Garmin Edge GPS suggestions??

Depends if you need mapping or not.

The Edge 500 can only follow 'courses'. But if all you want to do is record where you go and use to compare your activities than it's all you need.

The 500 is cheaper, smaller and more robust (no sticky out buttons/joystick and so light if you drop it nothing much will happen) than the others and is what I'd recommend unless you really need proper mapping.

Even if you need mapping, do you have (or will you soon have) a smartphone that can do that? I have a buddy who bought a Bluetooth heart rate monitor strap and uses this to track his running with his Android phone.

Whatever you get, stay clear of the older 205/305 - they have a nasty design flaw regarding power off (although this can be fixed with tinkering). Also make sure whatever you get has barometric altimeter which is much more accurate (when properly calibrated) than GPS. The 500 certainly has this.

http://www.cyclingtipsblog.com/2011/11/garmin-ed...

Have a read of that.

Personally I love my 500 as its nice and small and I rarely if ever ride somewhere where I will get lost. So its perfect for me, I dont need the GP of the 800.

I use an Edge 305, my second one, as my first one was stolen. It's very accurate and reliable. My first one had a problem of losing power when the unit was jolted by a hard knock. Garmin seem to have fixed it as my newer one has performed flawlessly for over a year. I use it two to three times a week on my MTB, (average about 70 to 100km a week). It is one of the lightest GPSs and my favourite feature is the "ghost" rider. I also use it for canoeing several times a week in my kayak, hasn't missed a beat. I also have a Garmin Oregon 550 for mapping local tracks and a Garmin Nuvi in the car. The OSM map is the best by far for MTB riding, especially the OpenMTB map.

For an MTB, the 800 is overkill, also, since you typically ride mtb in long finger gloves, the snazzy touch screen doesnt work so well.
I have a 500, and its fine, but did have a 705 (it got left on the roof of a car one day, and now lives in Wisemans Ferry somewhere in a ditch on the roadside) and I loved it. The h-bar clamp thing isnt as nice, but otherwise, the 705 is a beaut. Very useful on foreign travels without the bike too - nice little GPS and mapping on holidays.

I do multisporst (ride, paddle and run) the 500 works perfectly for each of the sports. I agree that the GPS is not the best, BUT it is more than good enough for tracking your training/performance. I would also suggest to get the hear rate monitor bundle, if you are into to tracking your performance, monitoring your heart rate is one of the best ways to do this.
Also being so compact is a plus. Go the 500.

I have an 800 and can confirm that there are no issues with using it with gloves, sweaty fingers, mud, etc. and after owning it for over a year it is no more scratched than any non-touch GPS that anyone else I know owns. Do you need the touch screen and all the features? Possibly not....until you own one and use those features!

Relative to other units like the 500 it probably does seem big but it sits nicely on the stem of my bike and does not get in the way at all so it is not intrusively big. The bonus is what data can fit on one screen and also that I have taken it overseas and used it as an in car GPS and it has been great for that.

These are mute points as they are far more expensive than the $350 asking price so I would definitely go the 500 but I thought it worth clearing up a few incorrect statements about it!

Whatever you get, make sure you can get the OSM map onto it. It's very important!

Hi Guys

Just to piggy-back off this thread, I'd be interested in your opinions of a refurbed 305 vs a new 500.

I currently use a Forerunner 405 with a bar mount which is the watch version and is pretty good. I believe it's similar functionally to the 500 but with ANT, a smaller screen, no altimeter and poorer battery life, the big advantage is that my wife and I share it for her running and my riding. I'm heading to Rotorua over new years and I know the battery won't last for more than 4 hrs at a time so now seems like a good point to upgrade (that and the fact that my wife is sick of finding the HRM strap dripping with sweat when she goes to use it).

So...Should I take the 500 which is new, compact and functionally matches how I currently use the 405 or is there value in the mapping capabilities of the 305? I'm typically using it for tracking commuting (hopefully getting lost isn't an issue there), a bit of XC and the occasional 100km event. It's pretty rare that I'll go on all-mountain epics but some of that is because I don't know the trails. Is it as simple on the 305 as uploading the maps and/or someone else's ride and following the dotted line?

thanks in advance
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It depends. I rarely use it, but the times I have used it, it has saved my bacon and I'd potentially have been in a lot of trouble without it.

I have a 705, and the screen is a bit too small. If you're going for mapping, leave the 305, the 800 would be much better.

YMMV.

If you already know where you're going and are unlikely to leave your route then a 305 is fine. If you're exploring new territory then you need a mapping GPS.

@Noel,: bot sure where the disagreement is, it seems to me we are in furious agreement :

"If you're going for mapping, leave the 305, the 800 would be much better."

I don't agree with this at all. If you are logging where you go on your commute routes, you don't even need a screen. You are data logging. Later you connect it to your PC and see all the stats and maps (over google earth if you like) etc

Save your money, get a reconditioned 305.

lol - it certainly did help

@Discodan,
Just to clear something up, the screen (display) sizes for the 305 and 500 are the same.