"the all new Garmin Edge 500 Cycling GPS is as light as a feather and looks stunning. When paired with the Heart Rate Monitor and Speed/Cadence Sensor you have a serious piece of kit"

• Includes HRM and Speed/Cadence Sensor

• Touch screen sunlight readable handheld GPS cycling computer

• High sensitivity GPS with HotFix technology to find a signal fast and maintain it
  

• Attaches easily to any bike with included mount
  

• Barometric altimeter provides altitude using air pressure. Just how planes measure altitude

• Measures your speed, distance, time, calories burned, altitude, climb and descent

• Courses feature, which helps you compare successive rides over the same route

• Wirelessly share routes, tracks, geocaches etc, with other users

• IPX7 Water Resistant

• Rechargeable lithium-ion gives up to 18hrs use
  

In the video clip below you can review the Garmin Edge 500 Heart Rate Monitor and Speed/Cadence Sensor Cycling GPS and see it in moving picture!

What you get?

• Garmin Edge 500

• Garmin Heart Rate Monitor (Latest 2009 UK Version)

• Speed/Cadence Sensor

• Bike mount

• AC charger

• USB cable

• 12 Months Manufacturers Warranty

• FREE Memory Map UK Cycle Network 1:25 Map (worth £30)

• FREE P&P

Cycle Network Map worth £30

Fantastic mapping software from Memory Map which covers over 12,000 miles of cycling routes in 1:25 scale across the UK. There are traffic free paths for walking and cycling. You can also plan your commute, school route or recreational rides, print maps and share it with some GPS devices.

Garmin Edge 500 HRM Cycling GPS Review

The Obvious:

The star of the annual National Cycling Show in 2009 the new Garmin Edge has been eagerly anticipated. It is much lighter than previous Garmin Edge models and will not provide all the great features and more under the guise of an truely attractive style.

It is packed full of features providing speed, distance, time, calories burnt and altitude with both climb and descent. You don't have to be a serious road biker or MTB to need the Garmin Edge 500. If like me you want to know how fast you are riding, how much distance you cover in miles/km or simply to make sure that you don't get lost if you leave the trail, the Garmin Edge 500 is perfect for you.

The more I use the more I like:

This version of the Garmin Edge 500 comes with the Heart Rate Monitor which is brilliant if you are using your bike to get fitter. The heart rate is the best measure of whether you are improving so will allow you to compare previous rides and HRM data to see whether you need to start peddling faster!

Also included is the Speed/Cadence sensor which will track your speed and distance at the wheel. Why do you need this if the Garmin Edge 500 is GPS enabled? Well if you travel through a tunnel, under very thick forests or similar you may lose the signal so this is a good feature to help reduce gaps in your cycling data.

We also loved the AutoPause feature which stops and starts the timer depending on whether you are moving. So lets say you use your bike to cycle to work, well a good measure of whether you are improving would be to check the time it takes you to get to work. But if you are stopping and starting at traffic lights your time will never be a true reflection. With AutoPause you only measure your cycle time which is fantastic and has so many uses even outside the commute. People training for events don't want stopping and starting to corrupt their training data.

Delightful discovery:

The new Garmin Edge 500 HRM & Cadence Sensor Cycling GPS comes with Courses which we thought was a welcomed addition to the new range. Essentially you can race against previous trips since the Edge 500 will remember where you have been.

Finally the new Garmin Edge 500 GPS is compatible with third party power meters (like iBike, PowerTap, Quark, SRM) allowing serious bikers to measure their power output in watts as you ride.

What Garmin say…

Sharpen your cycling performance with the Garmin Edge 500, a lightweight GPS-based cycling computer for performance-driven cyclists. Loaded with data, the Garmin Edge 500 GPS tracks your distance, speed, location and elevation with high sensitivity GPS. Add an ANT+™ compatible heart rate monitor, speed/cadence sensor or compatible power meter for a finely-tuned analysis of your ride.

Jumpstart Your Training

The Edge 500 attaches easily to the stem or handlebars of your bike with its low-profile bike mount. The Edge attaches easily to the mount with a simple quarter-turn. When you're ready to ride, just power on your Edge, acquire GPS satellites and go. Edge 500 features a high-sensitivity GPS receiver with HotFix™ satellite prediction to calculate your position faster.

Get the Data You Need

During your ride, Edge 500 measures your speed, distance, time, calories burned, altitude, climb and descent, and records this data for your review. For extra-precise climb and descent data, Edge 500 also incorporates a barometric altimeter to pinpoint changes in elevation.

All Edge 500 versions work with third-party ANT+-enabled power meters to display your power output in watts as you ride. This valuable data shows you how hard you're working, regardless of conditions affecting your ride, so you can train smarter. Some versions also ship with a digital heart rate monitor and speed/cadence sensor.

Other helpful training features include a Courses feature, which helps you compare successive rides over the same route, as well as Auto Pause, Auto Lap and temperature readings. Edge also alerts you if you’re moving but the timer is not running.

Track Your Heart Rate

When paired with a Garmin heart rate monitor, Edge 500 tracks heart beats per minute and uses your heart rate for advanced calorie computation, so you know how many calories you're burning. Train in a certain heart-rate zone to improve your fitness level or compare your pace and heart rate to past performance over the same ride.

Analyze Your Ride

Once your ride’s done, connect Edge 500 to your computer with the included USB cable to analyze your performance. With a simple click, you can join a worldwide network of cyclists and outdoor enthusiasts through Garmin Connect™, a one-stop site for data analysis and sharing.

Physical & Performance

• Unit dimensions, WxHxD: 1.9" x 2.7" x 0.85" (4.8 x 6.9 x 2.2 cm)

• Display size, WxH: 1.17" x 1.44" (3.0 x 3.7 cm)

• Display resolution, WxH: 128 x 160 pixels

• Weight: 2 oz (56.7 g)

• Battery: rechargeable lithium-ion

• Battery life: up to 18 hours

• Water resistant: yes (IPX7)

• GPS-enabled: yes

• High-sensitivity receiver: yes

• RoHS version available: yes

Maps & Memory

• Basemap: no

• Ability to add maps: no

• Accepts data cards: no

• Lap history: 1,000 laps (dependent on memory usage)

• Waypoints/favorites/locations: 0

• Routes: 0

Features

• Heart rate monitor: yes (included)

• Bike speed/cadence sensor: yes (included)

• Foot pod: no

• Automatic sync (automatically transfers data to your computer): no

• Garmin Connect™ compatible (online community where you analyze, categorize and share data): yes

• Garmin Training Center® software compatible: yes

• Virtual Partner® (train against a digital person): no

• Courses (compete against previous workouts): yes

• Auto Pause® (pauses and resumes timer based on speed): yes

• Auto Lap® (automatically starts a new lap): yes

• Auto Scroll (cycles through data pages during workout): yes

• Multi-sport (changes sport mode with a press of a button): no

• Advanced workouts (create custom, goal-oriented workouts): no

• Simple workouts (input time, distance and calorie goals): no

• Pace alert (triggers alarm if you vary from preset pace): no

• Time/distance alert (triggers alarm when you reach goal): yes

• Vibration alert: (choose between alert tones and/or vibration alert): no

• Interval training (set up exercise and rest intervals): no

• Heart rate-based calorie computation: yes

• Customizable screen(s): yes

• Barometric altimeter: yes

• Unit-to-unit transfer (shares data wirelessly with similar units): no

• Power meter compatible (displays power data from compatible 3rd party ANT+™-enabled power meters): yes (records data approx. 1 per second)

• Sport watch: no