Garmin road map ?

s1mon
s1mon Posts: 618
edited July 2014 in Road buying advice
Hi,

Just got a base unit Edge 800 and as I already knew how crap the base map is I'd like to upgrade the map. I'll only ever use it on road can't see me using it off road. Is the City Navigator Europe NT UK & Ireland all I'll need ?

Is it best to buy it on a micro sd card or just download ?

Thanks.

Comments

  • StillGoing
    StillGoing Posts: 5,211
    Yes, it's all you need. I downloaded it to an installed SD card without problem.
    I ride a bike. Doesn't make me green or a tree hugger. I drive a car too.
  • redvee
    redvee Posts: 11,922
    Grab the zip or torrent named 120720-British-Isles+Contours-Routable-OS50tt from Talkytoaster.com. OSM mapping is a lot less expensive, £0. Install instructions on the site too.
    I've added a signature to prove it is still possible.
  • sungod
    sungod Posts: 17,348
    if you'll ride outside the uk, the full europe city navigator is excellent (i've got this on sd card, used it quite a few times in portugal and spain, not sure why they call it "city navigator" as coverage includes everything down to rough tracks way out in the sticks)

    as above, the free osm maps are also an option, but if you want postcode navigation it's not as straightforward as just getting the garmin map

    garmin maps on dvd/cd allows you to do planning on a pc then download to the device, the sdcard version only works on the garmin itself
    my bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny
  • Bike Spanner
    Bike Spanner Posts: 8
    Hi All

    In the same boat as the OP. I'm a complete technical moron so could someone expand on sungods comments on SD card v DVD/CD?
    I've ordered the 800 performance bundle and also realised i would need something extra with regard to maps.
    I only ride in the UK and one of the the main reasons for buying was to pre-plan new routes at home. I thought UK city navigator on SD was the answer but now i'm confused by the comment about the SD not allowing planning on a PC?
    Do i need to get a DVD/CD or are there other options. I may have got hold of the wrong end of the stick but I thought you could plan on sites like ride with GPS and then download the route onto the Garmin??

    Cheers
  • wongataa
    wongataa Posts: 1,001
    If you want to do route planning on the PC it is best to use a site such as RideWithGPS to create the route. Then you can export the route as a gpx file which you put on the Garmin. This method does not care what maps you have on your Garmin as it does not use them.

    You can create routes with Garmin's Basecamp software but it is not very good. If you have bought Garmin maps on disc then they are installed on your computer and can be seen in Basecamp at any time. If you have bought maps on a SD card then then the maps can only be seen in Basecamp if the card is in a card reader plugged into the computer or in your Garmin device when plugged into the computer.

    The City Navigator maps are the same as the maps in Garmin's car sat navs and cost money every time you want to update them. The OSM maps are free. You won't get postcode navigation but that is likely to be less used with a bike, especially if you plan all your routes first.
  • Bike Spanner
    Bike Spanner Posts: 8
    Great info Wonga. I realise this must have been a really boring numpty question for most on here, so thanks for taking the time to help me out. Appreciated!
    I sort of assumed that everyone would plan their ride before hand, but it sounds like the addition cost map packages are more geared toward people who just like to go out and explore without getting lost
    Cheers

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