Garmin software
davecooper
Posts: 290
I have just acquired (pressy from the missus) a Garmin Edge 305. If I am going to use this properly, I want to use the best sotware for the job from the start rather than having to transfer hours of previous training data into a new package after a few months. I have started using the supplied Garmin software while I learn to use the device but I believe there are better packages such a SportTracks etc. Are these better and what will they give me over and above the Garmin software? With most of my rides being done on minor roads, I am aware that the Garmin mapping only seems to cover "A" roads and above. Any advice appreciated.
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I'm a long time Garmin Edge user, now using a 705 but started on a 305 back in 2006. Sporttracks is all I use, massively better than the supplied Garmin Training Centre.0
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Only problem with Garmin Connect is that you're reliant on the speed and uptime of the site. I prefer to keep all my data on my own PC, I have a daily scheduled task to back it all up to a seperate hard drive too. My training data is valuable (to me)!0
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Training Centre for uploading courses to your device (Hard drve)
Bikeroutetoaster for generating courses (Web based)
Sportracks for analysing your data and retaining on your hard drive (Hard drive)
Garmin Connect for the web based system - its great at comparing yours and other riders data side by side when riding the same course (you can see where you were up and down on your fellow TT riders fo example) as a sort of post race telemetry! (web based)0 -
What I want to be able to do is;
Obviously analyse rides, which the training centre does. However, I would also like to be able to overlay ride data from previous rides on the same graph to see where I may have lost or gained time on a course. Can you do this in the training centre?
If I find a new training route I like the look of while out for a ride, I would like to see exactly where I had been. My area is criss crossed with country lanes and tracks and I am not always sure which ones I have taken.
Course planning can obviously be done using Google Maps etc but something aimed more at the cyclist would be nice although I could live without it.
I don't want loads of applications installed so which would be the best overall for me?0 -
That's the problem with Garmin, there is no one do-it-all software programme. Garmin connect is good for analysing rides, does much the same as Sporttracks, just is web based, and I'm sure that you can compare times of a course from two different days or riders, which you can't do with TC
As far as I can tell it (garmin connect) is as useless at making up routes as TC is, therefore I use bikeroutetoaster. It's all pretty easy and straightforward. When you make a route in toaster, you can download it onto your PC and into TC or straight into your garmin. Its much more cyclist friendly than google maps.0 -
davecooper wrote:overlay ride data from previous rides on the same graph to see where I may have lost or gained time on a course. Can you do this in the training centre?
yep. EDIT > COMPARE ACTIVY TO.....
then select another ride to get both sets of data together.0
