Garmin Edge 810

cycle computers, are they worth the money – I have had a Garmin Edge 810 for over two years now and when purchased was the top model. It has now been superseded by the edge 1000. Now to jump in and purchase these fully spec units with Ant+ wireless connectivity it costs, even for the mid range Edge 520 it is $500 AUD. Head units are cheaper, but if buying first time you need the bundle… Read more

boxes.

So are they worth the coin,

I would say yes, as they have so much versatility these days. A Garmin edge can be connected to:

a camera

rear radar

power meter

cadence module

speed module

phone (inform of messages and calls) (track your route live)

computer

to Strava

electronic shifting

(although a number of the items are at a cost extra)

So how do they preform, my unit is robust, easy to read and has bike selection and customised screen, with maps as per a car Garmin (although not as detailed). Also functionality is fantastic and expandable. You can down load your data and analysis the route, speed, cadence, etc, which for the techos or training gurus is a wonder to review your performance.

So are there any downsides?

As with most things there is, Garmin has a reputation of have software glitches, I had one with the Bluetooth upload to my phone, it kept crashing until I turn off the Bluetooth. the fix was a software update. now sometimes these problems are known by Garmin but the update has not been released so it is a waiting game till the fix has been completed. Also new models have been know to be glitchy. eg: Edge 1000 and Vector pedals (although the second edition of pedals has been said to be fixed)

UI (user interface) is not that intuitive and the manual is a good idea to download and familiarise yourself with before operation as these units.

So the bottom line is when these things work they are brilliant, new product lines and new features added to the devices maybe glitchy until software upgrades are fixed. So watch for this.

Before buying the latest do your research on the particular model, sometimes it can be better to buy the superseded model if the function you are wanting to use is glitchy.

Overall a great tool for the keen cyclist, but be prepared to pay a little coin.