Garmin Edge 800 GPS-Enabled Cycling Computer

I love this thing. I originally bought it instead of the Edge 510 so I could setup maps to do long 100+ mile rides. The other option was the Edge 810, which at the time was VERY buggy, updates seemed to have squished most bugs on it though. Overall I have had zero issues with this. Keep in mind the detailed maps (City Navigator Maps) are separate and range around ~$70-80. You can also find some open source maps with a little bit of work and get them running on this. I'm running the latest City Navigator maps and love them. My only complaint is creating routes on your computer to upload to the device can be quite cumbersome. Originally google maps would allow you to create a route and then just send it to your GPS device. They have since gotten rid of this. Garmin's BaseCamp software is quite cumbersome to use in creating a course. The best alternative is search for tools online tools to convert google maps to files to upload to your garmin or find routes already made on websites that you can download and upload to the device. As for the interface. It takes a little playing around to figure things out, but once you get it, it's very easy to navigate things. My device is paired with a Garmin GSC 10 speed sensor. I haven't had any issues with the sensor itself yet. All my issues have been due to magnets moving or shifting. No issues with connectivity so far. The navigation itself. Is quite nice. When you approach an upcoming turn, the screen shows an almost 3d/first person view of where to turn while beeping to notify you of an upcoming turn. I have yet to run the battery completely dead...so I can't quite speak on battery life. But it has lasted me plenty of 6+ hour rides. Screen backlight is turned off when not alerting you or you haven't touched the screen or buttons. The screen display isn't the best screen compared to modern smart phones but it works just fine even in bright light. It is a glossy screen so glare can be an issue sometimes. A matte screen protector will solve this. GPS accuracy seems to be pretty good I have no complaints about this. It does take some time to lock onto satellites indoors or where there are tall hills/buildings nearby. (This is to be expected of any GPS) As for uploading you have a few different options. I personally use Strava. It has plenty more features than Garmin's service. The Edge 810 has wireless syncing, keep in mind this is only for Garmin's service, so if you're using any other service like Strava, you're going to still have to use your computer. Overall it's a great, tried and true computer that does everything you can ask from it. Any of the newer models really aren't going to have many more necessary features other than maybe look pretty.

I have had this for 6 months or basically one season of riding. My wife bought it for me as a birthday gift for somewhere in the $500 range. Gripes: 1) Map went out of date in less than 3 months. That was an extra #60 bucks I had to pay after receiving the gift. Why that can't be part of the base cost, who knows. About the 3 month out of date map, Garmin basically told me, yea it happens and too bad. 2) I kept my Cateye bicycle computer on my bike, and I can see that the Garmin loses track of the speed through the hills and trees (in Indiana which isn't saying much). Cateye said 23 mph downhill and Garmin said 13 mph. Oh you can buy a wheel sensor for another $60 bucks and then it will have the same accuracy as the $60 Cateye. Close to $600 to do what my $60 Cateye does. Benefits: 1) About the only thing it really does for you when riding is that it keeps you from getting lost on a really long unfamiliar ride. How many of you do long rides and a ride where your unfamilar? 2) It shows you your route on a map on your home computer. 3) The Garmin trip planner on the web doesn't work well. 4) It shows you data like temperature of your ride when you upload it to your PC. 4) It shows you average speed, max speed, etc. Interesting to look at but not much use. You really don't get any useful results from it. I use it but would recommend you to think really hard about if you really need it. It's really a luxury item without that much benefit. Reall consider the less costly bike computers and save some money. Update (4/9/13): Now I have the heart rate monitor and thewheel sensor (more money of course). The heart rate works fine. Haven't got the wheel sensor up and running yet. I did buy a forerunner watch band for $15 and can put my Garmin 800 on my wrist during this last winter. It doesn't shake around because the wrist band is made from an slightly elastic plastic. It's not bad and doesn't look that noticeable, because I wear a running jacket and gloves. So at the end of a run, I can check my route, heart rate, miles and calories burned. Keeps running a little more fun.

could write a lot having only experienced the core functions of this great gps computer. I have had the edge 200 for several years and it is a worthy entry gps with basic functions and easy reliable usage - as a more mature rider my reading eyes are fading and struggled to read the digits in evening light. I researched and wanted something more readable and with few extra features...while not breaking the bank. altho the 510 or 810 have some auto bluetooth features the price is more than I could justify. I went with the 800 through Amazon and got a refurbished model with year guarantee for bargain $225. The computer was spotless and works perfectly and I figure if anything fails it will be in first year. the 800 has more features than I need. I love: the configurable screens (with multiple readings and with 3 per page I can read them easily while riding), measurement of all aspects of speed/elevation/calories/elevation/distance/heart rate (HRM needed), the virtual partner (which helps you set a pace and race it), course feature (create and race previous times), mapping (you can download free maps from http://garmin.openstreetmap.nl/ onto a micro sd and insert into the 800) . it is about twice the size of the 200/500 and weighs about 2 eggs or 125 gm. the garmin band/slot mounting system is simple and effective and the garmin express/connect sites are super slick for uploading and analyzing data. I haven't explored the other features but will in time...cadence/speed/power reading are possible with right monitors. I did consider staying with my iphone but find the apps like strava/mapmyride to be inaccurate and the phone will never match the view-while-ride robustness of the 800. check the dc rainmaker reviews and tips for more info.

As a cycling computer, the Edge 800 is really, really nice. I love the highly configurable and easy-to-read displays, HRM and cadence integration, touch screen...all very nice. Of course the main reason to buy this is for the GPS functionality, which is occasionally flaky. Over about 20 rides, the Edge 800 has locked up and reset on me 4-5 times. This is somewhat mitigated by the fact that I didn't lose my ride data. One thing I've learned is that if I start a course while I'm riding, the CPU seems to lock up more easily. My workaround is to be sure I start the course, before I start moving. Overall though, I'm very happy with the E800. I use the elevation profile display a lot - it's nice to know when a big hill is coming up. I would love to see a split-screen display, half elevation profile and half other stats. Turn-by-turn guidance is great, when you remember to enable it (it seems to be disabled by default). I've uploaded and ridden several courses from RideWithGPS; they work really well using the TCX format. I recommend changing the turn warnings from 30m to 15m. With 30m warnings, I sometimes turned too soon. The learning curve on the E800 is steep for the first week or so. It took me a while to realize that the course navigation and the the timer (trip recorder) are completely independent of each other. You can combine several small courses into one long ride, or start a Course halfway through a ride. The trip recorder doesn't care, and that's good. The heartrate and cadence monitor features are very easy to set up, and overall the UI ergonomics are fine. I especially like being able to change a display while I'm riding.

the good: 1. Great Price 2. Didn't need the bluetooth - wanted battery life and don't mind connecting with cable to computer 3. love the "ghost" trainer screen to race your previous ride 4. love the customization of the data screens - really nice 5. pretty easy to use - like all Garmin GPS's The not so good: 1. Map is small - my eyes are good but i need reading glasses. Doubt I will be navigating heavily using the map function while on a ride. 2. small screen 3. Swipe to next screen not as easy as an iPhone - (I really didn't expect it - just spoiled I guess) I've been on 5 rides so far of about 12 miles each. I really like it. The price was AWESOME compared to the new EDGE 810. Aside from "eyes" It's fun to have on the bike. Good info at my fingertips.

I bought an Edge 800 (along with the expensive North America map software) after losing my Garmin Edge 705. What a mistake! The software is buggy and you end up rebooting the device often; the touchscreen goes out of calibration (you touch an icon on the left and a menu from the right side of the screen is activated, etc.); the screen is too dark to read when in bright sunlight (yes, I do know how to adjust the screen brightness); it's just not worth the price. Buy the Edge 605 or Edge 705 instead. They are much less expensive, are much more reliable and, though smaller, the screen is legible in the sunlight. I loved my 705 and thought the newer model would be an enhanced model, but I was wrong. There are three things that I like better with the Edge 800 as compared to the 705: 1) the bike mount; 2) the bigger screen size; and 3) the automatic warning to hit the "START" button on the device when you start riding. The screen size of the Edge 800 is great when viewing in a darkened room but since it's too dark to read in the sunlight you end up hating it. The Edge 800 bike mount is much improved over the Edge 705; it's much more positive acting and easier to use compared to the mount used for the Edge 705. I have bought a number of Garmin devices over the years (several Nuvi's for the car, a GPS 60CX for hiking, the Edge 705 and 800 for my bike) and this is the first time I truly am dissatisfied with my purchase. To end my tale of woe with a happy ending, I found my Edge 705 after 3 months of looking and happily it's back on my bike and working great. I still dislike using the MapSource software to load maps on the Garmin 705 but otherwise I am satisfied with the Edge 705. I probably should sell the Edge 800 but I hate to pass this expensive, basely usable device onto another unsuspecting human being. Come on Garmin fix this thing.

Out of the box, this device will only tell you where you are or have been, or take you on US major highways. In order to make this device useful to navigate, you must purchase either Garmin's City Navigator on a micro SD, or buy a micro SD card and download free maps from http://garmin.openstreetmap.nl/ I chose the latter and am pleased with the detail of back roads on this map. The ability to download and analyze the ride temperature, climb and descent, distance, speed etc is great. Garmin and others offer the ability to share data and download routes. Overall this is a great device for a bicycle. This device charges with a USB cable, and also transfers data when connected to your computer via USB. About the only difference between the 800 and 810 is the 810's addition of bluetooth to link to your phone. When I bought this the last day of April, there was a $100 rebate to sweeten the deal. I'm sure there are still 800's available at discount prices, but the $100 rebate was a deal clincher for me.

This cycling computer is a great addition to my bike but it is very hard to see the screen on a sunny day. Like all the Garmin products its position and calculation features are accurate and easy to understand. The touch screen works as advertised. If the screen was easier to see in all light conditions I'd give the product five stars.