Garmin Edge 810 users...

ScreaminWargasm

Hi All,

The Edge 810 has been out for some time now, and from what I can tell, has very mixed reviews. The Garmin Forum has numerous complaints but that's what you'd expect from a forum I guess. I have also seen really positive reviews on sites like Evans Cycles.
Now I'm thinking of taking the plunge and upgrading from my trusty Edge 500. I've really loved the 500 and had no real issues with it however, want to venture further afield and think the mapping and turn by turn features would be a massive benefit for me.
I'm sure many people will have been in the same position as me and I'm looking for any comments (good or bad) on the upgrade.
Its a fair old chunk of cash to spend if I'm not going to see much benefit and I certainly don't want a device that's going to constantly crash, turn off etc etc that some people report.

I will also be purchasing the device without the maps and then downloading the free maps from OSM or similar if this makes any difference.

Any advice and your experiences with the 810 would be greatly appreciated.

Mick

mfin

Print a map when you are going somewhere different and enjoy the adventure. I'm not against what the 800 or 810 do, but if you can wait, I would guess next year they will come out with a major update with a screen that isn't 10 years old in quality, it's got to be in the pipeline.

meursault

If you are not bothered about the bluetooth stuff get the 800, that's what I did.

iron_duke

Got an 800 for much the same reasons. Wanted to try some routes in unfamiliar parts of country and abroad and not worry about getting lost. Been very happy with it. At the time the 810 was out but for me did not think it was that huge a step up to justify the extra cost. Just my personal viewpoint.

Downloading OSM pretty straightforward.

Found http://www.scarletfire.co.uk/2012/11/fo ... -edge-800/ really useful guide getting up and going.

steelem

hi there go for the 810 - I used to have the 800 - just rubbish piece of kit - satellite pick up was just awful & because of this obviously the readings would be out ... now i have the 510 - satellite straight away & if i use the gps for speed then its so accurate.. also nice to have bluetooth & the follow my ride... great add ons..

ScreaminWargasm

Thanks for the comments so far guys....and also the link showing how to get going. I've seen that Handtec are selling the 800 for around 230 odd and the 810 for about 30 quid more.
Really keen to hear from anyone that has an 810 already and seems to like it and use it, without any problems.

Thanks for the info so far...

Mick

richa

Recently got an 810 (had a 500 previously).

Still getting to grips with the routing. But am a big fan of the Bluetooth upload (fit files) & download (courses) via iPhone app. Very nice feature.

meursault

steelem wrote:

hi there go for the 810 - I used to have the 800 - just rubbish piece of kit - satellite pick up was just awful & because of this obviously the readings would be out ... now i have the 510 - satellite straight away & if i use the gps for speed then its so accurate.. also nice to have bluetooth & the follow my ride... great add ons..

So much fail here.

For some objective comparisons

http://www.dcrainmaker.com/product-reviews/garmin

iron_duke

Had no issues with 800 picking up satellite

If you want people to know where you are can be done via I phone relatively easily and does not require 810. Am sure other phones will do this also.

northpole

Mick
I'm only able to comment on the 800 which I've had since not long after they came to market. I've always experienced an inconsistency on route turn direction prompts. Not sure if this is dropped when the satellite signal is dumped but it has been a very rare ride when the route hasn't gone missing. I've always carried an iphone with me which I've found much more dependable!
Other problems I have encountered, despite keeping up to date with firmware updates, is speed falling away to next to nothing or simply sitting at zero. Usually after a junction stop. Various tactics such as switching off the cadence sensor and turning off auto pause sometimes seemed to bring back some functionality. Eventually I completely rebooted it and this seemed to help significantly. A colleague recently reported similar issues developing on his 810.
I'm sure that many of my problems have arisen from lack of computer skills but the routing issues I reckon lie with the Garmin - several sportive routes downloaded from the organisers have failed. Thank goodness for the road signs out on the routes!!
I've not heard of people suffering so much with the 500 series models....

Peter

StillGoing

Like any mass produced component, you will get faulty units and some people who are just never satisfied. Garmin has a world wide reputation and a decent customer support service to handle faults and complaints. Where they let themselves down is in software upgrades being released without thorough testing first. Having said that, the one time I did an upgrade and it put the 705 I had at the time out of use, Garmin sent me a free replacement well out of the warranty.

I changed to an 810 earlier this year for the simple reason of the Livetracking function. The 705 did everything I wanted but having no real time tracking for my wife to keep an eye on me, the 810 appealed. If I stop moving for longer than a tub change, she knows something is wrong. The screen isn't huge, but it happily meets the medium between a direction prompt when following a course and a data collection unit. I don't want a huge device stuck on the front of the bike so am quite happy with the 810 and the screen size.

ScreaminWargasm

Thanks for all the replies. Anyone had any dealings with HandTec?? They are a fair bit cheaper than everyone else but should I encounter any issues, I'd like to know that I can refund/exchange the item without too much fuss!

stueys

Handtec are good, they provided by 800 and I had no problems with them at all.

OSM maps are great, no difference from the Garmin one's. More than adequate

My 800 has no problems at all, it's a great unit. For 30 quid more I would buy the more recent model but I wouldn't pay any more premium than that for the 810.

ScreaminWargasm

Managed to get Wiggle to price match Handtec so I've made the order. If I have any issues, I know that Wiggles customer service is pretty good

meursault

Good luck with it mate, here are some links to help when it arrives.

http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2013/05/download-garmin-705800810.html

http://www.forgot.co.uk/edge-800/

http://www.scarletfire.co.uk/category/cycling/garmin-edge-800/

ScreaminWargasm

meursault wrote:

Good luck with it mate, here are some links to help when it arrives.

http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2013/05/download-garmin-705800810.html

http://www.forgot.co.uk/edge-800/

http://www.scarletfire.co.uk/category/cycling/garmin-edge-800/

Very useful......Thanks for the links.

Mick

ScreaminWargasm

Had this for a short while now and quite happy so far. Had no issues installing maps from talkytoaster which I was concerned about.
The TBT seems a bit hit and miss though, most of the time it starts fine however stops after about 10 miles. It then starts up randomly later in the ride.

Just a question though......I have the back light set to 'always on' as most of my rides have been in the evening when its dark however, the back light doesn't stay on. It will randomly pop on at say a 5 mile lap, or if I touch the display.
Is there a way to have the light on PERMANENTLY , so I can see the data in the dark??

Mick