Garmin Edge or e-trex20

binsted

I have a Garmin Edge 705 which is great up to a point. That point seems to be when I am navigating a route and it has been on for 6 hours, it then seems to play up switching itself off and/or giving a low battery warning.

I was wondering if an e-trex 20 might be better for longer rides, at least you can keep a spare set of batteries in the saddle bag.

Anybody else have this problem, and yes I always carry a paper map for plan B but technology is a lot quicker than looking at the map, IF it works

butcher of bakersfield

The Etrex is great for navigation. It does lack the training functions of the edge units though. I would weigh it up on what's important to you. Training or navigation.

I think the battery life on the Edge is something like 15 hours so shouldn't be a problem unless you;re on multi-dayers....providing it's fully charged.

Guanajuato

The Etrex 30 isn't much more expensive than the 20, but has the capability of connecting to ANT+ stuff, like heart rate, cadence and power monitors.
They're a bit bulkier than the current edges although I think the 705 is about the same size. A lot of that space is for the AA batteries. So even if you run out of power on a ride, you can pop into a newsagent and buy some more. Can't do that with an edge. The Etrex is more versatile as it can be used for navigation on the bike, the car or on foot - you can even set it to use different maps for each type of use.

binsted

I think I read that the Edge has 15hrs battery life but I have found it is less than half that with navigation/route enabled.

Is there a preferred unit for the longer audax riders who I would think must frequently encounter this problem.

chris_bass

the etrex 20 is quite a bit bigger so might be a bit big to go on the handlebars.

It also doesnt have a built in battery, wouldnt be an issue if you get some decent recharagbles but not quite as handy as the edge.

marcusjb

binsted wrote:

Is there a preferred unit for the longer audax riders who I would think must frequently encounter this problem.

I'd guess at about a 60/40 split in favour of Etrex (over Edge). The AA batteries make for a compelling long-distance GPS.

Personally, I use an Edge (800). Battery life when using navigation will be around 10-12 hours (in summer).

I use a small battery pack to increase that range , which is enough to get me around a 600km no issues.

Longer than that, I charge the battery pack from my dynohub - used to use an E-werk, just changed to a Luxos light with integrated USB charging. Basically means I can keep on going forever really.

I think if I were touring, I'd probably go with the Etrex for simplicity (and we don't have a dynohub on the touring tandem). Equally, when we're touring, we like regular old maps combined with a bit of getting lost and finding interesting new places!

Htron

Buy some lithium AA batteries for the e-trex. They will last far longer than cheaper alkaline AA batteries, and no risk of them leaking and killing the device with corrosive electrolyte. NiCad pre-charged rechargeable AAs (like Sanyo Eneloops) would be a good second choice.

binsted

marcusjb wrote:

binsted wrote:

Is there a preferred unit for the longer audax riders who I would think must frequently encounter this problem.

I'd guess at about a 60/40 split in favour of Etrex (over Edge). The AA batteries make for a compelling long-distance GPS.

Personally, I use an Edge (800). Battery life when using navigation will be around 10-12 hours (in summer).

I use a small battery pack to increase that range , which is enough to get me around a 600km no issues.

Can you elaborate on the battery pack please, might be a cheaper alternative than another GPS

marcusjb

I use an older model from this company

http://www.portablepowersupplies.co.uk/

But there are a gazillion and one different ones out there - look on Amazon/eBay.

Mine will charge my GPS 5-6 times - and the capacity on newer units is far greater.

binsted

marcusjb wrote:

I use an older model from this company

http://www.portablepowersupplies.co.uk/

But there are a gazillion and one different ones out there - look on Amazon/eBay.

Mine will charge my GPS 5-6 times - and the capacity on newer units is far greater.

Thanks, I had not seen those before, I think that might be the answer.