Garmin Edge 500 course loading

Thomas the Tank Engine

Can anyone help please...can i load a new proposed ride onto my recently purchased Garmin? All the help from garmin suggests not , only rides already ridden.

I'd like to explore the South Downs , Dartmoor etc and load a course onto the Garmin from mapmyride etc for me to follow so as to not having to stop every 5 mins to check a map!...is this possible?

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

TTTE

anne_p

Hi
I have a Garmin Edge 500 and as far as I know you can only put rides you've already ridden on it. I've not tried this function yet myself as I tend to vary may routes alot but it's a useful feature for seeing how you are improving on regular training routes.
If you want to be able to put routes on which you've never ridden and use it as a Satnav I think you need to buy a 705.

Freeza

Yes, you can create couses and upload them to the Edge 500 using Bike Route Toaster.

See here:

https://forums.garmin.com/showthread.php?t=8802


I've tried it and it works perfectly.

Thomas the Tank Engine

Thanks Freeza...works a treat.

Thomas

anne_p

Think I'll give it a try too, thanks!

anne_p

Think I'll give it a try too, thanks!

a900ss

You can also map routes on map my ride and upload to you Garmin using Garmin Training Centre. Works a treat and if you input an average speed into Map My Ride, you can even use the virtual partner to see if you are ahead or behind that average on the course.

Freeza

Thomas the Tank Engine wrote:

I'd like to explore the South Downs , Dartmoor etc and load a course onto the Garmin from mapmyride etc for me to follow so as to not having to stop every 5 mins to check a map!...is this possible?

A few things to consider if you're going to rely soley on the 500:

The unit can lock up and stop responding. Be sure you know how to reset it if this happens otherwise you will be lost - with no map.

Routes created in Bikeroutetoaster can create paths which are far enough away from the actual road (measured by the 500's internal GPS) to prompt the unit to give the "off course" warning.

The default setting for course point warnings is 200ft (Bikeroutetoaster), you might want to increase this figure. I often found myself overshooting turns as the warnings came too late.

Familiarise yourself with the course display and all the weird things that come up on it - it can get confusing if you're relying on it for navigation.

I went map-less the other day and almost got caught out by all of the above, it was only an 18 mile loop I was doing in the Essex countryside but managed to find my way back when the unit started playing up.

You can easily lose your natural sense of bearings when following the 500's course, easy to see how car drivers end up in the river due to blindly following a sat nav.