October 7, 2015
The costs for the trip are mounting and I’m having to think carefully about what I actually need, and what can wait until I know I have enough money. Walking around the aisles of cycling shops has become quite a tortuous experience as I want to own so many different cycling goods.
One thing that has managed to slip through the “cautious purchases” net was my new Garmin Edge 1000, the King of bike computers. Costing around £300 for the device and an additional £100 for the performance bundle (something I needed), it’s not cheap!
For those of you who have no idea what a Garmin is…. It’s used for “Competing, Connecting and Navigating“. So it basically has the functionality of a “sat nav” but specifically for a bike. In addition, it tells me how fast I’m going, how high I’ve climbed, what my heart rate and wattage is and much more stuff that is mostly of interest for excitable cyclists like me.
New toy! #garmin #garminedge1000 A photo posted by @rideforthechild on
I’ve had the Garmin two weeks now and I’m over the moon with it. I know it’s a new toy and therefore I’m going to be excited initially, but it has really sparked some serious life into my rides.
My first real experience with the Garmin was on a glorious Saturday afternoon. I created my route online – which included dozens of new roads and towns – and sent it to the device. Not only was it great experiencing the new surroundings, it was also nice to be relieved of navigating duties and being able to focus on my riding. At one point I was heading towards a town that looked familiar so I turned off at the next junction and the Garmin recalculated another route. Nothing ground breaking but I had never experienced this on a bike before.
Since then every ride has been a joy. I simply jump onto my bike and enter some places I have never been before and ride. This is especially useful as my mileage is increasing rapidly and I’m starting to venture further afield. I’m planning to bike from Macclesfield back to my hometown Scarborough and the Garmin is going to be perfect for that. Not to mention how invalubale it’s going to be next year with me covering so many miles in a foreign country. I will pre-program all the routes and not have to worry about getting lost. I guess I could have made do with a map but I don’t really fancy the hassle!
Bit foggy at 7am this morning! A photo posted by @rideforthechild on
In addition to the route planning it’s also great for measuring my performance. There’s basics such as speed, time and distance, I also can track my heart rate and wattage. Next year I will be aware of my performance levels and will always know from my readings how much I have left in the tank and whether I should speed up or slow down.
The Garmin retails at £400 so it’s an absolute steal at £285, which is what I paid for it! Bike Discount seems to be the ultimate place to buy bike stuff, no other online shop comes near it for value. Other thoughts about the Garmin:
- The battery lasts around 10% per hour, so 10 hours max battery life. Will need to charge it in America either via RV on food stops or a portable battery charger in my jersey.
- I dimmed the light right down to two bars to conserve battery life.
- I fixed the front mount on my bike, looks ace
- The heart rate monitor is great, interesting seeing the stats such as HR and cadence. Not purchased a power meter yet (expensive)
- The Garmin syncs seamlessly with Strava so my rides are auto-uploaded for the world to see (when it’s connected to the internet)
- The touch screen works through my glove
- It’s waterproof unless I wanted to ride the bottom of the sea
- I bought a rubber case for it, cost £8 and offers a bit of protection
- It’s great!
My best friend on the bike #garminedge1000 #garmin A photo posted by @rideforthechild on
