I've got the Black, my mate the blue. Difference is only in plastic case. You can have up to 8 funstions dusplaying on any of the 3 screens.

Yes, you can adjust the number of sections on the screen to suit what you want. I currently have 8 displayed.

You can change the number of fields displayed from 3 up to 8. The more fields, the smaller they get, but if you have excellent vision in high speed pressure situations it's OK.

You also have up to 3 pages of fields available and each can be configured differently. You can also set the Garmin to auto scroll between them.

There are heaps of available fields, so you can go nuts with information, or just keep it simple. It depends on your preference.

The screen displays are user set, you can put whatever you want on each of 3 pages. My front page is speed/HR/distance/cadence, page 2 is 8 boxes of stats (totals) and page 3 is my climbing page (climb rate, elev, dist). Most versatile computer I've ever had!
And yes, both computers are identical, just differ by colour.

You can customise how many sections you need on the display from 1 to 8. You can then choose what you want displayed from an endless list of possibilities. You also have three different displays to choose from at any time while riding with up to eight sections again. Fantastic choice.

There is still 5 sections, just a different colour,

you can customize all display sections.

It is possible to configure the device to have as many data fields on the screen as you like - up to 7 I think. Also you have have them auto scroll as you move - I like to have my current info on one screen and averages on the next one... it's highly adjustable and the best way to measure your performance on the bike

Yes. Just cost you more! That's what I did as I really wanted the black and not the blue :)

Yes it will work

Yes. I am using a Edge 500 which I purchased recently with a heart rate strap and cadence sensor which I previously used with my Edge 305 so there is no reason they would not be compatible.

I have done exactly this. I wanted the Edge 500 in Black also. I purchased the premium heart rate monitor and cadence and everything syncs perfectly

Yes - I have recently purchased them as individual item all sync up niecly

Yes... I did exaclty that... partly because I wanted black and partly because I wanted the premium HR monitor rather than the plastic one that comes in the bundle. They all work perfectly together!

Sure does as its just USB connectivity ... but does depend on the version of OSX. Have a look at the Garmin website for details. There is a plug-in you download which enables upload of data to the Garmin Connect site. And also there is an app (Garmin Training Centre) that you can install but the Garmin Connect site is so good that I don't bother with the app.

The only thing I have noticed is the "Player" on the Connect website don't seem to work very well on Safari.

I use it with Mac OS X 10.4.11 and have had no problems.

It certainly works with my iMac.

Yes

Yes it does. I use it with Leopard and there's no issues.

it will stand alone

Although I have the speed/cadence sensor, I have been told by a friend who also has the Edge 500 with a GSC10 sensor, that the unit actually uses the GPS to calculate speed and distance anyhow. And will turn to the sensor when it loses GPS reception.

You dont need ANY sensors for the 500. They are optional. I believe they work with most cadence & heart rate sensors.

I have two road bikes. One I use the speed/cadence sensor, and the other just the Edge unit (using GPS speed). No issues, it is accurate and I use the cadence off the old computer. Best thing is the Edge stores the stats for all bikes, you just need to select it at the beginning of the ride.
Tip: you need to name your bikes in Edge if you want to input current odo readings.

Unit can stand alone or works with heart rate; speed\cadence (one unit) or even ANT+ power meters. You need separate sensors for different bikes but can load specs of two bikes on to unit (weight etc)

Your legs will wear out before this items memory

You can store much more than a week - but the battery might go flat - I have previously charged my battery every week butleft downloading for a month - there is probably around 6 months worth of riding every day you could store on there.

Hi,
I bought one and did 1000's(sorry don't know the exact millage) of miles before it got full, and had to download so you should be fine for a month or so.

I save a year's worth of rides on my 500 before deleting all. Thats 6 rides a week.

As many as you like, you need to recharge every 15-18 hours, so whilst this is happening I download my rides to Garmin Connect. To speed downloads, I periodically delete ride data from the Edge whilst hooked up to the computer in the same way data is deleted from a USB stick. Very easy!
Just remember to charge, because no power = no data!

No there seprate with this black version

No it doesn't. I bought the GSC10 and heart rate sensor separate. Cost more but I really wanted to black and not the blue (for which has a bundled kit). Other thing to think about is whether your interested purely in the speed sensor. If you're not too concern about measuring your cadence and only interested in the speed sensor, you may not need it as the Edge uses GPS to calculate speed anyhow.

No - but you can buy them separately.

I don't think it will come as standard, only with a bundle.

I got the bloack 500 by itself. There is no sensor.

I can confirm that it comes with 2 mounts and 2 different sizes of bands which attach the mount to the stem with lots of spares incase somehow they break

Yes it does, it also comes with 2 extra bands, in total 12 (2 sizes)

Mine (ordered from Wiggle) came with two mounts and the nice thing is because they aren't zip-tied, you can move them between more than two bikes!

Well, I got mine from Wiggle and it works perfectly well in NSW. Apparantly they work with any heart rate sensor.

Just opened up my box here in Australia last week. Hooked into satellite no problem.
Took a bit of a gamble with the power. Guess what - it uses USB to charge. It will charge on USB while you are at work, uploading your data, surfing the web or use a mains USB charger (just tested using my wifes MP3 players charger).
Data and charging are via a mini USB plug on the back.
It comes with a mains USB charger with 3 different plug converters, not an Aussie one, but I won't need it anyway.

I just got the standard "blue" one and it works fine in NZ.

There is NO map on the 500, and NO slot for SD. Sounds like you need the 750 maybe.

No you can pre program routes with the garmin Software and they will appear in the courses menu but you then you get a basic arrow pointing in you the right direction but you don't get full colour maps with Proper navigation like on the edge® 800Garmin.

I would rather use the edge 705 or the 800 for this application - the 500 maps are not really applicable to this in my opinion.

YES. Works perfectly. I use this set-up daily.

I use my edge 500 in a Madone 4.7 together with a Bontrager DuoTrap