One GPS to rule them all?

I use an Edge 800, works great. Even better with the speed cadence (speed sensor give more accurate speed readings and can help smooth the track when GPS is spotty. I have used various Edge incarnations (305, 705) at Demo, Skeggs, Santa Teresa, Saratoga Gap, Russian Ridge, Sea Otter, Lake Oroville, etc. with very good results.

Edge 800

Edge 800. Not cheap but fits your requirements. I also have an Edge 705.

Our head nerd reviewer Brian Mullin said Garmin Edge 500

http://reviews.mtbr.com/blog/garmin-edge-500-review/

I bought it and he is dead on balls right.

fc

francois said:

Our head nerd reviewer Brian Mullin said Garmin Edge 500

http://reviews.mtbr.com/blog/garmin-edge-500-review/

I bought it and he is dead on balls right.

fc

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how did you get around this on your FS?

"Speed/Cadence Meter (SCM)The sensor can be problematic to attach to full suspension chain stays, and tends to work better on hardtails, and I only use the GSC 10 on my commuter bike.?

Think about what you want

Think about what you want before buying. I bought the 705/800 because I wanted to download and follow the rides of others on a map. Maps are important in new/less familiar areas. Between the 705 and 800, once you use that touch screen on the 800 there is no going back. And the 800 also allows using custom off line maps. Here is a feature comparison between 500, 708 and 800. Nobody pays full retail price. You may "grow" into using many features you had not previously considered.

Buzkil said:

how did you get around this on your FS?

"Speed/Cadence Meter (SCM)The sensor can be problematic to attach to full suspension chain stays, and tends to work better on hardtails, and I only use the GSC 10 on my commuter bike.?

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Cadence, do you really care about cadence on a FS bike?

george_da_trog said:

Cadence, do you really care about cadence on a FS bike?

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Since I am still relatively new to all of this why wouldn't I? I thought Cadence was helpful to make it to the top of the hill rather than burning out?

I have an Edge 500. I previously had the 305. I don't use the sensors on my mountain bikes, but do on my road and commuter bike. It seems to work great on the mountain, more accurate than the 305, smaller, easier to use. Not a fan of the color but whatever.

george_da_trog said:

Cadence, do you really care about cadence on a FS bike?

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LOL I was thinking the same thing.

Mental image of guy on a 6in bike holding 80rpms up mt tam

george_da_trog said:

Cadence, do you really care about cadence on a FS bike?

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Exactly. I have the 500 and use the cadence sensor on my road bike, with mounts for all 4 bikes.

If you care about maps, the 800 is probably a better solution.

The cadence works pretty good on my racer-x considering it mounts up near the pivot by the cranks and how large the sensor is ( bigger than a quarter) even if the back wheel is moving up and down you don't get as much motion up by the pivot. The wheel sensor like others have mentioned is a nice plus while just incase you get in a spot that GPS reception is spotty.

I'd second the 500, if you just want to collect your data and not do the map thing.

There's a GPS forum in here too. Take a look.

A lot of votes for the 705 instead of the 800 if used for cycling. The 500 is the winner if you don't need maps.

redmr2_man said:

LOL I was thinking the same thing.

Mental image of guy on a 6in bike holding 80rpms up mt tam

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That would be me, on my 2010 Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Elite. Chuggging my way up Lincon Ave. to get to Redwood/JMP takes a bit out of me when it's just the Preride Warmup.

Buzkil said:

Since I am still relatively new to all of this why wouldn't I? I thought Cadence was helpful to make it to the top of the hill rather than burning out?

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Cadence is not needed on a mountain bike. It is one of those data crutches that will hinder rather than help your riding experience. The hill will dictate your cadence. Just remember to use your gears and let your legs spin freely.

And I don't use a speed magnet wheel sensor on my bikes. It is less accurate but very sufficient for me to rely on gps rather than wheel size rotation to determine the speed of my bike. With a lot of bikes, (road, cross, 29er, 26er) the wheel size configurations and wheel sensors is a device killer for me. So right now, the Garmin 500 just snaps to a holder on my bike or stays in my jersey pocket.

fc

rensho said:

There's a GPS forum in here too. Take a look.

A lot of votes for the 705 instead of the 800 if used for cycling. The 500 is the winner if you don't need maps.

Click to expand...

Oh yeah, maybe we recruit those nerds in our Strava KOM club.

fc

I'm in the position to buy a new GPS as well, and so far the 705 is the front runner. I have my doubts about touch-screen on the 800 but might still go for it since it's relatively cheap/new compared to the 705.

Now if I could only find off-road trialmaps to pre-load - rather than just downloading single rides from online- that I'd pay for.

I have a 705 and love it. I can't compare to the 800 as I haven't used it or know anyone who has. I don't know how the touch screen is on the 800, but I know Iphones and Ipods suck with gloves on. The price is nicer on the 500 than the 705 or 800 and has all the features (more or less) of those two, just without mapping. I haven't found the mapping to be particularly useful on the 705, but I do like the bigger screen over the 500. I imagine the 800 screen would be bigger yet without having to make room for buttons. So there's my lack of a recommendation, but those are the main points I've noticed as far as differences.

Edge 500.

Has all you need, nothing you don't.

P.S. If I was to get lost on a road ride, I would just refer to my smart phone. I don't need to be looking at it while I ride.

I am thinking I would like the map function. I want to do some exploring this year, so I think it would be sort of helpful. Sure I could go riding with other people but not many people want to get out of bed at sun up on a weekend.

P.S. someone should PM me and sell me their 705 so they can upgrade to the 800.:thumbsup: or they could sell me their 800 so they can buy a 705. I am not too picky.