Let’s take a look at the Garmin Edge 750 compared to the Garmin Edge 500. I’m sure I’ll be learning even more about the Edge 500 as it is used more on my bike. For now, I’ll focus on the dimensions and menu navigation.

At first I’ll admit that I was more comfortable using the Edge 705. It was the unit with which I was most familiar. While the joy stick is has can be annoying when trying to select a menu item (it will sometime twist when you press down moving you to another item instead of selecting one), it did provide a lot of versatility when navigating through the menus.

The Edge 500 does not have the joystick. However, once I started understand the logic of the menu and how you moved between them, it started to become second nature. If you are looking to get the 500 and haven’t had the 705, you probably won’t think anything of it.

For the most part, the units are very similar in their basic operation. The biggest changes are actually things you don’t see. For instance, the Edge 500 no longer uses .tcx files. Instead the .fit format is used. The reason for this is that the file size of the later is smaller and is a more efficient use the unit’s memory.

I have not yet been able to test this, but Garmin says the battery life on the Edge 500 is 18 hours. The Garmin 705 is supposed to have a 14 hour life. I’m one of those people who plug things in automatically so rarely go on two rides in a row without charging my units. I’ve never had any trouble with the 705 and I doubt I will with the 500 — even on longer rides.

Garmin has created a solid unit for rider who is into training and racing. The price is right. I’m sold.