I was considering the Garmin Edge 810 as well as the 510. The primary differences between the two were that the 810 has a color map screen, and it is larger than the 510. And of course, the price, the 510 is $329 and the 810 was $499 (now, $399). The full-color screen measures 172x220 pixels. Both of them have multiple configurable screens that you can rotate through by swiping your finger across the screen. Both use resistive touchscreens and not capacitive touchscreens. The iPhone, for example, uses a capacitive touchscreen. You must press a resistive touchscreen, where a capacitive touchscreen requires only a slight touch. This type of screen responds to fewer inadvertent touches, you can wear full fingered gloves and is resistant to water and dust. It does not support multitouch and the layers cut down on image clarity.
The Garmin 510 uses ANT+ sensors, such as heart strap, speed and cadence sensors and power meters. It uses GPS for compass data and a barometric sensor to calculate altitude. It does not support Bluetooth sensors. The 510 records temperatures, although it runs a little high, when the sun shines directly on it. So there is a lot of data and other information, such as elapsed time, that can be displayed. I spent a bit of time setting up my different pages. Each screen can display information from one to ten items. For example, my first screen includes speed, power, cadence and heart rate. It is my default screen, where my second screen is geared towards climbing with grade, power and elevation along with heart rate and cadence. It is rechargeable via the USB. It also has various alerts that you can set. Over time, I have used a cadence alert, which reminded me to keep spinning above 80 rpm, a power alert, which reminded me to keep my power output above 150 watts. Both of these helped me from mentally drifting off during a ride. Now, I use a timer alert, set to go off every 15 minutes to remind me to drink from my water bottle.
After each ride, I either upload the ride data with a USB cable to Garmin Connect on my computer or to the Garmin Connect app on my iPhone. In August 2014, Garmin announced automatic sync with Strava, MapMyFitness and Endomondo. I have my Strava account linked to by Garmin Connect account, so that as soon as my ride uploads to Garmin Connect, it uploads to Strava soon after. It only uploads data, to edit the ride title, I have to login into Strava on my computer to edit the ride title. Using the mobile Garmin Connect app on iPhone,or Android, you can connect your computer to your smartphone via BlueTooth and your ride will automatically upload to the phone when you finish your ride. With synchronization on, your ride will upload to Strava and elsewhere in a manner of minutes. Often, they are loaded before I finish putting the bike away.Connecting with a smartphone will allow the 510 to display weather alerts. During a ride, a Severe Storm Warning or more typically in Southern California, Excessive Heat Warnings will pop up from time to time.
I have set up training zones on the 510. I input my age, gender, weight and maximum heart rate and it calculates training zones based on heart rate, power and speed.
For an engineer like me, having all of this data at my fingertips is great.But one of the downsides is coming to rely on the sensors and having to carry batteries along for all of the sensors.The 510 is now an important part of managing my rides, especially century rides or long climbs. The data prevents from lagging on rides or burning unnecessary matches. It defines a floor and a ceiling for me.
The 510 comes with a small mounting bracket and elastic bands. The mounting bracket has four ears to connect two bands that wrap tightly around the handlebar. They took a little patience to install. After I installed a flatter aero handlebar, I picked up a Garmin Out-front Bike Mount for $39.99.
I have had the computer for some time now and there are a few things that I would like Garmin to improve. The first thing, is the screen sensitivity. To swap defined screens, you can swipe the screen with your finger, which can be gloved. But after using a smartphone for so many years, you will notice that the Garmin is not a sensitive as a smartphone, and may require a number of swipes to get it to move.Switching screens on a fast descent can be challenging sometimes. Second, the plastic connector the computer uses to latch onto the bike mount is wearing away. Eventually, the connector will chip away completely and then I will be glad I use the tether. This is a common problem and a company has come up with a solution for less than $20. The company is Dog Ears and it sells an aluminum attachment that you glue and screw into the back plate of the Garmin.
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