monkeyseemonkeydo Posted June 30, 2020 Report Share Posted June 30, 2020 Anyone have any views/thoughts on cycle GPS units ? I used to use a normal cycle computer on my road bike but apart from speed didn't pay much attention to it and otherwise I use my phone when I can be bothered to use Strava but I'm slightly tempted to get a Garmin GPS computer gizmo but don't really know much about them, how they can be used and how they link with things like Strava etc. Any thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marg26 Posted June 30, 2020 Report Share Posted June 30, 2020 (edited) I've been using a Garmin 510 for past 5 years. I use it to record rides, distance, speed, and map where I've been, useful for revisiting areas from group rides etc. Also find it useful for heartrate monitoring. When I first started commuting daily on the bike I just went for it everyday and soon found myself overdoing it. HR monitoring helped me get a guage on how much effort I was putting in. In the beginning I consistently underestimated it. The model I use doesn't have maps, but you can use it to follow the line of a route uploaded onto the device via a GPX file. I've used it a fair bit on the roads and off road in places I don't know. I don't bother with the mobile app for automatically uploading my routes to Garmin Connect, I just copy them onto my PC and upload them to Strava from there. Most people use the Garmin mobile app which syncs with the Garmin devices which can auto upload to strava that way. The app will also provide many other features I've never looked at which interact with the device - such as mobile notifications appearing on the garmin, allowing family members to know in real time where you are (provided there's data signal on mobile) etc. Edited June 30, 2020 by marg26 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeyseemonkeydo Posted July 3, 2020 Author Report Share Posted July 3, 2020 That sounds good. I don't think I'd need full colour maps etc. so simpler (maybe with longer battery life to boot) would be good. I'll have a look. HR monitor would be nice but not essential. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeyseemonkeydo Posted July 3, 2020 Author Report Share Posted July 3, 2020 I quite like the idea of the new Garmin Edge 130 plus but might wait until the prices drop a bit! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marg26 Posted July 3, 2020 Report Share Posted July 3, 2020 (edited) Yeah I think 130 would probably do all I need too, but from having the 510 so long I'd probably go with the 520... those colour maps look nicer... There's a few instances where just following a line can be difficult - knowing the scale of what you're looking at, and forks in a trail close together can be difficult to know which you're meant to go down, take a guess and wait until device shows you're off course or not. Speaking of off-course, there's a setting where it repeatedly tells you to turn around while showing you where you should have turned, preventing you from identifying your position in relation to the route and whether you're going in the right direction to join it elsewhere. That's annoying! Having said that, it's got me round 25 - 35 mile routes in the Lakes & centre of France where I've had absolutely no clue where I was I keep wondering what I'd replace my 510 with when it goes kaput, but it just keeps going, 5 years feels a long time for an electronic device these days. Edited July 3, 2020 by marg26 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justinlock Posted July 5, 2020 Report Share Posted July 5, 2020 Personally I just use Strava/Google fit for my needs. I have a QuadLock mount on my bars and a case with the adaptor stuck to it for my Pixel. All works flawlessly and has done for years now. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davetrials Posted July 26, 2020 Report Share Posted July 26, 2020 maybe nothing garmin at the moment.. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manuel Posted July 28, 2020 Report Share Posted July 28, 2020 I’m not sure if I’d use one on a mtb, but for a road bike I use a wahoo with a hr strap. It’s simple, the battery lasts ages, and the maps work ok for following a route and does turn by turn. Hr is interesting to look at on full gas sessions, but relatively meaningless. Also it pretends to be aero so... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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