Myself, I like my Edge 205. Older, bigger, heavier than the 200, with a much worse mounting system (seriously, Garmin, what the hell were you thinking with that mount?), but it can display more info, and it's more configurable.

(I think I've got it set for 1 mph auto-stop, instead of the 3 mph hard-coded auto stop of the 200, for instance. I ride a recumbent trike, where I could very easily be legitimately moving at 1-2 mph (think up a steep hill).)

Interesting that REI let you return the old one after they recently made a huge deal about their new return policy being 1 year with proof of purchase.

In my opinion, the standard Garmin Oregon series (450 model for me) is the best possible cycling computer.

Being a very good traditional GPS, it has a multitude of off-bike functionality which is why I originally purchased it.

The addition of an inexpensive bracket makes mounting it to handlebar or stem very simple. At that point it works as a very nice cyclo-computer.

The addition of a speed/cadence sensor and/or heart rate monitors expand its capabilities into a more cycling specific realm. Both of which I can personally confirm work very well. Finally, the docs say it will also support an ANT+ power meter.


All in a package that is also useful off the bike...


Garmin sells its mapping products to be used with a single GPS device. So if you have a hand held GPS and a bicycle GPS that you want the same maps on, they require you to purchase the maps twice... Making use of the same product in both roles eliminates that problem.

I didn't go in with high expectations that they'd take it back, but I told them what had happened, that my father in law bought it for me a year over a year ago, and that I just wanted either the same one, or an upgrade.

The manager was like "understand, I believe you.." he didn't seem to care to much since I was upgrading to a more expensive device.

+1 in my book. I plan on using them a little more often. They can be pricey on some things, but also in line on others where the membership helps out at the end of the year.

Those Garmins better be fantastic, and I gather that they are. They cost enough for them to be.

Don't give up on the brand just because of your experience with wireless computers -- my wired Sigma 906 is super-reliable, and has put up with my abuse for 3 or 4 years now. Has everything I need, very little that I don't. :thumb:

True true. I swore a while back that I'd never pay that much for a computer. But since it was around $55 out of pocket to upgrade, figured it couldn't hurt.

Couple of my friends who ride have older Garmins (5-6+ years old) and they still work perfectly.

I also like the fact that you don't have sensors and magnets to make sure are lined up, and batteries to replace. The Garmin is rechargeable as well which I dig.

Anyhow, we'll see how it goes. Elevation is a pretty cool feature, but yeah, it's not necessary.

I can't argue with their service. I bought my bike there , road it for about a month and decided it was too small and brought it back and they did an exchange for a bigger size no questions asked.

What do you think of the Novara products? Their MTB's seem pretty reasonably priced, and I may be looking for a cheaper one (to see if I like it), to ride some trails here and there.

Can't comment on Novara. I have read some decent reviews on some of them. But I bought a Surly Cross Check. I knew what I wanted and I ordered it on line because they had a great sale price for it. I am happy with the return policy that allowed me to exchange it which was huge because they didn't have any in stock nor did any local LBS for me to test ride and check the size before buying. I can't really say the same about their mechanics. There are several small issues with how my bike was set up such as not tightening some bolts, having cables cut so long they rub my wheels and pedals. My headset is also loose after a couple of months. They offer one free tune up withing 6 months of purchase but I am will opt to take it my LBS where I trust the mechanics and pay for a tune up.

How about adequate, cheap to replace, instead?

I am going to go with a cheaper android phone running 4.2 with bluetooth and GPS and a couple of wireless sensors for this.

with this I can do all sorts of things- HR, Cadence, speed, GPS logging- but best of all I can nail down training times and try to improve on it without having a big manual or excel logbook.

this is the way to go- and its a phone + tunes.

Cateye Strada wireless.

You forgot one of its nice features: It runs on AA, either rechargeable or throw-away. No USB port to worry about.

Try the cyclemeter app for iPhone or android...it allows use of Bluetooth heart rate monitor, cadence sensor, powermeter and stores all of your rides data ( gps, speed, ascent, descent ect)
for sharing online or emailing. It is excellent