Im after peoples opinion on the garmin edge 500. Im after something that will help in training for enduros and 24 solo races. its got all the features i want but i have read about concerns of accuracy of the some of the functions. Is the garmin worth it or is there a better option?
garmin edge 500
- Thread starter stevo78
- Start date
Personally I think it's great. All GPS computers have a range of accuracy and they all can get confused in tight twisty single track with switchbacks. Alot depends on the signal strength, your moving speed and the sample rate you set. i.e. you can set it up to record data points every 1 second vs 3 seconds. From an accuracy perspective I doubt you will find anything much better in that size. I say go for it!
I am getting a 500 for xmas and have previously owned the 305 and 705. If you want distance accuracy in twisty singletrack then you have to get a wheel sensor (though they are pretty pricey). Other than that I think they're an awesome bit of kit (though maybe not as waterproof as they claim).
They're great.
calorie consumption is normally about a third too high.
the premium heart rate strap can get static interference, causing spikes of ~200bpm+, so don't bother springing for it.
new touch screen 800 model is very cool, @ $650 for the kit of $400 for the unit - a very friendly, slick interface and a few cool features.
get one locally, but don't expect a discount, shops make bugger all on them, but they have more computer power than the computers on board the first apollo moon missions, all crammed into a $400 unit that gets bounced around on the front of a bike, so a 2 day turnaround warranty is a nice thing to have.
calorie consumption is normally about a third too high.
the premium heart rate strap can get static interference, causing spikes of ~200bpm+, so don't bother springing for it.
new touch screen 800 model is very cool, @ $650 for the kit of $400 for the unit - a very friendly, slick interface and a few cool features.
get one locally, but don't expect a discount, shops make bugger all on them, but they have more computer power than the computers on board the first apollo moon missions, all crammed into a $400 unit that gets bounced around on the front of a bike, so a 2 day turnaround warranty is a nice thing to have.
The Zigster
Likes Dirt
I really liked mine but I stacked and smashed the screen. The computer still seemed to function correctly, ie. made all the ride noises but I couldn't see anything. Got it sent back to Garmin and they charge $199 for a new unit. Couldn't be fixed apparently.
Just something to think about, expensive if you're a dumpty like me and apparently crashes awkwardly a lot...
Oh, and it's a month later and I still don't have it back...
Just something to think about, expensive if you're a dumpty like me and apparently crashes awkwardly a lot...
Oh, and it's a month later and I still don't have it back...
72Fury
Likes Dirt
I've been using one for around 6 months now with no problem. They record a good range of metrics. ANT+ is also handy. I pair mine to a powertap hub. The following link is the most in depth review I came across when initially looking to buy:
http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2009/11/garmin-edge-500-in-depth-review.html
http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2009/11/garmin-edge-500-in-depth-review.html
Edge 800
Garmin Edge 800. End of story.
http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2010/08/garmin-edge-800-in-depth-first-look.html
Garmin Edge 800. End of story.
http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2010/08/garmin-edge-800-in-depth-first-look.html
hifiandmtb
Sphincter beanie
I picked up a Garmin Edge 800 a month ago. Absolutely love it!
spikenet
Likes Dirt
You cant go wrong with a Garmin.
You just need to decide if you want mapping capability. I have the 705, works great and "occasionally" I will use the mapping doing new route or just riding places I dont know on the roady. Its been robust and has survived some big crashes and more torrential rain events then I care to remember.
The new 800 looks great, be interesting to see long-term reviews.
Paired with something like the sporttracks software, a powertap hub it makes for a powerful training tool..
You just need to decide if you want mapping capability. I have the 705, works great and "occasionally" I will use the mapping doing new route or just riding places I dont know on the roady. Its been robust and has survived some big crashes and more torrential rain events then I care to remember.
The new 800 looks great, be interesting to see long-term reviews.
Paired with something like the sporttracks software, a powertap hub it makes for a powerful training tool..
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Anti_Trainer
Likes Dirt
I won one, the wife loves it!
Thor uses one, what more do you need to know!
Thor Smash!
Thor uses one, what more do you need to know!
Thor Smash!
I have a Edge 500, i couldn't see me using the mapping function on the 800, 705 and 305. It does just about everything else you could want, really easy to swap between bikes as well.
One word of caution if you decide to buy a speed and cadence sensor they don't work on some dual suspension rear swing arms. I have a SC Heckler (my XC bike) the design of the rear swing arm means i cant mount the sensor to get both speed and cadence.
Id say there wouldn't be a problem on a HT
One word of caution if you decide to buy a speed and cadence sensor they don't work on some dual suspension rear swing arms. I have a SC Heckler (my XC bike) the design of the rear swing arm means i cant mount the sensor to get both speed and cadence.
Id say there wouldn't be a problem on a HT
DaGonz
Eats Squid
the 500 with the latest firmware seems ok, but it's been a bit of a bumpy ride (ha, I kill me!) Battery life is about 15-18hrs, seems accurate enough... I tend not to use some of the funky functions like calorie consumption etc... so can't comment on those.
if you want it for 24hr or multi day racing, you either need two or have a means to charge it. In terms of HRM, a polar might be a better bet if you're after the calorie and HRM functions for 24's and multi days. As a note, the 500, unlike most of the other units, won't run while it's on charge. whether that gets fixed in the future I'm not sure...
Cheers
Craig
if you want it for 24hr or multi day racing, you either need two or have a means to charge it. In terms of HRM, a polar might be a better bet if you're after the calorie and HRM functions for 24's and multi days. As a note, the 500, unlike most of the other units, won't run while it's on charge. whether that gets fixed in the future I'm not sure...
Cheers
Craig
Worth pointing this out again. Also, with the way it mounts and the location of the socket it'd be pretty hard to get a plug in there to power it while you had it mounted.
It's kindof an annoying design, the sensor. On the upside, it does make singletrack speed/distance sensing a lot more accurate. On the downside - mounting it is kindof fiddly. If your cranks are the wrong shape or whatever it can take a bit of bodging-up a mount to get the crank magnet detectable by the sensor whilst you can still get the wheel sensor in a good spot.
The sensor only adds about $50 to the price if you purchase it as a bundle, which is OK.
What isn't OK is that my sensor started chewing through batteries after a couple of months, and recently stopped working completely. I was only using it about once a fortnight, too. I'm about to see how good CRC's warranty returns are..
As for the computer doing everything you want, given it's a GPS it'd be good to know my Lat/Lon. It just won't show you - they're not one of the selectable display fields. It will tell you which direction (N, NE, E, SE etc) you're going, plus the usual speed stuff..
Lastly, the unit isn't completely waterproof. It got rained on for a while (riding in the rain for maybe an hour) and it had a little steam on the inside of the screen that night. I always make sure the usb-port cover is on right, but it's not exactly a snug fit. The unit has been rained on a little since, and has been OK though.
top_oz_bloke
Likes Dirt
Interesting thread.
I thought about one of these but came across some feedback suggesting it was much better suited to roadies. The main issue seemed to be the inability to turn on 1s logging which was seen as a big limitation for mtb.
The wheel sensor also seemed mandatory to get accurate speed/distance.
I decided to give it a bit more time for the product to mature.
I thought about one of these but came across some feedback suggesting it was much better suited to roadies. The main issue seemed to be the inability to turn on 1s logging which was seen as a big limitation for mtb.
The wheel sensor also seemed mandatory to get accurate speed/distance.
I decided to give it a bit more time for the product to mature.
DaGonz
Eats Squid
1s logging I've never found a need for. then again my races/rides tend to be of the longer variety and well... 1s logging to me IMHO just seems like a silly concept. A lot can change in 15secs but not that much.
Only problem I've found with speed/distance is in heavy tree coverage. It usually all works out once it gets a fix again unless it's been a while since you got the last fix. You just get spikes in your speed when it catches up. I never really got the whole needing a computer to give you up to the minute micro level data anyway and the distance hasn't been off enough that my dead reckoning was way out so seems to fit into the category of "Good Enough"
Each to their own I guess....
Really, my only gripe with this product (once it stopped crashing and eating my files) is the inability to charge it on the run...
Cheers
spoonie
top_oz_bloke
Likes Dirt
Thanks. Good to get another take on it.
pi11wizard
Likes Dirt
Does anyone know whether the 800 can charge on the run? I browsed the linked review but couldn't get a clear answer on it.
