Garmin Edge 500 Courses

06townsonj

Hi,

I am soon purchasing a Garmin Edge 500 with heart rate monitor & cadence sensor.

Can you use the course feature to navigate without any problems?

I know you can create and export the courses onto the Garmin Edge 500, but, Can I navigate off this?

What data does the course feature give me - Heading, Distance to course turn etc?

Thanks,

twotyred

Here you go- page 13

http://www8.garmin.com/manuals/Edge500_OwnersManual.pdf

SDK2007

The course screen is basic but it's enough to navigate,

This is what you get on the main course screen.You also get warnings if you go off course.



There is another screen on the course option to show how you are doing against the virtual partner.

bobgfish

I've never tried but seeing that screen shot above I think I'll have to give it a go.

mikeeye

I have the Edge 305 which has the same kind of course feature. It's not got a map, so it doesn't know anything about junctions. Instead it's like a breadcrumb trail (as you can see in the picture above). In practice, this is fine most of the time. Where it's awkward is in places where the road forks, so two options are not so obviously distinguishable, and in towns where the junctions are so close to each other that it's not always obvious which one you are meant to turn down.

I've made a few wrong turns while navigating with mine, but it always becomes apparent very soon. Just don't do it in Sheffield where a wrong turn might mean having to climb yet another bloody hill!

I wouldn't hesitate to get a 500 if my 305 gave up on me - the navigation is perfectly adequate.

Mike

spokegeezer

The 500 reputedly crashes when following courses over 50miles, so might not be the best choice. See the garmin forums for more information.

+1 for the 305, fantastic piece of kit.

forward_loop

spokegeezer wrote:

The 500 reputedly crashes when following courses over 50miles, so might not be the best choice. See the garmin forums for more information.

+1 for the 305, fantastic piece of kit.

as with everything problems get aired on forums - the same go for issues with the 305 but its a small percentage and may have been fixed with recently updated firmware. I've never had any crashing on courses up to 110 miles. I think though some of the issues revolved about the format the route was downloaded in.

The effectiveness of courses that have been downloaded depends partly on which program youdownload from. there is one (biketoaster?) that will also download specific warnings prior to turns which you can customise from the map, but I find this messes things up especially if there are few turns close together. you get the turn indication - then the warning and suchlike.

I have only used the 500 for a few courses that I have never ridden in which case I am prepared for the fact that I might overhsoot some junctions or take the wrong fork now and then. Most of the time I will have done the ride once before -in which case the 500 just serves as a reminder. (there is no take me home function) If you intend to use it for navigtion >than 30% time then maybe look at the other Garmins