Garmin Edge 810 – Update

I’ve got the trip to Flanders in 1 month and 3 days, with the panic slowly setting in and colleagues showing me gruesome photographs of last years race. Even the Elite Mens Team are walking up the hills at some points of the race!

So here I am with over £5,000’s worth of bikes sitting in my shed thinking that the bikes are going to help me, seriously I have no chance but I’m going to give it a try as after all, its for a good cause! (PAPYRUS)

Tonight I was determined not to move from my sofa. Eastenders was on and I realised that life had more to offer than ‘The Square.’ I hit the stairs, got changed and grabbed the Garmin.

I started off with a gentle warm up around the local park, avoiding the flood water that still seems to be lying in the fields, even after all this time. It was bloody cold, fingerless gloves are not a good idea but I rode on. I met my colleague by the park entrance and we hit the roads.

All I need to do to read the screen is gently touch the display, it shows me my speed, distance, calories and a few other things. I have not yet found out how to change the display as all my coach shouts at me is Cadence Cadence Cadence!

This is why I have knocked a quarter off the overall rating, I just can’t seem to find everything as easy as I would like on the Edge 810, as I did with my Edge 500. I know its completely different and has more options but it bugs me.

Saying that the map function is pretty cool, tonight I found a button to find local cafes and other points of interest, bit difficult at 9pm in the evening but it will be great when I hit the cobblestones of Belgium.

I still need to delve a little deeper, opening the user manual may also help and the Garmin Website seems to offer a wealth of support and documentation, along with a wide range of upgrades for device.

Once I had completed just over 9 miles, I had hit my final destination. After putting my pride and joy back in the shed, I walked in the house and fired up my MacBook.

With the Edge 810, because it connects to your iPhone via Bluetooth and the Garmin Connect App, my workout was already online for me to view. But because of my training plans, I have to upload the results to Training Peaks, so that my coach can analyze the data. I’m not sure if there is a quicker way of doing this without physically connecting my Garmin to the Mac and if someone does know I would be grateful if you could drop me a line.

Uploading to Training Peaks is pretty easy anyway, I’ve got the Training Peaks Agent installed already. Fire it up and plug the Garmin in, select the make and model of your device and click open. Select the activities you want to upload then hit the button. Job done, my workouts are stored and my coach has received an email to say I’ve got off my arse!

All in all still pleased with the Garmin Edge 810 and I do keep discovering bits, hopefully I will be able to up the rating slightly but all depends how I get on with the extra features.

The Garmin Edge 810 is the first of two releases by Garmin, the other being the 510 version. The 810 version offers optional maps but both offer the bluetooth connectivity with Live Track. Yet the 510 offers the added benefit of not only using the GPS satellites but the Russian system, giving you a better accuracy. The Garmin Edge 510 has an RRP of £249 for the standard pack but if you want the Cadence/Speed Sensor and Heart Rate Monitor then go for the performance pack with an RRP of £299.

Training Peaks is an American system used by the professionals, I believe even Mr Armstrong was a big user of this system as it can track not only your activities but your meals, goals and then send them all to your coach. Second to that is a coach, now I use a professional person who has had loads of proven results. He has no letters after his name, but I believe its the experience that counts. My Riding Coach can remote administer you and regular Skype chats helps motivate me. Google it and see what you can find.

Previous Review on the Garmin Edge 810

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