Am I going to get bored with it?

Snakebite the 2nd

I've taken a shine to the Garmin Edge 200.
For £80 it will give me the chance to see how I perform and keep a log for comparison.

My only concern is that I'll get it and get bored with it, what do you think?

Does anyone else religiously download information from their bike computers onto their desk/laptops?
Is it something I'll do for a couple of weeks then give up on?

I love the idea of it, but afraid it'll be a gimmick.

(Although I do use a "normal" bike computer to keep track of my mileage, I feel naked without it!).

timothyw

You definitely won't get bored of it, if you're logging your mileage anyway. In fact, once you sign up with Strava it will become an obsession.

iPete

You won't get bored but you might outgrow it.

If the future holds more srs stuff like cadence, heart rate or power there are good deals on 500s out there.

ex-pat scot

I'd go for the 500 - I got mine almost 2 years ago for £79 and it is just the right balance between minimalism and functionality

spasypaddy

i probably spend as much time looking at my power data after a ride as actually riding...

imatfaal

Or the newer 500series that is continually checking your Strava segments as you go along. Now that is tempting. WIll find a link as I saw it advertised on Strava last night; no PBs :-(

SlipSpace

Depends on your attitude really. Never used the Garmins but used to Strava everything with my phone.

IME it was great to start with, then it ruined my rides. You remember where the segments are and tend to gun it everytime. Get to work and analyse the data and start the day either disappointed or with a spring in your step. As said above it does become addictive and eventually took the fun out of the ride for me so I stopped.

Now for commuting I don't use anything; for longer rides just an old cycle computer to log distance. I have a GPS watch for running but again mostly just to log distance.

Each to their own.

rower63

"Am I going to get bored with it?"
If you're anything like me, you'll get obsessed with it rather than bored. Or, to put it another way, you'll get boring with it

imatfaal

https://shop.strava.com/collections/devices/products/garmin-edge-520?utm_source=strava&utm_medium=toprow&utm_campaign=evergreen&utm_content=Garmin520

dhope

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19674525#p19674525]rower63[/url] wrote:

Or, to put it another way, you'll get boring with it

QFT :oops:

pastryboy

If you have more than one bike and want to keep track of mileage then a garmin is great. It's of no interest to anyone else but I can use strava to see which bike meant I had the quickest time to work and see if I'm generally getting quicker or not.

I had a 200 but upgraded to the 500 because I wanted to use it indoors and saw it at a good price.

slowbike

yup - all my rides get logged onto Garmin & Synced to Strava

With Strava you do get to know where the segments are and it's a huge temptation to gun it - but after a while you do think "stuff it" and just cruise instead ...

I don't always bother looking at the detail of a ride - especially if it's just a cruise, but (on strava) I make sure I log it against the correct bike.

ugo.santalucia

You might love it, you might not. If you are the bod type that likes to spend every single "unoccupied" second of his life checking his smart phone, then you will love it... if you find other things to do more rewarding, then you might find it marginally useful on occasions, but mostly pointless.
Finally, if you are the type of bod that likes to archive all his cycling in tidy folders, so that he can always refer to it and point at improvements, then you will probably outgrow it very rapidly to a "smarter" device

markhewitt1978

If you're anything like most, including myself who spend more time reading about cycling than actually doing it, then logging it all on Strava (or elsewhere) is second nature.

Personally I wouldn't contemplate going out for a ride and not tracking it.

Snakebite the 2nd

Thanks for the advice.

Initially I think I will enjoy it.

As a comparison if I drive a reasonable distance I'll use my satnav, not because I don't know the way, but because I love all the additional information it gives. Distance to go, time etc. I love it.
Also I record realtime figures for MPG, I have an excel spreadsheet that records it all.

Looks like I suffer from anoraksia.

chris_bass

I'm an analyst by trade and so i just like having numbers and data to look at during and after rides! the more the better in my opinion :-)

Whilst I dont want to spend your money for you:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Garmin-Edge-500-Bike-Computer/dp/B002O0QBE8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1438949532&sr=8-1&keywords=garmin+edge+500

for £110 that is a good deal! It gives you the option to add ant+ devices (power meters, heart rate monitors, speed/cadence sensors) so if you do love it you can add even more numbers to your ride!

having said that if you really do want the 200 have a look in your local aldi, they are selling them for £50 if they have any left.

Snakebite the 2nd

I think the 500 is going to do too much for me.

I'm not bothered with Heart Rate or Cadence.
(Well maybe heart rate)
So paying the extra money for a single function, that I'll have to spend more money getting the extra kit seems a bit daft at the moment.

Thanks for the advice though, I don't want to seem to be rude by asking for advice and then doing what I wanted to do anyway!

adambruntlett

Or this -

http://www.handtec.co.uk/garmin-edge-500-premium-heart-rate-monitor-speed-cadence-010-00829-01.html

£136.68 for the bundle. I got mine from there and they were great.

chris_bass

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19674683#p19674683]Snakebite the 2nd[/url] wrote:

I think the 500 is going to do too much for me.

I'm not bothered with Heart Rate or Cadence.
(Well maybe heart rate)
So paying the extra money for a single function, that I'll have to spend more money getting the extra kit seems a bit daft at the moment.

Thanks for the advice though, I don't want to seem to be rude by asking for advice and then doing what I wanted to do anyway!

That's cool, definitely check out aldi if you are passing, they had a few in my local for £50.

rubertoe

I'll sell you a cheap 200 if you are interested.

I think i still have the box as well.

Kieran_Burns

Just to answer your original question:

You have Garmin Express installed on your pc
You connect your Garmin account to Strava / Endomondo / whatever
When you get back from a ride you plug your Garmin into the USB cable attached to your pc
It gets synced and uploaded to Strava / Endomondo / whatever automatically.

You won't get bored as you aren't actually having to repeat anything apart from charging the thing when your pc is switched on.

Then you become like the rest of us sad sods and wonder if you can gain a couple of seconds here or there....

Snakebite the 2nd

I was all set to get one on Friday, then got a series of texts telling me my bank account had been hacked.

Spent over an hour on Friday, then two hours on Saturday sorting it out.

All sorted now, but am awaiting new cards before I can pay for anything like that.

(Should be this weekend now :roll: ).

mudcovered

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19676183#p19676183]Kieran_Burns[/url] wrote:

You have Garmin Express installed on your pc
You connect your Garmin account to Strava / Endomondo / whatever
When you get back from a ride you plug your Garmin into the USB cable attached to your pc
It gets synced and uploaded to Strava / Endomondo / whatever automatically.

Well the newer devices make this even easier as long as you have a bluetooth phone and leave it enabled (oh and the Garmin Express App installed). The ride uploads automatically when you hit save. I was skeptical for a while but this is the ultimate in laziness. All I have to do is select the right bike type in the save ride notification in Strava and I'm done. I rarely plug my Edge into the PC now I just charge it once a week on the same charging station I use to charge my phone.

Mike

Snakebite the 2nd

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19676121#p19676121]rubertoe[/url] wrote:

I'll sell you a cheap 200 if you are interested.

I think i still have the box as well.

P.M. sent.

Snakebite the 2nd

Thanks to Rubertoe I am now the proud owner of an Edge 200.

Just been setting it up and I'm hooked.

And that's before I've got it on the bike.