Garmin 010-00978-00 Edge 200 GPS-Enabled Bike Computer

I don't want or need all the information that the higher-end Garmins provide, so when this less expensive version came out I ordered it as soon as it was available. I've done two rides with it so far, and it works as advertised. It has no problem acquiring satellites, even with a lot of trees around. When I examine the track closely I can see there are points where it loses the signal (there are lots of trees where we ride) and then picks it up again. The giveaway is that between those two points there is straight line that has us going through buildings in cases where we made a turn while the signal was lost. But overall I'd say it's 98% accurate and the speed and distance figures I think are much more accurate than my previous computer. Obviously it requires no calibration, eliminating the errors inherent in that process. Uploading to the Garmin website is very easy once you've registered and installed their interface in your browser. The user interface is very basic and easy to understand. You can save a ride as a course and download it back to the device so that the next time you do that same ride you can get real-time comparison. I haven't tried that yet. Garmin says the battery life is 14 hours. Based on a 2-hour ride that left 86% of the charge in the battery I'd say that's likely accurate. When turned off it does not appear to lose any of its charge at all; after being off a week it was still 100%. The bottom line is that it works exactly as advertised, and gives continuous speed and altitude information for the entire ride. It also tells moving time, overall time, average speed, average moving speed and calories burned (you program in your age, height and weight). This is all I wanted, and the price is reasonable. I'm very happy with it.
One more thing: It comes with two bike mounts which is very handy, and I like the rubber band mounting system. (A bag of bands of varying size is included). It mounts with two bands in such a way that if one breaks, the other will still hold it securely.

I bought this little GPS as a gift for my cycling husband. It is very basic, and unlike the Garmin Edge 500 (which is what I have), it does not allow much tweaking of how the information is displayed. It will not monitor heart rate or cadence. However, my husband does not want to do much tweaking or monitor his heart rate or cadence. He has used it for two days now and completely loves it. For the money and for what it does, this is a wonderful product.

Overview :
I've been using the Edge 200 for approximately 6 weeks and overall I'm very happy with it despite a couple of minor complaints. Before the Edge I had been using a Garmin 60CSx and/or a basic wired bike computer but I started feeling that the 60CSx was overkill for the majority of my riding. It was also a bit large and exposed for more aggressive riding. In the end I decided I wanted something that recorded some basic metrics (mph, distance, record several rides, etc.) that I could easily take bike to bike and the Edge 200 seemed like a viable contender once I started pricing mid-level wireless computers., especially since I would gain the ability to track rides and do courses.

Things I Like/Observations/General Info.:
-Battery life: The meter read around 80% after a 2.5+hr XC ride and 1hr push & 10min DH run. I haven't noticed any battery drain after not using the unit for about two weeks. This works out to about 17.5 +/- hours before a recharge is needed, very respectable for a small gps unit.
-Mounts: 2 mounts, 4 small bands, and 4 medium/large bands. 2 bands are needed per mount. The small bands work well for handlebars and the mid-section of a stem. The larger bands work well for thicker parts such as mounting where the stem and handlebar mate or the top tube. (I stretched the bands more than I thought was possible in order to get them to fit the oversized top tube of my DH bike and they've held up and not snapped after 4+weeks. See the images for reference.) I've never used rubber bands like this before and I'm very impressed. I would like the option to buy some bands that are even larger as that would enable even safer mounting locations on my DH bike.
-Satellite connection/reception is great; so far it locates itself within a minute. I usually turn it on and then put on my helmet, gloves, and etc. which is more than enough time for the unit to find itself. With my 60CSx I had a few trails where I always got the ridiculous speed (100+ mph) in certain spots but so far I've gotten none of that with the Edge 200. The reception has been good so far also. (This is Southern CA conditions and not North Shore so I can't say that it's perfect but I've had no problems in covered areas.)
-Interface/functionality: I think this is one of the stronger areas. The screen is easy to read. I find the unit very easy to use and intuitive to navigate. Ride history and settings can be accessed easily.
-Misc.: I've never used a "course" before so I decided to try it brand new trail at night (not something I recommend for everyone) and I loved it. It was easy to upload and use and worked very well for keeping me on the proper trail. (Just make sure your course source is reliable.) I also love being able to track my rides and upload them to various GPS sites.

Complaints (Reasons for minus star):
-When I have three or more rides in the history folder and I try to delete all my rides the unit always leaves one ride and won't delete even if I try again. I've found two ways get around this: turn the unit on & off and then it will delete the ride; or plug it into my computer and erase it by accessing the memory storage via my computer.
-I haven't found a way to get the night illumination to stay on permanently. I know this would wear down the battery sooner but I'm sure I could get a solid 2hrs of riding in before this happened. At least give me an option to change it how long it stays on (5min maybe?). There is an option to change the brightness but this would mean that I have to change it back and forth. It's not a big deal but it seems like an obvious thing for Garmin to build in. (Maybe a future firmware update will have it?)

Tips:
-Check with Garmin for firmware updates. There was one available when I got my unit.
-I would mount it on the stem if possible to reduce chances of scratching if you go over the bars. However, if you do night riding something you might need to consider first is where you mount your light. I mount mine right next to the stem on the handlebar so which causes interference with the pushing the buttons on the gps and removing the unit.

Conclusion:
If you're not looking for something fancy or need terrain views but want a speedometer and occasionally need some GPS function than I think the Edge is something worth considering. I had been shopping for a little while before the 200 came out and thought about getting the 500 but just couldn't justify the price especially since there were features I wouldn't use once the novelty wore off.

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