GuitarBob

Recently, Garmin has released a few new cycling-specific gadgets. The most interesting to me -- and perhaps other road cyclists -- is the Edge 520.

Here's DC Rainmaker's take:

The new Garmin Edge 520: Everything you ever wanted to know | DC Rainmaker

Thoughts?

Marcus_Ti

Start the clock ticking....360+ days until 75% of the firmware bugs are fixed, rendering the unit at all usable

~signed grumpy Edge 1K owner

PS-making it non-touchscreen is downright stupid design. Moronic. Idiotic.

GuitarBob

I wondered how long it would take for someone to suggest that Garmin sees all of us as beta testers!

Of course we'll have to wait and see if Garmin does better this time, heh.

Personally, I prefer buttons to touch-screen for these types of devices (and normal GPSs).

Seems like an impressive new model. Upshot from the article I linked to:

"Today however, I think it’s a case of ‘3rd time’s the charm’, and the Edge 520 is almost exactly what folks have been asking for."

Seattle Forrest

It's basically their new watch in a bike computer, with Strava segments?

The HRV-based recovery advisor features are neat (how long you should rest after a workout, your status going into a new exercise) but you already know the answers if you can listen to your body.

Nice that they put mapping in a $300 unit, you can put free OSM maps on there.

Won't be buying one. My Edge 800 still works great, and since I'm not on Strava, all the interesting stuff here is already in my watch. Plus the 520 is only really useful for cycling.

Marcus_Ti

Thing DCR doesn't note however in talking about features is two huge things:

A) BT phone pairing is something E1K users are still griping about. Read the E1K boards and once a week someone new is posting about their iPhone that doesn't sync right. Odds are this feature won't work right ever on the 520 either. Where's the annoyance and outrage.

2) It can pair with a phone. As such something just about any bike rider would want and use with such a smart device, is calling up Weatherbug or Accuweather or Weather Channel and getting not only the local conditions on the Edge...but also the doppler radar and overlaying it over the map display. Not only does practically none of this happen (E1K only gets you a very basic 3-hour forecast and that is it), but the 520 doesn't have any weather features at all. What on Earth is the point of this phone pairing crap on rides other than annoying you with SMS pings? No one seems, not even DCR, to be asking this.


DCR needs to hold Garmin to a higher standard and legitimately ask why on Earth people should keep buying Garmins in an era where smartphones do just about everything (sans durability and battery life) better...and not only that-they work 99% of the time without the showstopper bugs that are archetypal of Garmin. Once Google Nexus smartphones catchup in durability and battery life, I'm done buying Garmins-and I'm on my 3rd (305, 705, and E1K).

Seattle Forrest

That's not an indictment against the road forum, it's a sad testimony about Garmin's standards for what they release to the world.

It's not unreasonable for people to expect to get what they paid hundreds of dollars for.

velocity

Garmin + Strava = Garava

Looks like they are going to make it all better
Strava and Garmin launch Strava Live Segments - Cycling Weekly

GuitarBob

I agree. My initial comment was me wondering quite genuinely how long it would take for someone to note how badly many Garmin devices behave when first released. Because it's almost always true.

Marcus_Ti

A 6-pack of beer that it doesn't work right and is broken for most all users of the 520 for 6 months.

I also love how E1K users have to wait another 3 months to get an update from Garmin to do the same thing. Way to piss on your top-shelf customers, you jagoffs.

GuitarBob

I agree that smartphones can do all of this, but I prefer a dedicated device (at least so far). That said, I have never tried the Wahoo approach (I think it's them), where the phone does the processing and sends info to a simple head unit on the bars.

Marcus_Ti

I'd rather have a dedicated device...when it actually works, and does what it is supposed to-well.

Edge 1000 turn-by-turn routing still goes into a hissy fit if you get off the bike and stand-by the unit. Bug not fixed in 18ish months since it was released. In April, Garmin thoughtfully released an update (v3.0) that broke pairing of their own HRM straps...took them over a month to patch (v3.10) their own bug on their own hardware that they could replicate.

Resulted in me getting a 4iiii strap that will pair ANT+ cadence/speed sensors and forward them into Bluetooth Smart protocol for phones. Now once phone catch up in durability, all my old ANT+ sensors are ready to go and drop Garmin.

RJM

Huh....my edge 500 works pretty dang well.

McBTC

Allows the user to control trainer wattage of trainers that support it... Okay, no interest for me but watts is the big thing. Cadence and trip distance is about all I care about.

SpeshulEd 

Meh to the 520 but yippee to live strava segments coming to the older models!

dr_lha

Regarding battery life on smartphones, I have an iPhone 6 and use it to record cycling, with a Speed/Cadence sensor, Wahoo RFLKT and Bluetooth HR strap. My battery drain is 10% per hour, putting all but the longest days in the saddle within reach. A $20 battery charger picks up the slack.

That said, this looks like a nice unit from Garmin, if it works as advertised, I might be tempted to get one.

Marcus_Ti

Thing is, I want a bike computer-that is a device that I can have screen on the whole time to read live telemetry from my sensors whenever I want....not a data recorder I have to leave in my pocket or futz around with to look at data.

dr_lha

You missed the fact I have a RFLKT? It gives you exactly that and the battery lasts for months on it. Not as nice screen as a Garmin I'll admit but easy to read.

Seattle Forrest

I thought this worked better in the iPhone world than Android. There are about a million different phones and combinations of phone plus software out there. With an iPhone the hardware and software is Apple, with Android you could be using hardware from Sony or LG or a bunch of other companies, and there's no one to vet apps before they're available. Sounds like a compatibility nightmare and it stands to reason that there would be lots of problems, but not ones that affect very many people.

Marcus_Ti

TBH, skimmed right over RFLKT. Ooops.

You'd think...but iPhone users of all varieties, OS versions, and generations are frequent contestants on "Sync doesn't work!". Maybe Android users just don't buy E1K as much as iPhone, maybe the Android BT stack is more standardized than in iOS. Dunno. The Connect app works as the go between of hardware, and you'd think they'd be able to write it to work-OTOH this is Garmin we're talking about...and friggin teenagers living in their parents basements can write and compile entire smartphone OSes faster and better (without even having the driver or source code available) than Garmin can maintain their own hardware they have all the source code for.

Shimagnolo

I detest touchscreen devices for cycling.
When I'm cycling, I'm wearing full-fingered gloves.
I'm still using an Edge 705 because it is not touchscreen.

Fastfwd01

+1

DonBjr

It usually goes like this for me... This garmin sounds good, but oh look at all the trouble people are having, and why spend for another device that is replicating much of what a smartphone does? Hmmm well smartphones are hard to read in bright light typically, and I recall a friends breaking when it fell from the bike mount, and battery life must be an issue. Oh they have these devices that display your stowed away smartphone data! Maybe that's the solution! Oh...hmmm... seems some people are having problems with these devices staying linked to their smartphones.... and on it goes.

TrojanHorse

You can buy gloves that will activate a touch screen, if that's your thing. Personally I prefer the touch screen on my garmin 800 to my former garmin 500's lack of touch. I definitely like being able to just tap the screen at night to get it to light up, and the hardware processes much more rapidly than the 500, which I found to be laggy in a lot of circumstances. I'd probably keep the 705 too if that's what I had.

And hey - news flash people, if you only want the distance you rode, or cadence or something else very single functional, a $300+ bike computer is not for you! There is no need to chime in on every garmin thread saying that you don't need it, just put a note in your signature.

These new computers look whiz-bang but not quite enough to talk me out of my garmin 800 yet. Which I got for about $200 when the 810 computers came out. There's something to be said for buying a garmin model when garmin puts it in sunset mode.

Willbird

My smartphone sucks at getting a Bluetooth signal from a HRM though, I ended up putting the phone on the stem, even with a Wahoo RFLKT+. I finally got a Garmin Edge 510 and love it so far, totally love having nothing on my stem :-). Bluetooth just does not go around corners so hot, and Wahoo has not seen the need to use the RFLKT+ as a "relay" to get the HRM signal to a phone in one of the rear jersey pockets, the RFLKT+ had a perfect signal all the time.

Will sell the RFLKT+ to somebody who wants one.


Bill

floridamtb

I was interested up until I heard it's not touch screen. But of course I already bought a 510 a few months ago and now I'm off the bike with a broken wrist for a while so I won't be getting any KOMs except in the living room on the trainer.