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Garmin Edge 500 GPS Bicycle Unit

$239.00

User Reviews about Garmin Edge 500 GPS Bicycle Unit

This device fixed all of the nagging problems that the 205/305 models had including
1) Not enough memory ( Now stores 180 hours of ride data)
2) Battery life (Device easily runs 20-25 hours without charge)
3) Support for ANT (If I could only afford a power meter)
4) Crummy mount tab (New mount lock is much better, no tabs breaking off)

In addition, they shrunk it and it now looks like a standard bike computer -- Edge 500

In using this thing I have found a few short comings other wise it's a nice device.

One of those is that I've had times when I turn it on and it can not find satellites. mmm Turn it off then back on and it usually finds them.

the other is: I go on rides but I ended my ride some place other than where I started. mmm I left my garage but I didn't get back to it? LOL The farthest away I think would have been like 50 feet. With my not finishing where I start it makes me wonder 'How accurate is it?' In being fair when I've used the software to view my ride it appears that I'm riding where there are no mapped streets. I'm riding in a sea of white. There is a main road that appears when I view the ride but other wise I'm riding in no mans land. Maybe I'm filling the map in if the Garmin uses my information somehow. Also with that I leave my garage at an elevation to arrive like 50 feet away from that same garage but I'm 25 - 75 feet below it... When I came back home from a higher elevation. Maybe that didn't make sense: I left the garage turned right and go down a hill to a street and turn right again. Coming back home I came from the street above my house and came down part of that grade to get to my garage. When I have gone the other way I usually end up with in 25 feet of where I left. mmm again. Another time it makes me ask: 'How accurate is it?'

With that said it is a nice device but I'm not so sure one can count on it being exactly accurate. Close is good enough for me so I gave it 4 stars. It would have gotten 5 if I'd ever finished where I started ... Just once in the month of using it. ... Just once. Maybe one day I'll get home.... LOL -- Garmin Short falls

I just received this last week and could not wait to use it. I received the cadence monitor at the same time but I am still waiting on the deluxe heart rate monitor. Well I set the system up as soon as possible, I was a little worried about where I would put it on my mountain/hybrid as I have a gull wing style handle bar and not much room between the stem clamp and the rise but after mounting the holder with the rubber bands (they look a feel like giant O rings and if they break there are MANY more where they came from) the computer fit in the spot perfectly.

Now what info do I put on which screen.....decisions, decisions. I programed all 3 pages with info and the one thing I agree with most of the reviews is that the info can be a little hard to read (especially if you need bifocals and do not wear them on the ride) BUT after my 50 mile ride through multiple types of terrain (inner city, suburb, rail trail, forest) I did not lose the signal even once, it kept perfect pace with where I was. After my ride I actually decided to put 8 fields on 1 page! Why you ask, well I can read the numbers that are displayed, so all I really need to remember, is what is in what area and all the data I want is in the same screen (I do have it rotate to a second page with 4 pieces of info I use sometimes but most of the data is now on 1 screen).

The system synced right away with my cadence monitor and the funny thing is, I had the setting for my heart rate monitor active, hoping it would come on Friday before my ride, but it was not available for my first ride and I forgot to turn that function off. Well when I got home and downloaded my ride data (which by the way was extremely fast) I saw that half way through my ride there was a reading on my report of a heart rate of 164????? After thinking about my ride I remembered I passed a runner coming in the opposite direction wearing a heart rate monitor and my computer actually synced to his monitor and recorded his heart rate in the 3-4 seconds it took to pass him in the range advertised for reading the monitor.....that is fast.

So far, I am thrilled with this computer, I am anxious to see that actual length of time that the charge will hold, because I will be doing a 2 day MS 150 ride in the fall and I am not sure if I will have a place to recharge the unit at the half way point, but on my first 4 hour ride I used less the 25% of the power and that was with the system cycling through 3 pages.

Now about the temperature gauge not being accurate.....WHO CARES !!!! It is either warm enough for shorts or cool enough for long sleeves and if it is so hot that the macadam melts when you walk on it you need your head examined for riding at that time of the day. -- My First REAL bike computer

I ordered the Garmin 500 including the heart rate monitor and cadence sensors. It arrived from Amazon early, was easy to install, and simple to use. The installation of the cadence and wheel sensors took no more than 10 minutes. The unit attaches and detaches to a mount banded to the handle bar stem with a quick quarter turn, and has no rattling parts like other computers I've used. It also connects to a laptop with a USB input and the internet based software is pretty much a one touch operation. Just logon to the Garmin connect website, hit 'upload' new activity, and you are provided with full detail of your ride including elevation changes, heart rate, speed, temperature, cadence, distance, ride time and calories burned. You also have access to ride information that other people can publicly post, which is a nice way to share route and ride info. The heart rate strap is comfortable as well. I love this thing and feel that the cost is well worth the quality and ease of use. Great product! -- Garmin Edge 500 GPS