For the past year or so I've come to accept the current computer on my road bike is long since out of date, long since past its best and long since needing replaced. The thing has served me well enough, but about halfway through my riding year in 2011, it all but stopped working, leaving me to go on Map My Ride following a ride to see just how far I went. I could only guess at average speeds. So, this winter it was my goal to get myself something high tech and something I could have a bit of fun with. Step forward The Garmin.Now I know I'm coming a little late to the Garmin party, but believe me, when you step up from regular old bike computer to Garmin, it's like moving into the space age. It's like someone moving from a Nintendo gameboy to an iPad. Anyway, the ultimate question was which kind of Garmin I was going to get?
Since coming to Canada I find myself exploring new roads from time to time. Living in the city I am forced to either drive to the edge of the city, or cycle for a good hour, to reach the country side. When I get there I either find myself with a paper baring notes on which roads to take, or riding on memory. When we go up to the lake for weekends over the summer and I haul the bike along with me, I usually plan out a run that takes me deep into the country side. It's great cycling but unless I want to get lost -- which sometimes is a nice thing -- I have to do quite a bit of planning.
So when I seen that the Garmin 800 came with maps, it instantly became the one to get. Well, unless I seen the price. Then I hesitated a little.
The Garmin 500 was the step down. A slightly lighter, slightly smaller model -- though not significantly enough to make any kind of difference. It didn't do anywhere near what the 800 does, but did everything you would want from it at the very least. It would plot your route onto the computer, it could monitor your heart rate, and all the other things most computers could do. And it was a few hundred dollars cheaper.
But I couldn't get away from the whole maps thing. The idea of plotting a route into the countrysides of Southern Ontario was all to appealing to me. That I could take someone else's route and follow that was also a bonus. So the use of the maps has beat out the price increase and I still get the heart-rate monitor.
Now I just have to find out what local shop is selling it for the best value, make the purchase and get the thing up and running. I'll report back when I do and upload the first ride.
