I suspect it's more that they want to set different prices for different markets. I don't see how GPS has anything to do with it.

Yeah....it's highly regulated by the government here. Tightly controlled by homeland security.

cool i can get it for $236 w/o HRM & speed/cadence sensor which i already have. Was going to buy on Ebay, but just $25 more i can get it from a respectable dealer.

Only thing i can suggest is make sure little sensor on back is not covered up. I've heard of people having that problem on the 500's

I feel so blessed.Bought mine last Winter for $170 shipped from Nashbar!!

I bought the premium HR strap as an upgrade to the existing strap that came with my 705. It worked great for several months before it started spiking and consistantly reading high. I was seeing 120bpm as soon as I put it on. I ended up going back to the original monitor that came with my Garmin. Not a single problem since.

What do you mean? Like a way for the unit to determine what your max is or to just record the highest you hit on a ride? If the latter, it does that though it would count any spike as the max. I don't normally have issues with spikes but did have a strap go bad which Garmin replaced. It can also do the former. Go hammer up a big hill until you puke or pass out or both. Check unit for max HR.

Excellent advice. I recently "downgraded" from the 705 to a 500 because I did not need the mapping capability of the 705. Took me a couple rides to get used to the slightly decreased screen size, but me and the 500 and already fast friends.

Contact Garmin. With scan of original receipt they sent me new one in record time.

I have the 310XT because I run and Cycle. I have had no issues wtih the heart rate monitor. Works flawlessly. I feel like a dummy when I forget to charge the damn watch though...

how did you pull that?

No joke. That's the deal I'm searching for!

Dang is sucks being poor and having good taste!

Just got mine, $175 CAD, booyah!

if you dont mind used, see if he'll ship.... $140

https://lexington.craigslist.org/bik/3133464922.html

OK! WHO BOUGHT IT**********?

Strava subscription service will show your your max heart rate on each ride you do. Not suggesting you would sign up just to get max heart rate, but FYI.

I will be doing a seven day ride next week. How long will my 500 hold a charge?

Will I have any issues buying a garmin 500 from a UK retailer and using it in the US?

Will Garmin USA warranty any defects?

They will "hold a charge" for a long, long time ... but a single charge is only good for somewhere around 18 hours of use before you will need to recharge the unit. One nice feature is that with a USB cable, they can be recharged just about anywhere you can find a computer or if you have one of those little A/C wall USB adapters. "They" even make auto D/C USB adapters.

I've been wanting to get an Edge 500 for a long while now and it might be time for me to take the plunge, but given that it's almost three years old now does anyone know if Garmin will be announcing a successor to the 500 anytime soon? I don't want to make a such an investment on one only to find the new one is just around the corner...

Does the 500 give you an odometer, keeping track of all miles ridden, or does it only do single-ride data, leaving the odometer function to the Garmin Connects/Stravas/MapMyRides?

Does odometer but you must start/stop the timer on it. I don't turn it on for every single ride and have forgotten too. Based on Cateye I have installed as well (yes I have both running), there is about 1000 mile difference this year for me. (I have multi modal commute and I am not going to really bother turning it on for 10 minute leg most of time...)