Garmin 520 deals

ZMC888

Don't buy one, they are crap considering the cost. If they cost $50 dollars that would be OK, but the price just isn't value for money for what is basically a 1980s Casio watch with GPS.

I killed mine in 9 months. But then again I ride over 12,000 miles a year people that only ride a few thousand miles a year report few problems, go figure. The screen is made from glass and will crack easily, (it's not a warranty replacement). The rubber bung will stop fitting after a month, plus sometimes the whole unit can go nutty give you wrong data and corrupt your data.

I'm still waiting on a repair/replacement after one month. Not happy.

The worst thing - the BS. I use Strava and I constantly get 'Garmin failed/died/crapped out/broken/useless/hopeless' from other riders in the feed. Yet go to any online discussion forum and they are praised by some people singing praise from the highest rooftop. We live in a post truth society. I suspect sending people on to web forums and reporting good feelings for Garmin products is part of their advertising budget, can't prove it, but there it is. Face it - a smart phone running the Strava app is far more reliable, but less accurate and has less data feed and less fun.

mamba80

So you drop the 520 and thats Garmins fault, not butter fingers? rubber bang is fine too.
2 units with over 16k on them, inc a couple of RR crashes, used in all weathers, issues were/are too small a memory and poor grad accuracy, (seemingly now fixed in f/w) Earlier in its life was rubbish at picking up cadence sensor in particular, again fixed in f/w.
Do i like it that Garmin like other tech companies use the punter as their RnD dept? no.

What r you using now if you ve waited a month for a replacement?

You lost all credibility with that last paragraph.

londoncommuter

londoncommuter wrote:

I can forgive them the software bugs as these are always going to slip through but how did they ship the 520 without anyone noticing the barometric sensor for measuring altitude is completely rubbish in any damp weather?

I've done the exact same loop the last four weekends with elevation gains apparently of 879m, 1031m, 385m, 604m!

I'll check my firmware and add the home elevation but on the latter won't that just improve the accuracy of the start point? If it's screwing up how much you're actually going up and down due to dodgy hardware design then I'm not sure that's important.

Here's my loop on a "normal" day:



Same thing yesterday in the freezing fog (who stole the hills on the return half?):

adam0bmx0

Still using my 500 after 4 years of constant use, wouldn't mind the convenience of uploading rides via phone/bluetooth but thats about it.

ZMC888

philthy3 wrote:

mamba80 wrote:

So you drop the 520 and thats Garmins fault, not butter fingers? rubber bang is fine too.
2 units with over 16k on them, inc a couple of RR crashes, used in all weathers, issues were/are too small a memory and poor grad accuracy, (seemingly now fixed in f/w) Earlier in its life was rubbish at picking up cadence sensor in particular, again fixed in f/w.
Do i like it that Garmin like other tech companies use the punter as their RnD dept? no.

What r you using now if you ve waited a month for a replacement?

You lost all credibility with that last paragraph.

ZMC888 has been on here before spouting his rubbish re Garmin, when it is in actuality his own ineptitude. :roll:

How much do they pay you to post positive nonsense for a defective rubbish product? :roll: :roll: :roll:

If they don't actually pay you why do you troll the internet in defence of a multinational corporation?

They use their customers as R&D, with defective software, then they PAY people to trawl the internet posting spam against people that dislike their shitty product and proclaim the greatness of it, totally absurd.

Weird? So why do I know some many people with broken and faulty Garmin products in real life? What people say on forums like this and actual reality do not match.

ZMC888

mamba80 wrote:

So you drop the 520 and thats Garmins fault, not butter fingers? rubber bang is fine too.
2 units with over 16k on them, inc a couple of RR crashes, used in all weathers, issues were/are too small a memory and poor grad accuracy, (seemingly now fixed in f/w) Earlier in its life was rubbish at picking up cadence sensor in particular, again fixed in f/w.
Do i like it that Garmin like other tech companies use the punter as their RnD dept? no.

What r you using now if you ve waited a month for a replacement?

You lost all credibility with that last paragraph.

So the screen is made from cheap glass?
WHY?
It's not touch screen tech!
For an extra 0.05c they could have had toughened glass or plastic.
It's so why you drop it or have a crash you can go back to Garmin and buy a new cycle computer that cost them $10 to make.

bendertherobot

Just get a Fenix 3

ZMC888

bendertherobot wrote:

Just get a Fenix 3

Haha. Like I'm seriously going to buy another Garbage er I mean Garmin product?

redvision

ZMC888 wrote:

bendertherobot wrote:

Just get a Fenix 3

Haha. Like I'm seriously going to buy another Garbage er I mean Garmin product?

I have owned every garmin edge computer with the exception of the 820 and the only one I had issues with was the 810.

They are designed to sit locked in position, not being bounced off the floor or thrown about, which, no disrespect, it sounds like you have been doing.

Anyway, the 520 is one of the best bike specific GPS computers garmin have launched. For your complaining there are thousands of cyclists who have found the device to be reliable and superb.

Unfortunately garmin have a monopoly as there is very little competition of any note. Bryton have been hit and miss, lezyne and wahoo are still new to the market, most others have given up. So this allows garmin to use consumers to identify software glitches before they issue fixes (which in turn seem to be not fully tested on occasions).

londoncommuter wrote:

londoncommuter wrote:

I can forgive them the software bugs as these are always going to slip through but how did they ship the 520 without anyone noticing the barometric sensor for measuring altitude is completely rubbish in any damp weather?

I've done the exact same loop the last four weekends with elevation gains apparently of 879m, 1031m, 385m, 604m!

I'll check my firmware and add the home elevation but on the latter won't that just improve the accuracy of the start point? If it's screwing up how much you're actually going up and down due to dodgy hardware design then I'm not sure that's important.

Here's my loop on a "normal" day:

[img]http://i68.<span class="skimlinks-unlinked">tinypic.com/2luubmg.png</span>[/img]

Same thing yesterday in the freezing fog (who stole the hills on the return half?):

[img]http://i66.<span class="skimlinks-unlinked">tinypic.com/21do2ly.png</span>[/img]

The barometer reading is affected by wet weather. Even if it is not raining, the roads are still wet and spray does block the barometer sensor holes on the back of the device, which in turn means it can't accurately determine altitude.

Some people have found wrapping it in clingfilm helps.

Garmin connect has the auto correct elevation data so when you upload your ride just select that and you will have your climbing data.

antfly

Well that sucks and is a major flaw...I have never had that problem with the 800 although the 500 was crap for elevation and the 305 could be a bit off because you couldn't set the starting altitude but I don't think either were by affected by the wet. Auto correct isn't as good as real, accurate measurement.

manxshred

I've had that problem with the 500 and the 510. If it's wet enough to block the hole, it won't work.

ZMC888

redvision wrote:

ZMC888 wrote:

bendertherobot wrote:

Just get a Fenix 3

Haha. Like I'm seriously going to buy another Garbage er I mean Garmin product?

I have owned every garmin edge computer with the exception of the 820 and the only one I had issues with was the 810.

They are designed to sit locked in position, not being bounced off the floor or thrown about, which, no disrespect, it sounds like you have been doing.

Anyway, the 520 is one of the best bike specific GPS computers garmin have launched. For your complaining there are thousands of cyclists who have found the device to be reliable and superb.

Unfortunately garmin have a monopoly as there is very little competition of any note. Bryton have been hit and miss, lezyne and wahoo are still new to the market, most others have given up. So this allows garmin to use consumers to identify software glitches before they issue fixes (which in turn seem to be not fully tested on occasions).

Oh my God! Do you work for Garmin? You certainly sound like it.

What is it about having an opinion that differs to yours you people can't stand? You like Garmin I don't. I like Shimano, some people don't. I don't rush in to argue the toss with someone that doesn't like Shimano, I just ALLOW them to have an opinion that differs to mine! :roll:

Why do you go on the defensive for an uber rich greedy corporation? :?: :?:

Throwing my Garmin around? I dropped it once in a coffee shop from the hight of 2 feet! :?

Yes there are thousands of happy users. But let's be honest the average rider does a few hundred miles a year, so that's no evidence of greatness.

It has a cheapie glass screen that will crack easily in the event of a crash and isn't covered by warranty. It's not fit for purpose by my definition of an outdoor sports computer that attach to wheeled vehicles that travel up to speeds of 70 mph.

londoncommuter

ZMC888 wrote:

It has a cheapie glass screen that will crack easily in the event of a crash and isn't covered by warranty. It's not fit for purpose by my definition of an outdoor sports computer that attach to wheeled vehicles that travel up to speeds of 70 mph.

I think I'm fairly impartial on this as you can see from my moan about the altitude readings but I don't think most people expect them to survive being dropped/crashed etc. Wouldn't you rather have a lighter, less bulky, lower form factor device that's better to use 99% of the time rather than some overbuilt monstrosity that can survive being bounced along the tarmac at 60mph?

mamba80

Done similar 2 rides with rel 10 f/w both were within a meter of each other, this has never been the case with earlier f/w.

i m pretty sure the screen is cheapo plastic, certainly it sounds like it and is flexible when pressed! so i cant believe a drop from 2ft would crack it, my daughter treats hers like she does everything else, with disdain lol!

you r the one who wont accept any opinion different to yours, even saying our exp 's arent genuine and we are being paid by Garmin to post pro Garmin reviews FFS we do plenty miles too and i ask again what r u using if you ve been without your 520 for over a month? is that more robust than your 520.

Man Of Lard

The "add foe" function on this forum software is a wonderful feature Sadly people keep quoting the persons I added as foes.

StillGoing

ZMC888 wrote:

philthy3 wrote:

mamba80 wrote:

So you drop the 520 and thats Garmins fault, not butter fingers? rubber bang is fine too.
2 units with over 16k on them, inc a couple of RR crashes, used in all weathers, issues were/are too small a memory and poor grad accuracy, (seemingly now fixed in f/w) Earlier in its life was rubbish at picking up cadence sensor in particular, again fixed in f/w.
Do i like it that Garmin like other tech companies use the punter as their RnD dept? no.

What r you using now if you ve waited a month for a replacement?

You lost all credibility with that last paragraph.

ZMC888 has been on here before spouting his rubbish re Garmin, when it is in actuality his own ineptitude. :roll:

How much do they pay you to post positive nonsense for a defective rubbish product? :roll: :roll: :roll:

If they don't actually pay you why do you troll the internet in defence of a multinational corporation?

They use their customers as R&D, with defective software, then they PAY people to trawl the internet posting spam against people that dislike their sh!tty product and proclaim the greatness of it, totally absurd.

Weird? So why do I know some many people with broken and faulty Garmin products in real life? What people say on forums like this and actual reality do not match.

Blimey pot calling the kettle. :roll:

Now if you took your head out of your backside and read things, you'd discover that I don't defend everything Garmin do. Your attacks on them however are one sided drivel. Cateye, Polar, Mio, Bryton, Garmin, Wahoo etc are all the same. They all treat the customer as the final tester and amend their firmware from feedback/complaints providing the unit can be updated. Garmin are the brand leader in the cycling computer market. Fact. They didn't get there by being crap and never turning out a decent product. They are the class leaders in terms of technical ability and who the other manufacturers look to as the standard to aspire to. Your other posts whittle on about the units costing a few pence to make, but Garmin are fleecing the customer. Do you seriously expect a business not to cover their overheads like labour, premises, Heating, lighting, transport and materials costs and not make a bit of profit on top? If you do, it might explain why you're so pudlled. I'll wager there are far more satisfied customers than moaners, but hey, lets get on the internet and whine that all Garmin products are crap because a part made from glass will break if I drop it. Hey just like a phone will. :roll:

ZMC888

philthy3 wrote:

ZMC888 wrote:

philthy3 wrote:

mamba80 wrote:

So you drop the 520 and thats Garmins fault, not butter fingers? rubber bang is fine too.
2 units with over 16k on them, inc a couple of RR crashes, used in all weathers, issues were/are too small a memory and poor grad accuracy, (seemingly now fixed in f/w) Earlier in its life was rubbish at picking up cadence sensor in particular, again fixed in f/w.
Do i like it that Garmin like other tech companies use the punter as their RnD dept? no.

What r you using now if you ve waited a month for a replacement?

You lost all credibility with that last paragraph.

ZMC888 has been on here before spouting his rubbish re Garmin, when it is in actuality his own ineptitude. :roll:

How much do they pay you to post positive nonsense for a defective rubbish product? :roll: :roll: :roll:

If they don't actually pay you why do you troll the internet in defence of a multinational corporation?

They use their customers as R&D, with defective software, then they PAY people to trawl the internet posting spam against people that dislike their sh!tty product and proclaim the greatness of it, totally absurd.

Weird? So why do I know some many people with broken and faulty Garmin products in real life? What people say on forums like this and actual reality do not match.

Blimey pot calling the kettle. :roll:

Now if you took your head out of your backside and read things, you'd discover that I don't defend everything Garmin do. Your attacks on them however are one sided drivel. Cateye, Polar, Mio, Bryton, Garmin, Wahoo etc are all the same. They all treat the customer as the final tester and amend their firmware from feedback/complaints providing the unit can be updated. Garmin are the brand leader in the cycling computer market. Fact. They didn't get there by being crap and never turning out a decent product. They are the class leaders in terms of technical ability and who the other manufacturers look to as the standard to aspire to. Your other posts whittle on about the units costing a few pence to make, but Garmin are fleecing the customer. Do you seriously expect a business not to cover their overheads like labour, premises, Heating, lighting, transport and materials costs and not make a bit of profit on top? If you do, it might explain why you're so pudlled. I'll wager there are far more satisfied customers than moaners, but hey, lets get on the internet and whine that all Garmin products are crap because a part made from glass will break if I drop it. Hey just like a phone will. :roll:

A smart phone screen breaks BECAUSE it has TOUCH SCREEN TECHNOLOGY. That means it has two pieces of plastic screen sandwiching a touch sensitive glass screen. Being that the Garmin Edge 520 doesn't have touch screen technology it doesn't need a weak a$$ screen does it? How many times do I need to explain this?

The arrogance! How the hell do you know that Cateye, Polar, Mio, Bryton, Wahoo etc are all the same? Used anything else? NO? That's like saying I cracked my chain stay on a pot hole, but I shouldn't complain because other bikes are also made of carbon fibre so are just the same.

StillGoing

ZMC888 wrote:

philthy3 wrote:

ZMC888 wrote:

philthy3 wrote:

mamba80 wrote:

So you drop the 520 and thats Garmins fault, not butter fingers? rubber bang is fine too.
2 units with over 16k on them, inc a couple of RR crashes, used in all weathers, issues were/are too small a memory and poor grad accuracy, (seemingly now fixed in f/w) Earlier in its life was rubbish at picking up cadence sensor in particular, again fixed in f/w.
Do i like it that Garmin like other tech companies use the punter as their RnD dept? no.

What r you using now if you ve waited a month for a replacement?

You lost all credibility with that last paragraph.

ZMC888 has been on here before spouting his rubbish re Garmin, when it is in actuality his own ineptitude. :roll:

How much do they pay you to post positive nonsense for a defective rubbish product? :roll: :roll: :roll:

If they don't actually pay you why do you troll the internet in defence of a multinational corporation?

They use their customers as R&D, with defective software, then they PAY people to trawl the internet posting spam against people that dislike their sh!tty product and proclaim the greatness of it, totally absurd.

Weird? So why do I know some many people with broken and faulty Garmin products in real life? What people say on forums like this and actual reality do not match.

Blimey pot calling the kettle. :roll:

Now if you took your head out of your backside and read things, you'd discover that I don't defend everything Garmin do. Your attacks on them however are one sided drivel. Cateye, Polar, Mio, Bryton, Garmin, Wahoo etc are all the same. They all treat the customer as the final tester and amend their firmware from feedback/complaints providing the unit can be updated. Garmin are the brand leader in the cycling computer market. Fact. They didn't get there by being crap and never turning out a decent product. They are the class leaders in terms of technical ability and who the other manufacturers look to as the standard to aspire to. Your other posts whittle on about the units costing a few pence to make, but Garmin are fleecing the customer. Do you seriously expect a business not to cover their overheads like labour, premises, Heating, lighting, transport and materials costs and not make a bit of profit on top? If you do, it might explain why you're so pudlled. I'll wager there are far more satisfied customers than moaners, but hey, lets get on the internet and whine that all Garmin products are crap because a part made from glass will break if I drop it. Hey just like a phone will. :roll:

A smart phone screen breaks BECAUSE it has TOUCH SCREEN TECHNOLOGY. That means it has two pieces of plastic screen sandwiching a touch sensitive glass screen. Being that the Garmin Edge 520 doesn't have touch screen technology it doesn't need a weak a$$ screen does it? How many times do I need to explain this?

The arrogance! How the hell do you know that Cateye, Polar, Mio, Bryton, Wahoo etc are all the same? Used anything else? NO? That's like saying I cracked my chain stay on a pot hole, but I shouldn't complain because other bikes are also made of carbon fibre so are just the same.

ZMC888

philthy3 wrote:

ZMC888 wrote:

philthy3 wrote:

ZMC888 wrote:

philthy3 wrote:

mamba80 wrote:

So you drop the 520 and thats Garmins fault, not butter fingers? rubber bang is fine too.
2 units with over 16k on them, inc a couple of RR crashes, used in all weathers, issues were/are too small a memory and poor grad accuracy, (seemingly now fixed in f/w) Earlier in its life was rubbish at picking up cadence sensor in particular, again fixed in f/w.
Do i like it that Garmin like other tech companies use the punter as their RnD dept? no.

What r you using now if you ve waited a month for a replacement?

You lost all credibility with that last paragraph.

ZMC888 has been on here before spouting his rubbish re Garmin, when it is in actuality his own ineptitude. :roll:

How much do they pay you to post positive nonsense for a defective rubbish product? :roll: :roll: :roll:

If they don't actually pay you why do you troll the internet in defence of a multinational corporation?

They use their customers as R&D, with defective software, then they PAY people to trawl the internet posting spam against people that dislike their sh!tty product and proclaim the greatness of it, totally absurd.

Weird? So why do I know some many people with broken and faulty Garmin products in real life? What people say on forums like this and actual reality do not match.

Blimey pot calling the kettle. :roll:

Now if you took your head out of your backside and read things, you'd discover that I don't defend everything Garmin do. Your attacks on them however are one sided drivel. Cateye, Polar, Mio, Bryton, Garmin, Wahoo etc are all the same. They all treat the customer as the final tester and amend their firmware from feedback/complaints providing the unit can be updated. Garmin are the brand leader in the cycling computer market. Fact. They didn't get there by being crap and never turning out a decent product. They are the class leaders in terms of technical ability and who the other manufacturers look to as the standard to aspire to. Your other posts whittle on about the units costing a few pence to make, but Garmin are fleecing the customer. Do you seriously expect a business not to cover their overheads like labour, premises, Heating, lighting, transport and materials costs and not make a bit of profit on top? If you do, it might explain why you're so pudlled. I'll wager there are far more satisfied customers than moaners, but hey, lets get on the internet and whine that all Garmin products are crap because a part made from glass will break if I drop it. Hey just like a phone will. :roll:

A smart phone screen breaks BECAUSE it has TOUCH SCREEN TECHNOLOGY. That means it has two pieces of plastic screen sandwiching a touch sensitive glass screen. Being that the Garmin Edge 520 doesn't have touch screen technology it doesn't need a weak a$$ screen does it? How many times do I need to explain this?

The arrogance! How the hell do you know that Cateye, Polar, Mio, Bryton, Wahoo etc are all the same? Used anything else? NO? That's like saying I cracked my chain stay on a pot hole, but I shouldn't complain because other bikes are also made of carbon fibre so are just the same.

Argument loser resorts to jpeg.

gethinceri

Go and have a little lie down love, you seem a little over tired.

keith_freel

Well that escalated quickly :shock:

So back to the original post - anyone seen any offers lol???

mamba80

keith_freel wrote:

Well that escalated quickly :shock:

So back to the original post - anyone seen any offers lol???

yep ZMC888 is giving his 520 away for just the postage costs, update, he is going to pay $100 to take it off his hands.

1986sv

I really like my 520 - Bought it in Jan this year, so far it's been perfect for ~6200 miles. January sales will be the best bet, mine was from Wiggle.

ZMC888

mamba80 wrote:

keith_freel wrote:

Well that escalated quickly :shock:

So back to the original post - anyone seen any offers lol???

yep ZMC888 is giving his 520 away for just the postage costs, update, he is going to pay $100 to take it off his hands.

Alternative opinions not tolerated. :shock:
Must bash people with different opinions.

-Quick! Someone doesn't like their Conti tyres! Go on tell them how wrong they are :!:
-Shit! Someone doesn't like Campag drivetrains! Tell them to stfu
-Oh, my Lord! Someone bought a CF bike and they broke it! Heavens above! Quickly tell them their bike is perfect, it's just user error :!:

Must defend super wealthy corporations that need to be taken down a peg or two anyhow.

You really sound like a dim-witted fascist troll. :twisted:

mamba80

ZMC888 wrote:

mamba80 wrote:

keith_freel wrote:

Well that escalated quickly :shock:

So back to the original post - anyone seen any offers lol???

yep ZMC888 is giving his 520 away for just the postage costs, update, he is going to pay $100 to take it off his hands.

Alternative opinions not tolerated. :shock:
Must bash people with different opinions.

-Quick! Someone doesn't like their Conti tyres! Go on tell them how wrong they are :!:
-Shit! Someone doesn't like Campag drivetrains! Tell them to stfu
-Oh, my Lord! Someone bought a CF bike and they broke it! Heavens above! Quickly tell them their bike is perfect, it's just user error :!:

Must defend super wealthy corporations that need to be taken down a peg or two anyhow.

You really sound like a dim-witted fascist troll. :twisted:

well, i dont think i ve resorted to name calling.

your experiences of the 520 are different to mine, do u really expect me to agree with you when my experience of the 520 differs? well, actually you do dont you?

i sincerely hope that your other half buys you a Polar/Mio/Briton etc etc and you have some peace over Christmas, failing that some therapy might prove useful for you?

smudgerii

keith_freel wrote:

Well that escalated quickly :shock:

So back to the original post - anyone seen any offers lol???

Where you located? Aldi Warrington have an 810 reduced to £139.99

ZMC888

mamba80 wrote:

ZMC888 wrote:

mamba80 wrote:

keith_freel wrote:

Well that escalated quickly :shock:

So back to the original post - anyone seen any offers lol???

yep ZMC888 is giving his 520 away for just the postage costs, update, he is going to pay $100 to take it off his hands.

Alternative opinions not tolerated. :shock:
Must bash people with different opinions.

-Quick! Someone doesn't like their Conti tyres! Go on tell them how wrong they are :!:
-Shit! Someone doesn't like Campag drivetrains! Tell them to stfu
-Oh, my Lord! Someone bought a CF bike and they broke it! Heavens above! Quickly tell them their bike is perfect, it's just user error :!:

Must defend super wealthy corporations that need to be taken down a peg or two anyhow.

You really sound like a dim-witted fascist troll. :twisted:

well, i dont think i ve resorted to name calling.

your experiences of the 520 are different to mine, do u really expect me to agree with you when my experience of the 520 differs? well, actually you do dont you?

i sincerely hope that your other half buys you a Polar/Mio/Briton etc etc and you have some peace over Christmas, failing that some therapy might prove useful for you?

I gave my opinion about a product on a relevant thread.
It was you and others that waded in to tell me that I'm wrong. I can't understand why you can't allow people to have different opinions to yours, why you need to attack, why you just can't leave it.

Now you're hurt by the name calling you actually asked for? :?

redvision

ZMC888 wrote:

I can't understand why you can't allow people to have different opinions to yours, why you need to attack, why you just can't leave it

Read back through the thread, YOU are the one who refuses to accept other people's opinions on the 520.

kingstongraham

ZMC888 wrote:

I can't understand why you can't allow people to have different opinions to yours, why you need to attack, why you just can't leave it.

Amen.

noodleman

For what it's worth, four of our club members have recently purchased a 520 and none of them are particularly happy with them. Missing rides, auto shut downs, patchy Bluetooth functionality and the usual horrible garmin UI being the main offenders.