2019 Best GPS Computer for Cycling?

Discussion in 'Computers/GPS SYstems' started by Mikie, Jan 27, 2019.


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  1. Agent Orange

    Agent Orange Member

    Location:
    Antelope Valley, CA
    Name:
    Yokel Legend
    Current Bike:
    '98 Specialized FSR Comp
    For those with the Edge 520, I'd be interested in what you think of it. I just ordered a factory refurb 520 after having problems with my Stages L10 Dash and a protracted ( 6 weeks so far) and ultimately very unsatisfactory customer service experience.

    Really the only way a Garmin could be worse than the L10 is if it doesn't work at all, but figured I'd ask anyway.
     
    Mikie, Faust29 and pperrelle like this.
  2. AKAKTM

    AKAKTM Well-Known Member

    Location:
    SCV
    Name:
    Tony A
    What do you all find beneficial about a dedicated GPS vs. your phone or a watch like an Apple or Garmin?
     
    Mikie and Faust29 like this.
  3. mtnbikej

    mtnbikej J-Zilla

    Location:
    Orange
    Name:
    J
    Current Bike:
    SC Chameleon SS, SC Hightower

    I’m on second 520….no issues really. Well except that sometimes the ascent numbers are off. Sometimes my HR monitor has issues connecting…but that may be my HR strap.
     
  4. Voodoo Tom

    Voodoo Tom MTB Addict

    Location:
    Castaic
    Name:
    Tom Kokkinakis
    Current Bike:
    Mango one, black one, Ti one
    I've been using the 520 since early 2016 and other than a little less battery life it's still going strong. Only thing I don't like is the navigation. it is difficult to follow a course and the screen updates rather slowly so many times I blow a turn and don't realize it till I'm way off course.
    Better battery life especially since the screen is always on and it survives crashes much better than a phone. I have an Apple watch also and it works fine for recording rides but it's too hard for me too look down and read the tiny screen when I've got sweat running down my face my heart is about to explode. I have used my phone a couple time for navigation and it's way nicer on the bigger screen.
     
  5. Mikie

    Mikie Admin/iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    NW Arkansas
    Name:
    Mikie Watson
    Current Bike:
    Ibis DV9 / SC Hightower
    I have the 520+
    I have forgotten what the difference is. It's fantastic for traditional rides, but guys like @Voodoo Tom and I are often not traditional trail riders. We do adventure rides where we plot a map ride, download it, then try and stay on course. Often bushwhacking, we often get off course so then the Garmin 520+ sucks! It tells you you are off course... big deal, how do your get BACK ON course! :mad: But I will assume for most people it will do everything you hope it would.

    Budget.
    Plus I like dedicated tools for the job. I use my phone for a phone, I don't want to spend money on a watch because I am a bull in a china closet. No watch has ever survived a Mikie beating. With the trails I often ride, having a watch hanging out 400mm's in harms way of rock overhangs, trees, and thick brush is just begging to get smacked! :eek:
     
  6. AKAKTM

    AKAKTM Well-Known Member

    Location:
    SCV
    Name:
    Tony A
    Thanks Tom and Mikie. I still use the phone or watch and am trying to decide if I am missing anything. I've not had any issues with using the watch and having an excellent integrated heart rate sensor is just another benefit to me. I like tech, so if there was something good I was missing in not having a dedicated unit, I'd consider it. If, on the other hand, it's just one more thing to keep track of and charge that doesn't bring much added value I suppose I'll stick with the watch. It's taken a beating for years with no issues...so far!


     
  7. Faust29

    Faust29 Moderator

    Location:
    irgendwo
    Name:
    B. Bunny
    Current Bike:
    I gots some bikes.
    The biggest issue for me is the accuracy... I usually run the FitIV app on the Apple watch along with the GPS unit (Wahoo for me), because the watch heart rate data is excellent. Worlds above what I can see on the GPS. Time in each zone, average, highest reading, warnings, etc...

    But... The route accuracy on the watch (or phone...), though, just isn't there. I know if I ride a segment at different speeds, I can get the watch to show different elevation readings, because the refresh rate isn't the same as a dedicated unit and it misses small elevation changes. This is probably not an issue for most... It bugs me.
     
    Runs with Scissors likes this.
  8. AKAKTM

    AKAKTM Well-Known Member

    Location:
    SCV
    Name:
    Tony A
    There are some pretty good articles and unofficial studies comparing Apple Watch 5 & 6 to Garmin Edge 1000 to Garmin watch to FitBit that show, as you said, that the Apple Watch HR is excellent (which is expected given it's FDA cleared) and that sampling rates, route accuracy and overall GPS accuracy for a run or ride matches the best GPS units to within a few meters, which is better than the Apple Watch Series 2 and 3 were. Apple is using the on of the best available chipsets for consumer devices and uses all the buzz word GPS algorithms and sat capabilities (GPS+GLONASS+Galileo and QZSS) so it should be pretty good.

    TA

     
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  9. SS Barby

    SS Barby Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Palmdale, CA
    Name:
    Barby
    Current Bike:
    Ibis Ripley LS/ Esker Hayduke
    The other problem you have with the Garmin Edge 520+ is the crash indicator. lately, I think every other ride it goes off.
     
    Mikie, Faust29, Voodoo Tom and 2 others like this.
  10. Danimal

    Danimal iMTB Addict

    Location:
    Mission Viejo
    Name:
    Dan
    Current Bike:
    Epic Evo
    We'll just don't crash then! Easy solution. :D

    I've considered getting a Garmin as it seems nice, but honestly don't care so that much about knowing the stats, heart rate etc. So not needed. And last thing in need is one more piece of electronics in the house not used or seldom used. If I had the money instead of the seldom used electronics I've bought, I'd probably almost be able to buy another bike.
     
    Mikie, SS Barby, Faust29 and 2 others like this.
  11. Runs with Scissors

    Runs with Scissors iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    West Anaheim
    Name:
    Mark Whitaker
    Current Bike:
    Giant XTC with pedals
    Throw the strap in the washer...without the actual HR unit....makes a huge difference. :laugh:
     
    Mikie, Danimal, Faust29 and 1 other person like this.
  12. Runs with Scissors

    Runs with Scissors iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    West Anaheim
    Name:
    Mark Whitaker
    Current Bike:
    Giant XTC with pedals
    My 500 Edge is still going strong, almost 9 years now. Accurate HR with chest strap (wrist units are NOT accurate, cannot be due to where they are), accurate distance and elevation (or at least consistently innaccurate at all times), and still has only failed to upload once.

    In 9 years. Still can't see a reason to spend money replacing what works.

    Disclaimer: I don't try to use it for navigation. I have maps for that.:rolleyes:
     
    Mikie, Danimal, Faust29 and 2 others like this.
  13. UPSed

    UPSed iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Simi Valley
    Name:
    Ed
    Current Bike:
    Niner Jet 9 RDO
    Will that get rid of all the green slime that's on my strap?
     
    Mikie, Danimal, Faust29 and 1 other person like this.
  14. Runs with Scissors

    Runs with Scissors iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    West Anaheim
    Name:
    Mark Whitaker
    Current Bike:
    Giant XTC with pedals
    One would hope....
     
    Mikie, Danimal, UPSed and 1 other person like this.
  15. Faust29

    Faust29 Moderator

    Location:
    irgendwo
    Name:
    B. Bunny
    Current Bike:
    I gots some bikes.
    I have a series 6 and love it... I may pass it down to my son who broke his 4, and upgrade myself to the 7. :D

    If I climb Brown Mountain in the granny gear, I usually get the same readings as the Wahoo. If I climb it on the single speed at twice the velocity, the watch can't keep up. It'll be several hundred feet less than the GPS... every time. That was the same with the earlier versions on climbs that I did frequently. When it uploads to Strava, Strava corrects the watch elevation without giving the user the option to change it, like you can with the dedicated GPS.
     
    Mikie and Runs with Scissors like this.
  16. Mikie

    Mikie Admin/iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    NW Arkansas
    Name:
    Mikie Watson
    Current Bike:
    Ibis DV9 / SC Hightower
    Yeah, It’s definitely confused. I’m pretty confident I know when I crash? Years of practice. Be nice to set the sensitivity of that feature. I turned that feature off so I won’t crash anymore! No crashes for the win!:thumbsup:
     
  17. Agent Orange

    Agent Orange Member

    Location:
    Antelope Valley, CA
    Name:
    Yokel Legend
    Current Bike:
    '98 Specialized FSR Comp
    I forgot that mine is a 520+ too. I'll be sure to turn that off then.

    Looks like map routing, more memory, and an accelerometer(turn it off, save battery) are some of the features it has over a regular 520. I plan to use it mainly as a dashboard with mapping as a nice-to-have, so it will probably be fine for my riding. If I need good, flexible GPS nav, I just carry a dedicated handheld and am probably not moving fast enough to need it on the bars.
     
    Mikie likes this.
  18. bvader

    bvader iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    HB
    Name:
    Mr. Brown
    Wahoo Elmnt Bolt V2
     
    Mikie and Sasquatch9billion like this.
  19. Agent Orange

    Agent Orange Member

    Location:
    Antelope Valley, CA
    Name:
    Yokel Legend
    Current Bike:
    '98 Specialized FSR Comp
    Recently I got a Bryton Rider 320 as a less expensive supplement to the Garmin 520+ (since I still have the Stages L10 and it's comparable to e-waste) and as a less expensive alternative to a Garmin Edge 130.

    It works pretty well as a non-mapping monochrome head unit, but I refuse to use the Android app; it requires location access to be enabled all the time. I guess it wasn't always like that, but until they make it the way it was, I've been suffering with USB transfers.
     
    Mikie and Danimal like this.
  20. Mikie

    Mikie Admin/iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    NW Arkansas
    Name:
    Mikie Watson
    Current Bike:
    Ibis DV9 / SC Hightower
    I lose and buy GPS units like groceries for some reason.
    Just bought a used Garmin 530 Edge of eBay for $220 bucks.
    It’s actually pretty awesome as GrailForks has teamed with Garmin to provide its entire trail mapping on specific Garmin units, 530 being one of them.
    Garmin has traditionally been pretty lame if you get off course only tells you, you are off course with a generic point in tue right direction. I have used TrailForks many times to get my azz back on the trail. Now, it’s built into my Garmin.
    Shiny!
    Shahhhwing!
     
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As a former Amazon Associate I continue to get screwed trying to stay qualified as an Amazon Affiliate. So I quit!


Want to donate to imtbtrails?