Edge 800

[Arkadion]

Okay so after some thought I've decided to buy (Pre Order) a Edge 800 from CRC.

 

Gonna go for the Performance Bundle, but is there anything I should keep in mind with regards to maps ?

 

Will I need to buy a Topo and Rec map from garmap once it gets here or does it come with a basic/built in map to use out of the box ??

 

Thanks

[Tieffels]

You'll have to get the local maps, the loaded map is quite useless.

[Arkadion]

You'll have to get the local maps, the loaded map is quite useless.

 

Shot, which one do you suggest?? There seems to be a heap of versions on Garmap, I'm guessing the Topo and Rec is best for offroad/mountain biking ??

[Wrigs]

Hi Arkadion, has your unit arrived yet? How about a review for your fellow Hubbers

 

 

[Arkadion]

Hi Arkadion, has your unit arrived yet? How about a review for your fellow Hubbers

 

Yes !

 

Got it last weekend, been playing around a bit and was quite impressed after fiddling around !

I'll admit, I've never used an offroad GPS before so I can't really benchmark it against something else.

 

Some good and bad points ...

 

The good:-

 

1) It's the right size for me

 

I mounted it over my stem on my MTB with the double o-ring connectors, and it's easy enough to read or view the map

without squinting (For me anyway)

 

2) Mounting is cool

 

It sits well and doesn't budge with the O-ring connector (I heard other people moan about the 705's cable tie system)

It also plugs and unplugs from that adapter easily.

 

3) Menu's and setup are cool, and it's fast!

 

Browsing through the settings is easy and it does some auto-calibration on wheel size etc, you can also setup pages for data fields

and have upto 10 fields per page (1 of mine has Total time, Ride time, Heart rate, Heart rate average, Odometer, Temp etc)

 

4) Maps are cool and it supports Garmin Basecamp's Bird Eye

 

Downloaded a sample of Bird's Eye imagery, WOW, it's like having google earth wherever you ride, I believe you can overlay this with the TOPO and REC maps

too!

 

5) Mapping is FAST!

 

I have no experiece with other offroad GPS's but it's WAY faster that my Garmin Nuvi (7 series?) for my car. The moment you tap zoom or pan it does it, even with the Bird's Eye maps, no lag, just plain sailing !

 

 

 

The Bad :-

 

1) The bloody cadence/speed sensor (I think they call it the G-10 unit) does not reach both at the same time.

 

I believe it's because the geometry on my Morewood is such that it just won't work, I compared it to my old man's bike (KHS) and it seems it will work on his,

so if you have a downhill/xc hybrid (In my opinion) instead of a pureblood XC bike you might want to double check. BUT it's not a train smash because the speed is still read by the GPS, it's apparently more accurate to just have the speed sensor on.

 

2) There is no manual for advanced settings

 

Not a biggie, you can go online to find out how to setup advanced workouts and training schedules, but I'm not really into that for MTB

 

3) Internal memory

 

I think there's only 100 odd megs of internal, not too serious because it accepts MicroSD (Not sure up to what size), people have complained in general that memory sticks are slow, But just remember that the speed is classed on these things. There is Class 2/4/6 and I've heard of class 10 as well (Higher is faster), most people probably go out thinking a memory stick is a stick, big difference though in access and copying speeds ! You can pick up a class 6, 8Gig for about R150 which is more than enough I think!

 

 

That's about it !

Overall I'm very happy ! Got more excited to use the thing the more I played with it

I just wish Garmin would have sent the local guys a test unit before I even got my hands on it, I'm probably one of the first in the country :P

 

Still trying to find out if it supports the DEM maps for 3D topography...

[Arkadion]

Sorry , meant to add that it's not strictly and offroad GPS, and is aimed at roadies as well, I haven't used it for that at all so can't elaborate much

[rouxtjie]

snip snip

 

The Bad :-

 

1) The bloody cadence/speed sensor (I think they call it the G-10 unit) does not reach both at the same time.

 

I believe it's because the geometry on my Morewood is such that it just won't work, I compared it to my old man's bike (KHS) and it seems it will work on his,

so if you have a downhill/xc hybrid (In my opinion) instead of a pureblood XC bike you might want to double check. BUT it's not a train smash because the speed is still read by the GPS, it's apparently more accurate to just have the speed sensor on.

 

snip snip

 

I have a medium zula and truvativ noir cranks and had the same problem with the sensors for my Edge 500. After alot of vloeking it seems like its easier if you do it in a certain sequence, first setup the cadence sensor and make sure it picks up signal by checking the little LED, when you done tie down the unit to the stay and make sure it is secure and that the speed sensor arm will still reach a spoke. Then move the little speed sensor arm close to a spoke(3-5mm) and tighten screw again. Onlt then adjust the magnet and test signal for speed sensor. This worked for me....

[Tankman]

 

The Bad :-

 

1) The bloody cadence/speed sensor (I think they call it the G-10 unit) does not reach both at the same time.

 

I believe it's because the geometry on my Morewood is such that it just won't work, I compared it to my old man's bike (KHS) and it seems it will work on his,

so if you have a downhill/xc hybrid (In my opinion) instead of a pureblood XC bike you might want to double check. BUT it's not a train smash because the speed is still read by the GPS, it's apparently more accurate to just have the speed sensor on.

 

 

Do you know that the speed arm is adjustable? Loosen the screw, pull it out slightly and it is able to move, no matter what the geometry of your bike, you should be able to get the cadence and spoke magnet close enough to the unit.

[Tankman]

Ok, seems like there might be an issue as Rouxtjie just confirmed.

 

On some of my bikes I only use the cadence sensor, speed is picked up by the gps anyway, and that wheel magnet saves me all of 3g!

[Arkadion]

I have a medium zula and truvativ noir cranks and had the same problem with the sensors for my Edge 500.

 

Jah , got the Shova on this side, it's IMPOSSIBLE

 

It's not a case of the little adjustable arm, but the fact that the crank doesnt come anywhere near enough past the rear swing arm in such a position that it can ready both cadence and speed, I think the Shova just has a rear wheel that sits further back from the crank, which is probably a "downhill" bike geometry characteristic

 

Thanks for the suggestions tho !

[Tieffels]

Shot, which one do you suggest?? There seems to be a heap of versions on Garmap, I'm guessing the Topo and Rec is best for offroad/mountain biking ??

 

Sorry, only saw your question now.. I ended up getting T4A for now, I think they have more way-out places mapped, but have not really compared it to the garmin maps..

[GC_Fan]

you can make your own free maps by following the instructions here

http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Mkgmap

 

or if you want to download pre-compiled maps (also free) check here

http://download.raumbezug.eu/garmin/africa/south_africa_and_lesotho/

[georges]

Jah , got the Shova on this side, it's IMPOSSIBLE

 

It's not a case of the little adjustable arm, but the fact that the crank doesnt come anywhere near enough past the rear swing arm in such a position that it can ready both cadence and speed, I think the Shova just has a rear wheel that sits further back from the crank, which is probably a "downhill" bike geometry characteristic

 

Thanks for the suggestions tho !

 

 

Thanks for directing me here. What have you done about the maps and any tricks I need to know if I wish to use it in my car when travelling to Namibia. Abit of a blow with the Candence issue and hope the thing works on my Santa Cruz Blur.

[Arkadion]

Thanks for directing me here. What have you done about the maps and any tricks I need to know if I wish to use it in my car when travelling to Namibia. Abit of a blow with the Candence issue and hope the thing works on my Santa Cruz Blur.

 

Cool no prob

 

Well as far as I know there are only 2 decent, well known map systems, and that's Garmins and Tracks 4 Africa (T4A).

 

I'm opting for the Garmin ones so far (www.garmap.co.za) because I think they will integrate better with Garmin Basecamp. I don't believe the Edge 800 supports the DEM maps (3D Topography) so I will be getting the normal Topo and Rec maps which is what you should be getting for any trail type GPS for about R1300.

 

Ontop of that you can get the Garmin Basecamp Bird's Eye maps which I have tried and used, they are AWESOME! (R200 per year subscription) It's like google earth on your Garmin, you specify a few regions to download and it overlays your Topo & Rec / T4A maps over this ... I managed to find some new routes this weekend out towards Bronkorst Dam because I could SEE EVERYTHING!

 

Don't worry too much about the Cadence/speed sensor, rather get the cadence working because the Garmin is going to pick up your speed from the satellites anyway, it's supposed to be a little more accurate with the speed sensor so pffffft!

 

Just remember if you use it in your car I dont believe it talks to you, it just beeps when a turn is coming up, but that won't stop you from getting there

 

Good luck !

[georges]

Cool no prob

 

Well as far as I know there are only 2 decent, well known map systems, and that's Garmins and Tracks 4 Africa (T4A).

 

I'm opting for the Garmin ones so far (www.garmap.co.za) because I think they will integrate better with Garmin Basecamp. I don't believe the Edge 800 supports the DEM maps (3D Topography) so I will be getting the normal Topo and Rec maps which is what you should be getting for any trail type GPS for about R1300.

 

Ontop of that you can get the Garmin Basecamp Bird's Eye maps which I have tried and used, they are AWESOME! (R200 per year subscription) It's like google earth on your Garmin, you specify a few regions to download and it overlays your Topo & Rec / T4A maps over this ... I managed to find some new routes this weekend out towards Bronkorst Dam because I could SEE EVERYTHING!

 

Don't worry too much about the Cadence/speed sensor, rather get the cadence working because the Garmin is going to pick up your speed from the satellites anyway, it's supposed to be a little more accurate with the speed sensor so pffffft!

 

 

Just remember if you use it in your car I dont believe it talks to you, it just beeps when a turn is coming up, but that won't stop you from getting there

 

Good luck !

 

Thanks again. much appreciated. here is a response from Garmin SA which you might find interesting. Garmin respnded very quickly and appear to be on the ball.

 

Dear Sir

 

 

Thank-you for contacting Garmap, yes we would. We would charge you R 350.00 handling fee if we need to exchange the unit.

 

 

Thanks

 

 

Please do not hesitate to contact us should you require any further assistance.

 

 

Kind Regards

 

 

 

 

Candida Teixeira

 

Garmap Support

 

 

 

T +27 0861-Garmin

F +27 (0)86 666 8324

E support@garmap.co.za

W www.garmap.co.za

 

Reg 2007/ 018607/ 07

JOHANNESBURG

 

Kimbult Office Park | Zeiss Road | Laser Park | Honeydew |