I have both the new and old HR strap and the old one is 100 times better. The old HR strap was from my old 305 forerunner, and when I went to the 800 I got the new strap. I don't find it all that more comfortable either. My advice it to go with the older HR strap.

i messed up the connection to the hrm initially thats why i was having some issues but its all sorted for me now.

personally i go for the (it was a gift) avenue, it really doesnt matter they should warranty it anyways for at least a year, as i said i got my mine for 311, turns out the guy already had a cateye or something and a bike shop damaged his bike and they credited him about 400 bucks so he got that and turned around sold it on ebay. i might be in a different situation but if anything happens ill deal directly with garmin, it is their problem.....

Good info guys....thanks.

Here you go.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/290668644006...=p5197.c0.m619

I hate my Garmin! it turned into a fancy expensive bike computer. whatever you do make sure you buy it from a US distributer/website. I accidentally got mine from a site out of Ireland and I cannot synch it to my computer.

the fact that its from ireland really shouldnt matter. from what i've at least seen and read there is nothing about it being regional, and even so i wouldnt think that it would matter. but with that said on the garmin forums i found a post about a guy that said he finally fell in love with his. he stopped during a ride, and began to punch the screen until it cracked and then threw it in a creek..... a little excessive. after using mine for a few days (and keep looking up all the info and threads i can find) i guess it is a little quirky but overall im really happy with it and the fact that i can have all my data in one place and i can actually look at it see how i did on a ride. i did a course and a workout at the same time today i notice that it didnt do the automatic pause, but that could have been because of the workout, but overall not a big deal. it is more hi tec so with that i think there is going to be a little bit more effort involved.

How can you tell the difference between the old and the new HR straps?

i think the old is a solid strap (lots of plastic) and the new "premium" is cloth with a unit that clips into two electrodes.....thats what im assuming since i got the red package and its newer.... i think lol

The newest premium strap is like that. The last generation premium was similar except the transmitter unit is what held the two ends together (i.e. it snapped to each end). The newest one has a little plastic hook that slips into a loop to hold it on. You can wear it without the unit like if you are driving somewhere and want to save battery. Then just snap the unit on when ready. Of course, I've also forgotten to put the unit on and rode with just the strap - d'oh!

I love mine. Had to have one headunit replaced under warranty due to a couple lines of dead pixels, but garmin support was very helpful.

My 500 no longer gives me gradient data, anyone ee;se experienced this and more importantly know how to fix it?

Interesting. I'm tempted to buy from GPS-R-US, but this scared me:

Online Auction Purchases: Products purchased through online auctions (this does not apply to purchases made on www.garmin.com) are not eligible for warranty coverage. Online auction confirmations are not accepted for warranty verification. To obtain warranty service, an original or copy of the sales receipt from the original retailer is required. Garmin will not replace missing components from any package purchased through an online auction.

https://www8.garmin.com/support/warranty.html

I had never viewed a "buy it now" as anything other than an auction, but I guess I can see a difference. I just don't know if Garmin does, too.

I just ordered the grey bundle (with speed, cadence, and premium HRM) from ProBikeKit for $278 shipped.

Will have my Black standalone unit tomorrow for $175 CAD; yay for grandfathered employee discounts!

I have the "Red" version. It works great.

One functionality I wish it had, though, is a way to measure and record max heart rate.

How did you get that price?! I tried the promo "TOUR15" but it was denied. The terms and conditions said that Garmin is excluded.

I used TDF10, but I believe bicycling10 also works. Also looks like they raised the price on it. Original price for me was $309.86 minus $30.99 with TDF10 to get $278.87 shipped. Now it's $328.10 minus $32.81 to get $295.29 shipped. Still a great deal.

Neither of those work either

You sure you're doing it right? I just took this screenshot RIGHT now.

the heart rate spike is often caused by a jersey flapping in the breeze.

UTFG

I was doing it wrong. Bicycling10 worked after all. How did you get it for $278 though?

PBK is always changing prices, it was $309.86 when I bought it, now it's $328.10

Yup, when I look on eBay, I always check the box US ONLY and dont even search overseas.

i'm about to buy my edge 500 on ebay. You can find them with cadence/speed sensor for about 210 shipped new. Not sure about warranty, but at around 66% of the price it's a chance i'm willing to take. You can pick up the HRM for about 20 or so on ebay. BTW i bought my 310xt on ebay new, and no problems.

FWIW - Garmin monitors all online sales and usually buys units from the vendor if they think it's suspect. They made all retailers in the us go and file paperwork direct with them even if they were buying through distribution. This way they can track every sing
E unit that goes out and who sells it.

By setting up the agreements you are expressly forbidden to export from you origin country. This has more to do with the fact that it is GPS than it does about it being a bike part. I had to sign my life away to get an account.