Garmin edge 810

[mrwatt]

Hi All,

Last night I was just about to purchase a Garmin 810 but after reading reviews there seems to be a lot of unhappy people. I really want the maps and turn by turn navigation as I'm always getting lost. And it seems the problem is the software, particularly the new firmware update (4.2), it looks to be rife with problems, such as freezing and losing data.

For me this is absolute no no when paying out such a large some of money for a product and it's not doing what its supposed too! Also the support for when things do go wrong doesn't seem that great from Garmin.

Saying all this I have heard positive things and know that negativity gets voiced more prominently than positivity.

What I really want to do is a little bit of research amongst all you keen cycling folk who use the 810 to see how often these units have problems or not. I would love your help and responses. It'd help in making my decision to purchase one and I'm sure many others too.

 

[Joffey]

Not an 810 but I have a 510 - it has been buggy but once you get your head round it they work ok.

 

[Milkfloat]

You may be better off checking out the Garmin forums https://forums.garmin.com/forumdisplay.php?362-Edge-810

 

[mrwatt]

You may be better off checking out the Garmin forums https://forums.garmin.com/forumdisplay.php?362-Edge-810

Thanks. I think there would be more of a bias towards negativity there. I'm guessing more people would visit the Garmin forum for help with issues they are having than to voice there appreciation for the product, hence CycleChat, more of a level playing field in opinions and experiences.

 

[MichaelO]

Also the support for when things do go wrong doesn't seem that great from Garmin.

I have an 810, and had to return the first unit when it just wouldn't turn on (and had suffered with crashing in the few weeks prior to that - although, without any loss of data). Yes, it annoyed me that something as expensive as that could go wrong, but I'd still buy one again - which is a lot to do with the exceptional service I received from Garmin when I contacted them about my faulty unit.

The replacement one I received (within 2 days) has worked flawlessly since.

 

[steveindenmark]

I have a touring and it is excellent.

 

[HLaB]

My 800 worked fine for 3years, then it got a bit water logged, it would charge but stopped talking to the pc. Found out a reboot with a hard wired usb plug (not a pc usb cable with an adapter) would fix it but I also made the mistake of to clean it with wd40 which weakened the rubber seals making it more prone to water/sweat ingress and after a year (and a turbo session) it failed completely. I found the 1000 on that bikediscount.de site at a good price and Ive been impressed with the bluetooth/ wifi upload and I'm using that but the 800 will be refurbed I think it's got a superior battery. The 810 is somewhere in between I think.

 

[crazyjoe101]

On 3.4 I have no issues. 3.6 or later and the 810 verges on detrimental to my rides. My friends with 810 used 3.6 and now 4.2 and they get constant crashes on navigation. I use 3.4 so that I can have a functioning GPS unit.

 

[e-rider]

Hi All,

Last night I was just about to purchase a Garmin 810 but after reading reviews there seems to be a lot of unhappy people. I really want the maps and turn by turn navigation as I'm always getting lost. And it seems the problem is the software, particularly the new firmware update (4.2), it looks to be rife with problems, such as freezing and losing data.

For me this is absolute no no when paying out such a large some of money for a product and it's not doing what its supposed too! Also the support for when things do go wrong doesn't seem that great from Garmin.

Saying all this I have heard positive things and know that negativity gets voiced more prominently than positivity.

What I really want to do is a little bit of research amongst all you keen cycling folk who use the 810 to see how often these units have problems or not. I would love your help and responses. It'd help in making my decision to purchase one and I'm sure many others too.

buy the touring model then

 

[mrwatt]

Thanks. After all the responses and what I have read I decided to go with an option the is much more reliable in what it sets out to do. It was a weigh up between live strava segments(520) or turn by turn(touring). I ended up with the 520 and it's working like a charm at the minute. Great unit and you can still have courses with cues and load in openstreetmaps, so almost turn by turn. Happy enough.

 

[blackgoff]

It can when Searching or Navigating when on a ride...

Which is a pain in the phkng arse...

 

[Paul_Smith SRCC]

I've been using the 810 for two years now and like you I initially had some misgivings, so have they been nothing more than teething troubles that were ironed out with software updates; sadly most, for what are important to me anyway, haven't been! Yes for those who want to save ride data and simply use it as that then it's very good, most of my friends use it in this way and enjoy it; when I ride a well known route it is lovely to have that data when I get home that I can quickly browse on my larger Smartphone screen. But if that's all I wanted I would have used the free www.ridewithgps.com and saved what was a £419.99 purchase at the time thank you very much!

I bought it as a small neat device to enjoy plotting a course on a winters evening on my laptop using Garmin Connect, then following that course on my 810, courses that would be backed up and synced to my Smartphone for tours. For that role sadly the 810 is not worth it, although in fairness the main problem is with Garmin Connect and not the 810, as it still will not allow you to plan a course as well as www.ridewithgps.com, as it will still potential send you the wrong way around roundabouts, the wrong way down one way streets and the wrong way when I try and plan a course of my choice, sending you way off course when what I may want to do is short cut along the side of a dual carriageway on a listed Cycle path for example, it will often simply not allow it! Turn by turn navigation and directional arrows frequently stop working within an hour or so, meaning you only have a visual line to follow and outdated data on the screen; both underwhelming.

My motivation for wanting it for this role still exists, but seeing as it doesn't to my satisfaction then in hindsight I personally wouldn't have bought this model, at the time of purchase I would have simply bought the 800 which was back then still available. That said now I've got it I do intend to keep it, as by using it with www.ridewithgps.com I can get it to do what I need it to.The new Garmin Edge 1000 will still have the same issues with Garmin Connect, the Garmin Edge touring is far cheaper and Smart Phone Connectivity aside looks very good, except if I wanted to use the mapping on the unit to plan a route I have to go outside to get GPS connection first, so I would still create a course on my laptop first. Interms of the current competition I would be considering the Bryton Rider 60as I have to say that does look very neat and I much, much prefer their course planning! Mio would be another brand I would have looked at, as well as Satmap and MemoryMap, their Adventurer-3000-gps with with Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 Explorer maps for all of Great Britain looks very appealing and I came very close to buying one.
As a final update would I still buy a Garmin? Well yes but only just; although I dare say if I was to be making my purchase now I would not pay the extra for Blue Tooth connectivity and buy the Edge Touring. But, live in the hope that creating a course in Garmin Connect will improve with cycle specific routing, if they introduced that then the 810 would be far more impressive! Still seems ludicrous that the 810 is set up to be used with their own software yet their own software is in short nowhere near as good as the FREE competition! It really wouldn't take that much surely for a company with the clout that Garmin must have to rectify what must be easy updates, so that their products do what they were supposed to do; or, they could just buy www.ridewithgps.com!

Some reviews and tips that maybe of value are Garmin 810 review by www.dcrainmaker.com another review worth looking at is Cyclingtips.com.au

 

[blackgoff]

I agree with about of your viewpoints. If I'd've had the cash now back a yr orso ii dd seriously have looked into the Bryton GPS - like fantastic BUT due to its uniqueness is full retail, in price, wherby Garmin wasn't, and on offer in Wiggle.

Tho the Bryton would've been the choice.

Also a friend had the base camp break óff on his unit...as he was screwing it into a handlebar clamp - ended up with a 75 quid replacement from Garmin.

I've been using the 810 for two years now and like you I initially had some misgivings, so have they been nothing more than teething troubles that were ironed out with software updates; sadly most, for what are important to me anyway, haven't been! Yes for those who want to save ride data and simply use it as that then it's very good, most of my friends use it in this way and enjoy it; when I ride a well known route it is lovely to have that data when I get home that I can quickly browse on my larger Smartphone screen. But if that's all I wanted I would have used the free www.ridewithgps.com and saved what was a £419.99 purchase at the time thank you very much!

I bought it as a small neat device to enjoy plotting a course on a winters evening on my laptop using Garmin Connect, then following that course on my 810, courses that would be backed up and synced to my Smartphone for tours. For that role sadly the 810 is not worth it, although in fairness the main problem is with Garmin Connect and not the 810, as it still will not allow you to plan a course as well as www.ridewithgps.com, as it will still potential send you the wrong way around roundabouts, the wrong way down one way streets and the wrong way when I try and plan a course of my choice, sending you way off course when what I may want to do is short cut along the side of a dual carriageway on a listed Cycle path for example, it will often simply not allow it! Turn by turn navigation and directional arrows frequently stop working within an hour or so, meaning you only have a visual line to follow and outdated data on the screen; both underwhelming.

My motivation for wanting it for this role still exists, but seeing as it doesn't to my satisfaction then in hindsight I personally wouldn't have bought this model, at the time of purchase I would have simply bought the 800 which was back then still available. That said now I've got it I do intend to keep it, as by using it with www.ridewithgps.com I can get it to do what I need it to.The new Garmin Edge 1000 will still have the same issues with Garmin Connect, the Garmin Edge touring is far cheaper and Smart Phone Connectivity aside looks very good, except if I wanted to use the mapping on the unit to plan a route I have to go outside to get GPS connection first, so I would still create a course on my laptop first. Interms of the current competition I would be considering the Bryton Rider 60as I have to say that does look very neat and I much, much prefer their course planning! Mio would be another brand I would have looked at, as well as Satmap and MemoryMap, their Adventurer-3000-gps with with Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 Explorer maps for all of Great Britain looks very appealing and I came very close to buying one.
As a final update would I still buy a Garmin? Well yes but only just; although I dare say if I was to be making my purchase now I would not pay the extra for Blue Tooth connectivity and buy the Edge Touring. But, live in the hope that creating a course in Garmin Connect will improve with cycle specific routing, if they introduced that then the 810 would be far more impressive! Still seems ludicrous that the 810 is set up to be used with their own software yet their own software is in short nowhere near as good as the FREE competition! It really wouldn't take that much surely for a company with the clout that Garmin must have to rectify what must be easy updates, so that their products do what they were supposed to do; or, they could just buy www.ridewithgps.com!

Some reviews and tips that maybe of value are Garmin 810 review by www.dcrainmaker.com another review worth looking at is Cyclingtips.com.au

 

[MissTillyFlop]

Older model, but have had a 705 for a few years now and it's never let me down.
I have always found the service from Garmin great and they have always helped with product support even though I bought it second hand and they know that.