They're all very good, and Garmin mapping is getting better all the time. As with any GPS though, they're a great aid, but need to be used with a healthy dose of common sense(!)

@AdyJapp wrote:

They're all very good, and Garmin mapping is getting better all the time. As with any GPS though, they're a great aid, but need to be used with a healthy dose of common sense(!)

It's just an expensive outlay, in your case is the Garmin worth the money? Also, have you used the heart rate monitor functionality?

alex, i personally have a garmin 500 and as you have probably seen from one of my previous posts it has been through the washing machine and is still working so garmin build quality pretty good, however i use the hrm and i had a stupidly high reading of 248bpm when i wasnt actually going too hard, however that has only happened on one occasion. the 800 direction's are pretty good from what i have seen from other peoples. definitely worth it for the 500 and i would imagine everyone who has an 800 feels the same, however if your looking to race maybe too big im not sure, i know mine is great and all the data i get from it and the back up i have had is great definitely worth it as im sure is the same with bryton.
Titch

Hi Alex

I use the garmin edge 800 with all the mapping and I love it, the data is fab and easy to use haha which is a good thing for me 🙂

@AlexMolyneux91 wrote:

@AdyJapp wrote:

They're all very good, and Garmin mapping is getting better all the time. As with any GPS though, they're a great aid, but need to be used with a healthy dose of common sense(!)

It's just an expensive outlay, in your case is the Garmin worth the money? Also, have you used the heart rate monitor functionality?

Personally, I get on well with Garmin systems. The Edge bike GPS is a superb system. I use mine to train, when TTing, for off-road on MTB, the lot. The HRM is used all the time on road, and is a brilliant tool to work to and to analyse after a session/race.

Expensive though, yes, and in this respect, the Bryton units come into their own. A couple of people have them in the club.

See post: viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1068 for a bit more info, and ask Jimmy Williams about his Bryton, as I know he's had his for a while now.

Thanks for all the replies, edging towards the 800 as I haven't read a bad review yet - just need to find the cheapest place to pick one up.

FTAO Titch; we need to sort a mid-week ride out soon, mate.

I have the Rider 50 and think its excellent value and works fine. 😉

if you get the 800 we can go over to the mills as i know the way pretty much but 800 as back up 😛
look at wiggle, and i dont know how i did it but i became a gold member and that means i get an extra 5% off everything so see if you can do that 🙂 it may be that you have to order so much through them which tbh i have ordered stupid amounts 😛
but i am off after this week i just have to work for 2 weeks solid then im free until september 😀

@AdyJapp wrote:

@AlexMolyneux91 wrote:

@AdyJapp wrote:

They're all very good, and Garmin mapping is getting better all the time. As with any GPS though, they're a great aid, but need to be used with a healthy dose of common sense(!)

It's just an expensive outlay, in your case is the Garmin worth the money? Also, have you used the heart rate monitor functionality?

Personally, I get on well with Garmin systems. The Edge bike GPS is a superb system. I use mine to train, when TTing, for off-road on MTB, the lot. The HRM is used all the time on road, and is a brilliant tool to work to and to analyse after a session/race.

Expensive though, yes, and in this respect, the Bryton units come into their own. A couple of people have them in the club.

See post: viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1068 for a bit more info, and ask Jimmy Williams about his Bryton, as I know he's had his for a while now.

Sorry to pester again, mate.

What map bundle do you have?

@AlexMolyneux91 wrote:

Sorry to pester again, mate.

What map bundle do you have?

Not pestering at all. Always a good discussion.
I bought the GB O/S map bundle Garmin 800. I previously had a 705, and saw that I could flog it on eBay for almost as much as the 800, so did this, and kept the cadence/speed sensors that I already had (all compatible).
Great piece of kit, and fascinatingly geeky in the amount of data that you can record and analyse! Doesn't make you faster, though!
I do use mine a lot with the virtual partner (also present on the 705), which is superb for racing yourself!
Like the O/S maps, as when I'm off road, I obviously use a paper map as well, so it's a nice backup, using familiar cartography.

+1 for the Bryton Rider 50.

At less than 1/2 the price of the Edge 800, with a similar spec, it is well worth considering.
With the money I saved, I bought 1/3 of a dura-ace groupset (to put it in perspective...)

From what I gather, the stock map's aren't great.

I just want the turn-by-turn direction mapping for country lanes etc so I can up my mileage, alongside the HRM.

Do you plan routes and then upload them to your device?

Wiggle are offering a performance bundle, with HRM, cadence sensors and city navigation maps (?) loaded on to an SD, which is the package I'll probably go for.

In terms of Garmin's, they all come with what they term - a 'basemap' - which will give you major roads, but won't necessarily stretch to street level detail and b roads etc. Everything else plugs into the basemap. The City Navigator maps do offer street level and full postcode detail, so are much better these days. They are not 'topos' though, so you won't get an OS map style of layout on your screen.

The alternative is to download and create your own routes and maps, which you can do. There are tons of free alternatives, but they all take a bit of fiddling. In saying this, I've seen excellent results from those who have created and downloaded maps for kayaing and walking/climbing etc. Google will give you a ton of alternatives!!

@AdyJapp wrote:

In terms of Garmin's, they all come with what they term - a 'basemap' - which will give you major roads, but won't necessarily stretch to street level detail and b roads etc. Everything else plugs into the basemap. The City Navigator maps do offer street level and full postcode detail, so are much better these days. They are not 'topos' though, so you won't get an OS map style of layout on your screen.

The alternative is to download and create your own routes and maps, which you can do. There are tons of free alternatives, but they all take a bit of fiddling. In saying this, I've seen excellent results from those who have created and downloaded maps for kayaing and walking/climbing etc. Google will give you a ton of alternatives!!

Did you buy your 800 as stock with just 'basemap'? Or would you suggest buying a pre-loaded map bundle?

Is there any site in particular which is best for route creation and then downloading on to the 800 for turn-by-turn directions?

Thanks for all your advice, Ady.