# Garmin or Bryton? That is the question!



## Mandy jo (22 Sep 2012)

Hey folks,
The Christmas Fairy is going to buy me a funky GPS gadget to save my phone battery getting drained! So I put it to the forum, the Mighty Garmin500/800 or relative newbie on the scene Bryton 50?

Discuss!


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## Rob3rt (22 Sep 2012)

Garmin, proven devices, good customer service etc


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## oldfatfool (22 Sep 2012)

I have a Bryton and would recommend it, mine came with comprehensive European mapping/points of interest and Eurovelo routes pre-installed, don't have heart rate or cadence sensors so can't comment on their performance. Never used the Garmin.


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## DCLane (22 Sep 2012)

Bryton's seem to be improving; I've got a Rider 35 and the HRM works well. Can't seem to work out the cadence sensor.

Mapping works fine once you understand it.


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## Hacienda71 (22 Sep 2012)

I have a Garmin and it is fine. A lot more accurate for my needs than my GPS phone.


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## Nigelnaturist (22 Sep 2012)

I got a Bryton 35 last wk, and if I stop for length of time, we are talking less than 8 mins as far as I know, for some reason it completely loses altitude. gps track is spot on though.


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## smokeysmoo (22 Sep 2012)

Garmin 

I had a Bryton but found the software side of things was a nightmare, (may be better now mind), but it will never be as tried and tested as Garmin.


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## endoman (22 Sep 2012)

Had a Bryton 50 for a year, been faultless, does all I want it to do. Navigation when needed is very useful. Use it with HRM and cadence with no issues.


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## Mandy jo (22 Sep 2012)

Does the Bryton 50 upload to Strava?


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## DCLane (22 Sep 2012)

Yes - Bryton' done an update on their website.


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## Mr Haematocrit (22 Sep 2012)

Garmin has a lawsuit against Bryton which is ongoing, you may wish to read up on this as it could effect future sales and support. The Bryton already has an injunction preventing sale in Germany and they are trying to get this through the US and other European countries


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## oldfatfool (22 Sep 2012)

V for Vengedetta said:


> Garmin has a lawsuit against Bryton which is ongoing, you may wish to read up on this as it could effect future sales and support. The Bryton already has an injunction preventing sale in Germany and they are trying to get this through the US and other European countries


Sounds like it is much like apple suing samsung.

"They accuse Bryton of mimicking both the appearance and functionality of their popular Edge range" with the Ryder 30

Its a bike computer and does bike computer things ffs

Or to put it bluntly Garmin are pissed that someone is selling a superior product for half the price and nicking profits.

Edit: a quick google and the last reports seem to be in 2011 so I guess this never escalated


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## Mike! (22 Sep 2012)

Recently got myself a Garmin 800, great bit of kit and so easy to upload to connect / strava. Considered a Bryton but decided to go for the more proven unit myself....


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## MissyR (23 Sep 2012)

Mandy jo said:


> Hey folks,
> The Christmas Fairy is going to buy me a funky GPS gadget to save my phone battery getting drained! So I put it to the forum, the Mighty Garmin500/800 or relative newbie on the scene Bryton 50?
> 
> Discuss!


 
Well aren't you a very very very lucky girl then Mandy Jo!!! However if I had such a generous fairy looking out for me then I'd be going for the Garmin Edge 800 with free handle bar tassles (if your into that kind of thing)


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## david k (23 Sep 2012)

ive got a garmin 800 and love it, i probably dont use half the sensors but hopefully i will eventually


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## SportMonkey (23 Sep 2012)

Nigelnaturist said:


> I got a Bryton 35 last wk, and if I stop for length of time, we are talking less than 8 mins as far as I know, for some reason it completely loses altitude. gps track is spot on though.


 
That sounds about right, all devices should be funny about altitude as they use barometric altitude sensors. I'm not sure how the Garmin behaves, but even they give some rather crappy altitude readings (there's a completely flat Cat 4 on Strava in my village created by a Garmin). There are no good GPS units on altitude due to the way the technology works, even the best handheld hiking ones need very regular calibration at a known height.


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## karl61 (23 Sep 2012)

hi, does the bryton do turn by turn navigation, as i'm planning lejog next year?all my longer rides so far have been done with maps , plot and cut out routine, did a 150 miler with this method a few years back but an alternative would be nice.........safe cycling all.


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## Broughtonblue (23 Sep 2012)

Mike! said:


> Recently got myself a Garmin 800, great bit of kit and so easy to upload to connect / strava. Considered a Bryton but decided to go for the more proven unit myself....


I have an 800 too, why do you use strava instead of the garmins own site, what does it do that garmins doesn't?


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## StuAff (23 Sep 2012)

Broughtonblue said:


> I have an 800 too, why do you use strava instead of the garmins own site, what does it do that garmins doesn't?


Segments? Easy comparison of your rides and times with other people? Connect doesn't have the same level of social features- yes, you can tweet/facebook post/otherwise link to your data, but not much more. Strava also has the advantage of being able to freely share rides without (thanks to the location hiding features) revealing your home/office location and telling the tea leaves where your bike (etc) is. I use both, and Dailymile. They've all got pros and cons.


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## oldfatfool (23 Sep 2012)

karl61 said:


> hi, does the bryton do turn by turn navigation, as i'm planning lejog next year?all my longer rides so far have been done with maps , plot and cut out routine, did a 150 miler with this method a few years back but an alternative would be nice.........safe cycling all.


 
In a word, Yes


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## StuAff (23 Sep 2012)

It came with them, at least at launch. Bryton are now selling 'HD Maps' with more detail and including one region with purchases.


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## Mike! (23 Sep 2012)

Broughtonblue said:


> I have an 800 too, why do you use strava instead of the garmins own site, what does it do that garmins doesn't?



I use both sites, connect more for my record keeping and strava for segment comparison (although have gotten a little bored of that!) and as has been mentioned the sharing / privacy features


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## nathanicola (23 Sep 2012)

Just about to buy the 800 but is it so much better than the 705 to warrant the extra 100 odd quid?


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## StuAff (23 Sep 2012)

nathanicola said:


> Just about to buy the 800 but is it so much better than the 705 to warrant the extra 100 odd quid?


As with so many things, opinions vary somewhat on that. I'm happy enough with my 705, though I wish it used AA batteries as the life on mine (exchanged under warranty last year so not that well-used) seems a bit low these days (it might just be me though). The 800 is no better in that respect, of course, and nor has the battery life gone up. Frank Kinlan says on his rather excellent blog (covering amongst other things tips and hints on both) that though the 705 is still a good device, 'you don't downgrade to Windows 95'. I suggest you read up on reviews of both- and plenty of riders have used both, that should help.


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## nathanicola (23 Sep 2012)

Thanks StuAff.


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## Broughtonblue (23 Sep 2012)

StuAff said:


> Segments? Easy comparison of your rides and times with other people? Connect doesn't have the same level of social features- yes, you can tweet/facebook post/otherwise link to your data, but not much more. Strava also has the advantage of being able to freely share rides without (thanks to the location hiding features) revealing your home/office location and telling the tea leaves where your bike (etc) is. I use both, and Dailymile. They've all got pros and cons.


Thanks for that, just joined strava and uploaded my rides. The segments thing is brilliant! Opened up a whole new world, loads of segments in my area that I ride regularly and didn't know about


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## Berties (23 Sep 2012)

Bryton ride 40 for me,hrm works well and cadence works with giants system,never missed a beat,and bryton bridge does me proud,I wish I had got a mapping one as more rides think everyone has the capability to upload routes,so not having to sign routes so much,but as a good meter it gets my vote


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## bicyclos (23 Sep 2012)

I went the other way and bought a Navibe mercury 100 which for a gps plotting device and cycle computer is geat for the money.


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## david k (23 Sep 2012)

Broughtonblue said:


> I have an 800 too, why do you use strava instead of the garmins own site, what does it do that garmins doesn't?


stravas got more features
i actually use endomondo as ive found it really easy to use with lots of features. it uploads direct from garmins (see my signature)


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## Downward (27 Jul 2013)

The Bryton Rider 50 can be found for £180 now. Is this worth £40 more than a Garmin 500 ? It seems to have a nicer clearer colour display and maps and I can't see apart from Garmin being favourites why I shouldn't buy one ??

I can't seem to see the 40e and whether it has the Virtual partner type thing which is the key aspect of buying a GPS


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## stumpy66 (27 Jul 2013)

The rider 50 is a good bit of kit, ive had mine for 6months. If you need the mapping facility then id go for that one, one word of warning Bryton support is non existant, my rider has started recording runs an hour earlier, ive emailed them twice and messaged them thru the facebook page with no reply.


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## DooDah (27 Jul 2013)

> Hey folks,
> The Christmas Fairy is going to buy me a funky GPS gadget to save my phone battery getting drained! So I put it to the forum, the Mighty Garmin500/800 or relative newbie on the scene Bryton 50?


 
Christmas......its not is it....already Garmin 500 for me everyday


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## uclown2002 (27 Jul 2013)

All roads lead to Garmin. Even if the products were close I'd still go with Garmin. Truly outstanding Customer Service IME.


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## Downward (27 Jul 2013)

uclown2002 said:


> All roads lead to Garmin. Even if the products were close I'd still go with Garmin. Truly outstanding Customer Service IME.


 
Yes the garmin support site is good but there is lots of issues - I never got a response to my 305 issue and thus it never worked properly


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## HLaB (27 Jul 2013)

Downward said:


> Yes the garmin support site is good but there is lots of issues - I never got a response to my 305 issue and thus it never worked properly


Their email response to my 305 problem was poor also but their phone response was very good


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## Cush (28 Jul 2013)

Just to go slightly off course! Has any one any experience with the "i-gotu", which I believe is an Australian gps. It seems to be slightly cheaper than the Garmin 200 and appears to have a better battery life.


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## Berties (28 Jul 2013)

Berties said:


> Bryton ride 40 for me,hrm works well and cadence works with giants system,never missed a beat,and bryton bridge does me proud,I wish I had got a mapping one as more rides think everyone has the capability to upload routes,so not having to sign routes so much,but as a good meter it gets my vote



I changed direction to a Garmin 800 os after major issues with bryton,though I like the Garmin have had 2 corrupt files not up loading within the last few weeks bit of a shame,but have got a forerunner as well which has been great,


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## Downward (28 Jul 2013)

Mio 305 is £153 with HR monitor and Cadence too as another option.
Just bought HR monitor and cadence though so could sell these.

Bryton 40e is £115 too which is another option !!

So in summary
500 is £120
510 is £200
Rider 50 is £180
Mio 305 is £153 with HR And Cadence
Rider 40e is £115

I would like a Virtual Partner type thing like on the Garmins though for commuting racing !


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## oxford_guy (28 Jul 2013)

I still reckon a iPhone or Android phone with a decent waterproof case, external power source (dynamo and/or rechargable battery) plus Viewranger would be more versatile, at least on the mapping front, though won't have the heart rate monitor/cadence stuff, if that's your thing. But then I use it more for touring than monitoring performance.


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## outlash (28 Jul 2013)

As a bit of a curveball, a garmin etrex 20 has full colour maps (you can also add your own) and navigation capability. Takes AA's and is about £120. It doesn't have ANT+ compatibility (the Etrex 30 has) but if all you want is to know where you're going and the usual stats. Job done .


Tony.


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## Peteaud (28 Jul 2013)

Downward said:


> Mio 305 is £153 with HR monitor and Cadence too as another option.
> Just bought HR monitor and cadence though so could sell these.
> 
> Bryton 40e is £115 too which is another option !!
> ...


 


Out of interest, where are you getting those prices from?


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## Downward (28 Jul 2013)

Handtec
Handtec
Ebay
Halfords
Halords


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## yello (28 Jul 2013)

oxford_guy said:


> I still reckon a iPhone or Android phone with a decent waterproof case, external power source (dynamo and/or rechargable battery) plus Viewranger would be more versatile.


 
Whilst I respect entirely your opinion, and don't doubt it's a solution that works for you, I'd guess (and it is only a guess) that you wouldn't be in the majority with that opinion. Imo, a purpose built, dedicated GPS unit is going to be more accurate, robust and reliable than a smartphone - imo


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## earth (29 Jul 2013)

I have a Garmin 800 and don't like it very much. On the plus side it can measure a great many things. That is its redeeming feature but it is buggy and the GUI could be improved a lot. The GUI does not seem to have been thought out at all, particularly the map display.

I would like to try a Mio but have not found anywhere with a demo one. Maybe Garmin are going to bully them as well.


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## oxford_guy (29 Jul 2013)

yello said:


> Whilst I respect entirely your opinion, and don't doubt it's a solution that works for you, I'd guess (and it is only a guess) that you wouldn't be in the majority with that opinion. Imo, a purpose built, dedicated GPS unit is going to be more accurate, robust and reliable than a smartphone - imo


 
I'm not so sure about that - a smartphone will usually acquire a GPS lock quicker (and can use WiFi/3G to help with this), is robust enough if you put it in a decent case (in fact probably more so than an unprotected Garmin) and the combination of a large clear hi-res touch screen and the excellent Viewranger software presents a better UI than any Garmin I've used... Just my opinion, of course, and I'm mainly thinking about it from the mapping point of view, if you want all the training tools that Garmin and the like offer, then they offer better out of the box solutions for that side of things. BTW I have previously owned various Garmin GPS devices...


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## Nigelnaturist (29 Jul 2013)

oxford_guy said:


> I still reckon a iPhone or Android phone *with a decent waterproof case, external power source (dynamo and/or rechargable battery) plus Viewranger* would be more versatile, at least on the mapping front, though won't have the heart rate monitor/cadence stuff, if that's your thing. But then I use it more for touring than monitoring performance.


Look at what your saying here, A 500 will easily last 12 hours (though it supposed to be 18 just depends how its set up), a single unit on your bar or stem which is water proof, just one piece of kit compared with spare batteries waterproof case, and remember this I have dropped mine on flag stones and it bounced, I would really like to see that happen with an iphone. Yo can get H.R. and cad for iphones.


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## Nigelnaturist (29 Jul 2013)

It all depends what you want out of a gps unit, I use mine to compare my performance and my h.r. over time, If you plan a route a the breadcrumb trial usually works fine, using the right software for the mapping it will give turn by turn, if you go off course just turn round till you pick it up again.
I just have speed, cad, h.r. avg speed, distance, time elapsed or any combination of data that I need for the ride I am doing, mapping doesn't really come into it these days as I know most roads around here, which covers well over 150sq miles, (unless ill and I end up on the A1, even then I just ride till I come a across somewhere I know).


oxford_guy said:


> I'm not so sure about that - a smartphone will usually acquire a GPS lock quicker (*and can use WiFi/3G to help with this*),


This can cause problems with recording times and positional errors, and should in fact be turned off for recording gps tracks to avoid errors.
An old saying comes to mind "The right tool for the job". I wouldn't use a phone for taking pictures so the same is true about gps.


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## oxford_guy (29 Jul 2013)

Nigelnaturist said:


> Look at what your saying here, A 500 will easily last 12 hours (though it supposed to be 18 just depends how its set up), a single unit on your bar or stem which is water proof, just one piece of kit compared with spare batteries waterproof case, and remember this I have dropped mine on flag stones and it bounced, I would really like to see that happen with an iphone. .


 
Done that more than one with my iPhone 5 in it's Lifeproof case and it bounced, no damage to iPhone :-)

As Nigelnaturist said, though, depends what you want it for. I want GPS for mapping on multi-day tours without access to mains charging, and don't care about training aids etc., and for that it's worked perfectly.


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## Nigelnaturist (30 Jul 2013)

I forgot mention also (I don't know how phone apps work with this) dedicated gps units have workouts i.e. to keep in H.R. zone or maintain a particular cadence, they are *bike* specific (though could double for walking/running performance) so unless you intended to use these features a Garmin 200 would suffice as this as the breadcrumb trial though not the h.r. or cad/speed, while I am at it a speed sensor will also do away with erroneous max speeds on strava, if I just use the gps to record speed data it still gives the odd max speed as sometime gps data points can jump a little and it doesnt take much for one of these to give an incorrect speed, and to a lesser degree incorrect segment times (though this is less common), I did have some when I used the phone last Aug and only now am I getting to those speeds.
The Bryton 20 doesn't have any sort of mapping but does have h.r. cad/sp.


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## Ben M (30 Jul 2013)

There is no comparing the battery life and accuracy of a dedicated GPS device to a phone. They are just far superior.


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## oxford_guy (30 Jul 2013)

Ben M said:


> There is no comparing the battery life and accuracy of a dedicated GPS device to a phone. They are just far superior.



Doesn't matter if you have a means of charging the device on the bike (e.g. hub dynamo), though, if not, you're correct, of course.


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## Rob3rt (30 Jul 2013)

oxford_guy said:


> Doesn't matter if you have a means of charging the device on the bike (e.g. hub dynamo), though, if not, you're correct, of course.


 

That won't solve any instances of questionable gps accuracy though.


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## Nigelnaturist (30 Jul 2013)

Rob3rt said:


> That won't solve any instances of questionable gps accuracy though.


You still get these on Garmins.


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## Rob3rt (30 Jul 2013)

Nigelnaturist said:


> You still get these on Garmins.


 

You will not eliminate the issue completely, but with dedicated devices like the Garmin devices, the issue is not as evident.


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## Ben M (30 Jul 2013)

Nigelnaturist said:


> You still get these on Garmins.


 
You do, but you will find that devices like Garmins log data with a higher frequency, and do not depend on telephone signal to function.

Like I said in my first post, the two systems just aren't comparable. The only advantage of using a phone is that it is a device which many people already own: so it works out cheaper.


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## oxford_guy (30 Jul 2013)

Ben M said:


> You do, but you will find that devices like Garmins log data with a higher frequency, and do not depend on telephone signal to function.
> 
> Like I said in my first post, the two systems just aren't comparable. The only advantage of using a phone is that it is a device which many people already own: so it works out cheaper.


 
Depending on your device, the screen is often better on a Smartphone - I've compared the Garmin 800 and iPhone 5 screens and the latter wins hands-down, I also prefer the map interface with Viewranger than with the Garmin 800.


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## oxford_guy (30 Jul 2013)

Ben M said:


> You do, but you will find that devices like Garmins log data with a higher frequency, and do not depend on telephone signal to function.


 
I've never had a problem with GPS accuracy (or not to any degree that mattered) when using my iPhone for cycle touring in remote Scottish islands with no phone signal...


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## Tanis8472 (30 Jul 2013)

I have a Sony Ericsson xPeria Neo V which has Ant+ integrated.
It works quite well as cycling computer, but I have found quite a variance in speed data etc.
It pairs very easily with cadence/HR but is unusable in bright daylight, like most phones, unless they have AMOLED screens which can still be a pain to see.


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## Nigelnaturist (30 Jul 2013)

Rob3rt said:


> You will not eliminate the issue completely, but with dedicated devices like the Garmin devices, the issue is not as evident.


I agree Rob, I am just pointing out it happens, especially if there isn't a speed sensor fitted, fit a speed sensor it just about eliminates it, though from cold it can take a while to get a good signal.


oxford_guy said:


> I've never had a problem with GPS accuracy (or not to any degree that mattered) when using my iPhone for cycle touring in remote Scottish islands with no phone signal...


Do you actually need gps on the islands, my experience when I lived on Skye, was basically from the town/village you are in pick up the road you need and don't deviate unless another road sign says otherwise.


oxford_guy said:


> Depending on your device, the screen is often better on a Smartphone - I've compared the Garmin 800 and iPhone 5 screens and the latter wins hands-down, I also prefer the map interface with Viewranger than with the Garmin 800.


Depends how they are set up, the 500 and I presume the 800 have what is called a smart recording which will only record on a change be it direction, speed, cadence, h.r ect.. you get the idea, or every second.


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## Tanis8472 (30 Jul 2013)

Have mine set up for 1 second recording. Seems to be fine like that


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## Nigelnaturist (30 Jul 2013)

Tanis8472 said:


> Have mine set up for 1 second recording. Seems to be fine like that


I think that is the default, its more a space saving thing, but as I copy mine (the other beauty about garmins, they act as an external device like a flash card), it never a problem.


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## Tanis8472 (31 Jul 2013)

Default is smart recording. You have to change it to 1 sec recording in the settings


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## HLaB (31 Jul 2013)

Tanis8472 said:


> Default is smart recording. You have to change it to 1 sec recording in the settings


 Mine is set up to the smart recording, but I think the speed/cadence sensor overides any lack of gps recording without the extra drain on the battery


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## Tanis8472 (31 Jul 2013)

Yep, if you have speed sensor it defaults to using that for speed and just uses gps for position


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## Nigelnaturist (31 Jul 2013)

This is a track from the iphone.





and this from the garmin.




Two different rides so that might make a difference.


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## Downward (1 Aug 2013)

Picked up the Mio 305 in the end - Very impressed.


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