New GPS suggestions
Discussion
After the sad demise of my trusty Garmin forerunner 410XT following on from a wrist-to-rock interface I'm in the market for a replacement. I've concluded that this time around I'd prefer a bar mounted GPS as I'm doing less running and route guidance would be useful for finding my way around new riding spots...
Other than that I have no preference, so suggestions are welcome! (Budget of about £300 ish and heart rate monitor not essential as long as it can be added in future)
JD
Other than that I have no preference, so suggestions are welcome! (Budget of about £300 ish and heart rate monitor not essential as long as it can be added in future)
JD
I had so many problems with my Garmin 810 that in the end I settled on using my phone. I bought a toughened case and a Quad Lock bar mount for it, which cost me £35 in total.
The phone is waterproof, the battery life long enough for any ride I need it for, the screen is more than twice the size of my 810, so I can actually see where I'm going properly, it's ANT+ compatible, so recognises my HRM and cadence sensors, and in the unlikely event that I do stuff it and destroy the phone, I've got mobile phone cover with my bank account that has an excess of £50 and allows a couple of claims per annum (and none so far in 18 months), so I could kill it 6 times over before it would cost me as much as your budget.
If, however, you're absolutely determined to have a separate device, then I'd be looking at the Mio Cyclo 505, simply on the grounds that I wouldn't buy from Garmin again as a matter of principle, and Mio (who are Magellan in the States, not sure why it's different here) seem to be the only competitor for the higher end devices.
The phone is waterproof, the battery life long enough for any ride I need it for, the screen is more than twice the size of my 810, so I can actually see where I'm going properly, it's ANT+ compatible, so recognises my HRM and cadence sensors, and in the unlikely event that I do stuff it and destroy the phone, I've got mobile phone cover with my bank account that has an excess of £50 and allows a couple of claims per annum (and none so far in 18 months), so I could kill it 6 times over before it would cost me as much as your budget.
If, however, you're absolutely determined to have a separate device, then I'd be looking at the Mio Cyclo 505, simply on the grounds that I wouldn't buy from Garmin again as a matter of principle, and Mio (who are Magellan in the States, not sure why it's different here) seem to be the only competitor for the higher end devices.
Kermit power said:
I had so many problems with my Garmin 810 that in the end I settled on using my phone. I bought a toughened case and a Quad Lock bar mount for it, which cost me £35 in total.
The phone is waterproof, the battery life long enough for any ride I need it for, the screen is more than twice the size of my 810, so I can actually see where I'm going properly, it's ANT+ compatible, so recognises my HRM and cadence sensors, and in the unlikely event that I do stuff it and destroy the phone, I've got mobile phone cover with my bank account that has an excess of £50 and allows a couple of claims per annum (and none so far in 18 months), so I could kill it 6 times over before it would cost me as much as your budget.
If, however, you're absolutely determined to have a separate device, then I'd be looking at the Mio Cyclo 505, simply on the grounds that I wouldn't buy from Garmin again as a matter of principle, and Mio (who are Magellan in the States, not sure why it's different here) seem to be the only competitor for the higher end devices.
Sounds interesting - I read that the new style Garmin Cadence/Speed sensors work really well with phones - it just appears to be Garmin products that fail to detect them The phone is waterproof, the battery life long enough for any ride I need it for, the screen is more than twice the size of my 810, so I can actually see where I'm going properly, it's ANT+ compatible, so recognises my HRM and cadence sensors, and in the unlikely event that I do stuff it and destroy the phone, I've got mobile phone cover with my bank account that has an excess of £50 and allows a couple of claims per annum (and none so far in 18 months), so I could kill it 6 times over before it would cost me as much as your budget.
If, however, you're absolutely determined to have a separate device, then I'd be looking at the Mio Cyclo 505, simply on the grounds that I wouldn't buy from Garmin again as a matter of principle, and Mio (who are Magellan in the States, not sure why it's different here) seem to be the only competitor for the higher end devices.
jesusbuiltmycar said:
Sounds interesting - I read that the new style Garmin Cadence/Speed sensors work really well with phones - it just appears to be Garmin products that fail to detect them
If I was starting from scratch, I'd buy Bluetooth LE sensors rather than ANT+, as they work with a far wider range of phones. Fortunately, my Xperia Z2, which was by a country mile the best phone to use for this in every other respect already, just happens to support it. 
I have been perfectly happy with my garmin which I've used a lot over the 3 years I've had it. My only complaint is that it detonated into a million pieces despite what felt like a fairly small impact.
Interesting to hear the lack of love for them - glad I checked as I was close to blindly going with a Garmin Edge 810...
Interesting to hear the lack of love for them - glad I checked as I was close to blindly going with a Garmin Edge 810...
jesusbuiltmycar said:
Kermit power said:
I had so many problems with my Garmin 810 that in the end I settled on using my phone. I bought a toughened case and a Quad Lock bar mount for it, which cost me £35 in total.
The phone is waterproof, the battery life long enough for any ride I need it for, the screen is more than twice the size of my 810, so I can actually see where I'm going properly, it's ANT+ compatible, so recognises my HRM and cadence sensors, and in the unlikely event that I do stuff it and destroy the phone, I've got mobile phone cover with my bank account that has an excess of £50 and allows a couple of claims per annum (and none so far in 18 months), so I could kill it 6 times over before it would cost me as much as your budget.
If, however, you're absolutely determined to have a separate device, then I'd be looking at the Mio Cyclo 505, simply on the grounds that I wouldn't buy from Garmin again as a matter of principle, and Mio (who are Magellan in the States, not sure why it's different here) seem to be the only competitor for the higher end devices.
Sounds interesting - I read that the new style Garmin Cadence/Speed sensors work really well with phones - it just appears to be Garmin products that fail to detect them The phone is waterproof, the battery life long enough for any ride I need it for, the screen is more than twice the size of my 810, so I can actually see where I'm going properly, it's ANT+ compatible, so recognises my HRM and cadence sensors, and in the unlikely event that I do stuff it and destroy the phone, I've got mobile phone cover with my bank account that has an excess of £50 and allows a couple of claims per annum (and none so far in 18 months), so I could kill it 6 times over before it would cost me as much as your budget.
If, however, you're absolutely determined to have a separate device, then I'd be looking at the Mio Cyclo 505, simply on the grounds that I wouldn't buy from Garmin again as a matter of principle, and Mio (who are Magellan in the States, not sure why it's different here) seem to be the only competitor for the higher end devices.
If you just want something for recording your family toodle around centre parks then it might be adequate I suppose.
Your budget easily covers a garmin 800 or 810 if you don't like uploading via a cable. Which is what I'd go for. You can get free maps for them online easily. And SD cards are very cheap now.
Edited by el stovey on Tuesday 8th December 11:41
el stovey said:
If you just want something for recording your family toodle around centre parks then it might be adequate I suppose.
Your budget easily covers a garmin 800 or 810 if you don't like uploading via a cable. Which is what I'd go for. You can get free maps for them online easily. And SD cards are very cheap now.
This is what I'd originally thought... and it'll be used "properly" so a long battery life is essential. On this note, who the hell uses a GPS at Centre Parcs?!? Do people really care how far it is between the water slides and the falconry area?Your budget easily covers a garmin 800 or 810 if you don't like uploading via a cable. Which is what I'd go for. You can get free maps for them online easily. And SD cards are very cheap now.
Aside from at least 6 Garmin watches, I've bought the 200, 500, couple of 800s and an 810. None of them have gone wrong. They churn out thousands of perfectly good ones, but the odd complete duffer. I'm hoping Santa brings me an 810.
I quite like the new sensors, but found the 800 would just fail to pair with them from time to time. That 800 got run over by a t
t in a car and the 810 has worked each time.
I quite like the new sensors, but found the 800 would just fail to pair with them from time to time. That 800 got run over by a t
t in a car and the 810 has worked each time. I think it's fair to say that Kermit Power isn't the biggest fan of the Garmin 800/810! We discussed his belief that a smart phone made a better bike computer in his thread here:
/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&t=1502762&mid=55800
I think the consensus was that, while his smart phone solution suited him, it wouldn't suit everyone. FWIW, I went from a smart phone to a Bryton to an 810, and I'm happy now.
/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&t=1502762&mid=55800
I think the consensus was that, while his smart phone solution suited him, it wouldn't suit everyone. FWIW, I went from a smart phone to a Bryton to an 810, and I'm happy now.
I've recently bought a Garmin 520 and I'm struggling to see how you would need anything more. Tells me all I need to know and has decent mapping (from a free download) and I also really like the live Strava segments. I got mine without sensors (as I already had them) for £147 with a British cycling discount
JD PH said:
el stovey said:
If you just want something for recording your family toodle around centre parks then it might be adequate I suppose.
Your budget easily covers a garmin 800 or 810 if you don't like uploading via a cable. Which is what I'd go for. You can get free maps for them online easily. And SD cards are very cheap now.
This is what I'd originally thought... and it'll be used "properly" so a long battery life is essential. On this note, who the hell uses a GPS at Centre Parcs?!? Do people really care how far it is between the water slides and the falconry area?Your budget easily covers a garmin 800 or 810 if you don't like uploading via a cable. Which is what I'd go for. You can get free maps for them online easily. And SD cards are very cheap now.
If someone has a working bike GPS, I wouldn't suggest binning it in favour of a phone, but if you haven't, I think you'd be nuts to spend £300 on one when the phone can do 95% of the same thing.
You mention mapping, so I think the Garmin 800 or 810 is the best one to go for.
I have the 500 and 800 and also recently started using the Lezyne GPS units. I slightly prefer the Lezyne units, but they don't do a mapping version.
I would never consider using a smart phone, a dedicated unit is the way to go unless you only ever do short (<2hr) rides.
I have the 500 and 800 and also recently started using the Lezyne GPS units. I slightly prefer the Lezyne units, but they don't do a mapping version.
I would never consider using a smart phone, a dedicated unit is the way to go unless you only ever do short (<2hr) rides.
I've recently gone through a similar process, helped by numerous threads on here and chats with owners, and came to the following shortlist:
1) Keep using iPhone 6 without mount - £0
Pros
No additional expense
Will always be taking phone with me anyway
Cons
Can't use for live navigation
Battery life for really long rides (not that I do many of them, but still...)
2) Buy mount and rugged case for iPhone 6 - £60
Pros
Cheap
Will always be taking phone with me anyway
Can use navigation, albeit at cost of battery life
Cons
iPhone 6 a bit large for front mounting imho
Battery life sure to take a hit, maybe won't even support ~5 hour rides with nav?
Means putting phone in danger if I have an off. It's insured but I still wouldn't like to have the hassle of replacing it
Mounts aren't really cheap for what you get
3) Garmin Edge 25 - £100
Pros
Cheapish
Small, light
Proper bike kit
Cons
Only basic navigation, no mapping, would still have to use phone for that
Seems expensive compared to 520
4) Cheap, rugged Android device - £120 inc. mount?
Pros
Cheapish
Flexible
Wouldn't need to take main phone with me
Cons
Could be rubbish, a complete waste of money
Battery life an unknown, may need battery pack for longer rides
Risks associated with any no-name Chinese Android devices (support, longevity, hardware/firmware bugs etc.)
GPS reliability unknown
5) Old iPhone 5 with rugged case & mount - £160
Pros
Can buy a tatty one as long as the screen is good etc.
Flexible
Apple/iOS a known quantity (for me) in terms of stability and support for Strava etc.
Cons
Older tech, potentially has shorter lifespan in terms of OS/app/device support (no BlueTooth LE etc.)
Battery life an issue, increasingly as the device ages
6) Garmin Edge 520 - £180 without cadence, HR strap etc.
Pros
'Proper' current bike GPS with live segments etc.
Battery life
Reports on stability are encouraging compared with previous Garmins
Cons
Starting to get a bit expensive. Slippery slope with HR, cadence, power meters etc.
Lure of Live Segments means I'll probably end up paying for Strava Premium
7) Garmin 810 - £200 inc. HR, cadence monitors
Pros
Proper bike GPS
All the kit I'm likely to need
Cons
Very dubious reliability reports
Old tech. Positively vintage in terms of mobile tech.
Future support, given the 810 is very much end-of-life
In the end, and with Xmas approaching, I did enough to convince Santa that I've been a good enough boy this year to justify a 520. While I still think that Garmin charge far too much for what is effectively a low-end smartphone from 2011, it seems to hit the sweetspot in terms of performance.
If I wasn't getting the 520 I'd probably waver for a few more months then just buy one anyway
1) Keep using iPhone 6 without mount - £0
Pros
No additional expense
Will always be taking phone with me anyway
Cons
Can't use for live navigation
Battery life for really long rides (not that I do many of them, but still...)
2) Buy mount and rugged case for iPhone 6 - £60
Pros
Cheap
Will always be taking phone with me anyway
Can use navigation, albeit at cost of battery life
Cons
iPhone 6 a bit large for front mounting imho
Battery life sure to take a hit, maybe won't even support ~5 hour rides with nav?
Means putting phone in danger if I have an off. It's insured but I still wouldn't like to have the hassle of replacing it
Mounts aren't really cheap for what you get
3) Garmin Edge 25 - £100
Pros
Cheapish
Small, light
Proper bike kit
Cons
Only basic navigation, no mapping, would still have to use phone for that
Seems expensive compared to 520
4) Cheap, rugged Android device - £120 inc. mount?
Pros
Cheapish
Flexible
Wouldn't need to take main phone with me
Cons
Could be rubbish, a complete waste of money
Battery life an unknown, may need battery pack for longer rides
Risks associated with any no-name Chinese Android devices (support, longevity, hardware/firmware bugs etc.)
GPS reliability unknown
5) Old iPhone 5 with rugged case & mount - £160
Pros
Can buy a tatty one as long as the screen is good etc.
Flexible
Apple/iOS a known quantity (for me) in terms of stability and support for Strava etc.
Cons
Older tech, potentially has shorter lifespan in terms of OS/app/device support (no BlueTooth LE etc.)
Battery life an issue, increasingly as the device ages
6) Garmin Edge 520 - £180 without cadence, HR strap etc.
Pros
'Proper' current bike GPS with live segments etc.
Battery life
Reports on stability are encouraging compared with previous Garmins
Cons
Starting to get a bit expensive. Slippery slope with HR, cadence, power meters etc.
Lure of Live Segments means I'll probably end up paying for Strava Premium
7) Garmin 810 - £200 inc. HR, cadence monitors
Pros
Proper bike GPS
All the kit I'm likely to need
Cons
Very dubious reliability reports
Old tech. Positively vintage in terms of mobile tech.
Future support, given the 810 is very much end-of-life
In the end, and with Xmas approaching, I did enough to convince Santa that I've been a good enough boy this year to justify a 520. While I still think that Garmin charge far too much for what is effectively a low-end smartphone from 2011, it seems to hit the sweetspot in terms of performance.
If I wasn't getting the 520 I'd probably waver for a few more months then just buy one anyway
Edited by loudlashadjuster on Tuesday 8th December 13:25
loudlashadjuster said:
I've recently gone through a similar process, helped by numerous threads on here and chats with owners, and came to the following shortlist:
1) Keep using iPhone 6 without mount - £0
Pros
No additional expense
Will always be taking phone with me anyway
Cons
Can't use for live navigation
Battery life for really long rides (not that I do many of them, but still...)
2) Buy mount and rugged case for iPhone 6 - £60
Pros
Cheap
Will always be taking phone with me anyway
Can use navigation, albeit at cost of battery life
Cons
iPhone 6 a bit large for front mounting imho
Battery life sure to take a hit, maybe won't even support ~5 hour rides with nav?
Means putting phone in danger if I have an off. It's insured but I still wouldn't like to have the hassle of replacing it
Mounts aren't really cheap for what you get
3) Garmin Edge 25 - £100
Pros
Cheapish
Small, light
Proper bike kit
Cons
Only basic navigation, no mapping, would still have to use phone for that
Seems expensive compared to 520
4) Cheap, rugged Android device - £120 inc. mount?
Pros
Cheapish
Flexible
Wouldn't need to take main phone with me
Cons
Could be rubbish, a complete waste of money
Battery life an unknown, may need battery pack for longer rides
Risks associated with any no-name Chinese Android devices (support, longevity, hardware/firmware bugs etc.)
GPS reliability unknown
5) Old iPhone 5 with rugged case & mount - £160
Pros
Can buy a tatty one as long as the screen is good etc.
Flexible
Apple/iOS a known quantity (for me) in terms of stability and support for Strava etc.
Cons
Older tech, potentially has shorter lifespan in terms of OS/app/device support (no BlueTooth LE etc.)
Battery life an issue, increasingly as the device ages
6) Garmin Edge 520 - £180 without cadence, HR strap etc.
Pros
'Proper' current bike GPS with live segments etc.
Battery life
Reports on stability are encouraging compared with previous Garmins
Cons
Starting to get a bit expensive. Slippery slope with HR, cadence, power meters etc.
Lure of Live Segments means I'll probably end up paying for Strava Premium
7) Garmin 810 - £200 inc. HR, cadence monitors
Pros
Proper bike GPS
All the kit I'm likely to need
Cons
Very dubious reliability reports
Old tech. Positively vintage in terms of mobile tech.
Future support, given the 810 is very much end-of-life
In the end, and with Xmas approaching, I did enough to convince Santa that I've been a good enough boy this year to justify a 520. While I still think that Garmin charge far too much for what is effectively a low-end smartphone from 2011, it seems to hit the sweetspot in terms of performance.
If I wasn't getting the 520 I'd probably waver for a few more months then just buy one anyway
Great post, thanks!1) Keep using iPhone 6 without mount - £0
Pros
No additional expense
Will always be taking phone with me anyway
Cons
Can't use for live navigation
Battery life for really long rides (not that I do many of them, but still...)
2) Buy mount and rugged case for iPhone 6 - £60
Pros
Cheap
Will always be taking phone with me anyway
Can use navigation, albeit at cost of battery life
Cons
iPhone 6 a bit large for front mounting imho
Battery life sure to take a hit, maybe won't even support ~5 hour rides with nav?
Means putting phone in danger if I have an off. It's insured but I still wouldn't like to have the hassle of replacing it
Mounts aren't really cheap for what you get
3) Garmin Edge 25 - £100
Pros
Cheapish
Small, light
Proper bike kit
Cons
Only basic navigation, no mapping, would still have to use phone for that
Seems expensive compared to 520
4) Cheap, rugged Android device - £120 inc. mount?
Pros
Cheapish
Flexible
Wouldn't need to take main phone with me
Cons
Could be rubbish, a complete waste of money
Battery life an unknown, may need battery pack for longer rides
Risks associated with any no-name Chinese Android devices (support, longevity, hardware/firmware bugs etc.)
GPS reliability unknown
5) Old iPhone 5 with rugged case & mount - £160
Pros
Can buy a tatty one as long as the screen is good etc.
Flexible
Apple/iOS a known quantity (for me) in terms of stability and support for Strava etc.
Cons
Older tech, potentially has shorter lifespan in terms of OS/app/device support (no BlueTooth LE etc.)
Battery life an issue, increasingly as the device ages
6) Garmin Edge 520 - £180 without cadence, HR strap etc.
Pros
'Proper' current bike GPS with live segments etc.
Battery life
Reports on stability are encouraging compared with previous Garmins
Cons
Starting to get a bit expensive. Slippery slope with HR, cadence, power meters etc.
Lure of Live Segments means I'll probably end up paying for Strava Premium
7) Garmin 810 - £200 inc. HR, cadence monitors
Pros
Proper bike GPS
All the kit I'm likely to need
Cons
Very dubious reliability reports
Old tech. Positively vintage in terms of mobile tech.
Future support, given the 810 is very much end-of-life
In the end, and with Xmas approaching, I did enough to convince Santa that I've been a good enough boy this year to justify a 520. While I still think that Garmin charge far too much for what is effectively a low-end smartphone from 2011, it seems to hit the sweetspot in terms of performance.
If I wasn't getting the 520 I'd probably waver for a few more months then just buy one anyway
Edited by loudlashadjuster on Tuesday 8th December 13:25
The problem with using my phone is that it is an ageing iPhone 5s, and the battery only lasts about 4 hours when it isn't being used as a GPS!
Based on the info above I can see now why the 810s are available at such a generous discount!
el stovey said:
jesusbuiltmycar said:
Kermit power said:
I had so many problems with my Garmin 810 that in the end I settled on using my phone. I bought a toughened case and a Quad Lock bar mount for it, which cost me £35 in total.
The phone is waterproof, the battery life long enough for any ride I need it for, the screen is more than twice the size of my 810, so I can actually see where I'm going properly, it's ANT+ compatible, so recognises my HRM and cadence sensors, and in the unlikely event that I do stuff it and destroy the phone, I've got mobile phone cover with my bank account that has an excess of £50 and allows a couple of claims per annum (and none so far in 18 months), so I could kill it 6 times over before it would cost me as much as your budget.
If, however, you're absolutely determined to have a separate device, then I'd be looking at the Mio Cyclo 505, simply on the grounds that I wouldn't buy from Garmin again as a matter of principle, and Mio (who are Magellan in the States, not sure why it's different here) seem to be the only competitor for the higher end devices.
Sounds interesting - I read that the new style Garmin Cadence/Speed sensors work really well with phones - it just appears to be Garmin products that fail to detect them The phone is waterproof, the battery life long enough for any ride I need it for, the screen is more than twice the size of my 810, so I can actually see where I'm going properly, it's ANT+ compatible, so recognises my HRM and cadence sensors, and in the unlikely event that I do stuff it and destroy the phone, I've got mobile phone cover with my bank account that has an excess of £50 and allows a couple of claims per annum (and none so far in 18 months), so I could kill it 6 times over before it would cost me as much as your budget.
If, however, you're absolutely determined to have a separate device, then I'd be looking at the Mio Cyclo 505, simply on the grounds that I wouldn't buy from Garmin again as a matter of principle, and Mio (who are Magellan in the States, not sure why it's different here) seem to be the only competitor for the higher end devices.
If you just want something for recording your family toodle around centre parks then it might be adequate I suppose.
Your budget easily covers a garmin 800 or 810 if you don't like uploading via a cable. Which is what I'd go for. You can get free maps for them online easily. And SD cards are very cheap now.
Edited by el stovey on Tuesday 8th December 11:41
1: Chance it and find out the speed sensor hasn't been detected when I stop at the traffic lights and my speed continues to read 4-5mph...
2: Faff about for 3 or 4 minutes until I can be certain that both are detected. - even then I get the odd auto-pause when speed exceeds 30mph
I have spoken to Garmin's technical support - their suggestion is to buy a better Garmin model because the lower range ones (e.g. Edge500) aren't very good.
JD PH said:
Based on the info above I can see now why the 810s are available at such a generous discount!
Gruffy polled us on the reliability of our Garmins.73% of us -61 people out of 84- had experienced no or only minor glitches. 12% -10 people- had regular glitches or worse. I'm not saying those are figures Garmin should be proud of, by any means, just thought it might give perspective and explain the variation in opinion you're getting.
/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&t=1554424&mid=55800
Edited by SixPotBelly on Tuesday 8th December 15:02
If you have £300 then its a Garmin Edge 1000 all the way imho
I have extensively used and still have many of the following....
Edge 200
Edge 25
Edge 500
Edge 510
Edge 520
Edge Touring
Edge 810
Edge 1000
Mio Cyclo 105 (Edge 500 equivalent)
Mio Cyclo 505 (Edge 810 equivalent)
Polar V650 (Edge 500 series equivalent)
The Edge 1000 is my absolute go to Cycle GPS and has navigated me faultlessly round many a ride. Ive had no major gripes with any of them other than:
Edge 500 - I dropped it years ago but opened it up and fixed it as the impact had only dislodged the internal battery connector.
Edge 520 - in built turn by turn directions are not great - most people are therefore uploading TCX files with coursepoints to use for Navigation. A nice feature on the 520 is the ability to upload an open street map which your courses are then overlaid on so you get to view a map rather than just the breadcrumb trail on the Edge 200/20/25/500/510. Whilst navigating using coursepoints with an open street map on the 520 is a useful function the screen is a little on the small size IMO hence why I prefer the 1000.
The Edge touring, 800, 810, 1000 and explore are the only Garmins with true turn by turn navigation - the Mio 505 also does a pretty good job of this too.
Go onto YouTube and search for Garmin Edge 1000 Navigation (or any other Cycle GPS) and you'll find some in use demos (including some of mine) to give you an idea how they get along. Also the other absolute must view website for reviews is DC Rainmaker.
I only have 2 bikes but suffer from GPS+1 !
I have extensively used and still have many of the following....
Edge 200
Edge 25
Edge 500
Edge 510
Edge 520
Edge Touring
Edge 810
Edge 1000
Mio Cyclo 105 (Edge 500 equivalent)
Mio Cyclo 505 (Edge 810 equivalent)
Polar V650 (Edge 500 series equivalent)
The Edge 1000 is my absolute go to Cycle GPS and has navigated me faultlessly round many a ride. Ive had no major gripes with any of them other than:
Edge 500 - I dropped it years ago but opened it up and fixed it as the impact had only dislodged the internal battery connector.
Edge 520 - in built turn by turn directions are not great - most people are therefore uploading TCX files with coursepoints to use for Navigation. A nice feature on the 520 is the ability to upload an open street map which your courses are then overlaid on so you get to view a map rather than just the breadcrumb trail on the Edge 200/20/25/500/510. Whilst navigating using coursepoints with an open street map on the 520 is a useful function the screen is a little on the small size IMO hence why I prefer the 1000.
The Edge touring, 800, 810, 1000 and explore are the only Garmins with true turn by turn navigation - the Mio 505 also does a pretty good job of this too.
Go onto YouTube and search for Garmin Edge 1000 Navigation (or any other Cycle GPS) and you'll find some in use demos (including some of mine) to give you an idea how they get along. Also the other absolute must view website for reviews is DC Rainmaker.
I only have 2 bikes but suffer from GPS+1 !
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