Garmin Edge Devices - "Idiots Guide" advice
Discussion
One of these
I use this as the sensor magnet instead of the stock
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hidden-MAGNET-for-CADENC...
I use this as the sensor magnet instead of the stock
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hidden-MAGNET-for-CADENC...
I've just bought an edge 200, £69 new following halfords discount, quidco cash back and garmin cash back not bad for the £129.99 starting price - not sure if the offers are all still on but it's a good simple system - I purchased it having suffered the same problems as you with my phone missing segments.
Garmin Edge 200. Tracks your rides, easy to upload to Strava and can also pre-load routes to follow. Mine worked brilliantly on a recent 600 mile ride from Blackpool to Paris. Our longest day was almost 14 hours and the battery still had about a quarter left. Also proved very waterproof in all the rain we had.
An Edge 200 will capture the same data as your phone does, but with greater accuracy and much better battery life. Route taken via GPS, distance, speed (calculated from GPS), altitude (estimated from GPS), gradient etc.
The Edge 500 is the same form-factor as the 200 but it is compatible with a protocol called ANT+ which allows it to collect data from other devices, notably a Heart Rate Monitor and a GSC-10 cadence/speed sensor. An HRM obviously allows capture of your heart rate, but this data is also used to provide better estimation of calories used for instance. The GSC-10 will provide more accurate speed readings than those taken from GPS, and also works when used out of range of GPS (e.g. when indoors on a turbo trainer) the cadence part measures how often the pedals go round basically - useful information when you start to care about your technique. The other major difference is that the 500 has a barometric altimeter that provides more accurate altitude measurement. Finally, the 500 allows you to customize the information displayed on the device during a ride (e.g. you can set up screens for specific types of activity such as time trialling)
Both the 200 and 500 allow you to load courses onto the device (created using the Garmin Connect website) these courses can be followed by very basic navigation capabilities - basically a black line, or breadcrumb trail, that shows basic turn information. You can also use the "virtual partner" feature to track your pace/progress on a course versus a set average speed, or a previous ride.
The Edge 800 is everything from the 500 but with proper mapping and navigation.
The Edge 500 is the same form-factor as the 200 but it is compatible with a protocol called ANT+ which allows it to collect data from other devices, notably a Heart Rate Monitor and a GSC-10 cadence/speed sensor. An HRM obviously allows capture of your heart rate, but this data is also used to provide better estimation of calories used for instance. The GSC-10 will provide more accurate speed readings than those taken from GPS, and also works when used out of range of GPS (e.g. when indoors on a turbo trainer) the cadence part measures how often the pedals go round basically - useful information when you start to care about your technique. The other major difference is that the 500 has a barometric altimeter that provides more accurate altitude measurement. Finally, the 500 allows you to customize the information displayed on the device during a ride (e.g. you can set up screens for specific types of activity such as time trialling)
Both the 200 and 500 allow you to load courses onto the device (created using the Garmin Connect website) these courses can be followed by very basic navigation capabilities - basically a black line, or breadcrumb trail, that shows basic turn information. You can also use the "virtual partner" feature to track your pace/progress on a course versus a set average speed, or a previous ride.
The Edge 800 is everything from the 500 but with proper mapping and navigation.
Edited by aspender on Wednesday 18th July 09:08
If you are into running, or anything not bike related, might be worth looking into getting a watch instead of a dedicated Garmin bike GPS. I have a Garmin 310XT triathlon watch and can do pretty much everything the Edge 200/500 can do (I think) and is also compatible with Ant+. Also have a mount on the bike so easy to look at.
I got an Edge 500 becaue of the ANT+ connectivity - the 200 is basically what your phone can do, but a bit more accurate, and I wanted more more more! 
The cadence sensor goes here (you can see it cable tied next to the Bottecchia name) and the outside of it measures revolutions of a magnet on the inside of your pedal arm, and the inside of it measures revolutions of the magnet you can see at about 4o'clock on the spoke on my wheel.
Thereby more accurate speed measurement, distance measurement, auto-pause, and candence (how many revolutions per minute you are pedalling).
I got the Edge 500, complete with the heart rate monitor and cadence sensor for about £170 on ebay I think it was - I went for the black/grey one though rather than blue/grey, which seemed slightly more expensive at the time. Halfords, surprisingly, often have good deals on them.
The cadence sensor goes here (you can see it cable tied next to the Bottecchia name) and the outside of it measures revolutions of a magnet on the inside of your pedal arm, and the inside of it measures revolutions of the magnet you can see at about 4o'clock on the spoke on my wheel.
Thereby more accurate speed measurement, distance measurement, auto-pause, and candence (how many revolutions per minute you are pedalling).
I got the Edge 500, complete with the heart rate monitor and cadence sensor for about £170 on ebay I think it was - I went for the black/grey one though rather than blue/grey, which seemed slightly more expensive at the time. Halfords, surprisingly, often have good deals on them.
aspender said:
An Edge 200 will capture the same data as your phone does, but with greater accuracy and much better battery life. Route taken via GPS, distance, speed (calculated from GPS), altitude (estimated from GPS), gradient etc.
Oh and also worth saying too, of course, that they're waterproof (well, shower proof - you can't take them swimming!) where my phone was perched out on a handlebar mount if it started raining I was in trouble (and more than 2 hours it would die anyway).With the 500 could you upload someone else's route from Endomondo or similar and then follow it as a bread crumb trail?
So... if you wanted to go for a new ride out on Dartmoor or the Brecons or wherever and you had that plus a map as back-up it would instantly open up loads of new routes with a fair chance of them being good and being able to follow them with minimal fuss.
If so, then I want one!
So... if you wanted to go for a new ride out on Dartmoor or the Brecons or wherever and you had that plus a map as back-up it would instantly open up loads of new routes with a fair chance of them being good and being able to follow them with minimal fuss.
If so, then I want one!
I see....
800 is only £245 here
http://www.handtec.co.uk/product.php/3510/garmin-e...
They are listed on topcashback but currently no discount.
A longer google would probably get a cheaper one.
hmmm
800 is only £245 here
http://www.handtec.co.uk/product.php/3510/garmin-e...
They are listed on topcashback but currently no discount.
A longer google would probably get a cheaper one.
hmmm
That's just for the 800 don't forget; on top of that you need the cadence sensor and the HRM.
Also, though I don't know how it works, I seem to recall you can get different levels of mapping (like you would on a TomTom) and depending on which you get depends on the cost. Though they are full RRP, Evans give a good idea about the price difference between the options;
http://www.evanscycles.com/search?query=garmin+800
Also, though I don't know how it works, I seem to recall you can get different levels of mapping (like you would on a TomTom) and depending on which you get depends on the cost. Though they are full RRP, Evans give a good idea about the price difference between the options;
http://www.evanscycles.com/search?query=garmin+800
TonyHetherington said:
That's just for the 800 don't forget; on top of that you need the cadence sensor and the HRM.
Also, though I don't know how it works, I seem to recall you can get different levels of mapping (like you would on a TomTom) and depending on which you get depends on the cost. Though they are full RRP, Evans give a good idea about the price difference between the options;
http://www.evanscycles.com/search?query=garmin+800
I've read that you can use free maps though? Has any one any experience of them? I really want a 800 but can't bring myself to spend nearly £400 but can cope with £245 ish.Also, though I don't know how it works, I seem to recall you can get different levels of mapping (like you would on a TomTom) and depending on which you get depends on the cost. Though they are full RRP, Evans give a good idea about the price difference between the options;
http://www.evanscycles.com/search?query=garmin+800
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