Pakiwi

I recently replaced my phone with a Garmin 800.
The main reason being is I want to use the right tool for the job. The phone can do the job but I found it had some shortfalls. The first is when you want the phone to work after an accident or in a problem situation, I want to be sure it has battery and that it didn't get smashed as I got ridden over by the peloton. I have my phone in a protective case that I use everyday. I have dropped it without issue. The other issue is that you can put it in a case on the bike but it still doesn't solve the battery issue.
So I put the phone in my back pocket and use it when needed.
i have to say I really like the Garmin 800. You can set up the screens how you want and I have loaded routes from other people from Strava and since getting it I found I am going on areas that I have never been on before.
i know the 810 and 1000 have come out but from reading the 800 seemed like the best choice.
allan

JReade

I used to use my phone for the tracking, and it works fairly well. Now theres a RFLEKT (I'm not sure thats how it's spelled) that will pair to do cadence and heart rate as well, but there is still the concern of battery life. I don't keep my phone on a mount on my bars, with the expectation that I will crash and have to chase down my phone in traffic, or call 911 and it's fubar.

That said, I got a 510, and I have had no issues. Battery lasts forever, and it's waterproof (or at least rain proof, I've ridden in monsoons and have had no issues with the gps. I will map a route out on the computer and send it to the GPS and it will do turn by turn, and set a track for me. You can even load your last ride if you do a regular loop, and race your ghost. I have heart rate/cadence on my roadie, and then I just have the mounts on my MTB and touring bike. I don't use the profiles, I just swap them over.

On a side note, strava and the sort use known elevations from topo maps to give you the elevations. Which is a bummer for me in FL, since our elevation is over bridges, and that comes up as sea level.

Chitown_Mike

Why did you ditch the 705? Curious as I hear it is great but then others say it is junk, and Garmin doesn't produce it anymore so that to me says something. But they can be had for cheap it seems.

cafzali

Not the OP obviously, but the 705 wasn't discontinued because it was junk, but rather it's an old model and tech companies never sell products forever. Rather, they have a planned obsolence cycle for the product, stop selling it at a certain time, and stop supporting it with updates at a particular time after that.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with the 705. It just doesn't have the touchscreen interface that the 800 and devices thereafter do, as well as other bells and whistles like live tracking/cell phone pairing or the virtual training partner (if you care about that). If I replaced my 705, it would be with an 800 because I don't care about cell phone pairing but would like the interface a bit more for the times when I use the navigation capabilities.

sstorkel

I upgraded from an Edge 705 to the 800 when the 800 was replaced by the Edge 810. Between the close-out pricing on the 800 and what I was able to sell my 705 for, the upgrade only cost $30-40. Big attractions of the 800 were: better battery life, the touchscreen display, and a supposedly better mount.

Because the Edge 705 used a joystick to enter addresses and configure display fields, everything was a bit cumbersome. The Edge 800 is much better in this regard. The touchscreen does collect fingerprints, which is annoying, but works better overall.

Battery life is better on the 800 and it doesn't ever spontaneously drain the battery while powered down, as the Edge 705 liked to do on occasion.

Personally, I think the Edge 705 mount was better than the mount used by the 800. The Edge 705 mount did have a tendency for the release lever to break off, leaving the device locked to the mount (until you were able to free it using a pocket knife or screwdriver). The Edge 800 mount seems less likely to break and the install is a bit cleaner, but it doesn't hold the device as well in my opinion. I've nearly knocked the 800 off the mount a couple of times while preparing for a ride, something that was impossible with the old mount. Luckily, the 800 mount has never let go while riding but I worry that it could!

Edit: At Fatty's recommendation I bought a Tate Labs Barfly 2.0. It arrived yesterday and seems to be much more secure than the stock Garmin mount for the Edge 800! The Edge locks in very solidly and, at least initially, feels unlikely to rotate into the "release" position without human intervention.

LabRat2k3

Is anyone using a Cateye Steath 50? I've been looking at them because they seem to offer everything I want(speed, cadence,GPS) at a better price than the 500, but it doesn't seem like many people are using them which gives me pause.

stan1911

I'm using the 510 with the cadence and HR monitor. No issues. I'm going to buy one to put on my wifes bike soon.

daviddavieboy

IMO the phone apps are a great boost for your ego. Mine constantly overestimated my performance. It was a real eye-opener when I got a garmin edge. I bought a 200 and found it fine, worked just like a typical bike computer, just with the ability of tracking and uploading to fitness sites. However I've outgrown it quite fast. I bought a old forerunner unit with a cadence sensor and heart rate strap. Now I have the ability of keeping track on and off the bike if I choose ie. running/swimming.

klmmicro

Bought my 500 in February of 2011 and still love it. Battery is still going strong and sensors are still working, though the CR2032 batteries have been changed a few times. All of the features that one would need; HR, cadence and GPS being primary...for me at least. Can also interface with several power meters as well. Are there other computers out there that do this? Sure, and they carry a similar price tag. The quality of build of the Garmin is top notch. Another vote for the 500 or 510 here.