# Garmin edge 500 or 800?



## Greg4jc (Feb 7, 2012)

What do you prefer?


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## cda 455 (Aug 9, 2010)

Greg4jc said:


> What do you prefer?



Did you search the forums yet?


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## looigi (Nov 24, 2010)

The main difference is the 800 adds mapping to what a 500 has. With the 500 you can download a track to it and it will show as a trace on the screen that you can follow, but there is no map. The 800 can have detailed maps with roads, trails, points of interest, etc., and can navigate between these similar to an automotive GPS system. Don't need mapping, get the 500. Want mapping, get the 800.


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## leadout_kv (Feb 7, 2011)

looigi said:


> The main difference is the 800 adds mapping to what a 500 has. With the 500 you can download a track to it and it will show as a trace on the screen that you can follow, but there is no map. The 800 can have detailed maps with roads, trails, points of interest, etc., and can navigate between these similar to an automotive GPS system. Don't need mapping, get the 500. Want mapping, get the 800.


Might be minor to some but the 800 also has touchscreen functionality.

With the above features I chose the 500. It is more than sufficient for me and is ~$100 less.


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## Cyclin Dan (Sep 24, 2011)

I love the 800. I rarely use the maps, but I LOVE the big screen. You can display up to 10 data points on each screen, and have something like 8 screens. 

I LOVE the Edge 800.


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## carlislegeorge (Mar 28, 2004)

Cyclin Dan said:


> I LOVE the Edge 800.


Ditto. Upgraded from the 705. Great functionality in the 800 and it has been reliable for me. Maps are great, even though there's extra cost involved for detailed maps.


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## looigi (Nov 24, 2010)

LubbersLine said:


> Might be minor to some but the 800 also has touchscreen functionality.


Perhaps arguing semantics, but that's not a difference it what it does, but how it does it. There are many other differences between the two products, but the major functional one is mapping vs not.

For info on Garmin products, the Garmin users' forums are a great resource: 

https://forums.garmin.com/forumdisplay.php?f=20


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## King Arthur (Nov 13, 2009)

*500 vs 800*

For me the 500 has a very checkered past and has been problematic. It would freeze up mid ride, shut down inadvertenly, fail to pick up the heart rate monitor and cadence monitor.
There are times where the only way way to make it work properly was a complete reset of the unit. Personally, I like the 800 way better. It works, it works 100% of the time and it's easy to use. 
I tried many times to get all the updates in the software (recommended by Garmin technical support) and it amounted to zero help. I eventually sent it back when the back 
clip that it sits in the holder broke off.
my .02 cents


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## Cyclin Dan (Sep 24, 2011)

My 800 has never skipped a beat. Been used in rain, snow, everything that van be encountered weather wise here in Utah. 

I use cadence, heart rate and power. 

I'd highly recommend it.


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## jeffmuldoon (Aug 12, 2011)

I've got a 500 and I love it. Its picked up my HRM, speed/cadence sensor and now power meter with no problem at all. I don't really need mapping and the 500 does everything I want it to do.


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## Nicole Hamilton (Sep 5, 2010)

I've been using a plain old wired Sigma for years on my Paramount but for my new Pinarello, I decided I'd make the jump to Garmin. I thought it was kind of difficult to choose between the 500 and 800 but finally decided to order the 500. I haven't got it yet, so I can't report on how well I like it, but I can tell you how I decided.

1. I liked the 500's smaller size and lighter weight. For me, it was helpful to go look at them in the stores. The 500 isn't a whole lot bigger than my old Sigma. The 800 is more like mounting an iPhone on your bike.

2. I don't need the mapping. Okay, it's cute, but who am I kidding. Virtually all my rides are on the Sammamish River and Burke-Gilman trails around Lake Washington and it's pretty hard to get lost. And I always carry my phone with me so if I really need a map, I have Google maps, which are better than Garmin's anyway, even if they're not on my handlebars giving me turn-by-turn instructions.

3. Some users report dissatisfaction with the display on the 800, complaining that the resolution is poor compared to an iPhone for maps and that it's harder to read than the 500 under various conditions. (But I concede I haven't seen either one out in bright sunlight to make my own comparison of the readability.)

4. Garmin is rumored to have a new Edge 900 in the works that may offer a much better display.

5. The 500 is cheaper.


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## Antonio Araujo (Feb 13, 2012)

I have the 200 and I love it.

I was surprised with the courses feature, I already used it for navigation and it was great!

And the price is only 115€.


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## BigDaddy (May 10, 2004)

Will the HRM and cadence stuff I have for the 500 work with the 800 or do you I have to buy the bundle again?


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## Rokh On (Oct 30, 2011)

Seems like there is not much middle ground with the 500. Either you love it or hate. What bothers me is some say they never have a problem and it works great yet others report all kinds of problems. And on multiple forums. 

I know some believe the user just doesn't know how to operate their Garmin but even DC Rainmaker had issues with his hrm.

If you are thinking about the 800 I would wait until the Edge 800S or 900 (or whatever they opt to call it) is released. Sounds like it will be available just in time for Christmas shoppers.


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## jwl325 (Feb 3, 2010)

I like the 800, primarily for the larger screen format.


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## ecub (Sep 2, 2011)

BigDaddy said:


> Will the HRM and cadence stuff I have for the 500 work with the 800 or do you I have to buy the bundle again?


No need to buy a new bundle. They will work with the 800.


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## LC (Jan 28, 2004)

You don't even need to buy Garmin HRM and cadence sensors, any ANT+ device works.

I have both a 500 and 800 and am trying to decide which one to keep. The main issue with the 500 course follow is that if you do get lost and off course it does not really guide you back to the course or have any map to help you out. The 800 is great but it is larger and heavier and the touch screen is hard to use with full finger gloves. The 500 looks more water proof since it does not have that large memory card port. If your eyes are not good then you would like the larger screen of the 800, but really most of my ride analysis is now done after I download the ride to my computer.

For the vast majority of my rides the 500 is a better choice, but if I go exploring in unknown territory the 800 is the way to go.


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## c_h_i_n_a_m_a_n (Mar 3, 2012)

I have not used the 500. I bought the 800 because I like the maps. I sometimes chose just to deviate from my route to go a slightly longer distance, or shorter. 

And I have the topo maps for when I am off-road, and start exploring. Then when I get to areas that I would like to re-visit, I can save that location and come back another time until it is ingrained in my memory.


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## BigDaddy (May 10, 2004)

ecub said:


> No need to buy a new bundle. They will work with the 800.


Thanks for the response. I've had my 500 for about 2yrs with no real problems. I think it froze once during an update, but other than that it's been fine. I'm looking at the 800 as an upgrade, but a new version is probably due soon which might make the price of the 800 less expensive. I'll probably end up waiting till the 500 is fried.


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## 2Slo4U (Feb 12, 2005)

I love my 800. I don't use the map function often when I'm in my local area but I have used it while traveling. It takes some getting used to (no voice direction) but it can get you from point a to point b just like a normal gps. I just don't have to pay $9.95 per day to rental car company to rent one of their own.

I like it when I ride in unfamiliar areas, especially on the mtn bike. I recently did a 50 mile loop that everyone wanted to try but had never done. I downloaded the route from Strava, stuck it in my 800, and off we went. No one gave it a second thought that we were all in unfamiliar territory and was giving our trust to the Edge 800 to get us home safely. I've had some great adventures with the 800 and it's always gotten me home....


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## Stumpjumper FSR (Aug 6, 2006)

Love my 500, no problems for over 2 years!


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## pedalruns (Dec 18, 2002)

I used to have the 305 and that died, but it lasted about 2-3 years and I bought it on ebay. 

I've now been using the 500 for about 2 years and have had no problems at all. If I lost it or something I'd buy another!


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## stanseven (Nov 9, 2011)

The big, and I mean that literally, problem with the 800 is its the size of an iPhone. In terms of overal volume, it probably is bigger.


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## aronth5 (Jan 19, 2012)

I would echo what most people have said the 800 is definitely superior for many reasons. You get what you pay for. If you're riding in unfamiliar territory the 800's turn by turn navigation is great.


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## QuiGon (Jun 20, 2012)

Great thread but what about the 705? I have been looking and planning on making my purchase VERY soon. I was leaning toward the 500 mainly due to cost but have found refurbished 705's at the same price! I am seeing now that, here, it's not even discussed! What's the word?


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## Soundtallica (Sep 24, 2011)

The 500 is plenty. The 800 is heavier and for people who get lost easily, in my opinion a color touchscreen is unnecessary for a bike computer.


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## jwl325 (Feb 3, 2010)

I actually had a 705 for a short time--mapping capability but at the size of the 305.

Unfortunately, I dropped it and shattered the screen...as I was moving at the time and didn't have time to get it to repair site or return for repair, I decided to buy another computer (the 800s were out by then) and replaced it. 

Good lesson learned for any of these models--put a clear protector on the screens. The glass is very thin and fragile.


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## GDeAngelo (Aug 9, 2009)

Also the 800 has pace alert and interval timers.


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## cyclesport45 (Dec 10, 2007)

A silly question; What if you ONLY wanted maps? I don't need heart rate, power, cadence, anything. But Maps would be cool to have for the infrequent times I ride in unfamiliar territory. Could I just use a regular (car-type) Garmin, if there was a way to mount on handlebars?

I did say it was a silly question. . .


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## scottzj (Oct 4, 2010)

Well if you look on ebay, you can find the new 800 for almost as cheap as the 500. I paid less than $375 shipped for my 800 and pretty happy with it. I loaded the maps on it and love the possibility of turn by turn directions if needed. Many times I go to other states to ride and its nice recording previous rides, just in case I want to go back. 

Cyclesport45, check ebay as there are tons of different mounts for the "regular" GPS systems on a bike. Heck here is one that zips it into a protective system and fits up to 4.3" screen.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Arkon-GPS03...ases_Skins&hash=item3a72770e04#ht_1916wt_1161


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## mtnroadie (Jul 6, 2010)

I have been riding with my 800 for almost 2 months now, this thing is amazing, everything i ever wanted from a cycle computer and then some. One thing I am not crazy about... the battery life is as good as advertised.


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## dcorn (Sep 1, 2011)

cyclesport45 said:


> A silly question; What if you ONLY wanted maps? I don't need heart rate, power, cadence, anything. But Maps would be cool to have for the infrequent times I ride in unfamiliar territory. Could I just use a regular (car-type) Garmin, if there was a way to mount on handlebars?
> 
> I did say it was a silly question. . .


Sure, why not? Just figure out a mount for it.


Or just use your phone and Google Maps. Bet they already make a bike mount for your phone.


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## gaspasser (Aug 27, 2011)

If you're a runner, the 500 is smaller and easy to just slip in your pocket. Doesn't look like the 800 would be.


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## ecub (Sep 2, 2011)

gaspasser said:


> If you're a runner, the 500 is smaller and easy to just slip in your pocket. Doesn't look like the 800 would be.


The 800 isn't that large that you can't slip it into your pocket. There is also a wrist strap that you can use so you can wear the Edge on your wrist.


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## gte105u (Aug 12, 2012)

I use my 310xt for routes. The breadcrumb style map is worthless, but with bikeroutetoaster.com it works fine for basic directions. From what I understand the 500 is basically the same in this matter. 

The issue that comes up is if you miss your turn or worse yet there is a detour. I went on a 35 mile ride yesterday. About half way in, I go to make a turn and there is a detour because the road I am to take has a bridge out. There goes that route. I had my phone with me, so I was not going to get completely lost, but pulling over, getting it out, and setting it up to figure out where to go was not going to be idea. Fortunately after a few miles I came across a road I knew well enough to salvage the ride on a different route and get home. Being able to reroute on the fly would have been nice.


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## dndbenson (Aug 20, 2010)

I have had the 800 for about 3 months now and I must say that it does everything that I could ever think a cycling computer can do. The touch screen is nice and I use it with full finger gloves no problem. As far as being the size of an iPhone, I dont think so. Its bigger than an average cycling computer but its worth a couple of oz. in my opinion. Its nice to be a ble to load up a full century ride and be able to look at upcoming elevations and directions.


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## stanseven (Nov 9, 2011)

ecub said:


> The 800 isn't that large that you can't slip it into your pocket. There is also a wrist strap that you can use so you can wear the Edge on your wrist.


It's 2 inches by almost 4 inches and an inch thick! Most running clothes don't have pockets unless you waer cold weather stuff and even then, the pockets aren't big.

You would carry something that big on your wrist? It's almost the size of an iPhone.


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## ecub (Sep 2, 2011)

red elvis said:


> you definitely need a gps. i suggest a garmin edge 800.


Yeah, but I don't think Garmin makes a diaper mount for it.


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## stanseven (Nov 9, 2011)

dndbenson said:


> As far as being the size of an iPhone, I dont think so.


Garmin 800 - 2" x 3.7" x 1"
IPhone - 2.3" x 4.4" x 0.4"


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## ecub (Sep 2, 2011)

stanseven said:


> It's 2 inches by almost 4 inches and an inch thick! Most running clothes don't have pockets unless you waer cold weather stuff and even then, the pockets aren't big.
> 
> You would carry something that big on your wrist? It's almost the size of an iPhone.


Ah, maybe I don't have the correct running clothes, because the ones I use have huge pockets, I can carry my wallet, car keys, & smartphone, if I wanted to, though I don't. 

I do have friend that also runs and uses a GPS watch and his watch looks huge, since it's round. At least if I wear my 800 on my wrist, it doesn't look that bad, plus I have navigation.


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## dndbenson (Aug 20, 2010)

stanseven said:


> Garmin 800 - 2" x 3.7" x 1"
> IPhone - 2.3" x 4.4" x 0.4"


I was simply referring to the height and width because that is what takes up the space on your bars. I have mounted my phone to my bars when I first started out and when you add the phone mount/case it is considerably larger than the Garmin 800. For what it is worth the Garmin is about 25% lighter than an iPhone 4.


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## gte105u (Aug 12, 2012)

Wonder if you could carry the Garmin 800 in an Iphone arm band. Couldn't look at it easy but it would be there without a major issue. One benefit of the 500 is according to DC Rainmake you can wear it on the wrist strap mount that you can buy for the 310xt and 910xt. Since it isn't as big it is actually practical. 

As for running clothes, I agree. No idea how anyone would be able to fit much in typical running gear. I don't wear true running shorts a lot, but I also cannot run with things in my shorts pockets. My running tights have one tiny pocket. Only one of my running shirts has a pocket, and it is a small one in the back that can only fit a gel or two. A couple of my jackets have zippered pockets up front, but they aren't true running jackets but more warmup/track jackets. My tri singlets have pockets, but that is to make them more akin to bike jerseys. If I want to carry anything while running, I usually stash it in my Fuelbelt water bottle belt. I wear it for anything 10k or over, which is about the shortest I can imagine needing to carry anything while running.


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## stanseven (Nov 9, 2011)

dndbenson said:


> I was simply referring to the height and width because that is what takes up the space on your bars. I have mounted my phone to my bars when I first started out and when you add the phone mount/case it is considerably larger than the Garmin 800. For what it is worth the Garmin is about 25% lighter than an iPhone 4.


Just curious. Did you consider getting the 500 and keeping your phone in your pocket for maps? Any major downsides of doing that?


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## ecub (Sep 2, 2011)

gte105u said:


> Wonder if you could carry the Garmin 800 in an Iphone arm band. Couldn't look at it easy but it would be there without a major issue. One benefit of the 500 is according to DC Rainmake you can wear it on the wrist strap mount that you can buy for the 310xt and 910xt. Since it isn't as big it is actually practical.
> 
> As for running clothes, I agree. No idea how anyone would be able to fit much in typical running gear. I don't wear true running shorts a lot, but I also cannot run with things in my shorts pockets. My running tights have one tiny pocket. Only one of my running shirts has a pocket, and it is a small one in the back that can only fit a gel or two. A couple of my jackets have zippered pockets up front, but they aren't true running jackets but more warmup/track jackets. My tri singlets have pockets, but that is to make them more akin to bike jerseys. If I want to carry anything while running, I usually stash it in my Fuelbelt water bottle belt. I wear it for anything 10k or over, which is about the shortest I can imagine needing to carry anything while running.


I have an armband that fits an iPhone. I can carry the 800 in there, though it will move around.

Also, I ran a few 5K's in my Zoic bike shorts, without the padded inner shorts. I carried my phone (Samsung Galaxy S2) in the back pocket and with my keys in the other pocket, and had no issues. Although I figured if I didn't carry it, I could have shaved a couple of seconds off my time, due to the extra weight I was carrying


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## pete0713 (Sep 17, 2012)

edge 800 has a nice "back to origin" feature that helps get you back to the beginning of your ride efficiently if you're out riding a new route and get lost in your own head for a bit. Maps are really mostly just useful in that case. I've used the feature not because I was lost in my own head but because I lost track of time and thought it might give me a quicker route home. No dice.


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## Wcowles (Nov 21, 2012)

*Nuts and Bolts of the maps function*

So I have a question. I have an edge 500 and I am thinking about getting an edge 800. My question is, can I plan out a route on my computer, simply dragging my mouse along the roads I want to take (like I would using Gmap-pedometer) and then upload that onto my edge 800 so that it will give me those directions as I am riding? The garmin website talks about how it will navigate you to a point, which is great, but often the roads that you want to take are not the fastest way of getting somewhere. Can I create a route on the computer (I think using basecamp) and then load it onto the 800 and simply follow the map on the GPS? If so, that is exactly what I want.


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## J.R. (Sep 14, 2009)

Wcowles said:


> So I have a question. I have an edge 500 and I am thinking about getting an edge 800. My question is, can I plan out a route on my computer, simply dragging my mouse along the roads I want to take (like I would using Gmap-pedometer) and then upload that onto my edge 800 so that it will give me those directions as I am riding? The garmin website talks about how it will navigate you to a point, which is great, but often the roads that you want to take are not the fastest way of getting somewhere. Can I create a route on the computer (I think using basecamp) and then load it onto the 800 and simply follow the map on the GPS? If so, that is exactly what I want.


Yes, you can create routes on your computer using Garmin Connect, Mapmyride, RidewithGPS (my favorite), etc. and download it to the 800. 

Here's a link from RidewithGPS that explains it well.
http://ridewithgps.com/edge_800


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## Elpimpo (Jan 16, 2012)

BigDaddy said:


> Will the HRM and cadence stuff I have for the 500 work with the 800 or do you I have to buy the bundle again?


its all ant+ brother 

will werk


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## scottma (May 18, 2012)

Wcowles said:


> So I have a question. I have an edge 500 and I am thinking about getting an edge 800. My question is, can I plan out a route on my computer, simply dragging my mouse along the roads I want to take (like I would using Gmap-pedometer) and then upload that onto my edge 800 so that it will give me those directions as I am riding? The garmin website talks about how it will navigate you to a point, which is great, but often the roads that you want to take are not the fastest way of getting somewhere. Can I create a route on the computer (I think using basecamp) and then load it onto the 800 and simply follow the map on the GPS? If so, that is exactly what I want.


You can do that with the 500 and 800.


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## rm -rf (Feb 27, 2006)

QuiGon said:


> Great thread but what about the 705? I have been looking and planning on making my purchase VERY soon. I was leaning toward the 500 mainly due to cost but have found refurbished *705*'s at the same price! I am seeing now that, here, it's not even discussed! What's the word?


I like my 705. 

*Good:*
The 705 looks like a flash drive when plugged in to a usb cable. So it's easy to upload or download.

"Courses" work very well, and are reliable.
I make routes on ridewithgps.com, and download the .tcx file to my 705's Courses folder. Then I do Training-->Courses-->Select a course. The course shows as a purple line on the map. I can zoom in or out on the map, too. The next turn shows as a distance and estimated time, but there's no advance beep or displayed warning on the screen--but that's rarely necessary.

I'm confident enough to go ride in a completely unknown area, and I'm sure I'll be able to follow the map and not get lost.

I downloaded a free map (based on Open Street Maps) and it's very complete and accurate. Here: daveh.dev.openstreetmap.org/garmin/Lambertus/

The battery lasts 15 hours or so, and recharges in a few hours via usb.

The backlight is really good for evening or night rides.

I have two screens of data. These can be easily changed.
screen 1: speed, elapsed time, heart rate, cadence, grade%, elevation.
screen 2: Avg speed, Avg heart rate, Max speed, total ascent, lap speed, lap distance, total distance, clock.


I got the 705 for navigation, but it turns out that I really like the ride recordings, too. I can see where I went on group rides, and see how fast and how steep the ride was.

It has some good workout features. You can have it prompt you by time or distance for intervals, for instance.

*Bad:*

"Routes" (instead of "courses") are useless.
The turn-by-turn navigation rarely works correctly. I load a route from ridewithgps.com as a .gpx track, and it often skips whole sections of the route, or fails to load at all. Perhaps this is due to using the open street maps, but other users have had problems with the pay maps.

Even with the newest firmware update, it still locks up occasionally. The display freezes, and I just need to power it off and on. It doesn't lose any settings or recorded ride data. I can go a month or two with no problems, then have 2 or 3 lockups within a week. There's no pattern to it.

The garmin forum is good for troubleshooting problems.



....from an old post:
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Installing free maps ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*
I didn't have any luck with the importing instructions for assembling and converting Open Street Maps.

But this method does work, and is easy. There are pre-built maps available to download:

* Get a 4GB sdhc memory card. The Garmin manual says 2GB is the maximum, but it's been increased.
(You might be able to fit the 500mb map on your original 705 drive if there's enough empty space. I haven't tried it.)

* plug your 705 in as a usb device. You'll have two mapped drives. One is the Garmin itself, the other is the sdhc card. Create a folder on the 4gb drive named "GARMIN". I added a text file named "4gb card.txt" just so I know which mapped drive I'm looking at.

* determine your latitute and longitude. Google "latitude and longitude" and pick your location off a map. For instance, Ohio is about -84 west and 39 north.

* daveh generates installable maps (http://daveh.dev.openstreetmap.org/garmin/Lambertus/) every few months, in different sizes and areas.

* see the daveh readme (http://daveh.dev.openstreetmap.org/garmin/Lambertus/19-12-2010/) on selecting which map. He says his 2000mb maps will fit on a 2gb card, but they don't quite fit. The 1000mb ones will fit on a 2gb card easily, and the 2000mb on a 4gb card.

* The 1000mb -82 to 158 covers West Virginia east to Europe. The 500mb -93 to -85 covers Kansas City to Indianapolis for example.

To locate a longitude, use itouchmap.com/latlong.html (http://itouchmap.com/latlong.html), and at the "Show Point from Latitude and Longitude" enter latitude 40, longitude -83 to see where the 1000mb -83 to +158 map starts, for instance.
The maps all have the same detail, just a larger area on the bigger maps. And they all seem to be the same speed for panning and zooming.

* download the map you want, and save it on your computer. It'll take a while. You should try the 500mb map for your area if you are in a hurry.

* copy it onto the GARMIN folder on your 705 4gb card. This is really slow for me, it takes a few hours to copy a 2000mb map. Copying files to the Garmin 705 is way, way slower than copying to a separate sd card reader.

* rename it to be gmapsupp.img. You can have other maps downloaded on the sdhc card, but only the map exactly named gmapsupp.img is usable by the 705. You can rename the current gmapsupp.img back to 1000mb--etc and rename a different map to gmapsupp.img if you want different coverage or to try a different map.

Keep the gmapbmap.img where it is already, on the 705 mapped drive. This base map is used if you zoom out too far, or pan off the edge of your downloaded map. And keep all your tcx and gpx files on the 705, too. The 4gb card is only for the maps.

* I like to click the "Safely Remove Hardware" icon on the Windows Tray before unplugging the 705.
Boot your 705 and see the maps!


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