Which garmin?

[Some Gump]

Hi forum,

My aging garmin 800 is getting near time to repllace - the power button rubber has faiked, so it lets in water. I think santa might hwave to get me a new one (Santa is happy to send elves to ebay for 2nd hand as necessary)

Wishlist:
Mapping with a proper movable map (like 800) not that useless breadline thing
Connect IQ (for this app https://apps.garmin.com/en-US/apps/e53331b6-55db-4...

That's about it! I suppose wireless activity and route transfer would be quite handy, but deffo not interested in live segments. Enjoying cycling for exploring much more than when i used to get fixated on performance.

When i got my 800, i was really keen on hrm and cadence, neither of those sensors have had batteries in for years now. Can anyone give me a garmin for dummies on what is the good option re. Newer 500 series vs older 800 series? Is 1000 series still just an 810 with a bigger screen? I dont really need a massive screen..

Thanks in advance!

[Janosh]

I have the new 530, it’s a massive step forward in terms of screen and OS (coming from a 510) and includes all the maps.

[dodgyviper]

Hi,

I'm new to any form of cycling computer, having been happy to use my phone for navigation. However, got sick of faffing with waterproof holders that steamed up. So I eventually went with the Garmin Edge Explore.

It does the navigation fine with a moving map and the touch screen works fine. It does do the cadence/hrm/speed sensors if you want them, but not what I got it for.

Have uploaded Komoot via IQ as well as a couple of other apps.

Seems to work just fine, only downside is battery life is given as 10 hours compared to the 830 etc. (Not a problem as I have a hub dyno and use a powerpack for trips as well).

Major plus is the price - £100 cheaper than Wahoo or Garmin main stream models like the 530/830 or Roam

[rs4al]

A Wahoo !

Garmin seems to release products that have amazing specs but also not properly beta tested, I had a Garmin 810, was fine then would crash constantly. Whereas the Wahoo bolt and the roam I’ve owned have been rock solid (touch wood).

[esuuv]

If you stick with Garmin then a 530 or and 830 are where you want to be - the 530 has buttons - the 830 is a touchscreen (but a much better touchscreen than the 810 and 820 that were hilariously bad)

Have a look on DC Rainmakers blog - www.dcrainmaker.com for more information than anyone could ever need.

[okgo]

They are all on new OS and stuff now aren't they. 820/520 were horrendous units. I prefer the 130 to the 820 I had before. 130 is on the new OS I think and its quick and works really well.

[Ares]

rs4al said:

A Wahoo !

Garmin seems to release products that have amazing specs but also not properly beta tested, I had a Garmin 810, was fine then would crash constantly. Whereas the Wahoo bolt and the roam I’ve owned have been rock solid (touch wood).

Echos my experience.

If it must be a Garmin, make sure it is not a new model, that way there is a better chance of it being tried and tested, and bugs eradicated.

[z4RRSchris]

you should buy the garmin with wahoo on the front.

even if its just for the customer service, which is beyond what you would expect.

Even on a second hand unit, out of warranty, they will replace it no questions asked and just ask you to destroy the old unit.

[Some Gump]

Tanks everyone.

I realise that other brands are available, but I sooooo want that veloviewer tiling map. Hell, if it wasn't for tiling, I'd not really need a bike satnav and could just use phone for strava app (now that I'm no longer chasing segments etc I don't really care if the results are accurate).

Will read up on 30 series via rainmaker and also check out that explorer jobbie. Thanks all for advice =)

[oddball1313]

Just bought a Garmin 1030 Plus from Wiggle last week - 40% discount which made it cheaper than the 800 series and not much more than the 530

[Ares]

Some Gump said:

Tanks everyone.

I realise that other brands are available, but I sooooo want that veloviewer tiling map. Hell, if it wasn't for tiling, I'd not really need a bike satnav and could just use phone for strava app (now that I'm no longer chasing segments etc I don't really care if the results are accurate).

Will read up on 30 series via rainmaker and also check out that explorer jobbie. Thanks all for advice =)

You can have the Veloviewer tiles with Wahoo?

[Comacchio]

Ares said:

You can have the Veloviewer tiles with Wahoo?

I think there might be an app you can install on the Garmin devices that shows current VeloViewer tiles etc. Could be wrong.

[dirtbiker]

oddball1313 said:

Just bought a Garmin 1030 Plus from Wiggle last week - 40% discount which made it cheaper than the 800 series and not much more than the 530

I also bought a Garmin 1030 on this deal but it looks like they've sold out. If they get more stock then I'm dead chuffed with it - great value at £299.99!

[SomersetWestie]

dirtbiker said:

oddball1313 said:

Just bought a Garmin 1030 Plus from Wiggle last week - 40% discount which made it cheaper than the 800 series and not much more than the 530

I also bought a Garmin 1030 on this deal but it looks like they've sold out. If they get more stock then I'm dead chuffed with it - great value at £299.99!

I paid a lot more than that for mine.............. Still chuffed with it though 2 years later, or however long it is !

[nosuchuser]

I grabbed an Edge Explore a month or so ago when it was on offer at Amazon. It's a bit 'my first garmin' but does what I need it to do with the trailforks map loaded.

[oddball1313]

Deal back on

https://www.wiggle.co.uk/garmin-edge-1030-cycle-co...

[mooseracer]

Isn't the 1030 plus, but still a bargain

[MTK1919]

I recently purchased a Garmin 830, and it's a great bit of kit.

I was put off by the reviews of the 530 being essentially the same as the 830 but apparently a nightmare to navigate around the menus. To be fair that was probably only just during setup, but it was enough for me to decide on the 830.

I love the convenience of it, the clarity of the screen, the strava live segments, but obviously having the data there in front of you also helps push you on.

Until now I was just using the phone running strava in my pocket.

One thing I'm struggling with and I'm not sure if it's strava or garmin, but for some reason the calorie calculation is way off. Showing almost 2000 burnt after a 50k ride is probably double what it should be. I've checked the body and bike weight settings, age, etc, but it's still over calculating.

[millen]

I think there's a common view that these calorie estimates are way overstated for riders without a power meter - mine certainly are crazy high. I couldn't find the Garmin formula but the Wahoo website used to have the formula below. Thing is, some folk have naturally high heart rates and others much lower. Also they seldom say if the figures are meant to be the totality of your calorie burn or just the excess over your average non-exercising burn (which I'd guess for the average powerfully built PH guy is something like 120 cal/hr awake and 60 cal/hr asleep, giving 2400 cal/day)

There's a detailed DCRainmaker article here https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2010/11/how-calorie-me...

HOW ARE CALORIES CALCULATED IN THE WAHOO FITNESS APP?
Calories in the Wahoo Fitness app are calculated using an algorithm.  The calculation is made once per second and is different for men and women:
Men
calorieBurnRate = abs(((0.6309 * newHeartrate) + (0.09036 * weightInPounds) + (0.2017 * userAge) - 55.0969) / 4.184)
Women
calorieBurnRate = abs(((0.4472 * newHeartrate) - (0.05741 * weightInPounds) + (0.074 * userAge) - 20.4022) / 4.184)

Additionally, when BPM goes below 65% of max heart rate, Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is used in lieu of the algorithm, calculated as follows:
Men
BMR = 66 + (13.7 * weightKg) + (5 * heightCm) - (6.8 * ageYears)
Women
BMR = 655 + (9.6 * weightKg) + (1.8 * heightCm) - (4.7 * ageYears)

[emicen]

Ok, so I bought a 530 about 2 weeks ago. After today’s utter fk about, I’m going to go against the grain and say: buy anything but Garmin.

Seriously, from the YouTube reviews the 530 is a big improvement over the 520, really begs the question, just how ste was the 520?!