pit_usa

Hi Good Day All. I was thinking of getting a Garmin GPS the 520 OR 1000 Bundle. Anybody has this? Do you guys find it hard to read and see the Screen while mounted and riding? Right now I am using the Cateye Padrone, which has a big Numbers for me TO SEE EASILY(the reason I bought), but has NO CADENCE. And now, I want to have add ons like maps, cadence, hr, etc.
THANK YOU.
ps I may have missed something, pls ask.

DEW21

Had the same problem when I put a GPS on my motorcycle so I went and got a pair of safety glasses with readers at the bottom, problem solved. It sucks getting old!!

Bifocal Safety Glasses - Safety Glasses USA

whitla

I now use my smartphone instead of the garmin. In my opinion google maps is way better than Garmin and the maps are free!!

We toured Europe last summer and had a garmin and a phone using google maps. The google maps routes plotted were almost always a better bike route.

Also google maps can now be used without data if you download maps to your phone when you have internet access. The maps are waaaay more detailed too.

I got a mount for my phone which works great!!

You can see my phone mounted to my bike in this video:

Even in Cuba where there really is not much internet google maps did the job really well.

pit_usa

Yeah you're right DEW21, I IF you lean on those reading glasses they break easily, and you cant read at all! lol. thanks

pit_usa

Whitla >> I like the Video really. I DO make Videos for myself too, and it's fun watching after a ride. And yes for the map the CP really works!!! thanks.

GlennR

I wear prescription glasses.

whitla

Depending on your eyesight a pair of progressive lenses might be a good addition too. I have a pair and they are great (for some things).

rm -rf

"weak eyes". Do you mean "nearsighted", needing reading glasses?

These stick-on bifocals work great. They stay on, even when rinsing the glasses under the tap. I trimmed mine down with a razor blade so that just the area around my handlebars is in focus.

I also have progressive bifocals for off-bike use, but use these stick-ons along with a distance prescription on my wraparound riding glasses. The bifocal line took a couple of rides to get used to. Now I don't even notice it at all. It's interesting how your vision adapts.

FlashBazbo

I hate wearing glasses on the bike (sweat, rain, etc. don't like glasses). I have used a Garmin Edge 1000 for three or four years without glasses. The fonts and maps are large and clear. That's why I bought it in the first place. The only exceptions are road names on certain maps and some of the incidental alerts -- those fonts can be pretty small and I have to move closer to see them.

I recently bought an 820 -- the same size as the 520. The fonts there aren't quite as large, but they still work for me.

pit_usa

Maybe I'll have one of those too one of these days... Thank You oldnslow2.

pit_usa

Yes for sure. When I visit the Doc next time. thanks whitla.

pit_usa

Thanks rm-rf, thats a good idea, I am Far Sighted. I can ride w/o my glasses, but reading? >> most specially when OR after the ride makes me dizzy reading.

pit_usa

Thanks FlashBazbo. Yeah I think I will go for the 520 OR 820 Bundle. I LIKE the map though, good to have one, but Font is no. 1 for me now for the eyes, plus the Cadence(I do Spin a Lot), and I want to see the Contour/Grade on where I ride, Speed, HR, of course the Mileage and Odometer.

I am going to see the real ones in person to gauge the Font Size and Screen actual size.

sevenmag

https://www.discountsafetygear.com/g...y-glasses.html


I wear safety glasses with readers in them. Problem solved for 6 to 10 bucks.

welshTerrier2

Lots of good options on bi-focal sunglasses for under $20. Check these out: https://www.readers.com/bifocal-reading-glasses.html?sc[Tint][]=293&sort=orderby&page=1 On the left side of the page, choose "Lens Tint" and then select "Reading Sunglasses".

Camilo

Yea, I've bought several pair of bifocal sunglasses and clear lenses to have around - in my bike bag, in my cars, etc. They're cheap enough to put where you need them so you don't forget them.

Check Amazon for them, there are a few options, if you aren't turned on by options at the above site. But they look better than what I bought!

I also splurged and bought some progressive lens Oakleys which I use unless I forget them (thus the cheap safety sunglasses stashed around). The Oakleys are terrific in optics, clarity, frame durability, etc, but like a high end bike, I'm not eager to tell how much they cost, even after the vision insurance benefit. Unfortunately, after wearing them for a while, I decided they aren't the best fit for me and I would choose a different lens shape in the future, but they are really great in terms of quality.

scott967

Wear single vision rx sunglasses. With the Garmin 800, 3 line display is plenty easy to read. Maps, not so much on the go (preloading a course though I don't need to really study the map so it's OK).

scott s.
.

Machoman121

I wear contacts so that corrects the distance but up close everything is blurry - if i have to use the GPS on a ride i'll put on my Dual Eyewear sunnies. it's quite reasonably priced for a bifocal sunnies.

Bike tinker man

I also use Cateye Padron Smart this has Cadence & for the same reason excellent display easy to see, I've tended to know where I'm biking, & if its new area I've zoomed in on google earth & taken note, in my back pocket I have GPS on the phone, I use it to save the route as a record, occasionally I'll get it out to check direction or how far more to go if I'm in a new location etc, but no use in front of me with glasses, glare, unit in plastic cover etc, to me hopeless.

DougG

The Garmins have customizable displays where you can choose how many data fields to display and what each field tells you. If you put a small number of fields on a page, it displays them in a font sized to fit the available space, which would make it easier to read.

I wear progressive bifocals when riding so that I can see ahead clearly and also look down quickly to read the display. I have an Edge 1000 partly because the screen is large, and I have no problems reading it even with the max number of fields per page (can never have too much useless data!).

NealH

The bifocal sport and safety glasses work superbly. I have tried many brands and like the Crossfire the best (roughly about $10 or so), and Pyramex are decent too. The Pyramex in particular is nice since they offer a model with indoor/outdoor bifocal lens. These just have a hint of shading and work really well on cloudy days, and they are ok when the sun comes out. But the Crossfire with the bronze bifocal lens are my favorites and will leave you wondering how so much quality can be had in a $10 pair of safety glasses.

As mentioned above, the Edge 1000 is probably the best choice although the 820 is acceptable too. But I have the 1000 and never have any issues reading it (with the bifocal sport glasses). The auto backlighting needs a little software work but it's Ok, and can also be turned off if you want max brightness all the time. It doesn't drain the battery as much as you might think. I ran my Edge 800 at full brightness for almost 7 years until the screen started delaminating. I got a good life out of it and hope the 1000 is equally as reliable.

icyclist 

I am also a fan of stick-on magnifiers. I learned that only one of a pair are necessary! Our brain makes the necessary adjustments to be able to see with a focus on what's near (the display) and the far (the road ahead) at the same time.

DGlenday

This

And this

And this

And this

I thought I invented the idea of using cheap bifocal safety glasses for cycling ... but I'm obviously not alone.

I have a pair of non-bifocal Oakleys. My safety glasses look identical. With them I can read the Garmin, cue sheets, and ... menus in restaurants

whitla

One other option worth considering if you are getting glasses are transition lenses (the kind that go darker with sunlight). I get this on all my glasses and it provides great comfort.

yetirider

I use this which have a small +2 part at the bottom for looking at a Garmin.
Dual SL2 sunglasses
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&...sl_1pn6y3lxt_b