app which lets me know Speed/Distance and average speed at a quick glance. Problem is I am don't really want it there all the time as its an expensive piece of kit which was free when i upgraded my phone.

So I was wondering if there anybody else is using anything other then Garmin which is a fraction of the price?

danowat

mickcee wrote:

Yes we would all love a Garmin but they just seems so expensive to me.

Says the person with an iphone 5 :roll:

freezing77

mickcee wrote:

Yes we would all love a Garmin but they just seems so expensive to me.

I have a Iphone 5 which is on my handlebars and am using Strava to log my rides and it is open all the time PanoBike app which lets me know Speed/Distance and average speed at a quick glance. Problem is I am don't really want it there all the time as its an expensive piece of kit which was free when i upgraded my phone.

So I was wondering if there anybody else is using anything other then Garmin which is a fraction of the price?

Which garmin???
http://www.handtec.co.uk/garmin-etrex-10-010-00970-00.html?gclid=CPmbqLGEibcCFWfItAodfSUA2A

hatch87

http://www.westbrookcycles.co.uk/access ... s%23282550

You will have to buy a cadence sensor as well but for £100 you got a GPS tracking computer which can also record HR and Cadence, which the Garmin 200 Can't

EDIT or you could get a sadle bag and chuch your phone in there, then buy a cheap speedo from Tesco. Pretty sure my one was under £20 which does cadence etc

hairy_boy

I have been using the etrex 10 with the cycle mount (mount is around £8 off amazon) and its been ok but you cannot load any maps to it so its a bit limited for road cycling.

This cycle mount fits the etrex: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Garmin-Bike-Mou ... ycle+mount

I am currently selling the etrex 10 but moving to the etrex 20 (will load with openmap onto an miniSD card which the etrex 20 can take).

The etrex 20 should give me a good GPS solution for £140 (off amazon) - bit cheaper I think off handtec.

My brother uses the etrex 30 (basically a souped up etrex 20 but with the same colour screen and memory) loaded with OS Maps and we followed it to do the C2C route last year - it worked very, very well.

Neil_aky

You could get a Wahoo RFLKT to display your iPhone data, you can then add Wahoo Bluetooth 4.0 cadence sensor. This way you are building on the capability of your phone (which can be safely packed away in a saddle bag) and you are investing in Bluetooth 4.0 which will probably take over from Ant+ as the standard in the future.

The RFLKT is expensive for what it is and I am sure there will be similar devices in the future...

flasher

Yep and then you'll need a trailer to tow around the battery pack for any ride over a couple of hours!

Neil_aky

Actually I run Endomondo and with 'low power mode' turned on it can run with the phone display on for well over 3 hours on an HTC Desire. The display itself uses a lot of power so an iPhone with RFLKT and Bluetooth 4.0 (very low power) may not be as bad as you suggest. I don't know from experience but if you run your favourite app with the screen off and see how long it lasts, that will not be very different to what would be achieved with the above accessories (Bluetooth 4.0 is really low power).

Anyway not a recommendation, I was just trying to give you a different option.

g00se

depends on what other features you want.

GPS - yes
maps -?
or just breadcrumb trails-?
cadence -?
heart rate -?

If you don't want downloadable mapping and on-the-fly route finding, but wouldn't mind advanced route planning you can do online that can be uploaded and followed using a simple trail on the device, then the Garmin Edge 500 and Bryton Rider 40 and 35 might be an option.

If you're not interesting in routing, then the Garmin Edge 200 and Bryton Rider 20 may be an option. though the Garmin 200 doesn't allow for cadence or heart rate.




Cateye have something similar out now too - the Stealth 50 and that does have cadence and heart rate like the Bryton 20.

Sometimes the Brytons come up on group buy pages with a hefty discount. I got a Rider 35 with heart rate and cadence for a bit over £100.

I can find it here at £150 with all the kit: http://www.ukbikesdepot.com/m108b172s83 ... tAodQVYAMA

but personally, in retrospect I'd spend a little extra for the Rider 40 - as the training facilities are more customizable (custom heart rate zones, intervals etc).

junglist_matty

Edge 500 for £120.....

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/garmin-noh-edge-500/

(Garmin refurbished, but will be perfect)

mickcee

cheers everyone who replied, will look into some of those suggestions.

To those who think I know i am slightly contradicting myself claiming something like a Garmin Edge 800 is expensive when i have a iphone 5 fitted to my handlebars, for me its a bit different walking into a shop and spending 200-300 quid then having a phone company giving me a free upgrade and forking out 30 quid a month line rental which fits perfectly into my family commitments financially (teenage Children)!!

dai_t75

g00se wrote:

If you don't want downloadable mapping and on-the-fly route finding, but wouldn't mind advanced route planning you can do online that can be uploaded and followed using a simple trail on the device, then the Garmin Edge 500 and Bryton Rider 40 and 35 might be an option.

If you're not interesting in routing, then the Garmin Edge 200 and Bryton Rider 20 may be an option. though the Garmin 200 doesn't allow for cadence or heart rate.

Don't know what the 'simple trail' on the edge 500 is like, but just to add - you can upload routes to the edge 200 and follow a 'breadcrumb' trail. I picked one up for £75 new off fleabay a couple of weeks back and I have been happy with it. As mentioned though there is no cadence/HR.

stealf

Mio 305 HC is a great alternative.

I got one a few weeks ago, after a few settign up issues it now accepts pre determined routes that I map out from it's own software, you can 'borrow' routes from others anywhere in Europe if you so desired or the suprise me feature actually is kinda cool. It knows for instance that the best way out of London for me is north on the A1000. So this is where it sends me.
The screen is large, show street level mapping adn a whole host of other info at a push of a screen based button.
Easy to use (trust me I am the least techhie person I know) and pretty reliable. Issues would be lack of a mount to set it further forward than the bars so I am looking at this but it is a small issue.
overall 7 out of 10 and over £100 saved from the garmin

southdownswolf

Always makes me laugh when people say it is a "free" upgrade.... £720 over 2 years doesn't sound free to me :shock:

smoggysteve

southdownswolf wrote:

Always makes me laugh when people say it is a "free" upgrade.... £720 over 2 years doesn't sound free to me :shock:

+1

Things people will fall for just because its sold to them in a way that they think is a bargain, while they are being robbed blind.

SoTyred

Sorry but for me there is no alternative to a Garmin. It's not just something to see how fast or far I am going but an essential training aid, virtual partner, etc, etc. the nearest iphone app i have found is this which can be uploaded to site like ridewithgps, or garmin connect: http://www.abvio.com/cyclemeter/

mrbubbaman

Picked up a Garmin 500 in Evans for £185 using one of their discount codes, then I'll get 3% from quidco.
also came with heart rate monitor and cadence sensor

ethanhayes

SmoggySteve wrote:

southdownswolf wrote:

Always makes me laugh when people say it is a "free" upgrade.... £720 over 2 years doesn't sound free to me :shock:

+1

Things people will fall for just because its sold to them in a way that they think is a bargain, while they are being robbed blind.

-1.
I'm fed up of people thinking everyone is a moron when it comes to things like this. The fact is for many people it is a free, or very cheap upgrade along with a very reasonable monthly price point.
I'm on a contract at £30 a month, obviously costing me £360 a year. I have been on this contract for 3 years now, each year I have been given a new phone without an upgrade fee.
Each phone I have had has been worth 350+ on pay as you go (and before people moan I don't need a phone that expensive. I want a phone with very high specs, and I am more than happy to pay for it.)
I send over 700 texts a month and use 300+ call minutes on average. Since this time last month I have used 3gb of data.
A pay as you go plan from my network covering my usage would cost me 300 a year, add the price of the phone onto that and you're looking at spending £650+ on a yearly upgrade.
Now I'm no mathematician, but I'm fairly certain £360 a year is less expensive than £650.
Just because something doesn't represent good value for your needs, doesn't mean it doesn't for others.


I highly recommend the Bryton 40. Just as good as the Garmin 500 in my experience.
If you keep an eye open you can pick them up for less than £100 for the unit only.

morstar

Merlin have always been competitive on price for Bryton units. Very nearly bought a 40 but then settled for a 20 that came fee with a CW subscription.
And yes it was free! To avoid re-igniting that debate. I buy the mag anyway and was waiting for an appealing offer before subscribing.

smoggysteve

ethanhayes wrote:

SmoggySteve wrote:

southdownswolf wrote:

Always makes me laugh when people say it is a "free" upgrade.... £720 over 2 years doesn't sound free to me :shock:

+1

Things people will fall for just because its sold to them in a way that they think is a bargain, while they are being robbed blind.

-1.
I'm fed up of people thinking everyone is a moron when it comes to things like this. The fact is for many people it is a free, or very cheap upgrade along with a very reasonable monthly price point.
I'm on a contract at £30 a month, obviously costing me £360 a year. I have been on this contract for 3 years now, each year I have been given a new phone without an upgrade fee.
Each phone I have had has been worth 350+ on pay as you go (and before people moan I don't need a phone that expensive. I want a phone with very high specs, and I am more than happy to pay for it.)
I send over 700 texts a month and use 300+ call minutes on average. Since this time last month I have used 3gb of data.
A pay as you go plan from my network covering my usage would cost me 300 a year, add the price of the phone onto that and you're looking at spending £650+ on a yearly upgrade.
Now I'm no mathematician, but I'm fairly certain £360 a year is less expensive than £650.
Just because something doesn't represent good value for your needs, doesn't mean it doesn't for others.


I highly recommend the Bryton 40. Just as good as the Garmin 500 in my experience.
If you keep an eye open you can pick them up for less than £100 for the unit only.

Not everyone is a moron. But many are. Lots of people get into contracts on mobile phones without properly reading the terms. They end up getting something they can barely afford just because they want a nice shiny new phone. If you can afford your payment plan, good for you. All I say is there are plenty that are not so sensible.

Agree on the Bryton btw, they have some good kit. I nearly got one myself but got the Edge 500 HR/Cadence instead.

dulwichiron

edge 500 at amazon for £150
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Garmin-Heart-Mo ... UVB3V0G3KM

Sprool

o-synce (Germany) have a couple of nice little units, one will do uploadable directions, the other has map display.

http://www.o-synce.com/en/products/bike/navi2coach.html
http://www.o-synce.com/en/products/navi ... 2move.html

I'm very tempted by the little Navi2move unit, if you shop around on the internet you can find them now reduced to 59 Euros.

hatch87

ethanhayes wrote:

SmoggySteve wrote:

southdownswolf wrote:

Always makes me laugh when people say it is a "free" upgrade.... £720 over 2 years doesn't sound free to me :shock:

+1

Things people will fall for just because its sold to them in a way that they think is a bargain, while they are being robbed blind.

-1.
I'm fed up of people thinking everyone is a moron when it comes to things like this. The fact is for many people it is a free, or very cheap upgrade along with a very reasonable monthly price point.
I'm on a contract at £30 a month, obviously costing me £360 a year. I have been on this contract for 3 years now, each year I have been given a new phone without an upgrade fee.
Each phone I have had has been worth 350+ on pay as you go (and before people moan I don't need a phone that expensive. I want a phone with very high specs, and I am more than happy to pay for it.)
I send over 700 texts a month and use 300+ call minutes on average. Since this time last month I have used 3gb of data.
A pay as you go plan from my network covering my usage would cost me 300 a year, add the price of the phone onto that and you're looking at spending £650+ on a yearly upgrade.
Now I'm no mathematician, but I'm fairly certain £360 a year is less expensive than £650.
Just because something doesn't represent good value for your needs, doesn't mean it doesn't for others.


I highly recommend the Bryton 40. Just as good as the Garmin 500 in my experience.
If you keep an eye open you can pick them up for less than £100 for the unit only.

Yearly upgrade? aren't most contracts biannual now? Anyways, my sim only contract is £7 a month which gives me a saving of £23 a month, over two years thats a £550 saving over the 2 years. I then bought something that isn't an Iphone for £160 off amazon. Amazing how fast phone prices drop considering they run the same OS so pretty much do the same thing as the 6 month newer model.

flasher

hatch87 wrote:

Yearly upgrade? aren't most contracts biannual now? Anyways, my sim only contract is £7 a month which gives me a saving of £23 a month, over two years thats a £550 saving over the 2 years. I then bought something that isn't an Iphone for £160 off amazon. Amazing how fast phone prices drop considering they run the same OS so pretty much do the same thing as the 6 month newer model.

Leaving more to spend on unnecessary bike bits

pinkteapot

+1 for Abvio's Cyclemeter app on the iPhone.

I'm going to leave aside the cost of the iPhone over the two years. When I started cycling I already had the iPhone, so it wasn't a choice between getting one and getting a Garmin. If OP already has an iPhone then they're in the same position.

I got the Cyclemeter app (£2.99 if I remember rightly) and it's superb. I plan out routes on ridewithgps.com (free), export them as a GPX file into Cyclemeter, have it on my handlebars with the map for navigation while riding, then export ride data back from Cyclemeter to ridewithgps.com. All for a £2.99 app and a £3.40 iPhone handlebar mount.

Re phone battery life, with wifi and bluetooth turned off my phone lasts just shy of 4 hours running the GPS. For longer rides I take a portable charging phone case - put the phone in it, turn it on, and it charges it up at the same rate the GPS runs it down so I can extend the life for rides in excess of four hours. The only downside of this if you regularly do rides longer than 4 hours is that it doesn't fit in the handlebar mount while charging. I do it on sections where I know the route and put it in my bag for a while.

What's impressed me most with Cyclemeter has been the support. I've e-mailed them on two occasions when I've had queries or thought something wasn't working (neither of which was actually a problem with the app :oops: ). Both times I've had friendly and helpful replies same day. I'm getting better support on a sub three quid app than I get on far more expensive technology items.

My favourite thing about Cyclemeter, and the one thing it has that Strava doesn't, is the ghost riders. On regular routes you get markers going along the map for your best, median and worst times on it, as well as the marker showing where you are. So you can race your best time.

One tip for any other Cyclemeter users - make sure you turn on the option to back up your database to iCloud. When I'd been cycling a few weeks my iPhone had a problem so I had to restore it. Hadn't backed up to iTunes for a while and so I lost my cycle data up to that point and had to start again. The automatic iCloud backup happens daily so if the same thing happens again I'll be able to reinstate all my data.

Neil_aky

Has anyone got experience of these?

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/gps-satcount--id_8225554.html

Can you upload to Strava etc?

hatch87

Flasher wrote:

Leaving more to spend on unnecessary bike bits

How did you know

Gweny

Neil_aky wrote:

Has anyone got experience of these?

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/gps-satcount--id_8225554.html

Can you upload to Strava etc?

I was looking at that previously. Interesting, doesn't seem to be much out there about it. I'd be going down to Decathalon to see if the staff knew much about it. Seems like a bargain if it works!

I've just got a Bryton 40 off the classifieds. Impressed, very compact, and no problems uploading to Strava. The mapping is just lines of the route which you have to plot beforehand.
I'd take a map if I was going somewhere completely new, but it would be handy for a semi-known route.