sgtrobo

I have done a lot of reading, and a lot of stuff that I've found is several months' old. What with software updates and such, I was wondering if there was a consensus being reached.

assuming a desire to do heart rate, cadence, and mapping, the research I've done seems to point to the Edge 800/810, the Edge 100, and the Magellan Cyclo 505.

A lot of what I've read seems to point to a ton of bugs and such with each of the above, but with firmware updates that fix a lot of the issues. Primarily interested in more 'long term' useage, i.e. those who have had a chance to do a few dozen hours' worth of riding with each to chime in with opinions concerning how well the features work and especially stability.

I read that the Edge 500 and 800 seem like better buys than their 510 and 810 brethren (As an example) and that the Edge 1000 is bug-ridden.

It's a really tough decision to make because it seems like so many places present opinions that are drastically different on the same device. Ugh...anwyay, any help greatly appreciated.

LGHT

For me it wasn't a tough decision. I went with the one that does the same as all the rest of them, but is cheap. I got a used 705 and love it. At $86 for a used one that's almost unused it makes a lot more "sense" than getting a 1000 for $600. For me I rather have a better set of wheels with a power hub than a gps that's not going to really improve my ride, but that's just me.

Gyrine

I don't meet your experience requirement but nevertheless I'm going through the same thing right now and also have done a lot of reading. I think (?) I've decided to go with the most Garmin that I can afford. Garmin is a very innovative, classy, and financially sound company and they dominate the GPS field in every market. For example, they make the most sophisticated aircraft GPS-driven avionics suite for aircraft that has ever been commercialized (approved by the FAA). I have no doubt that whatever bugs might be in their cycle computers will get ironed out - if they really exist and are not rider error.

k_kibbler

A quick dive into the Garmin Edge forums will set you straight. Garmin may be all those things but don't pretend for a second that their consumer devices get the same level of hardware and software quality control as their avionics or other ultra-spec packages deserve and require, for financial reasons and also for safety and reliability reasons.

That said, Garmin is the Goliath in the cycling GPS market and their devices mostly work as advertised, if not always intuitively or in a polished manner.

scott967

Garmin pushed a lot of features from the 1000 into the 810 last month, so you might want to have a look at those. Prior to that I didn't see much advantage to the 810 over the 800, main thing being real time position if you link your smartphone while riding. I have an 800 and don't really use many of the features. I only use the maps on occasion but they work OK. If I used the map more I could probably be more of a power user. I have never had a functional problem with the hardware or software, other than I can only get a single Open Street Map file to work at a time. That might be operator error though.

scott s.
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Looigi

Totally. IMO, the Garmin sports devices don't even get the low level of quality control that they deserve. And their responsiveness in fixing known repeatable issues is dismal. And when they do fix something they usually break at least two other things. For these reasons, it's not uncommon for owners to revert to previous revisions of firmware.

fietsbob

Consensus ? You Kid ?

MileHighMark

Very happy with the Magellan Cyclo 505. Good interface, accurate, and works well with Strava. Using it with a Mio Alpha instead of a chest strap. Just wish the battery life were a little longer and that 3rd-party mounts were available.

Chris516

My father bought me the Garmin Edge 500 for Christmas 2013. I know it doesn't have what the Edge 510, 800, 810, or 1000 has. But it has buttons', instead of a touch-screen, which I prefer. While the 500 doesn't have true GPS mapping-capability. That is not a must-have for me. Also, He didn't buy it direct from Garmin which brought the price down. He bought it from a Garmin reseller for around $250. Back in 2013, it was $299 if bought direct from Garmin. Now if you buy it direct from Garmin, it is $199. If you want the GPS mapping capability.

Here is a comparison link of the 500, 510, 800. and 810. the 1000 is still in development and has bugs.

https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/cata...eProduct=36728

GuyDebord

Another happy user of the Cyclo, I use it for simultaneous Cadence, Power, Speed, Nav, HR without a problem, the interface with Strava is almost perfect. The only thing I wish for is a k-edge mount, but I've read its coming soon.

BTW, I had the Garmin 810 & 1000 before settling with the Cyclo.

noglider 

Plus, the use of the word "best" is misguided, since there are so many criteria to juggle. Just don't use it when asking for product recommendations. It's kind of asking what the best novel to read is.

Pistard

Garmin Edge 500 for me with HR band, best 200 bucks I have ever spend, so easy, and user friendly.

cybirr 

I found myself no longer looking for the best but rather the least worst when it comes to any consumer electronics. What I did find is a friend who let me try out his gear and a IBS that let me try out another piece of junk. I also tried the various iPhone apps. I came away disliking the Edge 510 and went with the Edge 500. I seriously considered a non-GPS solution but the data transfer was spotty. Still not happy with things, I miss the front face buttons on the old Edge 310 for instance, but it is what is available.

And the whole emphasis on community like Garmin Connect... and make sure you like us on Facebook... I know, another subject.

ray.garza

I use and love my Magellan Cyclo 505. Does all the metrics that I need and the wifi posting to Strava and TrainingPeaks is great! My only wish, a lap button, more battery life and a true K-Edge mount.

intransit1217

Any thoughts on speed sensor vs gps speed? If it reads by satellite, why do I need a sensor other than for cadence? Almost ready to go for a garmin 500 but trying to get the right bundle seems impossible.

WheresWaldo

GPS is not always available. Heavy overcast, tree cover, canyons, tunnels and more all degrade or inhibit GPS signal acquisition. Speed sensors smooth out the sections where GPS signal is lost rather than calculating an average from the time you lost your signal to the time you regained your signal. Do you need it? Maybe, maybe not. Its up to you to decide whether or not you live and ride in a GPS challenged area. Garmin also has the newer magnetless sensors which allow you to choose just a cadence sensor if you want one.

Chris516

I was given mine as a Christmas gift. I also love mine. Mine is the 500 w/ HR, Cadence, Alt.

scott967

GPS is subject to position errors (which are magnified when used to compute velocity or worse acceleration). Generally measured as VDOP and HDOP. More sophisticated Garmins (as used in aviation) have error measuring software (called RAIM) to predict performance. If bike GPS incorporated accelerometers that would probably obviate the need for a speed sensor, but without them the speed sensor improves the accuracy of instantaneous speed measurement/display. How important that is in the real world I can't say, though I can see that if GPS drop-out is a problem where you ride it could make a significant difference. I know if I ride through an underpass with "off course" alerting turned on, I will generate an off-course alarm. I can see it to be a bigger problem in urban environment where buildings will block line of sight to the birds.

To my way of thinking, what you bundle now isn't so important (you can always add a sensor later) but are you going to stick to ANT+ or use Bluetooth instead.

scott s.
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WheresWaldo

Please note one thing about the way Garmin uses the speed sensor. It is not used to provide a continuous record or correction of any kind. It is only used when GPS is not available. I am not suggesting that Garmin's way is the best way to use a speed sensor, just telling you how they implemented it.