swak

Is there any real technical differences other than ones a touch screen, and one isnt?

Since i saw the 800, i was soo stoked, but have heard that it doesn't have the same functions that the older 705 has (thus having the same shelf price), and is more based on the GPS side, (IE. where to find a chinese restaurant on your ride, etc).

Does anyone have any more insight/opinions on this?

I have a POLAR CS600 now, and looking to upgrade (just dont know whether to go with the 705 or 800 now).

Beaker

If you want to buy now, then I'd look for a deal on a 705. I ride with a 305 (and love it) and know lots of folks with 705's and never hear any complaints. I've also seen a lot of people get the 500 when that came out recently, and go through a lot of teething problems with the unit. I've no info to suggest that the 800 won't be stellar, but I'd also be wary of being a guinea pig for the 800 -- Garmin doesn't seem object to doing a lot of the beta testing in the marketplace.

dalava

They shouldn't mix

midgetmaestro 

swak

ahaha.... Touche.

Just throwing something out there...

jgf310

i don't have any of the garmin cycling units, but i do have several outdoor/marine units..., one of which is an oregon 400 - with touch screen.

i really dislike the touchscreen - it's not nearly as bright or readable as the non-touchscreen models -especially in sunlight. and, the touchscreen is difficult to use - it's extremely difficult to select navaids on the charts, to open the window that displays their properties (name, light pattern etc.).

i would get rid of my oregon, except i already unlocked my bermuda charts to the device.

merlinextraligh

To my understanding, the 800 does everything the 705 will, plus a few whiz bang features like Birdseye Sattelite imagery.

But the real significant difference is the touch screen.

So if you like the Touchscreen, the 800 is smaller, lighter, and bigger screen. Also the 800 has the newer, better, mounting system.

The 705 is no touch screen, and you likely can get a deal on a 705 as the 800's become available.

See: https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2010/08/g...irst-look.html

umd

You can look at it this way. The 500 was an evolution of the 705 but didn't have the navigation capabilities. The 800 is an evolution of the 500 where they added back in navigation that is more similar to their Nuvi units than the 705. Compared to the 705 the 800 has a better mount, more bike profiles, more screens, better calorie calculations, etc. I'm not aware of any features of the 705 that the 800 doesn't have. Is there anything specific that you are concerned about?

dnuzzomueller

I think alot of us are wondering if the cost of the 705 vs. 800 will be worth it (Considering we can now probably get 705s on the cheap-er side)

Mansram01

Just curious, UMD. Are you using a Garmin now and are you getting an 800? Only asking because I respect your opinion.

umd

I use a 705 and remain unconvinced about having a touch screen. I don't really care about the navigation but sometimes it's nice to see even the rough base maps. I don't care about the calories but would like to have a third screen. I don't have any intention of replacing my 705 but if I had to I'd probably get a 500.

Mansram01

I'm currently using the Polar CS-600 for most of my data. I also do have a Garmin 205 that I simply use for two purposes: GPS and the display (it shows more data per screen and illuminates during my early evening rides). I'd like to combine the best of both worlds with the 800 but the price is holding me back for now. I'd also like to hear some feedback from experienced 800 users but that may take some time, of course.

What do you mean about being unconvinced about the touchscreen? Everything else seems to be going in that direction.

umd

I don't want to deal with a touch screen while I'm riding. I like the tactile feedback of buttons so that I can operate it without looking at it.

milliron

One thing I really disliked about my 705 was the limitation of only 2 data screens of data fields. The 500 and 800 both have 3 screens which I vastly prefer.

umd

I would really like 3 screens. I have a primary screen then a secondary screen where I combine lap/interval data with climbing data. I would prefer to separate those...

acaurora

I have the 800, upgrading from a 500. I posted some thoughts here: https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ity-11-19-REI/ , not to hijack the thread. If you want to ask me anything about it, please do so.

swak

Sorry for the late response, but i was mostly concerned about power usage.
I have no power meter as of now (yet), but was under the impression more of less that the 800 was more of a fancy computer for the coffee-shop rider (or in our case, chinese food rider..)

And little things like computer transfers, and all the jazz that the 705 has with all the numbers etc..

chill123

i have also been using the 800 over the last couple of weeks.

the touch screen is much better than i expected from garmin. I have 2 data screens set up (though you can have 3 if desired). when riding i can navigate between screens with a simple swipe of the finger - no fiddling around for a physical button.

as suggested above the unit takes the best of the 500 and 705. i've barely had any issues with it so far.

here is a more detailed review i wrote after a couple of hundred miles usage....

https://www.bicyclecenturytraining.co...ge-800-review/

aham23

i am with you on this. the only negative for me with the 705 is the mount. it sucks. if i change it will be for a 500. touch screen does nothing for me. i rarely switch screens on a ride anyway. later.

engstrom

I just got my 800 on Saturday and used it on a ride on Sunday and my commute to work this morning. First off, surprisingly I don't find the touchscreen to be a problem, or even annoying. It works well and I haven't had any problems with it. I do like having 3 screens because as I've gotten older and my prescription has gotten worse I find I can't wear my distance glasses and see well up close. I could go the bifocal route but I refuse to believe I'm that old yet. With 3 screens I can display large numbers that are visible for me. One other thing I've learned is that I don't like it mounted on the stem. I find my head to be just a touch in front of the Garmin which makes it a little more difficult to see the bottom row of numbers. Easy answer to that is putting it on the bars where it works well.

As for its functioning as a GPS, I haven't played with that much but it does acquire satellites quickly and is generally easy to use (even if some of the menu items aren't where you expect them you'll learn where they are quickly enough).

Shimagnolo

https://www.coopervision.com/us/patie...earmultifocal/

engstrom

Oooohhhhhhhhh, that's worth making an appointment with the eye doctor. Thanks for the link!

merlinextraligh

I'd like to be able to link the custom screens to the bike profile.

Because the tandem doesn't have a power meter, and my other bikes do, I want different displays for the different bikes. It would be nice if the Bike profile included how you wanted the screens set up for each bike.

milliron

Yeah, +1 to linking custom screens to different bikes. That or it would be great if it would simply show HR instead of Power when a PM isn't present.

For me:
Screen 1 - instant measurements (speed and 3 sec power)
Screen 2 - Lap/interval measurements (lap time, lap distance, avg lap speed, avg lap power)
Screen 3 - Ride totals (8 fields of data about the entire ride)

Would love to have a 4th screen w/ climbing info.

Nachoman

Nice review.