Garmin or fancy android phone

[bluebug32]

I got my new edge 500 yesterday. Almost ran off into a ditch while trying to relay heading, temperature and grade info (show off!)

Isn't it great? I'm so happy with mine.

[chicago]

[QUOTE=zoom-zoom;586984]Do you keep it fully charged when not in use? /QUOTE]

I do not... seeing that our winter's are long and that would just be silly, LOL!!

... but honestly, I just don't use it. I worry about it getting stolen, being in the rain, battery life sucks... my cateye wireless does just as much, handles the rain, no worries of getting stolen, and never loses it's battery.

I know, it's sad even for me... I was so excited to get my 305... but honestly, it's not worth the hassle. I have it in my bike bag at the bottom never getting used.

I'm doing RAGBRAI this year (camping), but won't have access to outlets all the time, so there goes any chance of using the Garmin

[Geonz]

I love my garmin 605 -- it doesn't have the heart rate & such features but that's not my thing (I know when I"m working hard ) . I did find that I use the training stuff (like "laps") more than I thought. It is also *quite* easy to stick the cable between it and the computer and load it with a ride, though it's not all that smart (if I get off route, it doesn't do a good job of getting me bac on).
HOWEVER... what I really want a smart phone for... and I had one 'til it got wet... I *do* ride long and wide. For that month, I could take out the phone and go to a weather app and see the radar.

[zoom-zoom]

I do not... seeing that our winter's are long and that would just be silly, LOL!!

... but honestly, I just don't use it. I worry about it getting stolen, being in the rain, battery life sucks... my cateye wireless does just as much, handles the rain, no worries of getting stolen, and never loses it's battery.

It's definitely a use it or lose it device in terms of battery life. I don't let Winter stop me from working out outdoors (even with our average 96" of snow over here on the other side of the lake, heh). Can't wait to get out on my cyclocross bike with studded tires this next Winter (ok, actually I can wait...I'd love for it to stay like this year-round) so that I can do more than just run outside once the snow falls. I use it on the indoor trainer, too, since the cadence/speed sensor also will track distance from the rear wheel.

I've not had rain issues with mine. I wouldn't swim with it, of course, but I've gotten it good and soaked on many occasion and had no issue. I definitely wouldn't want to use a smartphone under the same conditions that I use my Garmin.

[OakLeaf]

One (or more) of the non-fitness Garmins has an optional weather and traffic subscription. IIRC it's expensive, but a lot of the long distance moto types swear by it over fumbling with a weather-sensitive phone, for the same reasons you mention. It doesn't have the bike computer features, but if you don't use the training stuff anyway, you don't need to limit yourself to bike-specific GPS.

[beccaB]

I'm thinking I'll stick with my bike computer that I have and get the fancy phone but not do GPS on it for biking. Maybe I'll get a fancy Garmin down the road, but for now we use the information on my husband's to keep track of rides. I don't do the really long ones by myself anyway. I have a wrist watch that measures heart rate but I can't get it to give me results if I'm working hard and I have to press a button with one hand while the other hand is still on the bike and that's hard for me to do. I never use it anymore.