Garmin Edge 800 GPS-Enabled Cycling Computer

by Garmin

Product Features

• High-sensitivity receiver
• Barometric altimeter
• Touchscreen & simple to use interface

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Product Description

Edition: Base Model

Amazon.com

Make the most of every ride with Edge 800--the first touchscreen GPS bike computer. Providing navigation and performance monitoring, Edge 800 is ideal for touring, commuting, competitive cycling and mountain biking. It has a built-in basemap and tracks your distance, speed, location and ascent/descent. Use it with an ANT+ heart rate monitor, speed/cadence sensor or compatible power meter for a finely tuned analysis of your ride.

The first touchscreen GPS bike computer.

Built-in basemap that shows major roads and cities.

Provides turn-by-turn navigation prompts on screen.

See how you measure up to the Virtual Partner.

At Your Fingertips
We designed this display to be rugged enough to stand up to the elements, yet sensitive enough to respond to the tap of your gloved hand. Switch training pages or pan and zoom the map with just a tap. The bright, sunlight-readable color display is easy to view in all lighting conditions. Just don't let its good looks fool you--Edge 800 is waterproof to IPX7 standards and can withstand hard knocks and scrapes it might endure in mountain biking environments.

The aerodynamic Edge 800 has a carbon fiber look with either blue or white accents and attaches to the stem or handlebar of your bike with the low-profile mount. A quarter-turn mount design holds unit securely and lets you easily swap it between bikes using removable, reusable bands.

Know Where To Go
Whether your bike is a means of transportation or escape, having maps at your fingertips makes every journey easier and more fun. Edge 800 comes with a built-in basemap that shows major roads and cities, plus it's compatible with our microSD cards packed with either street or topo maps. Select a destination and Edge 800 provides turn-by-turn navigation prompts on screen.

Edge 800 can also guide you along routes recorded by other cyclists. Explore our Garmin Connect site and choose from millions of rides uploaded by other users. Any activities you upload to your Edge 800 are stored as courses. You can follow the course with navigation prompts or, for a little competition, race it and try to beat previously set goals. You can also use Garmin's free BaseCamp software or other applications to create a route, view elevation changes and other data, and then upload to Edge.

Edge 800 records your every move with a high-sensitivity GPS receiver that stays locked on, even under tree cover. The receiver features HotFix satellite prediction to calculate your position faster, plus it has automatic time zone adjustment.

Data, Any Way You Want It
Edge 800 tracks a bunch of data from your ride and lets you customize up to three training pages so you can see as much or as little data as you want. The barometric altimeter provides extra-precise climb and descent data and records temperature changes.

If you're a performance cyclist, you can pair Edge 800 with a third-party ANT+ enabled power meter to display your power output in watts as you ride. This valuable data shows you how hard you're working, regardless of conditions affecting your ride, so you can train smarter. Some versions of Edge 800 also come with a speed/cadence sensor and heart rate monitor.

Training Tools
Need a little motivation to push your performance? See how you measure up to the Virtual Partner--a digital depiction of your goal speed vs. your speed in real-time. Other training features include detailed workout planning, Auto Pause, Auto Lap and Courses, which helps you compare successive rides over the same route.

Analyze Your Ride
You logged the miles, now it's time to review, replay and share your ride. Just upload your data to Garmin Connect, our website for free data analysis and sharing. You can upload from your PC or Mac using the included USB cable. At Garmin Connect, you can see the route you traveled on a map, view a summary of your ride, create goals, share it with others and much more.

What's in the Box
Edge 800, Bike Mount, AC Charger, USB Cable, Quick Start Manual

Product Description

Make the most of every ride with Edge 800 - the first touchscreen GPS bike computer. Providing navigation and performance monitoring, Edge 800 is ideal for touring, commuting, competitive cycling and mountain biking. It has a built-in basemap and tracks your distance, speed, location and ascent/descent. Use it with an ANT+ heart rate monitor, speed/cadence sensor or compatible power meter for a finely tuned analysis of your ride.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

255 of 260 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Big step up from 705 November 18, 2010

By KMan

Edition:Heart Rate Monitor & Cadence Sensor

As a basis for my review: I'm someone who owns a 305, 705, 500 and 800 (and has the Cyclemeter iPhone app). I've ridden thousands of miles with all of them (well, not the iphone app and 800- yet). I've owned polar watches in the past too. My current set-ups include bikes with a powertap and Quarq. My training rides during the winter include 5+ hour road rides- although this is nothing compared to what the rondo folks do. I'm also a Cat 2 road racer with experience in many many many races. (also race MTB and cyclocross- no track this year)

At first I was a little hesitant about the touchscreen having been so used to my iphone. Is it sensitive? Can I use it with gloves on? I will say for a fact that the touchscreen changes your entire interaction with the device. It does work with gloves- and surprisingly well at that. Have you ever tried to enter data into the 705 using the little thumbstick? Hunt, click, hunt, click. It's a frustrating experience. With the touchscreen it's a snap. Tap, tap, tap. Done. Don't expect iPhone/Android phone screen quality- if you did, you'd be paying a couple hundred more for it (and probably wouldn't be able to use gloves with it)

Benefits over the iphone: screen works with gloves on. Don't need to worry about it getting wet. If I drop it, I don't need to worry about it as much. I still have navigational capability and maps if I'm out of cell range (happens a lot if I'm in the Cascades or the Oregon coastal range).

Another bonus over the 705- the sheer number of screens and discrete informational elements. 3 data screens with a possible 10 fields per each. Plus more available data fields on the map, courses and workout pages. A bike geek's dream. If you want to change one of the data fields- for example, instead of power, you figure you need to see 3 second power, you hold your finger on the field and poof, you can select the field you'd like to change it to. Changing all the fields on the 800 is a much easier process too, and if you don't want a screen, you can turn it off. (most of them at least)

Another big improvement- writing speed compared to the 705. I plug the 705 in and if I have a lot of activities, it takes forever to mount- if you have the 705, you know what I mean- that stinking green bar. The 800 mounts much quicker and the files are much smaller as .fit.

Compared to the 500- it's a completely different unit made for different purposes. The 500 I use in race situations for data collection and I only have a few data fields shown. Distance, power, heart rate and time. I rarely look at it but it's nice to be able to know why I am about to blow at certain points. The 800 on the other hand is great for training- the ability to change fields on the fly, the maps are quite handy to see where roads go and having the navigational ability is handy too. 500 takes more steps to change fields too so I rarely like to change them. Other fields that are available on the 800 but not on the 705, temperature (is at freezing- kinda important to know), watts/kg.

There's still some elements that need to be improved but given Garmin's track record for providing excellent updates, those should be fixed. For example- during workouts, using instantaneous power for narrow band workouts is not the best. If you're trying to work at threshold, instantaneous power tends to bounce around, and it really should have 3 second power as the basis. Otherwise the outside of zone alarm keeps on going off. The other piece I wish for is the ability to custom tailor fields to each bike. (So I choose my cross bike, it shows the appropriate screens since I don't have a power unit on that).

The other improvement over the 705 is the mounting system. It has the twist lock like the 500 instead of the 705 mount with the flimsy push down flap that breaks.

My summary? I for one love the 800- and the linchpin is the touchscreen. It makes the unit much easier to work with over past units. I was a little jaded and didn't expect much from touchscreen but now that I've used it, it has made a world of difference. I would say this is a large step improvement, not incremental.

How would I compare these?

705- 2nd generation, good evolution from 305, data entry a chore, good navigation capabilities, limited screens
500- minimalist, lightweight- great for those who don't need to navigate but want enough info to train with.
800- 3rd generation, UI greatly improved, data entry a breeze, plenty of information available, flexible with potential for more improvements

Is it worth it? Yeah, in my opinion it is. For the amount of time I spend on the road, absolutely.

72 of 72 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun! April 16, 2011

By Elie

Edition:Base Model

Garmin Edge 800
I have never owned a bicycle GPS, but have tested many basic bike computers. The Garmin 800 is accurate, fast, easy to use and most of all fun.

My main reasons for purchasing the device were to have a bike computer to use on my road bike that would provide various kinds of data in addition to speed and distance (heart rate, time to destination...), and to be able to go for long rides without worrying about getting lost, allowing me to concentrate on cycling and exploring new places instead. I was looking for a product that would give me the information I wanted but without distracting me.

The basic data are very accurate and data fields are easy to read while riding, as long as you do not cram too many fields into a single page. (Screens are customizable and you can flip through data/map pages.) I use two data pages: one with basic information, and the other with data such as average speed or temperature which I do not need to consult constantly.

The screen is easy to read, even in direct sunlight, and it lights up automatically if it is dark outside.

The touch-screen interface makes the device very user-friendly and can easily be operated with sweaty fingers. I have not tested it with gloves yet but other users have said that they are not a problem.

The maps are accurate and easy to read, though I do recommend getting the city extension which is sold separately. Otherwise only main roads are displayed. I use this for road biking so I was not interested in having topographical maps.

The map can be programmed to avoid highways. However, on one or two occasions my GPS device led me to major roads that were not suitable for cycling. Since they were technically not highways, they were not blocked. Obviously the GPS does not replace your brain or your eyes. That might sound silly but I was surprised how easy it is to follow the device blindly. Just keep your eyes open. If you do not follow the GPS instructions it will recalculate a route based on the direction you take. The device is not intrusive or aggressive like some car GPS devices. It will not yell at you or display large warnings if you miss a turn. Instead, it will adapt.

I was not intentionally interested in uploading my rides to my computer but I have started using Garmin Connect to analyse basic data and track my progress from ride to ride. It's also neat to see your ride on a map and to be able to download other people's rides.

I was also not planning on using the heart rate monitor regularly but I think I will start. It seems to work pretty well.

The price for this device is very high in my opinion. Of course, this is the top-of-the-line model from Garmin. Yet compared to car GPS models it still seemed like a lot. I don't regret the purchase, and I do not regret having bought a cheaper model because I would probably have ended up buying this one afterwords anyway.

The Garmin Edge 800 has more features than anyone could possibly want. But it is very fun to use. If you are considering cheaper models but are drooling over this one, then buy it. No, you do not need it. But you do not need to get up at 5:00 AM on a Sunday to go for a bike ride wearing Lycra tights either. You do it because it's fun. (Riding, not wearing tights.) If you can spare the cash, buy this.

EDIT: My impressions after 250 miles using the product
-Heart rate monitor is accurate, useful and sensor is comfortable to wear. I thought it would get on my nerves but it turns out I like it
-Battery life is more or less as advertised, but obviously depends on factors such as whether or not you use the backlight, etc.
-Charging time is very fast!
-Today, the step-by-step navigation lead me into some guy's backyard claiming it was a road. According to him, there was one there... three years ago! He says people using GPS devices end up there all the time because Garmin apparently hasn't updated that part of the map... Not a big deal, only happened once but funny story.

Edit 2:
Exactly two years later, I continue to use and love the device. I know use it for my daily commute as well. Still works perfectly.

77 of 80 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Not really designed for mountain biking January 23, 2011

By Assaf

Edition:Base Model

I own several Garmin GPS devices, including two Nuvi, a Garmin Edge 705 and a Garmin Forerunner 410. So I was happy to purchase the new Edge 800 GPS computer for my mountain bike. After 3 rides I can definitely state that this GPS was NOT designed for a mountain bike. While it is waterproof, this GPS suffers from an extremely soft plastic touch screen which got completely scratched after 3 rides. I can now see pixel abberation due to the scratches (this is just from flying debris and perhaps dirt on my gloves/hands while manipulating the touch display) which is annoying. Note - I cross country in the bay area, so this is not a result of a downhill/freeride abuse or crash.

So:
1. This model might work for road biking - ride on clean roads and make sure to clean your hands and mitts before maniipulating the display!
2. Perhaps a screen protector might work. Don't know.
3. For mountain biking stick with a lower range Garmin like a 705 (not as scratch prone - after 2 years!).

Other than that - the GPS works as expected.

Edit - reading other bikers reviews I tried keeping the GPS in a soft pouch while biking. It is a good method, and might be a good way to keep it usable in the long run. Not as sexy as Garmin's marketing folk intended, nor as useful for navigating/speedometer, etc. but a useful approach for existing owners who want to track their rides.

Edit 2 - For those who are interested in purchasing this Garmin, I would highly recommend getting a screen protector. So I recently disocovered a Zagg screen protector for the Edge 800. This one happens to work very well: [...]. Also, the protector actually seemed to have made the scratches disappear (or at least be much less visible).

-al