Viewing 23 posts - 1 through 23 (of 23 total)
  • Long term experience of garmin edge 520?
  • mrjmt
    Free Member

    I assume a few people have been using these for a while now?

    What are they like for reliability / buggyness compared to other garmins?

    I previously had an edge 810 but get rid of it after a few weeks as it crashed every ride, usually after 40 – 50 miles, frequently reset itself, locked up, generally was crap.

    I’m hoping that the new 520 might be a bit more reliable…

    jam-bo
    Full Member

    Mine been pretty good apart from when it auto-applied a firmware update in the middle of a ride. Latest firmware update stops it doing that now without asking.

    Notifications seem a bit hit and miss.

    STATO
    Free Member

    Had mine since it came out. No crashes but can be a bit slow to start when you press go, the screen hangs for a little while so you are not sure if you pressed the button. There is an update I need to install though so that might get fixed.

    The connection to the HR monitor is less reliable, fails to connect at least one commute a week, havnt checked the HR batteries but its been happening for a few months and works otherwise so think its a pairing issue.

    The Bluetooth also forgets its connection about once a month. It will fail to connect until you fire up the Garmin app then it works and downloads a weeks worth of commute and works fine daily for another few weeks. I think that’s a time-out issue with the app based on the fact its reliable again once you open the app.

    Overall more than happy with it. Battery life is fantastic for recording (dont use it to navigate much), the strava segments is entertaining occasionally and the phone txt message notification useful for the rare occasion I get one.

    I think id prefer the 810 for navigation with the big screen but dont like the touch screen.

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    mrjmt
    Free Member

    I will be using it for navigation, using courses created from ridewithgps to give pseudo TBT directions. Anyone been doing this? Is that the notificaitons you’re talking about jam bo?

    gravity-slave
    Free Member

    Mine has been great. Occasionally a little slow.
    I haven’t had text notifications come up on the screen last two rides, but it used to do without fault.
    Bluetooth connects fine.
    Live Track works well.
    No HR dropouts at all.
    Works really well with base maps for following TCX files with turn by turn. The turn alerts aren’t always bang on but one eye on the map approaching a junction and the map shows you were to go.

    STATO
    Free Member

    Ive not yet put navigation files directly onto the device, but I have created them in garmin connect and sent them to the 520 from my phone. You cant upload routes to garmin connect which is a pain given it can do everything else without connecting.

    Ive not got a decent map on mine yet as need to update my laptop operating system to meet the min requirements of the garmin mapping software so I can upload maps to the 520. Follow the line works ok-ish.

    Also you cant zoom in/out easily like a 705 or 810 (my prev experience), its not a button but in a sub menu accessed when you are in map view. Auto zoom is an option but ive not used it yet as I always found it irritating on other devices).

    Nobeerinthefridge
    Free Member

    + It’s a hundred million times better than the 500 it replaced (I know there was a 510, but I mean I had a 500!)

    – The start/stop button is far too easily pressed if yer hike a biking. I’ve actually started turning it upside down if I’m pushing or carrying up a mountain.

    mrjmt
    Free Member

    Sounds positive then, just a few niggle type issues rather than significant problems.

    No chance of that issue as it’s for the road bike (unless something goes very wrong!) 8)

    jam-bo
    Full Member

    Thinking of selling mine if your interested

    lakesrider
    Free Member

    Sending mine back to amazon, shutdown 3 times on a ride last night following a course. Gradient reading has a big lag, and the accuracy isn’t as good as a 1000. ( borrowed a 1000 to compare and used both last night. 520 accuracy was about 25-30ft most of the ride. The 1000 didn’t get worse than 10ft. Maybe this is why the gradient reading lags behind.)

    I could live with the gradient being a bit out but the mid ride shutdowns made me decide to return it. Might buy it again after a few more firmware updates and see if it’s any more stable.

    jam-bo
    Full Member

    Interesting. I’d be amazed if the 520 and 1000 don’t share exactly the same GPS and barometer chipset.

    Did you have glonass turned on?

    STATO
    Free Member

    I could live with the gradient being a bit out but the mid ride shutdowns made me decide to return it.

    I never understood why gradient was a screen option, what do you use it for?

    lakesrider
    Free Member

    yeah Glonass on, i stopped mid ride to make sure.

    Speed also seems slower to update on the 520, so i made sure they were both on 1 sec data recording not smart recording.

    They both recorded the same total elevation at then end, but the elevation on the 520 seems to go up in larger chunks than the 1000, ie the 1000 will count up in 1-2m increments whereas the 520 seems to jump up 5-6m at a time. Maybe this is why the gradient lags. The barometer looks pretty accurate it seems more to do with the sampling rate on the 520.

    I did like the 520’s size, but the 1000 seems a better performing device at the moment. Maybe they can fix the sampling rate with a firmware upgrade (if it is just the sampling rate, maybe its a slower chip or something in the 520). Mid ride shut downs were the main reason its going back though.

    The only other thing i dont like about the 520 are you cant view any other location on the map except where you are, so you cant zoom into a route and see any of it except your location. I’m off to mallorca in a week and had loaded some rides up along with some map tiles for mallorca, but i wouldnt be able to see any of these to check the route or that the map is ok until i got out there!

    lakesrider
    Free Member

    I never understood why gradient was a screen option, what do you use it for?

    dont know i just like to see how steep stuff is, especially on longer climbs like in the lakes, gives me reassurance when i’m thinking ‘god this climb is hard’!

    jam-bo
    Full Member

    Sounds faulty. Although mine rebooted several times during a ride the other day when a new firmware update auto-applied. They’ve changed it now so updates require user confirmation.

    Haze
    Full Member

    Went from a 500 to a 520 about 2 months ago, some slight annoyances such as adding in a bunch of activity profiles each time it updates but nothing that a few minutes button pressing can’t sort out.

    No stability issues other than dropping the Bluetooth connection on one occasion that needed me to tell it to forget everything and set it all back up again.

    I’d like to see a few more customisation options in there but it’s definitely an improvement over the old 500.

    I haven’t used it to navigate yet, if it’s anything like the old one (okay following predetermined way points etc) then I guess it’ll work okay for what I want. Not sure I’d go for one if I wanted ‘proper’ navigation though…

    Works really well with base maps for following TCX files with turn by turn. The turn alerts aren’t always bang on but one eye on the map approaching a junction and the map shows you were to go.

    If you load them into RideWithGPS etc you can add or remove control points, or place them earlier so you get a clear notification a turn is coming up…you’re not then stuck watching the map screen…

    STATO
    Free Member

    I’d like to see a few more customisation options in there but it’s definitely an improvement over the old 500.

    Have you seen the display apps you can get?

    https://apps.garmin.com/en-US/devices/edge520/apps

    bacondoublechee
    Free Member

    Mine is great with one issue – the bluetooth connection to my phone worked fine for a few months and now it won’t work unless I open the Garmin connect app (which I never had to do before). A full factory reset and deleting the app seemed to fix it for one ride then it went back to being broken again. Slightly annoying as it doesn’t auto upload rides because of this issue.

    STATO
    Free Member

    Is that not an issue with background operating of the app on your phone? I think that what was happening with mine, but I get at least week out of it before I have to re-open the app. (edit for clarity – I can close the app rather than have it open in the background, and it still works, but only for that week)

    jimdubleyou
    Full Member

    Mine is great with one issue – the bluetooth connection to my phone worked fine for a few months and now it won’t work unless I open the Garmin connect app (which I never had to do before). A full factory reset and deleting the app seemed to fix it for one ride then it went back to being broken again. Slightly annoying as it doesn’t auto upload rides because of this issue.

    Same, for iPhone running latest o/s. Not sure if it’s Garmin or Apple issue, hoping it will get fixed at some point without me having to do anything…

    legend
    Free Member

    I previously had an edge 810 but get rid of it after a few weeks as it crashed every ride, usually after 40 – 50 miles, frequently reset itself, locked up, generally was crap.

    I’m hoping that the new 520 might be a bit more reliable…

    tbh, sending it back and getting it replaced would’ve given you a more reliable model – yours was faulty*

    *in comparision to mine, which I think has crashed (but kept recording) twice in 3 years

    bacondoublechee
    Free Member

    Is that not an issue with background operating of the app on your phone? I think that what was happening with mine, but I get at least week out of it before I have to re-open the app. (edit for clarity – I can close the app rather than have it open in the background, and it still works, but only for that week)

    No, mine might work like that for a few minutes of turning the Garmin off and on (i’m on an iPhone btw) but even without ‘swipe closing’ the Garmin connect app I have to re-open the app every ride (even if I do 2 on the same day)

Viewing 23 posts - 1 through 23 (of 23 total)

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