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Cateye Strada Smart (CC-RD500B) vs Garmin 510

by Nixster
Mon, Feb 02, 2015 13:44
3

I've been looking at getting a Garmin, probably a 510, when this caught my eye:

/content/news/108748-cateye-launch-smartphone-compatible-strada-smart-computer

It can be had on a certain on-line retailer's site for just over £100 with speed/cadence sensor (I already have a Bluetooth HRM) and would seem to do most of what I want the 510 for i.e.:

Speed/Cadence/HRM on display (and power e.g. Stages, should I ever get one)
Customisable display (not as flexible as Garmin)
Usual elapsed time/distance/average speed computer stuff
Data logging and wireless upload to Strava (via iPhone)

Altitude will be GPS rather than barometric but I'm not bothered. It won't do any kind of navigation but I can use my phone for that. I certainly don't want my loved ones following my erratic progress around the countryside live on-line. And the whole system will be lighter because I'll be carrying my phone whatever I buy.

Other than the fact that I can't find any in-depth reviews of the Strada Smart and that, well, everyone has a Garmin, (all those lemmings can't be wrong?) I'm struggling for a reason not to save myself £130 (510 performance bundle on Handtec = £230).

Am I missing something? Should I just save up and get the Garmin 510 or is this the future? Particularly interested in hearing from anyone who owns one, thanks.

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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3 comments

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Nixster | 10 years ago
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Thanks, that's a great response - I was very close to pressing the button on one but you've stayed my hand. It sounds very much like 'don't buy the first iteration of any new technology' syndrome.
I must admit that while it's good to go against the grain sometimes, I could see the Strada disappearing due to lack of support. With 'garmin' now nearly a synonym for 'GPS device' it's hard to not buy one but it does seem like a flawed approach compared to this. Execution is everything though.
I'd get a 500 but the upload is via USB and as more often than not I'm at work at the end of a ride I couldn't use it with my work computer. More saving required!

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medic_ollie replied to Nixster | 10 years ago
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I bought the Garmin Edge 500, being a student I couldn't really afford anything more. The USB upload isn't really a hassle, you don't have to upload rides immediately. When you press reset they are saved onto the device.

Plus with the cadence sensor, buy some neodymium magnets, much better than the zip-tie solution Garmin supply.

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Goyt | 10 years ago
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I've got a Cateye Strada Smart and wish I'd saved up for an 810 or 510 so perhaps I can give you an impression of the device.

On one hand the bluetooth sensors, 'dumb'/small head-up display & smartphone makes complete sense (why carry two computers to do one job?) but it's seriously buggy and this model is I suspect fatally flawed as a device.

Basic functions like the odometer are unreliable and suffers from a known fault of 'erratic' behaviour, so you can add a random 8000+ miles to the odo just by pausing or un-pausing a short trip down the road.

The customisable display which rotates heart rate, cadence and speed data in the top of the display works for live readings but for average and maximum readings it repeats either the heart rate or cadence data twice, once on the bottom of the screen where it is by default but also at the top where you've just set it to be. This means you can't get an average or max speed when using anything other than default settings.

3) they haven't updated the android app, ever.

4) Uploading to Cateye Atlas works once in maybe 10 attempts, a long ride might take 10-30 minutes and then fail. Why would you do this you ask? Because the odometer doesn't work and you might want to track total miles somewhere. Strava upload is however instant.

It could work really well and I've used Cateye products since the 90s but I just don't think they yet have the required expertise with the new technology or software. Sure they can get a single button to have multiple functions (scan, start, stop, mode, reset, clear trip, pair/unpair device, etc) on a tiny embedded device but software wise it's like they're in a different century.

It also suffers from screen freezes, poor time keeping (timer can stutter), a lack of functionality (no lap mode) and long dropouts of no data being displayed at all. I just came up to a 100km on a ride last week and the device completely froze up, didn't display any data and then went back to the pairing screen.

Their support is I'm sad to say unfortunately no better.

I would love to be able to recommend it but unless you can live with the above or the 510 manages to be even worse then I think it's one to avoid unless there is some miraculous software update that fixes it's many issues (if that is possible for such a device).

The idea of a dumb head-up display is I think still sound but this isn't it and I can imagine a smart2 being released quite shortly to fill in some of it's missing functionality.

I think that covers it but if you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them.

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