Garmin has unveiled the new Edge 500 which is powerful enough for the pros but also simple enough for beginners.
Far from being a watered down Edge, the 500 will lose few of the features of the loaded 605 and 705. The main ommision is the navigation element, but the 500 will track valuable data such as speed, distance, time, GPS position, elevation, calories burned, altitude, climb and descent.
It’ll cost just £199 and weigh less than 60g. A new low-profile mount that fits easily on the stem or handlebars and Garmin claim a battery life of 18 hours. As well as being compatible with third party power meters, the Edge 500 combines more data than ever before into one device by also pairing wirelessly with Garmin speed/cadence sensors and featuring advanced heart rate-based calorie computation when used with a Garmin heart rate monitor.
Andrew Silver, Fitness Product Manager for Garmin said: “Using feedback from the best focus group imaginable – the professional tour cyclists of Team Garmin-Slipstream, we’ve developed a lightweight cycling computer that’s powerful enough for the pros, yet simple enough for beginners.
“Complete with a redesigned handlebar mount, Edge 500 streamlines your ride data at a very competitive price.”
But as well as appealing to those wanting a reduced price Edge, the 500 has everything the pro cyclist needs as well. Feedback from Team Garmin was taken into account, as Garmin’s Christian Vande Velde says: “At training camp we made requests: we wanted a smaller device with a big screen and easy-to-use buttons. Garmin listened. The Edge 500 reflects our requests and then some, adding vertical speed to accurate calories and temperature readings.”
Including a high-sensitivity GPS receiver with HotFixTM that quickly acquires and maintains satellite reception, the Edge 500 also displays temperature readings, changes times zones automatically and alerts the rider if they’re moving but the timer is not running.
Jonathan Vaughters, CEO of Slipstream Sports, LLC, the sports management company that runs Team Garmin says: “In a sport where every gram and second counts, Edge 500 provides unparalleled data and accuracy.
“It’s the perfect tool for training and racing for every facet of the sport – time trials, climbing, all-out sprints and breakaways. Downloading data to Garmin Connect helps us replay the ride time and again to study the statistics, looking for any room for improvement for the next day. It also allows our fans and the media access to the riders’ data for any given day.”
Featuring a USB interface for easy charging and data transfer, Edge 500 has a suggested retail price of £199. When bundled with a heart rate monitor and speed/cadence sensor, Edge 500 has a suggested retail price of £249.
Read what we thought of the Garmin Edge 500 when we took it for a first ride.
