rekon

What are your thoughts on the Garmin 200? I want something basic with Strava. I don't care about HR or Cadence yet.

yankeefan

You can pick up a lightly used/refurbished 500 on ebay for an extra $50.

dr_lha

You don't care about HR and Cadence "yet"? If you might in the future might as well get a 500.

bt

I disagree.

The 200 is great and will likely be fine for his needs.

garysol1 

If you are sure that Heart Rate is not important to you than the 200 would be fine. Its a good quality unit.

dr_lha

You disagree with the idea that he might be better off with a ANT+ capable unit if he thinks he might want HR and Cadence in the future?

OK.

seymour1910

I love my 200, I have never wanted more since I got it. I paid $100 for it on sale a couple years ago. I don't care for all those sensors on my bike, and I don't want to wear the HRM. Without all those gadgets, I have never had issues keeping up with any group.

jimc101

Having used both the 200 & 500, both have pros and cons.

200 + very quick sat lock, very simple to use, can re-charge on the go with with standard USB cable, clear when you have started/stopped (when using the buttons), long battery life.

200 - Less sampling than the 500, when stationary it will always show a very slight movement (speed), no clock

500 + better tracking/accuracy than the 200, (samples more) ability to use Cadence/HRM, when stationary, it registers as no movement (speed), long battery life. has a clock

500 - Longer time to get a sat lock, this can be frustratingly long, not as clear as the 200 when starts/stops (when physically using the button to pause the device) can't charge on the go without special cables

Both devices have the same build quality, the 200 is in desperate need of a replacement/update, it's been out a long, long time, and other manufactures (like Lezyne) are now doing the similar but with more functionality/bluetooth, given the 510 is out, would take this as the 500's successor, so it already has a replacement.

Having both, probably use the 200 for 90% of my riding, as it is overall easier/quicker to use than the 500.

Frreed

I've had a 200 for just over a month. It is a great bike computer. As a GPS unit it is marginal. I didn't need (or even want) power meters and HRM capability. I like being able to export the workouts to MapMyRide since I have a couple friends on there and we compare workouts. I see it as a better wireless bike computer and is does that well.

rekon

Thanks - I'm going to buy this one for my new bike. It's on sale at my LBS. I doubt I will want HR or cadence in the future.

StanSeven

I also have both and agree with everything except the sat lock time. My 500 does this is 10-15 secs or so probably 95% of the time. Occassioannly it takes maybe a minute.

The 200 usually takes close to 20-30 seconds all the time. Then there's the occasional one minute too.

You might check to see if your 500 has all the updates. Something doesn't sound right.

rekon

Could you use the 200 across different bikes? Is it possible to upload/capture stats per bike?

bt

I use my 200 on all my pedal bikes and my motor bikes and hiking and jogging etc.

I have no use for heart rate or cadence.

I know what my hr is without a monitor.

cadence smadence.

jimc101

I most recently updated it last week, it has got better over the time I've had it, but from starting in the same location as the 200, it's always slower, the 200 will be quick, say 5-10 seconds, the 500 upto 40 seconds, cloud cover dependant, not a lot longer, but it can seem like an age when waiting to get off on a ride.

rekon

So, how does this work exactly? Does it have an odometer for each bike?

a1penguin

Since it uses a gps, the position and hence distance and speed are determined from satellite readings. The non-gps cycle computers merely count wheel revolutions and you can select the tire circumference. Some of these units let you set bike A and bike B. The gps does not need wheel circumference so there's no multiple bike support. When you upload to strava, you can select which bike you rode. And you can edit that info afterward.

RPK79

I have both. I much prefer the 500. Another thing not mentioned is the 500 has an altimeter so gives much more accurate ascent information including what your current grade is. The 500 has the ability to customize your screen and have multiple screen setups to page through. It also, as mentioned, has a clock.

rekon

How could they miss a clock feature!?

Oh well, I'm going to go pick up the 200. I was in between this and the CatEye for my new bike. LBS said spend $20 more and go for the 200. This thread confirms that i'll be content with it.