Edge Touring -> Edge 520 Upgrade?

grahamcp

I'm currently using an Edge Touring (about 4 years old I think) but as I'm about to buy a power meter I know I will need to upgrade.

Question is - shall I sell the Touring (should get £60 or so), and buy an 520 Plus, or keep the Touring and get the standard 520? Or to put it another way, is the mapping on the 520 Plus any better or worse than on the Touring? Either way there won't be much difference in expenditure.

Thankyou!

redvision

I haven't used the 520 plus but hear it is far more reliable than the original 520 and other edge units. However dcrainmaker and Shane miller both claim the mapping is not great and painfully slow. So if you use mapping regularly it might not be the best choice.

Recently I have been looking at the garmin range again (I currently use and adore a Wahoo elemnt bolt but it is not compatible with the garmin varia which I have ordered, so to avoid too much bar clutter im considering switching back to garmin.... as much as I fear doing that) and with current discounts on some edge models, including the 520 plus, I am expecting garmin to release a new model in the near future. So possibly something to bear in mind.

grahamcp

Thanks for that - I think I'm leaning towards the 520 Plus as I'd rather have everything in one unit instead of choosing between mapping and power data - even if the mapping isn't quite as good.

I'm quite wary of being an early adopter of new kit when it comes to Garmin, so happy to stick with the established stuff. With a combination of discounts, vouchers and cashback the 520 Plus is looking quite reasonable.

The bolt is another alternative for me too! :-)

timothyw

As someone who bought a 520 fairly late last year, I wouldn't have any reservations about getting it if you find a good deal - it's fairly easy to download proper maps to it, with the caveat that storage is limited so you can only cover a 100 mile or so radius of where you live - for actual tours you will need to copy a new map file onto it for each days riding (I intend to do this for a 3 day ride over the easter weekend so you can ask me how I get on then if you like!) or make do with the old fashioned breadcrumb route not overlaid on a map.

For planning routes out and about you can do so using the Komoot app on your phone, it costs nothing and is much easier to fine tune than programming a route on the garmin.

However, given that the Edge 520 Plus has been on sale recently for £200 (I bought the 520 for £150, less my £10 BC discount) a large part of me does wish that I'd held out for that in order that I could have the ample map storage (and slightly better data field options) that it provides.

At current pricing though, £220 for the plus, £150 for the vanilla, I'm not sure the plus is worth the nearly 50% extra - and I'd be inclined to hold onto the touring anyway so you have a backup (I still have my Edge 500 and 200, not that I've needed them!)