My old Garmin Edge 305 died last season, and I was reluctant to replace it. Sunday, however, I cashed in some Christmas gift cards and my member points at REI and purchased the Garmin Edge 500. I've used it Sunday, yesterday and today. It's very quick at start up, allows me to put the information on the screen that I want to see when riding, and downloads to my laptop efficiently.

Being somewhat skeptical about the accuracy of the mileage, speed, etc. I used my smart phone's My Track program, my cars GPS and the 500, and took a short 16 mile drive around a route I've cycled for years. All three devices and the car odometer were reading the same distance, and all three devices were reading the same speed.

Another cool thing is that the heart rate monitor and cadence sensor for the old 305 will work with it. And, while the unit will gather much more data than I'm likely to use, one of the strong points for me is the new easy mount system. It's a snap to move the unit from one bike to another. By the end of the week I should have a mounting system on all of my bikes. One computer for eight bikes.... I'm really loving that part.

I just hope it's more reliable than the 305 was.

I went through two 305's, the first one flew off at 25 mph because the mount broke, the second just cuts out frequently. I got the 500 last year. I agree the 1/4 turn quick mount is the best! I have mounts on all 3 of my bikes and move the 500 from bike to bike.

thanks for sharing

I got a 500 when Nashbar had the basic unit (no HRM, no cadence sensor) on sale for an insane price last December. I've used it 4 or 5 times now, and compared to the distance data from my old computer, and from MapMyRide, it's plenty accurate enough for me. Max and average speeds seem pretty much spot on as well.

I'm still using my 305. I get a kick out of letting it warm up while I'm preparing for a ride and I watch the elevation change 50' while sitting still. REI is a favorite LBS, and I still have my dividend and 20% off to use, hmmmmmmm.

I wish I hadn't read this thread. Now I'm saving for one.

I really like my Edge 800. I suspect your 500 is quite good also.

But you can't use the 20% on any GPS device.

The 500 isn't much different from the 305 in that respect, but you can preset elevation points with the 500. If you start the timer within 30 meters of one of one of your set points, the elevation is automatically adjusted to the preset value.

I've seen mine adjust as much as 200 ft during this procedure.

My wife uses a Garmin Forerunner CX405 with HRM and cadence unit for cycling. I was thinking of going with a 305 or a 500, but was concerned about the battery life. Her Forerunner last about 3 hours when the GPS is turned on. My daily rides are just below or right at two hours, but my charity rides are, most often, over three hours. How's the battery life on the 500?

I have two e500s and really enjoy them. Highly recommended!

I've five hours riding time on this charge and it says it's at 30%. So, I'm guessing at least six hours.

I'm still hooked on moving map displays and route calculation having used a GPSMap60Cx for 6+ years and a similar Magellan unit for many years prior to that. I upload touring maps into it prior to starting a trip. And I can always calculate routes to specific addresses anytime I want.

I became hooked on the moving map thing when I used to go out exploring for new routes. I could always tell whether I was heading into a dead end or convoluted subdivision circles with a quick glance at the GPS.

(And don't suggest smartphones to me. Those displays are ridiculously poor in bright sunshine and their batteries are pathetic for long days in the saddle.)

Advertised life of a charge is 18 hours and I believe it.

https://gps.about.com/od/sportsandfit...500-review.htm

The advertised life of the 405 is much longer than what she is getting, 8 hours in training mode (according to the Garmin web site). She can run the 405 with the HRM and cadence unit and get close to the advertised hours out of a charge. It drops dramatically when she turns on the GPS option in order to collect the data. I am assuming that the 500 works in a similar manner. If it provides up to 8 hours of battery life on a single charge it would be a consideration, again, since century rides can last that long.

The really nice thing that I like about the Garmin is that you can set it up to see more than just 2 or 3 readings on how you are doing. Currently, with my Cateye Double Wireless, I have to flip from mode to mode to see what my cadence, total miles and ride times are. It would be nice to be able to see all of it on the same screen.

In-depth review of the Edge 500