Are these any good? I want to be able to see speed,distance,time,cadence etc but I don’t have a power meter? Are they worth what you pay?
I’d check out what DC Rainmaker has to say about them - in fact, I’d check out his reviews before buying any sports electronics.à http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2009/11/garmin-edge-500-in-depth-review.html
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Probably can get something cheaper if you don’t want power, but its a great computer (I own one). The garmin 200 is a stripped down, non-power version but I don’t think it does cadence.
I have one and have had no issues with it.
Really no issues. Would use the speed/cadence sensor and not rely on GPS if you are in area with alot of coverage(trees,etc.).
I have one with the speed/cadence sensor and it works very well.
However, I tried without the speed/cadence sensor and the speed was VERY unstable.
Couldn’t know what was my speed and this was in a place without anything that could interfere…
Conversely, I’ve never had the GSC-10 Speed/Cadence sensor hooked up to my 500 and have never had any issues with speed/distance. The averages work out, it doesn’t matter how fast you’re going at any one moment.
If you are not doing power, most of the Garmin watches will sync with the GSC-10 speed/cadence sensor so you can do double duty with a good running watch. The only reason I bought a 500 is to track power. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great computer, but I am not sure it has much advantage over a Garmin watch if you are not tracking power.
i’ve been very happy with mine. the screen can be customized to give you the info you want, and i’ve found it good and reliable. it gives you a pretty detailed, pretty elegant display of your ride when you get home and plug it into your computer - maps, ride data, etc.
for what it’s worth, i think garmin just introduced and even cheaper version that’s quite similar in features; the newer, pricier computers are including stuff like colour touchscreens, but that means very little to me.
will also mention that for me, a great feature is the ability to easily swap it between all my (and my wife’s) bikes. i’ve installed and calibrated enough of the fiddly old magnet-sensor computers for this to be a major plus.
lastly: ditto what the others said on DC rainmaker. his website is outstanding.
-mike
I think it was worth it. Really a bulletproof, reliable device with a long battery life. IMO, it’s basically the best computer if you aren’t interested in the full color GPA routing that the 800 does.
I’ve had one for a year and would say its the best bike related purchase I’ve ever made. I haven’t used it with power yet but I will be this year. Even without power it’s great, all the info you could ever want, far more than any other computer I’ve had.
I have one and really like it but have had an issue with it.
It worked flawlessly for a couple hundred miles, then would freeze up or reset on rides. Very frustrating, especially in a race.
Tried resetting, updating firmware, etc etc.
It took me a while to figure out what was causing the freezing - it was from hitting bumps in the road (like crossing a cattle grate).
Now the roads I ride aren’t horrible, they’re actually pretty good. But there are some cattle grates and sections of crappiness that can’t be avoided and which my 705 has never had issue with.
I contacted Garmin and they were great about replacing it and sending me another unit (it was only 6 months old).
They were great about replacing that one after it did the same thing multiple times in two weeks.
So far the third one has been working as it should.
I have one as well and really like it, but I purchased it to use with my power meter. If you are just looking for gps, speed / cadence and HR there are less expensive devices out there.
I agree with the other posters - the Edge 500 is a fine piece of equipment. I use it with the Garmin speed and cadence sensor (whose automatically-calculated speed data the Edge defaults to) and Quarq power meter (whose cadence data it defaults to). The barometric altimeter has rarely produced reliable elevation data for me, but the recent addition of elevation corrections in TrainingPeaks has largely solved that problem.
Once you get used to its menus (which are at least a bit more intuitive than Polar’s), it’s tough-to-press buttons (sometimes a good thing), and figure out what information is most useful for you to display (especially re: power), you just have to make sure you don’t drop it. Barely a month in, I dropped it on a tile floor and the LCD cracked in half. Ideally a piece of sports equipment would be a little tougher, but I suppose it was my fault. Garmin’s Canadian service depot (raytech.ca) provided very good service in replacing it with a refurb for about $100 in about a week. Now I keep it in an old eyeglass case when I’m not using it and take more care with it generally.
Incidentally, I use it for running as well, with the wrist mount (which I also got from raytech.ca, after seeing it in dcrainmaker’s review). I occasionaly glace at it for heart rate or total distance on the road, but it’s mostly for analysis purposes afterwards. It doesn’t display pace in min/km on the fly (presumably in an attempt to encourage you to buy a Forerunner, too). I suppose I could try to get used to reading running pace in km/h, but I never have. I wear a basic watch on the other arm for interval timing, etc.
Now, heart rate straps are a whole other matter. I experienced nothing but frustration with the Garmin premium soft strap, and using the Polar soft strap with the Garmin transmitter (also as suggested by dcrainmaker) only worked periodically for me. Electrode gel, anti-static spray, and all the other tricks couldn’t stop the soft straps from conking out half-way through any kind of workout, indoor or out. HR was reported accurately for a while, and then it started going wonky, trending down (when it should be trending up), and eventually stopped sending data completely. Now I use the Garmin ‘hard’ strap and it has worked perfectly for 2 months. Fingers crossed that it continues that way. I still use the electrode gel, but probably don’t need to. It just makes me feel better knowing it’s there 