Garmin Edge 800 GPS

3/5

(10 Reviews)

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MSRP : $449.99

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Garmin has pushed the envelope of technology yet again with the Edge 800, offering you the most advanced cycling GPS unit with a user-friendly touch screen.

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Reviews 1 - 10 (10 Reviews Total)

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Submitted by Gunnar-man a All Mountain Rider

Date Reviewed: March 6, 2013

Strengths:    Ability to download courses/maps; tonnes of functions; touch screen is great

Weaknesses:    Not intuitive to use; expensive; Garmin's instructions are useless; developed a bug and wouldn't download any of my activities into Garmin Connect after a couple of weeks

Bottom Line:

I bought this over the 500 only because of the ability to download maps/course from GarminConnect, as I was going on a mtn bike vacation and wanted to have preloaded trails to follow.

I thought this would be a "drag and drop"process but after not being able to find many decent trails on GarminConnect, I searched strava, ridewithgps and mapmyride for other courses( I assume there are a great deal of Garmin users who have ridden the trails in and around Phoenix but they never shared or uploaded them into Garmin connect? Dunno..). Spent a good deal of time searching the internet to figure out how get files into the Garmin, as the instructions from Garmin were pretty much useless. I naively thought a gps course on one site is the same format as a gps course on another site.

Finally was able to get a number of courses loaded and went away for my trip. It worked well on the trail, keeping us from getting lost on unfamiliar rides and doing a great job of everything else.

The issue came when I tried to update my activities into GarminConnect and it would not find any new activities to upload. Talked ot a guy at a bikeshop and i read about others who had the same problem that the fix is to do a reboot/hard shutdown and reinstall everything. As I didn't want to lose all the courses I had loaded into it until I was finished my trip, I waited until I got home to try loading them onto my old computer and that didnt work either. (I was using a new computer with Windows 8 on my trip as well and wasn't sure if htat was causing a compatibility issue?)

At that point, I packed it back it and returned it. Too much money for so much hassle, in my mind.

I admit it could be user error but since it was so hard to find straightforward information on how to upload, use, fix errors, etc, it is not worth it for me.

Make it more user friendly and fix the bugs and I might consider again.

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Favorite Trail:   Ridgeback

Duration Product Used:   two weeks

Price Paid:    $450.00

Purchased At:   Mountain Equipment C

Similar Products Used:   Cateye Enduro wireless bike computer

Bike Setup:   Mojo HD, RS Revelation and Monarch Plus, Chris king on LB carbon rims, XT drivetrain, Formula The One brakes.

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Submitted by Tim a Weekend Warrior

Date Reviewed: June 11, 2012

Strengths:    Lots of great cycling features, good battery life, compact size, lots of option to set up various screen data

Weaknesses:    Display is horrible to see without backlight at 100%

Bottom Line:

Nice features, but a huge step down compared to the 705 in how easy the screen is to see. I took a few laps switching between units on a partly cloudy day with sun/shade and trees etc. I never once had to use the backlight on the 705 to read the map/data in any condition. On the edge it was worthless without the backlight at 100% and even then it was not as easy to see as the 705 with no backlight on. Reflections also seemed very bad with this screen on mine, it was promptly returned because running the backlight at 100% just killed the run time of the unit. My 705 also had louder beeps. If the 800 had a screen that was better to read in daylight conditions without the backlight at 100% it would be a winner.

The 800 is easier to manipulate and the touch screen is great to navigate the menus and such, but the screen is a deal breaker. I also liked the idea of being able to put custom maps and satellite imagery into it.

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Purchased At:   REI

Similar Products Used:   705, etrex, polar 720, edge 305

Bike Setup:   Titus

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Submitted by TrailPig

Date Reviewed: April 29, 2012

Strengths:    Great unit, does everything for training, riding, mapping, navigating. Works well.

Weaknesses:    I damaged the screen on the top right corner, it still works but the top 20% of the screen is now not visible. There are cracks appearing from the left side now, but it has never suffered any damage in that area so I'm not too happy about that.

Bottom Line:

The screen is not durable, once it starts to crack your stuffed.

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Submitted by ParengBalot a All Mountain Rider from Roy, UT

Date Reviewed: February 27, 2012

Strengths:    Easy To Use, Accurate, Wireless, Large Display, Data Logger, 2nd Bike System

Weaknesses:    Expensive toy, Maps are Pricey too & yearly upgrades are not free

Bottom Line:

I've owned Rino 530HCx, Edge 705, Forerunner 405CX, and decided to try the Edge 800. Garmin had gotten it right this time. With it's improved usability with the touch screen, large screen, perfect size & form factor, light weight, & software features.

The Edge 800 finds the satellites, Speed/Cadence sensor, and heart monitor really fast. Touch screen works with or with gloves, and also like the auto scroll screen feature. You can customize the data fields and enable several pages to view the desired information during the ride. Data logging works like a charm and auto routing is a plus, especially when added with the any street or topo map SD cards. You can also create multiple bike profiles and can sync with multiple monitor sensors.

The new mount design is more durable & strong unlike the Edge 705 mounts, and easy to mount & dismount. The auto night mode is also helpful when riding past dawn. Love the Virtual Partner feature for workouts & training so you can keep track of your progress. Also like the auto lap, auto pause, speed & HR alert features.

Garmin Connect is awesome to upload all your rides & share it directly with social websites.

Best bike GPS I've used in ages! Buy nothing else but the Edge 800. I never hit the trails without it.
Works For: All Bikes

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   SnowBasin Trails

Duration Product Used:   1 Year

Price Paid:    $360.00

Purchased At:   Tree For Bikes

Similar Products Used:   Edge 705

Bike Setup:   Specialized Enduro SL Comp, Ironhorse Hallowpoint

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Submitted by Eckstream1 a Weekend Warrior from Reading,Pa

Date Reviewed: January 24, 2012

Strengths:    Very easy to use and set up... Also easy to install Garmin software.
Very strong signal... Have yet to lose signal due to cloud cover or canopy cover.
Was able to find free topo maps for my area that overlay the basemap.
Touch screen works with gloves!

Weaknesses:    The 800 is a bit expensive but is well worth it!
I bought the kit... Came with the HR strap and the speed/cadence sensor.
The speed/cadence sensor is one unit and would not work properly with my bikes frame design so I had to buy a Bontrager Ant+ speed sensor... There is also a Wahoo Fitness speed/cadence sensor that would work on a wider variety of frames.
I also just upgraded my stem and am having trouble mounting to the new stem... Will have to figure something out!

Bottom Line:

This is a great unit if you would like to track your rides and better understand your fitness...
I am also working on mapping a local trail network that has yet to be mapped.
If you have a few extra bucks laying around and want to get the most from your rides PICK ONE UP!

Expand full review >>

Favorite Trail:   Neversink, Mt. Penn

Duration Product Used:   3 months

Purchased At:   Xmas gift

Similar Products Used:   MyTracks on a Android phone...

Bike Setup:   Santa Cruz Nickel w/ Sunline V1 stem

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Submitted by OscarW a Cross Country Rider from Ft Lauderdale,FL, USA

Date Reviewed: November 12, 2011

Strengths:    Great mapping ability incl TOPO maps I have for other Garmin units. Nice touchscreen and plenty of information on various screens that are totally customizable to suit your needs.

Weaknesses:    None so far

Bottom Line:

Some folks have complained about the Garmin interface and I have to agree that if you're new to Garmin it isn't always the easiest system to learn. I have recently switched from PC to an Apple and there has been no issues with this switch either.
It is a good idea to install all the necessary software first!! before hooking up any Garmin product. That makes interfacing the systems much easier.
The Edge 800 has a strong receiver, that even under heavy tree canopy's, has rarely, if ever, lost signal. I have been in Colorado with it and uploaded some TOPO maps and they worked very well getting of the beaten track.
The HR monitor works well also and the speed/cadence is great too, even though on an MTB it is a little less important than on a road bike IMHO.
All in all a great machine..

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Favorite Trail:   any I get to ride

Duration Product Used:   1 Year

Price Paid:    $550.00

Similar Products Used:   Garmin 276C, Magellan, Furuno,

Bike Setup:   Santa Cruz Blur LT with XT everything

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Submitted by htcltd a Cross Country Rider from Nelson, New Zealand

Date Reviewed: September 8, 2011

Strengths:    Very powerful tool for navigation. ANT+ makes it usable with many different devices. Good battery life.

Weaknesses:    Expensive. Menu system is somewhat opaque.

Bottom Line:

I bought this for racing the Tour Divide since I'm not a good navigator. It works well but a bit hard to set up and to get the maps installed. Can be hard to learn to use but once mastered quite useful.

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Duration Product Used:   6 months

Price Paid:    $380.00

Purchased At:   Online

Similar Products Used:   None.

Bike Setup:   Motobecane Fly 29

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Submitted by Skytrash a Cross Country Rider from Canada

Date Reviewed: May 14, 2011

Strengths:    Capable on the bike. Loved the touch screen.

Weaknesses:    Poor hook-up to computers. Not all data transfered. Crashed Google Earth on one of my computers and cannot get it to run at all anymore. We have in house IT/GPS support at work and they recommended waiting for second edition until bugs are worked out.

Bottom Line:

Garmin support so so. MEC support great but just directed me to Garmin. I returned unit to MEC for full refund. Garmin has the market right now but better stuff should be around before long for about half the money.

Expand full review >>

Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Price Paid:    $500.00

Similar Products Used:   Garmin 430, 530, 92, 95, Trimble GPS four or five models at work, Apollo a few different ones, Tom Tom GPS. Loran, INS, FMS.

Bike Setup:   Remedy 9

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Submitted by Neal Fix a Cross Country Rider from Canada

Date Reviewed: May 14, 2011

Strengths:    Great to use on bike.

Weaknesses:    Would not hook up to computer without Garmin support. Crashed my Google Earth and Google Earth is now dead on my computer after spending a week trying to get it working.
Not all fields would download to my computer. Garmin is suppose to have a fix soon. Tried two computers not much joy.

Bottom Line:

I took the 800 back for a full refund. Great support from MEC not so much so from Garmin. I can forward the support letters from Garmin if anyone wants them.

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Duration Product Used:   Less than 1 month

Price Paid:    $500.00

Purchased At:   MEC

Similar Products Used:   Garmin, Trimble, Apollo and Tom Tom GPS

Bike Setup:   Remedy 9

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Submitted by SpamCone a Weekend Warrior from Fredericksburg,VA

Date Reviewed: February 6, 2011

Strengths:    Touch screen makes checking data while you are riding very easy. I bought the Topo maps and is very accurate and I like knowing exactly where I am at. Ability to adjust all the screens to what data YOU want to see. Heart Rate Monitor easy to link up.

Weaknesses:    Garmin Manual!! Doesn't go through everything. SO things you just have to tap screen and see what happens.

Bottom Line:

I was looking at the Edge 705 and saw this was coming out. The touch screen is great and works like a cell phone even with gloves! I like the way you can attach the cradle to bars and lock it in while riding. I also like the micro sd card holder. I can go from my topo maps for mountain biking to city street for a road ride. It is smaller than my cell phone and was easy to get a quick glance at anything I wanted to check out. Finally a computer you can use and a map. Not just data on a tiny screen that you have to stop to look at it!

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Favorite Trail:   Quantico

Duration Product Used:   3 months

Price Paid:    $391.00

Purchased At:   Modern Bike

Similar Products Used:   Delorme PN30, Sigma BC 2006 MHR

Bike Setup:   Niner RIP 9, XT drive train & Shifters, Magura Louise Brakes, Easton Haven Wheels, RockShox Reba Race Fork.

Reviews 1 - 10 (10 Reviews Total)

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Garmin Edge 800 GPS

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