Yeah, Wiggle has them in stock for 300 bucks (according to their latest email). Oh, $375 with HR and cadence.
When I first read about the 500 it seemed Garmin had removed the virtual partner & barometric altimeter, although according to Wiggle these features are there. Although there is no product info apparent on garmin.com. But a sneaky Google reveals:
I was going to pick one up through amazon (and priceusa.com to get it here) but decided not to due to the poor reviews it gets around quality and warranty. Garmin wont support it here, and they are apparently prone to failure..
Please post the link where you saw the issues with the Edge 500. Surely it has not been out long enough for there to be negative user reviews??. I was under the impression it has only just been released and the few "professional" reviews I have seen spoke very highly of the "build quality".
I have an Edge 305 which is known to have issues .... just switches off on bumps (on both my road and mountain bike). Drives me bloody mad!!!
The problem I can see is that the 705 was always a bit too much (too large, too many features, too expensive) for those wanting just a 'simple' bike computer. The 500 is half the price (in USD on Garmin's store) so is an ideal substitute.
They still sell the 305 which probably does everything you'd want (be sure to get barometric altimeter, so 205 is no good) but this is relatively old tech and as discussed, these have their issues, although we also now know how to solve those.
If you don't need the fancy mapping, etc. perhaps you'd just be as well off with a 305, least until something better comes along?
The virtual partner is quite useful. That said, don't suppose I'd miss it if not there as I use it so rarely. IMHO courses are a 'must have' feature so you can follow where you or others have been and see which way to turn (not that it helps sometimes ) and know how far is left.
- Courses are supported with a route drawn to follow just like the 305 (although the screen is smaller). Ah, but there is no Virtual Partner.
- "A new feature added is the ability to set known altitude location points. For example, if I knew the altitude of my house, I could set a elevation point for this coordinates, which the Edge 500 can use as a basis for determining other elevations." - This is awesome for those starting in known locations (like at home).
- It records temperature data as you ride which is pretty cool.
may be time for me to use this technology - I'm really after mapping some of the trails I've been riding in the area and trying to work out where I can loop them together.
I was also thinking about getting the 705 until I read this forum, what I don't understand is the differences between the map functions. It says that you can't add maps, there's no base map and no data card? But from what I've read, the maps that are loaded aren't very good so could I still use the 500 and upload tracks from this website onto the GPS to navigate around unfamiliar trails.
The 'simple' Garmin devices (such as 205, 305, and this 500) support 'courses'.
What these are, is a basic route that it plotted out on the screen that you follow. That's it. It's the only thing on the screen. There are no background roads or other features shown, but you can have the scale zoomed right in and see where turns are supposed to be made which is about all you need.
There are 2 ways to upload a course into such a device to follow:
1. Copy one already made. This means, find one on the web somewhere (Garmin Connect, GPSies, etc, etc) and convert/upload it.
2. Draw one manually (using Google Earth, GPSies, etc, etc) and convert/upload it.
There are no plans to enable linking/drawing of courses on this site. Sorry, it's all been done elsewhere and is waaaaay too much effort.
Submitted by ar_junkie on Wed, 27/01/2010 - 09:20.
I'm sure these types of products will eventually become one, but which device are you after?
I don't think you can compare the 550 to the 705 purely from the mapping side of things. It would be unfair for the 705. Similarly, you can't knock the 550 for not having adequate training/recording functionality.
In the world of Garmin, the perfect setup may be to have the 550 and the 500?
That is pretty interesting and thanks for sharing. Didn't know the Oregon could interface with HR/Cadence. Still, I like the look of the 500 for it's sleek design.
it's there
https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=160&pID=...
but only if you click the menus a certain way
must be still coming 4th quarter
Yeah, Wiggle has them in stock for 300 bucks (according to their latest email). Oh, $375 with HR and cadence.
When I first read about the 500 it seemed Garmin had removed the virtual partner & barometric altimeter, although according to Wiggle these features are there. Although there is no product info apparent on garmin.com. But a sneaky Google reveals:
https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID=36728#sp...
Which says virtual partner is missing, but barometric altimeter is there. Hmmmm...
Nice battery life though (18 hour) and compact and with buttons on the side that look better suited to resist sand (unlike the silly ones on the 305).
Anyhow, given the 305 is very old now this is a good move. If you don't want the fancy mapping, etc. from the 705 the 500 would be a natural choice.
I was going to pick one up through amazon (and priceusa.com to get it here) but decided not to due to the poor reviews it gets around quality and warranty. Garmin wont support it here, and they are apparently prone to failure..
Does anyone have any views on this??
Please post the link where you saw the issues with the Edge 500. Surely it has not been out long enough for there to be negative user reviews??. I was under the impression it has only just been released and the few "professional" reviews I have seen spoke very highly of the "build quality".
I have an Edge 305 which is known to have issues .... just switches off on bumps (on both my road and mountain bike). Drives me bloody mad!!!
There are fixes for the edge switching off? See here http://nobmob.com/node/7864
i've been researching and am leaning towards garmin 705 ... though it's a bit more expensive ...
ebay $550
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/BRAND-NEW-Garmin-Edge-705...
ryda $557.85
http://www.ryda.com.au/ProductDetails.asp?Produc...
owner's manual
http://www8.garmin.com/manuals/2297_OwnersManual...
The problem I can see is that the 705 was always a bit too much (too large, too many features, too expensive) for those wanting just a 'simple' bike computer. The 500 is half the price (in USD on Garmin's store) so is an ideal substitute.
They still sell the 305 which probably does everything you'd want (be sure to get barometric altimeter, so 205 is no good) but this is relatively old tech and as discussed, these have their issues, although we also now know how to solve those.
If you don't need the fancy mapping, etc. perhaps you'd just be as well off with a 305, least until something better comes along?
I was in Cranks in North Sydney this morning and they have the Edge 500 in stock. $399 was the price.
If they have them I'd assume other Garmin retailers should too.
Very tempted to get a Edge 500. I don't think I really need the mapping functions on the 705......hmmmm more ways to blow cash
Does anyone use the virtual partner feature on their 305?
I was looking at a 500 but could see myself using the virtual partner as a motivational thing when 'training' so have held off purchasing anything.
The virtual partner is quite useful. That said, don't suppose I'd miss it if not there as I use it so rarely. IMHO courses are a 'must have' feature so you can follow where you or others have been and see which way to turn (not that it helps sometimes
) and know how far is left.
Just found a great review of the Edge 500 here:
http://dcrainmaker.blogspot.com/2009/11/garmin-e...
A couple of key points this clears up:
- Courses are supported with a route drawn to follow just like the 305 (although the screen is smaller). Ah, but there is no Virtual Partner.
- "A new feature added is the ability to set known altitude location points. For example, if I knew the altitude of my house, I could set a elevation point for this coordinates, which the Edge 500 can use as a basis for determining other elevations." - This is awesome for those starting in known locations (like at home).
- It records temperature data as you ride which is pretty cool.
Sounds like a top device from this.
may be time for me to use this technology - I'm really after mapping some of the trails I've been riding in the area and trying to work out where I can loop them together.
I was also thinking about getting the 705 until I read this forum, what I don't understand is the differences between the map functions. It says that you can't add maps, there's no base map and no data card? But from what I've read, the maps that are loaded aren't very good so could I still use the 500 and upload tracks from this website onto the GPS to navigate around unfamiliar trails.
The 'simple' Garmin devices (such as 205, 305, and this 500) support 'courses'.
What these are, is a basic route that it plotted out on the screen that you follow. That's it. It's the only thing on the screen. There are no background roads or other features shown, but you can have the scale zoomed right in and see where turns are supposed to be made which is about all you need.
There are 2 ways to upload a course into such a device to follow:
1. Copy one already made. This means, find one on the web somewhere (Garmin Connect, GPSies, etc, etc) and convert/upload it.
2. Draw one manually (using Google Earth, GPSies, etc, etc) and convert/upload it.
There are no plans to enable linking/drawing of courses on this site. Sorry, it's all been done elsewhere and is waaaaay too much effort.
Thanks Rob
i bought the garmin edge 705 ... had it only one day and wish i had bought the garmin oregon 550 ...
primarily because oregon has custommaps ...
http://www.garmin.com/garmin/cms/site/us/onthetr...
i tried creating a map for my edge of royal national park and it can be done but is overly complicated ...
creating maps oregon (can you use a pencil) ...
http://www.travelbygps.com/articles/custom.php
it appears the oregon can read kml from directly from google earth
creating maps with edge (needs a computer science degree) ...
http://youtu.be/ex5wGmKUYQw
http://youtu.be/lqjdbGi3UPo
it seems to me that the edge in my little hands does not understand google earth ...
the camera in the oregon also records gps data, handy for reviewing your journey or uploading to google earth ...
I'm sure these types of products will eventually become one, but which device are you after?
I don't think you can compare the 550 to the 705 purely from the mapping side of things. It would be unfair for the 705. Similarly, you can't knock the 550 for not having adequate training/recording functionality.
In the world of Garmin, the perfect setup may be to have the 550 and the 500?
Yeah, but the Oregon has no HRM... useless as a (vaguely serious) bike computer
heart rate monitor & speed / cadence bike sensor (GSC 10)
https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=145&pID=...
garmin oregon / colorado / dakota bike mount
http://www.ryda.com.au/Garmin-OREGON-550-Handhel...
I was also looking at the Oregan - more for is rugged / waterproof casing.
Is the only difference between the 300 and the 550 the camera ?
I cannot see too much different other then that.
D
That is pretty interesting and thanks for sharing. Didn't know the Oregon could interface with HR/Cadence. Still, I like the look of the 500 for it's sleek design.