Full width home advertisement

Post Page Advertisement [Top]

Late to the party but definitely still worth letting in is Garmin's Edge Out Front computer mount. Garmin finally punched out a proper handlebar mount for their ubiquitous Edge GPS bike computers. They join battle against mount pioneers Tate Labs, Quarq, K-Edge and recent competitor, SRAM.  

Garmin's mount oozes quality. The plastic material feels more substantial than that of the Barfly and it doesn't rely on the familiar 'stretch the ring' method to clamp it onto the handlebars. The Out Front actually has a hinged jaw to make mounting a breeze. The hex screws all mate to metal bolts instead of just plastic. And, as typical of Garmin,  the necessary mounting tools come with the package, this time in the form of a black Allen wrench. 







Said wrench is also used to change the orientation of the computer. From the default 12-6 o'clock orientation to a 9-3 o'clock. All it takes is removing the screws underneath, reposition the actual mount and replace the screws. As configured for oversized bars, the Out Front weighs 27 grams. If used with standard handlebars, the added rubber bushing will add an extra 4 grams to the weight. 

Installation was a no brainer. Just open the hinged jaw, clamp over the bars, then tighten. Instructions say to tighten to 0.8, but we just hand tightened until it was nice and snug. No torque wrenches required. 

We particularly love the way the Out Front positions the Edge 800 unit. The length is perfect and most importantly, the height is too. The computer more or less sits flush with the top of the stem, unlike in the Barfly 1.0 where it appears to be on top if it (Tate Labs has since released a redesigned Barfly which mounts the computer a little lower).  


Click Thumbnails to Enlarge


On the road, the Out Front easily holds the heaviest Garmin Edge, the 800, with secure confidence. No rattles, squeaks or anything untoward was observed. And like the included rubber band mount, the Edge effortlessly goes in and locks into place.  HOWEVER, we did find it mildly irritating that the Edge's orientation is not perfect. As tested, the computer was mounted slightly askew.  Lightly rotating it straight works but for something which is supposed to be an official product, this is a turnoff. 

That said, we still prefer the Out Front over our previous mount. The superior low and forward position of the computer seals the deal for us. 

Retail pricing for the Out Front is $40. While this would have been acceptable pricing during the middle of last year, Garmin's competitors have rethought their pricing and prices have gone down. Tate Lab's revamped Barfly 1.1 goes for $25. Sram's Quickview is even more affordable at $20. At this pricing, it's a bit hard to recommend the Out Front from the practicality standpoint. However, if you find the two position mount useful, or maybe just like the way it displays your computer, then the Edge Out Front is for you. 

Verdict

Perfect computer position, Extremely easy to mount. Expensive and computer is a bit askew. 

Return to RoadieManila HQ

3 comments:

  1. I saw your post at the roadbikereview.com forum. You mentioned the Garmin computer is off center when using the Garmin Out-Front mount. What do you mean by that?

    http://forums.roadbikereview.com/general-cycling-discussion/anyone-use-bar-fly-k-edge-garmin-mount-291872-5.html#post4299182

    I have the Bar Fly 1.0 and the problem i have with it is that it sits a little too high and there's no tactile click when the bike computer is in place.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Liberty,

    What I meant is that the computer is not aligned at the 12 o'clock position. If we use the clock as an analogy, the computer would sit at around the 12:01 or 12:02 position.

    The Barfly 1 doesn't have the click, but at least you can align the computer to 12 o'clock to your heart's content :)

    They made the Barfly 1.2 sit the computer a bit lower, but still not as low as the K-Edge or Out Front.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Healthy article blog for garmin bike computer. It is rally essential for bicycling. when you are riding on bike it is control your bike speed and get a perfect riding.

    ReplyDelete

Bottom Ad [Post Page]

| Designed by Colorlib