garmin 800 virtual partner

evsy

hiya

i think im going to get one of these at xmas. i have wanted one ever since i saw one in my lbs a few months ago.
im not sure i will actually use the maps a great deal as i usually know the roads i bike on, but i think for the odd occasion when i am lost it would be brilliant.

anyway, does anyone know how the virtual partner works? if you set a route and complete it, can you then race against your time the next day?? is this a function specific to the edge 800 or does the 500 offer the same capability?

thanks for your help

evsy

kettrinboy

As far as i know all the Edges right back to the 205/305 have the" Virtual Partner"feature, the VP on the 800 is a bit different from older versions in that you can adjust its speed on the fly with +/- buttons at the top of the screen, you can do a course, save it and then race the VP on that course, or create your own workout and use it on that, its a good feature to make you try a bit harder to stay with it, if you beat your best time on a course though you will have to save that course to use with the VP, it wont automatically use your new fastest time, its not that clever, i think it just uses your average speed rather than replicating all the changes in your speed on a course, so on the fast downhills you will gain on it and on a slow uphill it will reel you back in.

Mad Roadie

virtual partner can be a bit more advanced on the 800, but the 705 works on your own previous run (or best) set over the same course. Even on the 705 you can set the virtual partner to run at a prescribed uphill/downhill pace.

but as the last post implied I dont think it is adjustable on the fly

Sammyw23

There are a few more options with the 800 I think - you can simply set a preferred average speed then race against that as virtual partner whereas on the 500 you have to have previous route to race over