LGHT

I'm a fairly new rider only been riding for 5-6 months and although I'm new I'm looking to upgrade from my $20 cat eye. I have never used a bike computer and know little to nothing about them, but I have a coupon for Staples for about $130 for store credit that expires in a few weeks and I really don't "need" anything so I'm think this may work.

Basically I can get the Edge 200 for $130 (free) or apply that coupon toward a 510 at $330 or a $800 for $389 and just pay the difference. Although I'm new I don't want to waste time on the 200 if I can't use it with some of the online sites / software to upload my rides and track progress etc. Seems like the 200 should be fine as I already have a heart rate monitor, but not sure if the device is better than just putting that money toward a new 6+ cellphone and getting some ant monitors and using my cell phone instead.

Plus how is it the 510 is only around $50 more??? is the 800 just not really much of an upgrade or something?

Any tips or suggestions on which direction to go I would really appreciate it.

Cyril 

the 200 should work for you

Marcus_Ti

OP you have something against buying off Amazon?

E800 is $299 (sans HRM and cadence sensor) right now on Amazon. And Amazon Prime.

LGHT

I have $130 same as cash credit from Staples that expires in a month so it's a use it or loose it situation.

noglider 

My 200 syncs to the Garmin web site, and I believe I could use it with strava or mapmyride if I wanted to. It's everything I wanted and more. My only complaints are:

1. It can sometimes take minutes to find satellites
2. I wish it just started upon finding satellites. As it is, I have to hit "Ride" and then wait and see and then it "Start". But I'm sometimes riding and have my eyes on the road between the first press and the second.

Another complaint which probably affects all GPS computers is that I sometimes get bad readings because of interference. That's one of the costs of using gps instead of a magnetic sensor. But there are advantages to offset this. I have several bikes, and I can bring this one unit on all of them without wiring anything up. I even made a generic handlebar clip for it.

LGHT

Ok I did look at the specs of the 200 and you can "import" rides into strava and other applications via a usb. 1 article I read said to just use your iphone and get a cadence / speed sensor that connects via blu-tooth and pair the device with that and you end up with essentially the same thing. However others had a good debate about not being weather proof, battery life, etc etc. Good arguments, but for a free device I think I'm going to just go with the 200 and maybe upgrade at a later date.

noglider 

Yeah, I already have too many things running on my iPhone, and I get seriously annoyed when the battery drains before the end of the day. Cyclemeter is a great app, but it's not for me. The battery on the Garmin lasts for two days of use, so when I charge it once a day, I can feel sure it won't run down before my ride ends.

vic303

A free Garmin 200 sounds like a great idea!

saeyedoc

I think at a minimum you'd want the 500 so you can add sensors. I just picked up a refurbished one on Amazon for about $130.

Athens80

Does Staples sell refurbished Garmin 500s for $130? If not, how would the OP apply his expiring $130 store credit to buy a refurbished 500?

mystang52

I only want to track my speed and distance. My Garmin 200 works great for that purpose and I love it.

Antieverything

I had the 200 and mine had trouble uploading onto Strava. I would have to try again and again to get Strava to recognize the device, I tried numerous plug in downloads, resets, etc. Ended getting a 510 as a present to myself and been happy ever since (although i don't use Strava anymore). The added perks to link a HRM and cadence is great but I hardly use them. Currently thinking about a upgrade to the 1000 if the navigation works as good as Google maps for turn by turn, being constantly lost in Seattle is pushing this train of thought.

I would get the 200 and save up for a upgrade later, then pay it forward and give the 200 away when you move up.

LGHT

I'm going to get the 200. It's enough for what I need. I just need something to keep track of rides as I prepare for my first 50K ride in a couple of months. I did look at Strava and they don't support the 200 directly. However you can "import" a saved file on your pc to strava the old fashion way. Basically just plug in the 200 to your pc save the pcx or ptx file and upload that to strava as a good work around.

noglider 

I wouldn't blame that on the 200 necessarily.