Advice/experiences with Garmin Edge 800?

I got one 18 months ago and its been reliable every where I've been. GPS works everywhere doesn't it? I would argue though that you pay extra for the maps etc and the screen isn't fantastic and I've only been able to use it to get out of trouble while lost in deepest darkest Belrose, not while out anywhere interesting. I'd suggest that a lot of phones running Google maps are better for the map component so save yourself the money and get the smaller one.

Given the light tree coverage around Perth, GPS reception is fairly good and incorrect readings are unusual but can occur. Dropouts can occur when climbing steepish hills and/or under a tree canopy. Also if the number of satellites we are able to pick up drop below 4 due to some conditions, accuracy can reduce. Due to where I ride (Mundaring area) I often lose some contact on a 40k ride - though this is only for a few seconds and doesn't really affect the data too much. Accuracy is typically in the 3 to 10 metre zone on my Garmin 500 - same reception as an 800.

Down south I'm told there may be more dropouts due to satellite positions and tree cover. But I've not experienced any lengthy dropouts around Northcliffe, Pemberton, Dwellingup or the capes.

FWIW.

I bought one here from TBE because I thought I wanted the topo stuff.

but really I should have saved my money and bought one from overseas. I only really use it for tracking HR and strava. I use it probably 80% on road 20% offroad. so GPS is not really needed in terms of maps etc. So I guess how much do you think you want to use it offroad and the topo functions and Garmin australia maps. If not I would probably just buy one from overseas. You could then just get the free open source maps. I havent bothered with it though, as I dont think I would use it.

I used it on the cape to cape and there were a heap of people with them around me at the start and I didnt have any interference issues with my HR and the device. Also I believe I had signal the whole way through the race.

In terms of likes/dislikes.

Screen is a little hard to read in bright sunlight. But it is still readable. Battery life is maybe 20hrs max. touch screen can be a bit annoying sometimes. Mainly if it has been raining or is muddy and you go to wipe it off and you push something. but really not the end of the world. Garmin connect absolutely sucks (but I think that is a Mac thing). I just upload to strava anyway. I do like the comparison bit when you are doing the same ride. But I do like it and would probably buy another one. There is also the pedal based power meter Garmin Vector that is supposed to be out next year, but seems they have had development issues with it. So it would be a good ad on and cheaper than a crank based one.

Also there is a new version of it coming out, Garmin 900 that has supposed to fix the dim display issue. But it really depends on what you read and believe.

http://reviews.mtbr.com/garmin-fenix-forerunner-...

Also I think Chain reaction has them out cheap ATM.

I have the 705 and the mapping/tracing function has saved my bacon a couple of times when out riding singletrack at night in areas I *thought" I was familiar with... long grass and glare obscuring the track I'd just come out of had me thinking, "no, that's not it... where's the bloody track gone?" and riding in increasingly more frustrated circles until I decided to trust the device on my stem.

While you might "only" get 20 hours out of the battery, that's a darn sight better than trying to use GPS with a phone. One of my mates was using a MapMyRide app or something similar on his latest generation Android or iThingy and it was out of juice in less than 90 minutes.

Dunno about you, but I rely on my phone as an emergency device, and losing my emergency contact option after that short a time just doesn't make the cut as far as I'm concerned.

Get a Garmin with maps and keep the phone available for something more important is my recommendation

If you want maps, get an 800.
If you don't want maps, get a 500.

Remember:
You don't look at the maps while you are riding, you look at the trail. You only need the maps if you are going somewhere you've not been before or if you have a habit of getting lost.

Tip - the 800 is also good for navigation when riding on the road.

Also, don't believe the 'areas with patchy gps' hype. GPS satellites move, so it's not like phone reception where a dead spot will always be a dead spot. In a good place, like the top of a hill, you would probably see about 12 satellites, maybe more. In the bottom of a steep valley, you might only get a few. I don't think we have valleys steep and deep enough for this in WA. You need 4 for a fix.

I live in a hilly area with lots of tree cover and often have to wait for the unit to locate enough satellites. It helps if I am stationary in an area with relatively light tree cover. On days where its really hazy, heavy cloud cover or heavy fog it will take much longer. In Sydney one of the worst races for fog is the Dirtworks/Convict 100. A couple of years ago my 500 really struggled with satellite reception at the start.

Its not a distraction though. Just keep riding and it sorts itself out. So my east coast experience is that it had to be very dense forest to make an impact on a sunny day.

Most of the GPS satellites are in the northern hemisphere, so "shadows" are more likely to occur when you are at the southern base of a cliff, or it is heavily forested immediately north of you.

When Patrick Terminals automated their shipping container terminal on the south side of the Brisbane River, they couldn't rely solely on GPS to control / track the automated container carriers (straddles) in the yard because the portainer cranes (which, given the location, were along the northern perimeter of the terminal) regularly cast GPS "shadows" into the yard area when the only GPS satellites in range were well to the north.

although... Garmin have been promising the vector pedals for about a year, so don't hold off too long on the 900. Although I guess strain gauges in pedal mounts is probably a bit more difficult??? Having said that, I havent seen a whole lot about the 900 in terms of it coming out this year. If you are only getting a higher res and maybe a bit more brightness in daylight, not sure if it is worth a long wait. Screen is fine I dont really have a problem with it. yeh I guess I cant complain too much about the battery life.

Yeh I have a few issues at times with finding satellites on start up. But I think only when I turn it on it while in the garage. It doesnt like slow speed on the auto detect setting. A couple of times when you are doing slow technical climbs it gives you the reminder to get your ass in gear by pausing itself as it thinks you are not moving

Also I left it on the auto detect setting for the cape 2 cape and it was going nuts on that hike a bike up heart break hill

Mamil

Below is a link for getting open street maps onto a Edge 800. I haven't tried this yet, but it seems pretty simple.

http://aushiker.com/owner-review-osmaustralia-ma...

Love my 800 and would buy it again if I lost it.
I lost my 705 on a night ride once which was loaded with Garmin maps that I'd purchased on CD. I bought the 800 without maps as a replacement.
I contacted Garmin and asked them for a license key so that I could install them on my 800 and they refused stating that I'd have to repurchase the maps.
A few simple searches on the internet found other means of unlocking the maps.

Buy rechargeable AA batteries, (Eneloops?). Dry cells, which is normal batteries, can't handle the current surges that the GPS needs, so they appear to be flat sooner than they really ought to. (They have a higher internal resistance.)

Sorry for the link on eBay… really not clear if it's genuine or not.