Which Garmin?
 

For the past year+, i've been using strava to track my data, but because my phone is so unreliable and i'd much rather have the data immediately available mid-ride, i've decided it's time to buy a garmin. I'm currently between the edge 200 and 500 which i've found for 100 and 200 respectively. That being said, i have a few questions about them:
1. Will either (or both) units be able to independently determine current/average speed? If so, how accurate do you guys find it?
2. I know the 200 does not calculate elevation or vert gain. When i upload to Strava, would they sort it out using their system or would the lack of information remain?
3. Since i'm not going to buy a power meter or cadence sensor, is it worth spending the extra money for the 500?

As a college student with a crap job, money's kinda tight and i don't want to spend any more than for what i'd use. Any and all feedback is appreciated.

Edit- If you know of a better option, i'd be pleased to be enlightened.

200

speedometer is spot on

yes

no

Just been through this myself (like 2 weeks ago).

1. Yes based on GPS positioning

2. With the 200 when you upload to Strava, it will look at your relative position and use elevation tables to map your elevation (just like your phone is doing now) . Can be a bit inaccurate as it will only be as accurate as the tables Strava's using ( I have a trail ride that Strava from my phone shows as 1300m elevation but I know it's only about 200). The 500 uses barometic pressure to evaluate your elevation and this will be sent to Strava. Barometric isn't completely accurate either but I'm guessing much closer to the real world.

3. I didn't really want HRM or Cadence but note that if you buy the 500 bundle it's cheaper than buying the HRM and sensor later if you want them. I'm now collecting "superflous" data but then again even in the last couple of weeks I think looking at my cadence has actually improved my riding .

In addition something else useful is you can tailor the screens on the 500. Not being a college student and having just reached a half century my eyesight isn't the best so I've configured the 500 to show only 2 big fields per page and then auto scroll through the pages.

Long and short the 500 is just that little bit more flexible , has ANT+ for sensors and has barometric elevation.

Is it worth it, only you can decide :)

Hope this helps.

Check ebay for used ones too. Sometimes really good deals pop up on there. I scored a 705, older version but whatever, for $70 shipped off there.

I've seen bare Garmin 500s popping up for $150 lately. They're good little GPS units

If you're looking for a basic computer to track your rides...the 200 will work just fine. If you upload through Garmin Connect, it will sync with Strava. Connect will also have an "elevation corrections" function.

Your goal seems to be wanting data as you ride. And your budget is limited. The 200 sounds like it's just the ticket. While you can't really measure heart rate without a HRM, you can do a decent job of estimating cadence by counting revolutions over a 30 second window. What's interesting about tracking your rides is you can compare the same ride over a period of time and conditions. Having accurate elevation stats don't matter for such comparisons.

This question get asked most weeks, here last weeks posting http://www.bikeforums.net/road-cycli...min-200-a.html

I found a refurbished 500 on ebay a few weeks ago for $130 and got it because it was more computer for roughly the same price as the 200. I hadn't planned on getting a cadence sensor, but after 3 weeks of riding with the computer, I decided to invest in one and I feel like it has really improved my riding. At the end of the day, I am really glad I spent the extra $20 dollars up front for the computer so I didn't have to replace the whole unit later down the road if/when I wanted to add more components.

+1

I have been very pleased with my 500 so far (bought it 2013). I bought the package with the HR/CAD/SPD monitors and so far, they have worked perfectly.

I really feel it is worth the extra $$ over the 200...

Get the 500. You may think you don't want cadence/HRM but you probably will. Alternatively, get a cheap (<$50) bike computer that just measures distance/time/speed and continue GPS logging on the phone. The lack of HRM/cadence is a significant drawback to the 200, and its hard to justify the price compare with basic computers.

You mentioned you're a broke college student, so the $0 option is to use the ridewithgps app which will give current and average speed. You could get a handlebar mount for cheap if you don't already have one, or several rubber bands will work too.