I have always been a fan of measuring. No, that sounds wrong. I have always been a fan of data, and receiving a constant update of speed and distance while riding a bike is as important to me as my helmet or my gloves.
Garmin Edge 200
My first bicycle was a 3 speed steel classic, equipped with a mechanical VDO speedometer that didn’t even require batteries. Three decades any many systems later, I have finally said good bye to fiddling with magnets and measuring circumferences as well as to close to ZAR1800. A brand new Edge 200 is my own – and what a difference a GPS based cycling computer makes. No setup, easy to swap between bikes, detailed route maps and all the data I need.
The Garmin Edge 200 is the cheapest unit in Garmin’s bike GPS stable and fairly basic: It gives you current speed, average, distance, total ascent / descent, time, can measure laps and has a nifty training function where you can measure yourself against your target time. Garmin’s easy to use Garmin Connect online tools beats other products by miles.
Getting started is as easy as punching in your weight, age and hight (for the calorie consumption calculator) and attaching the clip on bike bracket onto your handlebar. Within 30 seconds after switching on, the unit connects to satellites and is ready to go. Battery life is about 12 -16 hours which I find more than sufficient.
For someone who hasn’t got the need for heart rate and cadence monitoring, the Edge 200 offers everything needed. If you are after as much detail as possible, rather go for the 510 or the new 810 which offers colour touch screen and full mapping facilities.
Things have come a long way since my first mechanical VDO bike speedometer
Related articles
- Garmin Edge 200 GPS-Enabled Bike Computer (garminedgegpsenabledbikecomputersale3q.wordpress.com)
Punctureking 