Six laps were left in the Tour de Lafayette of the Gateway Cup, and there was still no organization at the front of the pack. We enter turn four, and two racers in front of me touch bars and go down. My front wheel drives into one of their falling bikes, and I go over the bars, land on a body, and roll off and into the fetal position until the carnage ceased. I saw my beloved Garmin Edge 510 shoot out from the growing pile of bikes and bodies; I feared the worst. The computer lived, but the molded plastic attachment tabs on the back had been completely sheared off. More concerned about my broken bike and missing the next two races of the weekend, I forgot about my Garmin problem until a few days later.
Back home and ready to start training again, I realized I couldn’t attach my GPS computer to the handlebar mount and watch my stats rack up. As with all of life’s problems, I went to the internet for answers. Within a minute, I was on the Dog Ears Website. Their solution to the broken Garmin Edge tab problem is pretty simple, screw on some new tabs that are stronger than the original ones. Their solid aluminum tabs fit over the top of the nub on your amputated Garmin and are secure with two self-tapping screws that screw into the plastic on your Garmin. I placed my order immediately and received my Dogears mount within a week.
Installation is simple, but I advise everyone to read the instructions twice if you have to because once you start installing, there is no second chance; Dog Ears was very clear about that. I added a little super glue between the Garmin nub and the mount, though I’m not sure it aided with attachment or was even necessary. The two self-tapping screws are what really secure the mount to the Garmin nub. You need to apply firm pressure to get them started and only tighten until snug. DO NOT over-tighten because this can strip the plastic on the Garmin, and then you are out of luck. You might be able to add more superglue, but it’s best to just do it right the first time. I had no problem attaching my Dog Ears replacement tabs, even with my history of going gorilla strength on a few bolts on my bike and snapping them off.
I was ready for my first ride with my Garmin and its new prosthetic tabs. It was installed on my mount just as before, but it now sits a few millimeters higher. The Dog Ears mount functions as it should. My Garmin was attached to my bike and going nowhere. Five stars for solving the problem, ease of installation, and function during use.
I did have one minor issue after installing the Dog Ears mount; I noticed a slight buzz coming from the interface between the handlebar mount I was using, and the Dog Ears mount. The Dog Ears tabs fit tight into the handlebar mount but once clicked in; it must have a slight gap somewhere, just enough to make a buzz when riding. I would guess this is caused by wear on my handlebar mount from a couple of years of almost daily use. To eliminate the buzz, I installed the GPS in the closer mounting location so it sits tight against the faceplate of the stem. The additional height added by the aftermarket mount makes this possible.
The Dog Ears replacement Garmin tabs are something you hope you won’t need, but if you do, they are the best fix. Dog Ears gets an A+ for their economical fix for your broken Garmin Edge tabs.
Photos via Dog Ears Facebook Page
