njkayaker

Used 800's are $180-220.

I suspect that the 1000 isn't really a viable business at $200-250.

franswa

I mentioned Bryton on the first page but no one seems to be able to think beyond Garmins. Which is probably why they cost as much as they do.

TimothyH

For the record, I own a Polar V650.

New, with heart rate strap, $209.99.At one point Amazon had the head unit only for $169.

The word "value" stands out in my mind.


-Tim-

njkayaker

Doesn't do navigation (maybe, it does breadcrumbs). Doesn't (it appears) support power meters.

What Garmin is feature equivalent? The more-expensive 520 does a bit more, I think.

It seems Polar is having some trouble selling them (if so, that would explain the low price).

(None of that means the Polar unit isn't a good value.)

It supports BT sensors (including BT power meters).

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2014/01/...olar-v650.html

franswa

The Bryton(hello?? is this word invisible on here??) does maps/navigation and supports power meters.

njkayaker

It appears the 530 uses a smartphone app for turn instructions.

There is breadcrumb navigation.

https://corp.brytonsport.com/products/rider530?lang=eng

There are so few Brytons sold in the US that many people have probably never seen one.

https://www.amazon.com/Bryton-Rider-.../dp/B01KGS8C50

The Rider 60 has maps but it doesn't appear that it's for sale any longer.

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/u.../rp-prod140052

franswa

Personally, I have never used maps or navigation. Whether on my Bryton or Garmin 500. I know my city well enough to do the navigation in my head. So pound for pound that's really the only difference. However, it is still a great value. Additionally, the battery life is twice as long as the Edge520.

I know they're not well known yet in the states, but everyone had to start somewhere. For the majority of us in this sub-forum, the Bryton could prove to be more than adequate.

njkayaker

The 500 doesn't have maps.

The Bryton looks OK (and the battery life appears to be much better). (You can run the Garmins from an external battery.)

I bought my 800 for navigating. Because of my interest in navigation, that's what I focus on. It's fine if people aren't interested in navigation.

One advantage (in the US) of the Garmin units is that more people are familiar with them. That means, if you buy a Garmin, it's much more likely to be able to get help with it.

There is also rich support for custom maps for the Garmins (the other companies use other map formats).

With the Mio Cyclo models, you are stuck with the maps it comes with (maybe, they changed that).

These things might make it worth, to some people, the extra cost for a Garmin. It's not like the Garmins are that much more expensive.

Seattle Forrest

It's probably a lot of "the devil you know." Garmin is infamous for the quality of the software in their bike computers. (Their running and multisport stuff is much better.) But if you go to a group ride, Garmin is what you'll see the most of.

Steve B.

The upper tier Garmins do more then what Bryton offers. Better navigation and turn-by-turn. Color screens, which many folks prefer and have their usefulness. Great export to RWGPS and Strava as well as Garmin Connect.

So worth the money to some.

I backed into an 810 when I got a Garmin Swim Watch. It counts indoor pool laps, which Bryton fitness units cannot do. That got me using Garmin Connect which also works well. That led me to Garmin cycling units, which also works very well. So having a product line that crosses over into many sports, and syncs effortlessly is - to me, worth the expense.

RedVVing19

The Bryton 530 has been on my radar since release, tempted to get one but my edge 500 keeps on trucking after all these years

memebag

My Garmin Edge 25 was $120. I consider it a bargain. It gives me turn by turn directions, records GPS, cadence, heart rate and speed, uploads effortlessly to Strava and is small.

B1KE

Wow didn't know the Garmin Edge 25 did all that, especially the turn by turn directions.

How accurate do you find those to be? Are the directions audible or you have to look at the screen?

TimothyH

The Polar V650 does full navigation with maps and power.


-Tim-

TimothyH

I owned an Edge 25.

It will do turn prompts. It will beep to let you know a turn is coming and an arrow on the screen will point in the direction you need to go. There will also be an indication of how far ahead the turn is. The beeps are loud enough. It works very well. The unit worked flawlessly for me. I loved it.

It isn't maps though. It does not provide a way to get back on course if you happen to miss a turn. It only says "Off course" and that's it - doesn't route you back to the course. This has happened to me through inattentiveness and I had to stop and look at a map on my phone. It isn't a problem if you are comfortable with that limitation. Because of where I ride it was enough for me to want full maps. I sold mine for $80 and stepped up to the Polar V650 with full maps when it was $169 at Amazon.

Also know that it doesn't support TCX or GPX files. It uses FIT files. This was sometimes a limitation. For example, Ride with GPS does not support "Write to Garmin" using the Edge 25/20 because the Write to Garmin feature does not use FIT files.


-Tim-

memebag

They are as accurate as you make them. I go into the Garmin tool on my PC to plot my routes. It's easy and tells me exactly where to go.

The device beeps before the turn and shows a count down distance as you approach, then beeps again at the turn.

Other folks I ride with have been impressed by it. It's so tiny compared to the touchscreen Garmins:



I'm not a fan of touchscreens for this kind of application. It's easier for me to mash side buttons with gloves on rough terrain.

njkayaker

Can it generate a route on the device?

It's hard to find out exactly what sort of navigation it provides.

The size of the maps is limited.

https://support.polar.com/e_manuals/V...ish/manual.pdf

The Garmin 520 can also display maps and do some degree of navigation.

The list price of the Polar V650 is $250. The list price of the Garmin 520 is $300.

Seattle Forrest

I've been using an 800 for about 6 years. Since I started doing dirt roads, I've had trouble. Most of the time I prefer not to follow a pre-planned route. I'd just prefer not to spend the time building one on the computer, sometimes I want to improvise a route as I ride. But OSM isn't terribly accurate for the labyrinth of dirt roads we have here.

So I've been using turn-by-turn directions on my Fenix 3 watch. It functions pretty similar to what you just described of the 25. As a bonus the watch vibrates on my wrist, so it's pretty much impossible to miss.

I was skeptical of using navigation without a map, but it works great.