# Garmin edge 500 or 200?



## cormy (Sep 11, 2010)

I cant seem to decide between the two of these computers. I recently got into strava with my iphone, but my battery always dies before my rides are done, because i like to go out for whole days etc. i need something that will last me a whole day of riding. looking at the two computers on REI, the only major difference i can see is that the edge 200 doesnt have ant+ for HRMs, cadence sensors etc. does anyone have any experiences with these computers? And is it worth the extra $100 for the edge 500?


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## zombinate (Apr 27, 2009)

I would say the biggest thing to consider is your terrain. If you are under canopy cover, the GPS can occasionally skip a marker, causing the route to be shortened slightly. This can be rectified to a certain degree with the speed/cadence sensor that the 500 is capable of using. 

Under trees I would get the 500. Blue sky up above, I would get the 200


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## cormy (Sep 11, 2010)

if the funds work out i will probably get the 500.


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## Big N Hood Rich (Nov 26, 2010)

Spend the extra 100 and get the 500. Can you use the 20% off coupon they have right now on it? I love my 500 and am using Bontrager ANT+ sensors with mine with out any issues..


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

The REI coupon specifically excludes GPS. they have two models on sale right now, however.

Don't buy the Edge 200 for the mtb. the basic Edge 500 is also crap for the mtb. You absolutely HAVE to get a cadence sensor to get halfway decent results on the mtb. Alll the details of those reasons are covered in depth in this forum.



> If you are under canopy cover, the GPS can occasionally skip a marker, causing the route to be shortened slightly. This can be rectified to a certain degree with the speed/cadence sensor that the 500 is capable of using.


this is not why. every modern dedicated GPS receiver since the mid-2000's has had sufficient reception to provide a position inside homes with surprising reliability. I have not lost reception at all since before I bought my Garmin GPSMap 76CSx back in 06 or so. The only time my Nuvi has had trouble has been in tunnels and parking garages. The major reason a GPS turns out to be junk for the mountain bike is recording frequency. mtb trails are so tight and twisty with subtle turns and sharp switchbacks that to get reasonable accuracy, you NEED 1 second recording intervals.

The Edge 200 is entirely incapable of that. The Edge 500 by itself is also incapable of that, however cadence sensors and power meters enable 1 sec recording on the Edge 500, so it can be made to work okay. Buying an extra sensor adds to the cost of having a GPS worth using on the mtb. If you want affordable GPS for your mtb, you're better off looking at a handheld, and the lower end models are quite affordable on a daily basis. The etrex 30 is currently on sale at REI, so it'd be worth a look right now.

I use an Oregon 450, which I found on sale for $250 quite some time ago. A reasonable cost, IMO.


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## zombinate (Apr 27, 2009)

well, I stand corrected. 500 seems a better unit then. NateHawk, do you know what the interval is on the edge units without the sensor?


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

zombinate said:


> well, I stand corrected. 500 seems a better unit then. NateHawk, do you know what the interval is on the edge units without the sensor?


"auto" aka - crap for the mtb.


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## Pedalfaraway (Jan 19, 2004)

*don't forget about the edge 305*

The 305 has good reception, allows 1 sec recording, works with strava, and can be found pretty cheap. It also has more navigation ability then a 200 or 500. Also does HR and Cadence.

I run my edge with auto recording and get pretty good accuracy on trails. i guess it depends how close you want but I think an egde with auto recored does a better job in the accuracy department then a phone.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Pedalfaraway said:


> The 305 has good reception, allows 1 sec recording, works with strava, and can be found pretty cheap. It also has more navigation ability then a 200 or 500. Also does HR and Cadence.
> 
> I run my edge with auto recording and get pretty good accuracy on trails. i guess it depends how close you want but I think an egde with auto recored does a better job in the accuracy department then a phone.


depends on the specific trails. if the trails you ride are pretty wide open and the curves are more gradual, then auto record works okay. it may not be quite as precise, but it will be good enough. also good if you're recording a long ride, you will have fewer segments to piece together when you finish your ride from track point overrun.

if your trails are like mine where there are several miles packed into a small urban woodlot where you're literally feet from another trail most of the time, then 1sec recording is absolutely necessary.

Take my ride today:






I was trying to get KOM on a few segments so I went on my ride intentionally to work on them. The guy I'm competing with rides just 3-5mi at a time so he is pretty fresh when he hits the segments. I obviously ride longer distances. This was a shorter ride for me.

At any rate, one of the segments wasn't picked up at all because my GPS was not so accurate on that segment. I think my speed was a factor. when you go fast, accuracy suffers on twisty stuff. And this trail was the twistiest out there. it picked up the segment where I climbed it, but the descent got missed. I use 1sec recording out here.

In the past, I've used auto on these trails, mostly by accident. the resulting track was absolute garbage. just complete trash. whereas I can see on the above track where the deviations occurred, using auto here is so bad that it never really puts the trails on the map correctly.


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

NateHawk said:


> The Edge 500 by itself is also incapable of that, however cadence sensors and power meters enable 1 sec recording on the Edge 500,


Since a firmware upgrade last fall, the Edge 500 can be set for 1-second recording without any external ANT+ devices.

I still recommend the wheel magnet on winding trails.

The Edge500 has only missed one strava segment since Christmas, over a 99% average I think.


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## Ilikejeeps2 (Jul 23, 2007)

I bought the 200 and found that it was not accurate at all. Went to the 500 with a Garmin Cadance/speed sensor and all is well. I bought the 200 origanally because all I wanted was to accuratly record my rides on Stiva and do not care about cadence, too bad the 200 did not work well for that. I did get mine at REI and they let me swat the unit without any questions.

I see that you have many bikes and the edge series is nice that you can swap it very quickly.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

ghettocruiser said:


> Since a firmware upgrade last fall, the Edge 500 can be set for 1-second recording without any external ANT+ devices.
> 
> I still recommend the wheel magnet on winding trails.
> 
> The Edge500 has only missed one strava segment since Christmas, over a 99% average I think.


good call. since I don't own one, I forgot about that update.


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