By Imagine riding along and you look down to check your Garmin for speed, power or cadence and all you see is the empty mount. Yep, that happened to me a few weeks back on a group ride shortly after we went over some railroad tracks. My heart skipped a beat, thinking I just lost my Garmin Edge 1000!!! Then I noticed it dangling from my aero bars. A quick sigh of relief and a mental note to thank KC from my LBS who sold me the Garmin. He insisted I use the strap that comes with the head unit and hook it to my bars. He said, “Just in case you crash, you don’t want your Garmin flying into the ditch and disappearing forever.” Well KC, you can do an “I told you so dance.”
Without missing a pedal stroke, I grabbed the dangling Garmin and attached it back on the mount. But after every big bump it would go flying off. I gave up and shoved it in my jersey pocket until after the ride.
As it turns out the tabs that hold the Garmin to the mount were worn away on one side and nearly gone on the other. I was dumbfounded as to what caused this and called Garmin tech support the next morning. Could I be the only one who’s encountered this problem?
As always, Garmin tech support was great. They know their products and are always extremely helpful. This time was no different. I described the issue to the tech guy and he knew exactly what I was talking about. He said there are several reasons why the tabs wear off:
- 3rd party mounts
- Metal mounts
- The Edge 1000 is heavier and bigger than the other models and the road vibration can take its toll on the tabs
On my primary road bike I have a third-party mount (Zipp) because Garmin doesn’t make a side mount for aero bars. On my three other bikes I have Garmin brand mounts. My guess is the Zipp mount was the culprit.
The Garmin tech guy said I have 3 choices:
- Purchase a refurbished unit for $200
- Purchase a new unit for $450
- Try Dog Ears GPS a third-party mounting plate for $19.99 plus shipping ($25 total)
My Edge 1000 works perfectly and it didn’t make sense to purchase a new one. I figured I had nothing to lose, but $25, by buying the replacement mounting plate. The tech guy gave me the URL to Dog Ears GPS, I read the information and watched the installation video. Obviously, this is a common problem or someone wouldn’t have gone to the trouble to design and manufacture a mounting plate. I was sold and placed my order on a Thursday afternoon and the part came on Monday.
For $19.99 you get an aluminum mounting plate and two screws. You supply a file, rubbing alcohol and Super Glue. The instructions and video were very clear as well as provides some light hearted commentary.
All you do is file off any remaining remnants of the tabs so the mounting plate fits snugly over the old mount. Use some Super Glue and self-tapping screws. It was quick and easy.
I’ve tested it out on several rides and it seems like it did the trick. Even went over two sets of railroad tracks the other night and the Garmin stayed put.
According to the Dog Ears web site, the mount is compatible with Garmin Edge series 500-1000 models and available in black or blue plates to match your unit.
I’m definitely a satisfied customer and very happy I didn’t need to purchase a new Garmin for hundreds of dollars. If you have a similar issue, I can highly recommend you look into the Dog Ears GPS solution, too.
Sheri Rosenbaum regularly contributes articles and reviews products for RBR. She’s an avid recreational roadie who lives in the Chicago area and a major advocate for women's cycling, serving on the board of directors and volunteering with the Dare2tri Paratriathlon Club. Click to read Sheri's full bio or visit her web site sunflowersandpedals.com.
Great idea and a great way to fix a Garmin, what can be better than that? oh yeah, I forgot one thing, at great price too! Thanks for sharing that.
Good catch! Mine is getting loose too.
Interesting what you say about Garmin mounts. I have a Garmin 57 in my car. It works great. But the windshield suction mount that came with it was worthless, fell off within hours and wouldn’t stay on no matter how much I scrubbed the glass with alcohol. I finally found an aftermarket mount on the internet that’s bulletproof and cost less than 15 bucks. You’d think Garmin would be able to come up with reliable mounts for its products instead of referring customers to other companies to fix its defects.
I use the G-SAVR Lanyard/Tether/Leash as a safety strap for my Garmin 1000. Unlike the Garmin lanyard, the G-SAVR has a quick-release buckle for convenient, quick attachment and removal. I have no affiliation with this product or the manufacturer – just passing along something that has worked well for me. https://www.amazon.com/G-SAVR-Lanyard-Tether-Cycling-Computer/dp/B00XI4X59I/
Thanks Zach for sharing
I would think that Garmin would sell replacement mounts knowing that they wear out. What up with that?
The issue isn’t the mount (Garmin does sell those), it’s the tabs on the back of the computer itself. The only way to replace them is to replace the back of the unit and Garmin will not sell replacement backs. That’s why third party manufacturers stepped up to address the issue. Garmin should be making them with aluminum ears to begin with, but that would require them to actually care about their customers and the quality of their products. Their support techs may be great (most support people are truly “unsung heros”), but their engineering and management leaves a lot to be desired.
I have a Bryton GPS unit, but it has the same kind of mount. When I first got it and mounted it I thought that it didn’t fit tight enough for my liking. I cut a little square of foam tape and stuck it to the bottom of the unit. I didn’t peel the backing on the other exposed side, put in in the mount and viola! It stays put.
I have also used the G-SAVR Lanyard/Tether/Leash for a couple of years and highly recommend it for keeping the Garmin at the crash site. 😉
I’ve found two Garmins on the road in the last few weeks. Both had been run over and were totally smashed.