Electronics, Lighting, & Gadgets - having second thoughts on garmin

hey guys . i went to my LbS where i have some store credit and asked to purchase a garmin 200. Im just getting into cycling and i wanted something to track my miles. I looked up some reviews and found the 200 to do just what i needed. I really like the option of seeing my ride online and even uploading others ride to it to race their times. It was something i was really excited to get and when i went in and asked him to order it he told me it sucked and i should spend more on the 500. I dont use half the options on the 500 and dont have that much money so i asked again for the 200 and once again he trashed it. so i left. is it really that bad or would it be fine for begginers. thanks

he told me it sucked and i should spend more on the 500.

Gee, I wonder what his profit is on the 200 vs 500 :rolleyes:

From what I can tell the 200 and 500 have exactly the same 'guts' and only differ in the enhanced features. If you just need the basics, they are the same and your LBS is full of it. Either find another LBS or shop elsewhere.

My problem with Garmin and their bike computers is that their customer service is extremely poor. I bought one that didn't work properly. Garmin bounced me around with nonsensical and wrong answers until I gave up. Fortunately I had purchased the unit from REI. REI has outstanding customer service. They just replaced the unit. The new one worked just fine and I am a happy camper.

Recently I wanted a wriist mounted GPS and Garmin had a "sale". I bought it from REI again. Twice snake bit this one didn't work correctly either. Customer service again reached down into the dark pit. But, I didn't play with it very much. After the umpteenth email the last of which weren't even answered I just sent it back to REI who refunded my money. Interestingly about a month after I sent the unit back I received a reply to my last email conceding there were problems and they didn't have a clue what the problem was.

If you HAVE to buy Garmin buy the cheapest you can and buy from a company with a good return policy. Garmin's quality control apparently is poor and the customer serice is worse. That is in stark contrast to their aviation products.

If you are just starting out, why spend all the money on the Garmin 200? -

Disclaimer - I have a Garmin 800, which I use on my fancy weekend bike, and when touring. I also commute on another bike and have a utility bike. Both the commuter and the utility bikes have Planet Bike Protege 9.0s on them - nothing special about the PB Protege, there are a bunch of different computers which do the same basic thing as one another, but they cost ~$20 to $50, rather than the $150 that the Garmin will set you back.

You say that the 200 does what you want - what features are important to you in a bike computer?

I currently have the 500. Its a great computer. From what I hear its perfect for what you're doing

i really want to have a machine that i can beat personal best and what not due to the fact that i always ride alone and am looking to improve my riding. do u have any other suggestions? and thanks everyone else. i really do think the magers full of it and is trying to make a profit.

i really want to have a machine that i can beat personal best and what not due to the fact that i always ride alone and am looking to improve my riding.
If you want to improve your riding get a 500 so you can train with heart rate.

hey guys so i kept doing research and decided to go with the 200 to begin with. when i went in i told him that and he gave me a reluctant "okkk" and didnt say a word the whole time he ordered it for me. not even a have a good day or thank you. going to pick it up wed and you can bet they dont have my buisness anymore

Amazon/ebay for purchasing garmins. That's really crappy LBS. It's an easy sale since you came in and asked to purchase it. Blah.

hey guys so i kept doing research and decided to go with the 200 to begin with. when i went in i told him that and he gave me a reluctant "okkk" and didnt say a word the whole time he ordered it for me. not even a have a good day or thank you. going to pick it up wed and you can bet they dont have my buisness anymore

You did the right thing. I have the 705 and an acquaintance has the 200. The 200 is excellent and you will be able to record all your rides and compare dist/mph/elev etc for years to come. Highly recommended. Yes a 500 or an 800 has more features but guess what, a rolls-royce is better than my dodge but both get me to the same place :)

Congrats - you will love it.

half of technological advancements have to invent a need for themselves because there is no need for them. have a heart condition? then a heart monitor would be nice. otherwise it's just going to overshadow the reason to be on a bike, to avoid nonsense and enjoy a spin.