Garmin 500/510/800 or Basic Odometer and Strava on iphone ?

[Winstonian1984]

I used the wahoo bike case. Worked super. three weeks back we rode 70km in pouring rain and not a drop got into it. Used it on a 150km ride as well but the battery died in the last 10kms. There is also the wahoo RFLKT which is a computer that communicates with you iphone whilst its in your back pocket. But hey if you have the cash for a garmin, do it 

[WrightJnr]

I love my Garmin Edge 500. Smartphone in the pocket is ok but I have it there for emergency calls and to take pics of my mates when they fall and makes idiots of themselves. I think the landscape will change in a few years as phones and watches take over. But they no there yet. IMO.

[LegsEleven]

Bought a 500 in August, one of the best pieces of kit to play with and the battery lasts a really long time. I charge it once every 3 rides or so. The Garmin mapping and analysis software is also really easy to use.

[johanpre44]

I also bought a Garmin Edge 500 couple of months ago. Biggest reason for going with the Garmin was to get all the ride metrics (HR, GPS route, cadence) in one place (soo much less hassle). I also enjoy the breadcrumb routes, accurate enough to follow a pre-planned route to where you want to go without getting lost.

 

Note that the cost of a Wireless computer is already around R400 for a mainstream one (like O-synce or Specialized). these units have no option for HR/Cadence which will easily add another R1000 minimum. When you add all the bits together you may as well go for a GPS unit like a Garmin 500/510 or Bryton 20/40.

 

If you dont want to loose the head unit, get a Fenix or Ambit (I do find they are expensive, but can be used a lot more than just a cycling computer).

[floatfox]

I use to have a Garmin 500 and sold it, bought a Polar watch with gps pod..what a mistake. I am now back to using a Garmin 510 and I love it. Battery life is good and it just always works. Never ever struggle with satellite reception...

[carbon ghost]

I bought a 510 a couple of months ago. It does everything the 810 does but without street maps. If you dont ride on the street you dont need maps. Navigation on preloaded courses works very well.

[RooiWillie]

I have an old Motorola mb525 that I use for strava. The phone is rooted and rid of all unnecessary apps, including email, Whatsapp and social media. Additionally I run it on edge instead of 3g/edge.

 

The battery seems to last faitly well. Without any usage, it gets more than 4 days on standby and after sunday's amashova (4hrs) I still had more than 40% battery life left.

 

I use a cheap wireless speedo with it and is tempted to see what a Bluetooth hr strap would do.

 

Essentially my advice is this, it must be specific to what you need. Battery life will be an issue if you use your everyday phone - just way too many services running. Get the phone and trim all the excess apps but know that this will not come close to any "std" GPS device in terms of battery life. Then, save up the cash and buy a proper device.

 

I am saving for an ambit right now.

[Tatt]

Also consider the Sigma Rox 10. Got one from CWC a few weeks back for around R2500 when they had their special. Comes with cadence etc.

 

Tom

[Marius]

I have the Garmin 510 - Two major issues so far - If pairing with a Power Meter please note it will only record the power for 5 hours. The second issue the the major one, the touch screen will stop working after a while 2-3 months sometimes right out the box and you will not be able to access the save or scroll spot on the lower half of the touchscreen. I've contacted Garmin support now and waiting for instructions - No, no update will fix this, I've read the Garmin forums already. This is a major problem with the 510

[Frosty]

Came across this website during my research into training using Power... very cool, and a wealth of information.

 

What brands are cross-compatible with each other?

 

http://www.thisisant.com/directory/

[Heel Drop]

This is an interesting topic and one that will continue and I think get very interesting over the next year or so.

 

My dilema when starting to look at all the options is that my ideal piece of equipment does not exist yet. There are things out there thats got what I want but not one piece that has it all in one.

 

First of all if I am spending 7k or 10k on a GPS the battery should last me for at least an endurance event of 36 - 50 hours ( Only Suunto have that type of GPS watch at the moment) , but possibly more so untill I can buy something I dont have to charge for the 360one I am not buying it

 

Then there are the watches now (tom tom) with built in HR monitor - quite nice , but the battery life sucks.

 

At the moment I am using my phone with an Ifix added battery Pack ( 4 charges) and a lifeproof shock and waterproof Iphone case ( which can get a bike mount as well) and I am not spending anything - in fact that is what I like to use what I have and not having to fork( fo.k) out thousands

 

I like gadgets though but then they must have the damn capability before I PAY TOP DOLLAR

 

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