Which Garmin do you use and why?

#Chri5# said:
I've had an Edge 800 since the end of 2012. Regularly used for nav with turn-by-turn (TBT) which is generally good. Difficult to know if a problem with nav is the Garmin or the map data. I've seen a navigation prompt saying turn right but the display on the gamin has a left arrow. TBT makes riding much less of a faff IMO - prior to getting the Edge I would print out a number of maps onto A4. As I like to stick to country lanes (with few signs), I'd end up stopping every 4th or 5th turn/junction to check and that becomes a real time waster.

It's had the odd wobble, most recently being this year when it just turned off at the start of the Tour de Yorkshire sportive but was then fine for the rest of the day. Only ever had a battery warning once which was when I was hoping to crack 200km for the first time (was down to 2% left when I got home at around 185km). I've got a USB power pack and short cable to sit in a top tube bag for when I get to try a big day out again.
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still using mine too, don't see the point in upgrading to something newer, it's mainly just to log the rides anyway....

use the map sometimes for a new route but just follow the line and never had a problem..
takes an age to lock to enough satellites sometimes though, usually fine if I turn it on in the exact same spot it was turned off but if not... can take over 5-10minutes
 
Much prefer the Bolt to the 810, only upgraded to it after my 810 started to crash mid ride and loose the data but wish I'd done it sooner. It's usually just on map view with avg watts showing as well which is pretty handy.
 
Another vote for the Bolt. Haven't used navigation on the road yet but off road it was flawless showing the arrows on the map view on a, at times, very isolated ride in the Lakes at the weekend. Had it on for over 12 hours (backlight off) and it had something like 20% battery left.
 
I've got a 520 and it's never skipped a beat. I've got the local area map on it but I've never used it because it's too small to see while riding. I don't know if I planned a route whether it would zoom in or not but just for general riding around, it's zoomed much too far out.
 
I've used a Garmin 810 since mid 2014. (approx 20,000 miles)
There are long periods when it's flawless but occasionally it does some annoying stuff.
- Occasionally it takes ages to start up.
- Has turned itself off mid-ride 3 times losing all ride data.

Also - it seems to pick the same ride in early Feb, every year to go wrong :(

I like the big screen, the live Strava segment integration and the route mapping/directions. I've only used the live tracking feature once as it's a big drain on the battery.
 
I think my Edge 500 is finally beginning to die. It will work nomally for a few rides and then it is as though it becomes corrupted. It loses settings and then certain screens have corruped text. After a reset it'll work fine again. It's done well to be fair!
 
topgun06 said:
I think my Edge 500 is finally beginning to die. It will work nomally for a few rides and then it is as though it becomes corrupted. It loses settings and then certain screens have corruped text. After a reset it'll work fine again. It's done well to be fair!
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I went from a 500 to a 520, make sure you go for a bolt!

Nothing wrong with my 520 but it’s just as clunky to use as the 500 and feels like an old Nokia next to the iPhone bolt - I got a deal too good to miss out on at the time on my 520 as I was set for a Bolt elemnt but wish I’d not now :(
 
Yes, I think this will be the decision. Bolt or 520. My Edge 500 went funny again at the weekend. It is refusing to save user settings now. So speed and power sensors are set to off, and when i turn them back on, the setting isn't saved.
 
Garmin 810, which I love to hate. So feature rich, every data field imaginable, and follows TCX/GPX routes wonderfully created on Strava. No need for ridewithGPS to make the queue sheets. ( strava route creator is great for global heatmap, segments etc) prefer TCX for a more detailed route than GPX, but both work great on 810.

Downsides on nightrides it freezes and the backlight won't turn back on, loses satellite on starred segments with overhead tree cover/tall buildings, takes 15-30 minutes to upload postride, with lots of turning off and on and bluetooth faff, defaults to racing PR on segments, and you have to mid going all out, faf with arrows to change from fastest friend to KOM........... BUT bar all the quirks its never lost a ride, they are always saved as a FIT file, and usually join them with FITTOOLS, or fix a corrupt file on the same site.

Now all that said i've just bought an Elemnt Bolt, (Elemnt looked too big and outdated even though has two more data fields) not been out on ride yet, but thus far sceen much sharper, great backlight, and phone software looks top notch. The 810 may be getting consigned to the spares drawer.
 
Garmin make some great gear with a caveat that they don't work. I finally had enough of my 800 not working when I needed it and went with a Wahoo bolt. Surprisingly it works when I need it to.
 
Replaced my lost Garmin (can't remember the model, but it was failry high end) with the Bolt and it's so much better. Much easier to use, it works all the time.

Wouldn't go back.
 
Used my Elemnt Bolt yesterday for the first time using the turn by turn nav, got to say it was superb. Only problem is if you go wrong it doesn't recalculate the route but it does tell you that you have gone wrong. Guided me on a 77 mile ride through city and country lanes without fault
 
Just got a Bolt!

The only thing I’m concerned about is that recently using the Wahoo Fitness app and the Wahoo speed sensor, I’ve been getting some really odd results when I upload to Strava — like a 22 mile ride was apparently 54 and my max speed was 245mph…

But in the Wahoo fitness app, all the details were correct. :confused:

I assume it’s something to do with my wheel circumference, but the bolt has an ‘auto’ option — should I just leave it on that or set it manually?

Just worried I’m going to have the same problem.
 
I have an older Garmin 800. The USB is on the bottom rather than the back. I only get 8-9 hrs use of it so this allows me to connect a USB battery to it whilst cradled on long rides. The new 1030 model they have put the USB on the bottom again.
 
I've used the Bolt a couple of times now, and no issues with the distance/speed etc.

Very happy with it so far — haven't tested the navigation yet though.
 
Irish_Tom said:
Just got a Bolt!

The only thing I’m concerned about is that recently using the Wahoo Fitness app and the Wahoo speed sensor, I’ve been getting some really odd results when I upload to Strava — like a 22 mile ride was apparently 54 and my max speed was 245mph…

But in the Wahoo fitness app, all the details were correct. :confused:

I assume it’s something to do with my wheel circumference, but the bolt has an ‘auto’ option — should I just leave it on that or set it manually?

Just worried I’m going to have the same problem.
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Sorry can't help as I don't use the fitness app or the speed sensor. I take it you are using it on a turbo and not on the road else you would use the GPS.
 
Had my first issue with the bolt today, I like to keep an eye on my HR zones so I know if I'm going too hard, and for some reason the bolt wouldn't accept my recently updated zones and so everything above 140bpm was showing as zone 5! Had to turn off the LEDs as they were just on full red (zone 5 all the time).

Probably just a sync issue tbh.

Didn't want to do it when mid ride but I like the fact that a full reboot doesn't lose your ride, good to know for future rides. Also the battery life in this thing is still awesome, after nearly 5 hours of riding it's over 70%...
 
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