Computer recommendations

[off2ride]

Garmin 800 is what I use. To this day, my wife doesn’t know about the price of that thing. Shhhh. It was the “bundle” purchase and It’s still a “bundle” of joy using it. So Garmin is what I recommend.

[JimF22003]

@off2ride 14388 wrote:

Garmin 800 is what I use. To this day, my wife doesn’t know about the price of that thing. Shhhh. It was the “bundle” purchase and It’s still a “bundle” of joy using it. So Garmin is what I recommend.

I have had a 705 for the last couple of years, but it bounced off my bike somewhere on the Custis Trail a month or so ago. I bought the 800 as a replacement. I like the display better, and having the temperature gauge. The touchscreen works OK even with fairly thick gloves. The attachment mechanism is MUCH better. Hopefully this one won’t bounce off into the weeds.

The only disappointment is that when i’m going up a REALLY steep grade, really slowly (like 16% at ~3 mph) the %grade reading stops working. It’s probably not very accurate under those situations anyway, but still I want to know how tough I am (or why i can justify riding so slowly)

[americancyclo]

@JimF22003 14390 wrote:

I have had a 705 for the last couple of years, but it bounced off my bike somewhere on the Custis Trail a month or so ago.

Are you saying I can go hunting for a used 705 in the weeds somewhere?

[rcannon100]

I got a GARMIN Oregon 550 for Geocaching. Includes a camera. Nice touch interface. Has a trip screen, with 6 different stats, that you can set any way you want to. Average speed. Current speed. Time in motion. Time stopped. Max speed. Total Time. Distance until destination. Distance traveled so far. On and on. Set the one’s you like. It’s sweet.

Okay, so here is the important part. I went hiking this winter with the Oregon, with my dogs. Came back to the car, put the dogs in the car (left the Oregon on the roof). As I drove down the hwy, I heard a clunk clunk clunk. I knew what that was. Did a U turn, came back to the scene of the crime. There it was – it had gone skipping across the asphalt – had some good gashes – but it was still working.

This is an excellent all around GPS. It has a mount for a handlebar that works decent enough – its not small like some of the others that people are talking about – it is a hand held. But its sweet and if your are touring, you might enjoy seeing the map of the course that you are going on.

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID=26875

[ATTACH=CONFIG]726[/ATTACH]

[americancyclo]

@SteveTheTech 14386 wrote:

I plan on getting a Garmin 610 next anyone have any experience with this?

I didn’t find out about DCRainmaker until mid last year, but he has the MOST comprehensive reviews of any products I’ve seen. He has tons of info on the garmin line of products, and has this to say at the end of his review of the 610:

4) The Cyclist: You want the Edge series of devices, check out the Edge 500 – it’s the best bet here. If you want a crossover device, than go with the FR310XT. While the FR610 does have cycling functions – its twice the price of the Edge 500. Compared to the FR310XT, it’s the same price. The FR310XT has more cycling functions than the FR610.

But go read the full review.

[jabberwocky]

@SteveTheTech 14386 wrote:

I plan on getting a Garmin 610 next anyone have any experience with this?

I have one for running. Its a great running computer, but I wouldn’t get one for cycling. One of the Edges (500 or 800) would be a much better bet.

[JimF22003]

@americancyclo 14392 wrote:

Are you saying I can go hunting for a used 705 in the weeds somewhere?

If you find it, it’s yours

[SteveTheTech]

Garmin seems to be the dominate over here huh ?
I can see why

The DC Rainmaker site would have seriously complicated my decision making…over the top reviews are awesome.

I was looking at the 610 for triathlon training so the touchscreen and multisport support is ideal in that case. Although I do really like their bike specific models and would not kick one of those off my handlebars.

[bluerider]

I just got a Garmin Edge 200. Its basic but it does everything I want.

[culimerc]

I went with the Garmin 800 for the navigation features. I really am not fond of having to pull out cue sheets and trying to read them while speeding down a hill, or in the pouring rain, or trying to figure out where you are 5 miles after you missed a turn. The nav feature on the 800 lets me pull routes from a bunch of different on-line resources and just head by myself anywhere. Little pricey, but really nice if you can swing it.

[americancyclo]

If anyone is thinking about getting a Garmin Edge, the Open Street Maps are fantastic, and it’s free to download, as opposed to Garmin maps which run around $100.

[DaveK]

@americancyclo 14535 wrote:

If anyone is thinking about getting a Garmin Edge, the Open Street Maps are fantastic, and it’s free to download, as opposed to Garmin maps which run around $100.

Hmm… it doesn’t say, can I use these to update the Garmin in my car? I’ve previously found slightly less legal ways of updating it.

[jabberwocky]

@americancyclo 14535 wrote:

If anyone is thinking about getting a Garmin Edge, the Open Street Maps are fantastic, and it’s free to download, as opposed to Garmin maps which run around $100.

++

The OSM maps are better than the Garmin ones, too. Much more comprehensive.

[eminva]

Hello —

I read all the comments in this thread and very much appreciate everyone’s input. To go along with my new bike, I am thinking of upgrading from Cyclemeter on my iPhone ($5 app) to a dedicated device (Garmin, probably a 500).

My question is, do you all ever have any doubts about its accuracy? I find the mileage on Cyclemeter can be off by an unacceptable margin of error (for example, this morning it exaggerated my 14 mile commute to 15.8 miles). I repeatedly go through all the trouble shooting steps recommended online, but that gets tiresome when it is an every-couple-of-days process.

I just want to make sure my problems are limited to my particular device/app and not inherent in GPS based navigation itself (before spending all that money).

Thanks!

Liz

[Dirt]

Mileage has always been rock solid on my Garmin. Sometimes the elevation profile gets a little tweaky. I’ve never had a problem with the overall mileage. I’m pretty sure that cycling would be a bit less fun if I didn’t have my Garmin Edge 800. I use it daily for guiding and recording rides.

[Author]

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