garmin alternative...

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tawraste

New Member
hi all,
I'm new here, and hoping you can help!
I'm an 810 owner who has finally lost faith. I'm in the market for a new bike computer and I'm looking for any advice I can get my hands on.
Basic requirements:
current speed
heart rate monitor
cadence
ability to get my hands on the ride data with a pc

I'm through with all the gimics like phone connectivity, turn by turn directions, etc. I just want something that works consistently that I can use on my commutes and on my turbo trainer.
If strava would just support a cadence sensor for android it would be so much cheaper and simpler!

Thanks for any input/experiences/advice,

Regards,

Tawraste
 

fossyant

Ride It Like You Stole It!
Location
South Manchester
Oh dear, 810.

Get the older 800, or even the 705.

I have a 705 and a 200. The 200 I use every day. The extra gubbins is not needed.

I love the 200 for the fast start and pickup. The big units take longer due to software loads. The 200 is ideal for commuting.
 
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tawraste

New Member
cheers for your reply fossyant,
being a little cautious now of the garmin brand, is there anything you would say is a bad point on the 200?
 

ianrauk

Tattooed Beat Messiah
Location
Rides Ti2
cheers for your reply fossyant,
being a little cautious now of the garmin brand, is there anything you would say is a bad point on the 200?


Only one thing I can think of. It doesn't show the time.
However apart from that, I agree with Fossy. It's an awesome piece of kit.
It also doesn't have HR or cadence. You need to upgrade to the 500 for those.
 
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tawraste

New Member
ah, the hr and cadence are required. perhaps I'll take a look at the 500.
there must be a garmin alternative tho. . . . .
 
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tawraste

New Member
Interesting, I have noticed the forerunner watches - do they really work ok on a bike with hr and cadence?
 

Venod

Eh up
Location
Yorkshire
I have a forerunner 410 & an Edge 500 both do cadence & heart rate, the 500 ( as to be expected) is a much better choice for the bike + better battery life,
 

MikeW-71

Veteran
Location
Carlisle
I've had no issues with my 500, I'd go for that instead.

Otherwise, there is the Bryton range, which I have no personal experience of.
 
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tawraste

New Member
Problems I've had include:
dropout of hr strap
Tbt not working
Unit ignoring premade course and directing me toward motorways
Failure to save rides
Corrupting rides
Elevation training function lags by 200m
Refusal to connect with smartphone
Refusal to apply correct hr zones
Garmin connect is a whole other load of separate issues
There's been perhaps five or six firmware updates in the last year, none of which solve the initial problems and some of which create new ones.
I'm just tired of messing with my technology, I want to focus on my training so I've narrowed down what I need in a bike computer and am now looking for alternatives.
 
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tawraste

New Member
No. For the following reasons:
As the issues change with firmware updates, I believe the issues to be down to bad software design.
Other people with the same issues have gone through the replacement process only to find the replacement unit has the same issues.
I am due a phone upgrade and someone on another forum has helpfully suggested ipbike. If it works I can sell the garmin and never go near their brand again.
 

bpsmith

Veteran
That's fair enough, based on your own experience. I had my 510 replaced, as I was cycling underwater allegedly. I live at the top of a reasonable hill down to sea level. Happened after a software update too. The replacement has never had the issue, despite running the same firmware. Has worked great since.
 
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