Garmin Edge 800 review

The Edge 800 takes up no more room on your bike’s handlebars than a standard cycle computer, but unlike most of the devices you’ll find in Evans, it has a touchscreen that is flush with the edges of the unit.

The screen is very small, measuring a mere 2.6in diagonally, and the touch technology is resistive, but it works surprisingly well. Even in thick gloves we could flick through its various screens without have to stop and fiddle, and because it’s transflective we found it clearly readable in direct sunlight.

GPS performance is superb, with the unit locking on in around 15 to 20 seconds, and the list of what it can do is almost as long it is for the multi-talented Montana 650t. You can add heart-rate and cadence sensors if you really want to get serious and the Edge 800 also supports third-party ANT+ power meters.

For extra motivation the Virtual Partner option allows you to race against yourself on familiar routes. There’s also the option to load Ordnance Survey maps at 1:50,000 (Landranger equivalent) or 1:25,000 (Explorer equivalent), and it’ll even do turn-by-turn satnav.

And even if you don’t want to pay for the OS maps, there are plenty of websites offering Garmin-compatible Open Street Map and Open Cyclemap files for free. It’s a fantastic GPS and fitness device, and considering how much it does, the price is very reasonable.

Author: Jonathan Bray