GARMIN 520 edge bundle bargain

shiznit76

On amazon just now for £179 comes with HR sensor, speed sensor and cadence sensor, good wee Christmas pressie to yourself if looking

Garmin Edge 520 GPS Bike Computer with Premium Heart Rate Monitor - Black https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B010SDBFIE/ ... nAb7VN6QE6

sloppyschleckonds

Get a Wahoo, you wont regret it

StillGoing

SloppySchleckonds wrote:

Get a Wahoo, you wont regret it

This. Especially if you want proper mapping. Garmin Edge series is a dead duck.

neilr4

I purchased the 520 bundle when it came out first. The speed sensor is never used (only on a hometrainer) as speed is regulated on the road via GPS satellite, I do use the cadence sensor though....

Garmin HR sensor/straps are useless IMO, went through three of them, eventually bought a wahoo kickr HR strap and it's fantastic!!

My advice would be to buy a Garmin 520 head unit (customer service is excellent) and cadence/HR accessories seperately from wahoo should you need them. I have no experience with wahoo GPS computers so I can't speak for them.

redvision

neilr4 wrote:

I have no experience with wahoo GPS computers so I can't speak for them.

I do and the bolt is far better than the 520, in every aspect.

neilr4

redvision wrote:

neilr4 wrote:

I have no experience with wahoo GPS computers so I can't speak for them.

I do and the bolt is far better than the 520, in every aspect.

That's great to hear!!

you've obviously used both, could you give me a rundown on a comparison I'd be really interested!!!

I dropped my garmin during the summer and cracked the display, garmin sent me a reconditioned one for €108 which I thought was reasonable seeing as the warranty doesn't cover negligence.

Had they not had such a deal I was thinking of buying a wahoo so I'm very interested in a comparison?

redvision

neilr4 wrote:

you've obviously used both, could you give me a rundown on a comparison I'd be really interested!!!

No probs.
I have owned just about every garmin bike computer over the last decade and none have compared to the elemnt bolt.It is everything the 520 should be.

Both offer identical features but the bolt is easier to use, connects faster to gps signal, has live track which never drops (unless you lose phone reception that is), better battery life, easier to use maps, and is not plagued with bugs and glitches.... unlike garmin gps computers. Plus the phone app is excellent and makes set up/ configuration a doddle.

The bolt also has some brilliant led lights on top which are fantastic for showing which zone you are in.

The 520 was the best but has been blown away by the bolt.

neilr4

Thanks for that

I've heard people going on about them but seemed to be like "GET ONE BECAUSE I'VE GOT ONE!" And nobody could actually give a good comparison!!!

I'm in no way biased, the 520 is okay, not brilliant in any way! This is my third unit, the first one was faulty and was promptly replaced by garmin (customer service is good I must say) the second unit I dropped and cracked the display and the one I have now is a refurbished one and works better than the other two did so consistancy isn't great.

Have no problems with their speed or cadence sensors but the HR straps are a joke!!

w00dster

My 520 Edge works well, I've only got the head unit but its not missed a beat so far. My 810 Edge wasn't the best, would power off mid ride every now and then, had a couple of corrupt rides that I couldn't fix. I use the Garmin Premium HRM Strap and this is also pretty good. The bluetooth on the 810 would also play up, wouldn't always find the HRM or my phone. I know the bluetooth on the phone works well as it connects to lots of other equipment.
I bought the 520 really cheap, from memory it was about £150. I did look at the bolt as well. I did a lot of reading about the 520 and the Bolt and it seemed that they were fairly closely matched, as a bike packer and off-road rider I already use a garmin etrex 25 for rides where I need to see the route, for my road ride all I need is something to record my ride, power and heart rate. For this the 520 has not given any issues.
If I wasn't already within the Garmin Ecosystem I probably would have gone with the Bolt. Even if the mapping was better that could have tempted me, but I guess they are more aimed towards performance than road or off-road cycle touring.

harry-s

Hmm, the words Garmin and bargain in the same sentence.
I must admit, the Bolt is starting to look like a better buy.
I've gone through the 800-810-1000 route, the 800 series, for me, were just unreliable and/or faulty. The 1000 has been very good until now, when the rubber cover over the on/off switch has split. It's out of warranty and Garmin's response was along the lines of 'send us the unit, along with £200, and we'll send you a replacement reconditioned unit back'. That's not going to foster brand loyalty IMO. A mate is on his second 820, and it's still not right.
For £200 I could (almost) get a Bolt, and keep the 1000 as a spare or to log indoor rides.

neilr4

As I've stated I'm on my third Garmin 520 and am finally happy with my unit, it goes to show how consistancy is still an issue with Garmin.

I've had a look at some reviews for the wahoo bolt and it seems to me that they have taken GPS computers to the next level.

I had a look on second hand websites here in the Netherlands and at present there are Garmin 520's for sale with sellers moving to wahoo.

My advice to the OP would be that you would be better off investing in a wahoo bolt!!

StillGoing

w00dster wrote:

If I wasn't already within the Garmin Ecosystem I probably would have gone with the Bolt. Even if the mapping was better that could have tempted me, but I guess they are more aimed towards performance than road or off-road cycle touring.

A lot of us were in the Garmin ecosystem as multiple model owners, but thankfully saw sense and got out!

The Wahoo Elemnt and Elemnt Bolt series do true mapping, the Edge 520 doesn't. The Wahoo devices come with world maps whereas with the 520, it has limited memory meaning you have to delete and upload new maps if you travel to another part of the UK let alone another country.

silverbugle

I bought the 520 bundle 2 years ago and for me it has worked faultlessly. I can't compare it to Wahoo hardware. Its a good size, has a huge choice of customisation in terms of showing different data on a range of screens. I have had no problems with GPS acquisition time or staying locked on. The HR strap that came with it hasn't missed a beat - I used a Polar HRM before which regularly dropped or spiked the HR. I use the 520 on 3 different bikes and it also syncs with the Wattbike I use at the gym. It feeds its data into Garmin Connect via my phone and then Garmin Connect spits it out to Strava, Map My Run and Training Peaks.

I agree that its mapping is limited. You can load up map tiles from Open Source maps, but it is a bit of a faff, and using them on the move (zooming in and out) isn't particularly easy. That doesn't bother me, because I didn't buy it for its mapping. If i do a new route I tend to stick a pencil and paper sketch map of any tricky bits in my pocket, and I always have a phone with me anyway.

If you want mapping or a touch screen the 520 is not for you, for everything else, from my experience its hard to beat, and your quoted price is a bargain.

londoncommuter

I haven't got a Bolt but wish I did. 520:

Poor battery life
Terrible battery longevity
Tiny memory for maps
Rubbish barometer in any kind of damp

wongataa

londoncommuter wrote:

I haven't got a Bolt but wish I did. 520:

Poor battery life
Terrible battery longevity
Tiny memory for maps
Rubbish barometer in any kind of damp

The 520 was never designed as a mapping device. Those are the 8xx and 10xx devices. The little bit of map functionality there is is just a nice to have little extra. Complaining about the maps on a device not designed for good map functionality is a bit silly. Granted a benefit of the Elemnt is better map functions at the same price bracket but that is just a factor in choosing between the two devices and is certainly an incentive to go for the Wahoo.

londoncommuter

wongataa wrote:

londoncommuter wrote:

I haven't got a Bolt but wish I did. 520:

Poor battery life
Terrible battery longevity
Tiny memory for maps
Rubbish barometer in any kind of damp

The 520 was never designed as a mapping device. Those are the 8xx and 10xx devices. The little bit of map functionality there is is just a nice to have little extra. Complaining about the maps on a device not designed for good map functionality is a bit silly. Granted a benefit of the Elemnt is better map functions at the same price bracket but that is just a factor in choosing between the two devices and is certainly an incentive to go for the Wahoo.

I agree completely that you don't buy a 520 for mapping but the storage just needs to be a bit bigger to avoid having to swap maps around. Memory is cheap, it would have cost pence to add that but presumably they kept it low to not cannibalise 820 sales. I knew that when I bought it but it's still annoying.