Best Garmin (or other cycle computer)

drewesq

I was looking for a tech specific forum but didn't see one, so am asking this here...

I am in the market for a cycle computer, at this time I'm not overly bothered about heat rate monitor but might like to add one in the future, it will mainly be used for:
Speed
Data
some touring...

Now I see Garmin have their 25 out which means I could add a HRM in the future but does anyone have experience of the 'breadcrumb trail' guidance feature?

I like the look of this as it is cheap and since it is relatively simple hopefully it won't suffer the same instability issues other models suffer with?

I'm not opposed to paying more, but I would hate to pay upwards of £200 for something that is going to crash and necessitate a reboot every other ride...

Thoughts please, as I am looking to do a ride where I might need one this weekend

Andrew

Anonymous

I love the Edge 25. Its so easy to use, I love its simplicity and it seems super reliable for it.
Have never used breadcrumb feature so cannot help there I am afraid.

Think I would give the 520 a go though personally.
Its under £200 now.

Do not get the speed cadence bundle if you do get the 25 as you cannot then add the HR monitor.
Cheaper to get the HR bundle now if you plan to get one anyway.

pblakeney

The 25 is an excellent basic computer.
In fact, that is selling it short.
The breadcrumb feature works well. Not as well as turn by turn, but it will get you there.
The only downside is that the screen display is not as configurable as it should be. Not being able to see HR at the same time as cadence is unforgivable in my opinion.
Look at bundle prices and judge for yourself if it is better to save money now, or pay a little extra in the future if you want the sensors.

Dan Walton

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19761652#p19761652]Carbonator[/url] wrote:

I love the Edge 25. Its so easy to use, I love its simplicity and it seems super reliable for it.
Have never used breadcrumb feature so cannot help there I am afraid.

Think I would give the 520 a go though personally.
Its under £200 now.

Do not get the speed cadence bundle if you do get the 25 as you cannot then add the HR monitor.
Cheaper to get the HR bundle now if you plan to get one anyway.

The Edge 520 is £176 on Wiggle and CRC, mine arrived the other day but not had a chance to use it yet (Christmas present)

mamba80

Just got the 520, c/w hrm and cadence from CRC for 200 with bc -10% code.

impressed, the cadence, hrm, speed sensors and brackets for spare bike and esp the training options, this one was for my daughter but i might get one for myself

freezing77

For cost effectiveness why not something like the etrex 20.
This will give you mapping, turn by turn directions , ability to add ant+ sensors and all for much less than cycling specific models.

http://www.handtec.co.uk/garmin-etrex-20x-outdoor-handheld-gps-unit.html?gclid=CjwKEAiAkb-zBRC2upezwuyguQ4SJADZG08vaOuUp2do7myfJFCC520J6GykOjTxhWcoAUwJblFuPRoC1y7w_wcB

bernithebiker

I've gone 500, 510, 520.

The 520 is very, very good.

redvision

I have just bought the 520 after finally giving up on the 810.

I am not able to ride much at the moment due to injury but the few rides i have done with the 520 i have found it to be an excellent device and worthy change from the 810.

I have not tried either the 20 or 25 but if you want a bike gps my advice would be to get the 520. It might have more features than you think you will need, but if you do end up wanting them at least they are there.

Sutton_Rider

I've had a 500 and it was total rubbish. The breadcrumb would disappear from the screen many times in a 10 mile ride, the GPS signal would also fail 3 or 4 times an hour despite riding in the Fens (No hills, few tall trees and buildings). Got an 800 now and although not perfect, it works OK, possibly the best bike GPS they've made.

northcliff66

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19761960#p19761960]Sutton Rider[/url] wrote:

I've had a 500 and it was total rubbish. The breadcrumb would disappear from the screen many times in a 10 mile ride, the GPS signal would also fail 3 or 4 times an hour despite riding in the Fens (No hills, few tall trees and buildings). Got an 800 now and although not perfect, it works OK, possibly the best bike GPS they've made.

Apart From the 810 and 1000 of course.

bernithebiker

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19761962#p19761962]northcliff66[/url] wrote:

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19761960#p19761960]Sutton Rider[/url] wrote:

I've had a 500 and it was total rubbish. The breadcrumb would disappear from the screen many times in a 10 mile ride, the GPS signal would also fail 3 or 4 times an hour despite riding in the Fens (No hills, few tall trees and buildings). Got an 800 now and although not perfect, it works OK, possibly the best bike GPS they've made.

Apart From the 810 and 1000 of course.

And the 510 and the 520.

Anonymous

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19761662#p19761662]PBlakeney[/url] wrote:

Not being able to see HR at the same time as cadence is unforgivable in my opinion.

I did not think you could even have both connected at the same time, but maybe its just that you cannot see both at the same time like you say.

redvision

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19761960#p19761960]Sutton Rider[/url] wrote:

I've had a 500 and it was total rubbish. The breadcrumb would disappear from the screen many times in a 10 mile ride, the GPS signal would also fail 3 or 4 times an hour despite riding in the Fens (No hills, few tall trees and buildings). Got an 800 now and although not perfect, it works OK, possibly the best bike GPS they've made.

As I said, the 810 was good, when it worked. But when you buy a product specifically for its mapping features you expect them to work. The 810 turn by turn just doesn't work consistently.

You only have to look at the complaints on the 810 forum & on here to see the problems.

Many of the issues with the 810 appear to have been related to the Bluetooth, which is not a feature on the 800,so that could well be why it has worked for you.

pblakeney

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19762014#p19762014]Carbonator[/url] wrote:

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19761662#p19761662]PBlakeney[/url] wrote:

Not being able to see HR at the same time as cadence is unforgivable in my opinion.

I did not think you could even have both connected at the same time, but maybe its just that you cannot see both at the same time like you say.

I have both sensors connected.
You have to scroll through your screens. Cadence can be on Screen 1 or 2. Heart rate has it's own dedicated screen.
Or, use the auto scroll. Which is rarely showing what you want to see at a specific time.
Unforgivable.

drewesq

I often find the reviews on Amazon are a fairly good barometer for these things, I think given what I want it for and the mostly positive reviews I'm going to get the 25 (now ordered from Wiggle for less than £100).

I did see that they do the 1000 explore which might be better when I do LEJOG...

Thanks for all the replies

Anonymous

You could get Evans to price match and get a (no strings) £10 voucher.
Or spend a further £2.53 and get a £20 one.

simon_masterson

I have not tried the breadcrumb style routing, but even turn by turn isn't perfect; if you want to do proper navigation, I would recommend full mapping. I use an Edge 705, and it's a great device. Big cycling computers are a bit ugly, and you have to charge them, but in general I have to admit that they are an improvement on the old style. If you just want speed, you can do without sensors, as well.

Seynodien74

What do you mean exactely by 'some touring' ?

I had the Garmin Oregon 600T, as I thought we could use it either for cycling & MTB but also Hiking with the kids.
GPS was perfect, while we were 'somewhere' in the state-owned forest.
Europe recreational map with shaded relief basemap included + 3-axis compass with accelerometer and barometric altimeter sensors. Kids like Geocaching, etc...
https://buy.garmin.com/en-GB/GB/outdoor/oregon-600t/prod113538.html
For cycling, you can easily select all informations and connect (bluetooth / Ant+) any devices like HR, speed/cadence bike sensors...

But you can put the Bike mount right into the trash!
The GPS fall 3 times because the clip does not fit well, and one day I definitely lost it during a road trip :evil:

So if this is only for cycling with a GPS (without any maps) forget it.

Have a look to Wahoo fitness: http://eu.wahoofitness.com/devices/bike-computers.html

LAst but not least, did you looked at Strava or Runtastic apps, etc... ?
http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/article/best-iphone-and-android-apps-for-cycling-35227/

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/article/best-cycling-apps-for-android-smartphones-43354/

poppit

Between us we've been using an 800 and an 810 for a couple of years now on the road, and recently been using 520s for wattbike and track cycling. Had a few little glitches initially with the 800 and 810 but nothing major, everything has been working fine now for some time. It's worthwhile making sure they're set up properly, dcrainmaker has good guides, just do a google search.

We just use the 520s for data and not mapping, they work well and pair with sensors ok most of the time although sometimes you have to do a new search and disable and enable the senors on the unit to get them paired.

To summarise, if mapping is important I'd go for an 810 or 1000, if not then get a 520. It's worth bearing in mind that the 520 is not touchscreen so is more difficult to use on a road bike as you have to press the buttons on the bottom and sides to operate it which is more difficult on the move than touching and swiping, also the 810/1000 have bigger screens so it's easier to read the maps.

Anonymous

The remote is compatable with the 520 if you want more convenience.
Hands stay on levers then, so a lot less difficult than touching screen

northcliff66

Not sure how good your eyes are, but one of the reasons I changed to the 1000 was text size and screen brightness. The five series screen font is just to small for me to read easily if I have five or six data fields displayed.

rnath

Secondhand Edge 800? They seem to go for around £150 these days and in the few years I've had mine it's been a reliable and welcome navigation tool - I don't bother with much else on it TBH.

mikeyj28

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19761960#p19761960]Sutton Rider[/url] wrote:

I've had a 500 and it was total rubbish. The breadcrumb would disappear from the screen many times in a 10 mile ride, the GPS signal would also fail 3 or 4 times an hour despite riding in the Fens (No hills, few tall trees and buildings). Got an 800 now and although not perfect, it works OK, possibly the best bike GPS they've made.

I totally agree with the 500 comments. Mine has lost signal countless times in open spaces and seems more unreliable with the data displayed than my edge 200.
Really not sure whether to take the plunge with a 520

roger_merriman

I have a 520 which is a great little beast, if your going to follow routes, a bigger screen is better.

Which is why I also have a Garmin touring, though in many ways is a worse computer it does have Europe wide mapping and screen is just big enough for that to be useful.

But on all other things the 520 is far better.

Anonymous

520 + Touring = 1000 doesn't it?

roger_merriman

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19772784#p19772784]Carbonator[/url] wrote:

520 + Touring = 1000 doesn't it?

1000 seems to be rather over complicated and both forums users and real life friends, have had problems with it, be it running flat half way though a ride, or more commonly being a buggy lump of software.

The touring is a simplified 800 with pre added maps, it works no hassle etc.

bobmcstuff

I didn't realise the 810 had so many issues! Mine has been fine... Maybe cos I'm using a really old firmware release on it.

Not had issues with crashing or Bluetooth, only thing is turn by turn doesn't seem to work consistently but if I don't know where I am going coming up to a turn I will just have the map screen up (with HR and cadence showing at the top).

apreading

If it were me, I would be buying this:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GARMIN-Edge-800-SPECIAL-OFFER-Cycling-Computer-Bike-GPS-with-City-Maps-/201478469026?_trksid=p2141725.m3641.l6368

fishzaku

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19772756#p19772756]roger merriman[/url] wrote:

I have a 520 which is a great little beast, if your going to follow routes, a bigger screen is better.

Which is why I also have a Garmin touring, though in many ways is a worse computer it does have Europe wide mapping and screen is just big enough for that to be useful.

But on all other things the 520 is far better.

+1 520 is really good if you dont need map function very often..

BowtomePhil

I have had a 1000 for over a year, never had any issues.

Worth looking at as it has so many functions .

seanorawe

My edge 500 has been a valued servant for a few years now. Love it, never really had issue with it. For the after sales service alone, I would stick with Garmin for a bike computer. The edge 500 breadcrumb will work good or bad depending on what you use to map your ride, and what format you upload it in. Ride with GPS seems to work fine.