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Garmin Edge reliability

j-sworks

Maximum Pace
Feb 5, 2012
1,199
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Hey,

So I had many problems with my edge 500 and I was surprised to have so many software issues, and this is after having several other Garmin devices that were very reliable.

I have read the 500 is prone to issues with software and so on.

I've heard the 800 is a solid performer.

What are your experiences?
 
Well, Half-Fast Mike reported that his Garmin chokes on very long rides and I think he has an 800.
 
Update the firmware to the latest version.
 
Yes, I found out the hard way that the Edge 800 will crash if you try to record a ride of 417 km or thereabouts.

Lazy programming.

Or 'targeted at racers or riders in training rather than long-distance touring cyclists'.

This issue wasn't addressed in the latest firmware (v2.40)

That's the only real problem I still have with it, other than the puny battery life. Others have experienced water damage, but mine has remained waterproof.

See more on the Edge 800 thread

I really wish I could pop a couple of AA cells in the back, like I can with my eTrex Vista. But the latter has no cycling functions.
 
Could always use one of these:

IMG_2035.JPG


IMG_2036.JPG


though I found AA provided nowhere near enough mA for Smartphones. Might be OK with the Garmin.
 
Yes, I found out the hard way that the Edge 800 will crash if you try to record a ride of 417 km or thereabouts.

Lazy programming.

Or 'targeted at racers or riders in training rather than long-distance touring cyclists'.

This issue wasn't addressed in the latest firmware (v2.40)

That's the only real problem I still have with it, other than the puny battery life. Others have experienced water damage, but mine has remained waterproof.

See more on the Edge 800 thread

I really wish I could pop a couple of AA cells in the back, like I can with my eTrex Vista. But the latter has no cycling functions.

Yeah I'm actually most interested in reliability and the training functions, although I believe they are pretty much the same as the 500, but the ANT+ scale thing looks cool.

Thanks I will read the thread you suggested.
 
Just read through the edge 800 thread, thanks for the suggestion.

It seems that many have not replied in a while so I guess you either gave up or the issues were resolved for the most part, and the 400+ km glitch seems to still be hanging around.

It seems that Garmin is in need of some stiff competition so that they up their game; and I guess there is no perfect device but only the question of which one do you really want.
 
My edge 800 or should I say the GSC10 sensor stopped reading speed today for some unknown reason. I replaced the battery tried re-pairing, but the light no longer shows when I hit the reset button. Just over a year old. and out of warranty. What a PIA.
 
Yeah I guess that's why they have a ONE year warranty...

It seems that Garmin does make some good stuff, but reliability is a bit of a crap-shoot
 
My edge 800 or should I say the GSC10 sensor stopped reading speed today for some unknown reason. I replaced the battery tried re-pairing, but the light no longer shows when I hit the reset button. Just over a year old. and out of warranty. What a PIA.

Try taking the battery out for 10 minutes or so, then putting it back in. It seems the Garmin sensors retain some residual charge (must be a capacitor in there somewhere) which messes things up when you replace the battery. I've experienced this when changing batteries (in the HR sensor) and appartently it's quite common. Hope this sorts things out for you.
 
Ok, the GSC10 unit my need resetting. To do this put the battery in reverse - thius resets the unit ID that it sends via ANT+. Leave it for 1 minute and then put it in the correct way around and try again.

You might also want to hold the "search" button on the GSC10 unit for 30 seconds.
 
Yep once you reset the ANT+ ID you''ll need to research for the unit at the head unit (Garmin computer)
 
My Garmin , as well as about 4 others on the recent ride failed completely due to 'moisture'. So much for a reasonable cycling computer. Their ANT discrimination / paring routine sucks, too. In a group, my hunts and recognizes other HRM , cadence and rpm sensors endlessly. The only redeeming function of this computer is the mapping. I'm looking for a new GPS / data acquisition computer and now the SUUNTO is looking better and better by the moment. As for mapping - there must be a better solution...
 
My Garmin , as well as about 4 others on the recent ride failed completely due to 'moisture'. So much for a reasonable cycling computer. Their ANT discrimination / paring routine sucks, too. In a group, my hunts and recognizes other HRM , cadence and rpm sensors endlessly. The only redeeming function of this computer is the mapping. I'm looking for a new GPS / data acquisition computer and now the SUUNTO is looking better and better by the moment. As for mapping - there must be a better solution...


What does Suunto have coming down the pipe for bikes? I've been watching the Suunto Ambit, more for a running/backcountry watch. Need to wait for the update to make it ANT+ compatible, but it'll get there shortly.


For mapping, smartphones are the way to go. Garmin 800 is way clunky. It'll get you through if you've got a route downloaded, but trying to 'find' a route with it is miserable.
 
My Garmin , as well as about 4 others on the recent ride failed completely due to 'moisture'. So much for a reasonable cycling computer. Their ANT discrimination / paring routine sucks, too. In a group, my hunts and recognizes other HRM , cadence and rpm sensors endlessly. The only redeeming function of this computer is the mapping. I'm looking for a new GPS / data acquisition computer and now the SUUNTO is looking better and better by the moment. As for mapping - there must be a better solution...

I looked at the Suunto the gear as well, and it seems that if you want something to record cadence, speed, and heart rate then they are a viable option. But alas there is no other company that makes a truly dedicated cycling computer that competes on a level playing-field with the Edge series, and I've done some serious looking.

I think the best metrics recording solution, without mapping, is a SRM with a hear rate strap. Good solid proven technology that does only three things, and it doesn't get confused trying to be the end-all-be-all solution like Garmin. And I've heard great things about their customer service.

I was chatting on Garmin's edge 500 forum and I learned a few interesting facts about that company: they make many products and intentionally limit each one so that they don't ruin the sales of their product lines, so this means that if the customer is looking for a product that will function and look as good as your iPhone then you should buy their app, dongle, and ANT stuff. If you want a product to record your run then get a forerunner; basically this means that their business model is to separate all products by limiting them and further forcing the customer to buy different products for their intended uses, so I was told that for my riding (weekly training and weekend 100+km rides) the edge 800 is best as Garmin would classify me as a performance focused recreational rider, and if i decide to race then this would work for short races.

But if I do rides over 400km or a road trip then my customer profile is different than above and I'm classified a touring rider, and as such Garmin says they do not make products for these riders thus they have been aware of the 400km glitch on the edge 800 for years and will not fix it because this issue falls outside its intended use.
 
My Garmin , as well as about 4 others on the recent ride failed completely due to 'moisture'. So much for a reasonable cycling computer. Their ANT discrimination / paring routine sucks, too. In a group, my hunts and recognizes other HRM , cadence and rpm sensors endlessly. The only redeeming function of this computer is the mapping. I'm looking for a new GPS / data acquisition computer and now the SUUNTO is looking better and better by the moment. As for mapping - there must be a better solution...

It sounds like everyone hasn't donw the setup of thier Garmin's correctly - 90% of the JCF peloton use Garmins and we have no issues with all the GSC10's, HRM, Power Meters and other Ant+ devices even in a race of 140 riders!

It sounds like that you haven't done a fixed pairing and that you garmin has all the accessory functions set to on and just picks up the nearest accessory rather than being fixed to one uniue ID.

Also if you are doing a unit search you need to be well away from other units as the Garmin device is unable to work out which i your unit or that of another riders.

In regards to moisture issue - the Garmin 500 is utterly crap! When racing Cyclocross I put mine in the radio pocket on my skin suit as it was the only place where it would get any sort of protection from the elements.
 
I looked at the Suunto the gear as well, and it seems that if you want something to record cadence, speed, and heart rate then they are a viable option. But alas there is no other company that makes a truly dedicated cycling computer that competes on a level playing-field with the Edge series, and I've done some serious looking.

The new Joule GPS (by Cycleops) is pretty close. I`ve been waiting to get the 1.0 (not interested in GPS without mapping function) but am waiting til they rectify their `oversight` in omitting power smoothing. My O-Synce only displays power in 1s updates and with the way the powertap operates it is a PITA...will that get past the bad word filter?!!! There is a review of the Joule GPS over on the DCRainmaker site
http://www.dcrainmaker.com/product-reviews/cycleops
 
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