Edge Touring / Garmin navigation devices

dubbs2009

Hi folks,

Does anyone have a Garmin Edge Touring? How good is it? I am mainly interested in learning if the navigation is worth the investment... have heard many mixed reviews about Garmin navigation devices on the bike... Anyone any real tales to tell? Also does it track Heart Rate and Cadence from HR monitor and Cadence sensors? Or not? I can't tell from the official docs...

I am unsure of which Garmin to move onto next... currently have an oldskool Forerunner 305 which takes an age to lock to a satellite and is a chunky beast! I'd like navigation directions - but only if they are worth the effort - I will be making routes offline, the placing a GPX onto the device to follow the route - so it imperative that works - I am not fussed about getting on the bike and saying take me here please... I appreciate the route this would calculate would be less than preferable! I want the device to track HR / cadence / speed / averages etc - all the standard stuff - just wondering if the Touring / 800 / 810 / 1000 with the navigation included are really worth the extra £s....

Any thoughts / advice?

Cheers,

dubbs.

dubbs2009

The alternative is to keep with the Foreunner and use something like Co-Rider for iPhone > https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/co-ride ... 95358?mt=8 - I have played with using this last year but was not impressed... the GPS of the iPhone and forerunner seemed to mess each other up and tracking was well less than useful! lol

Philly8mt

I also got the standard touring model and it's not let me down yet. You can tell it where you want to go via address or postcode or it can give you a 3 loop options after you give it the mileage you want to cover. I have deviated off route and it just recalculated like a normal sat nav. No heart rate/cadence option on this model but you get all the usual distance, speed, ave speed stuff though.

I'm happy

dubbs2009

OK thanks chaps. Think I would need the Edge 800/810/1000 as I want cadence and HR then. Appreciate your input

keef66

I went for the Touring Plus when I saw it for £200 on Amazon. I'm a leisure cyclist, so mapping / navigation was much more important than training / performance monitoring or racing virtual partners etc. I do quite like being able to display HR info, but I don't really need cadence. I'm quite impressed with it to be honest. I like being able to enter a ride distance and it will come up with 3 suggested round trip routes. It's taken me to several places within 25 miles of the house I've never been before. All on quiet country lanes, and only once did it suggest I take a footpath. Which wasn't a problem since if you ignore a turn it quickly recalculates the route.

dubbs2009

Thanks keef66 - it sounds like a good little device - I guess Garmin would have been silly to add cadence and HR to this device as it would kill the 800/810 lol.

robpiper

keef66 - I have the basic Edge Touring but find that when I try to use the 3 suggested round trip routing option that it takes me down paths, canals etc. How do you have it set up? I've tried all routing options and it still seems to do the same.

Also, when I deviate slightly off course in then keeps trying to return me to the point that I have just deviated from rather than re-routing me from my not current location. Is this correct?

Thank you for any help you can give

keef66

If you head off in the opposite direction to the suggested route it initially suggests a U-turn but if you keep going it suggests alternative ways of getting back to the route if they are then shorter.

As I said, it's only once suggested a path to me. Mine's set to road riding and to avoid narrow trails. Not sure what else to suggest.

The only negative I've found is that Garmin Express keeps wanting to update the maps. Which wouldn't be so bad but it's for the whole of Europe and takes 3 hours! (I know because I said yes the first time)

What takes so long???

pandazoo

I have the basic touring and bought it for the navigation, polar does the cadence and hr.

The touring is a great little device for navigation, I must admit I have not used the round trip or routing function but have just designed my own routes with ride with gps and uploaded them.

dizarch

I wouldn't touch Garmin with a very sh*tty stick. But that's just borne of personal experience:-(

Lumpy Roads

I have just used the Edge 500 for my Lejog, cycling for 5-7 hours each day, the battery never dipped below 30% remaining each evening. The mapping feature led me straight through the centre of Bristol without the need to look at a single roadsign and the HRM and other trip recording features all worked spot on. I have not connected up the cadence feature, but it is provided. The 510 gives you the ability to upload directly with wifi rather than connecting to your computer, I believe.

I would recommend it.

deadhead1971

There is an Edge Touring, and an Edge Touring PLUS, which will read an ANT+ HR monitor, but does not do cadence monitoring, as you'd get with the other Edge performance bundles.

If fast satellite acquisition is on your tick list, the Edge 510 was the quickest I believe, as it uses GLONASS satellites too.
I think the new Edge 1000 also does this.

Some people seem to struggle with navigation on Edge 800/810, and for others, it just works.
It depends on where you want to ride and what maps you use, plus what software/site you use to plot your routes. Various incompatibilities with routing can occur.

I've written some useful guides, with lots of advice about the various maps, both free and paid that are available. Just check out http://www.scarletfire.co.uk for lots of info, and if you get stuck, I've helped loads of people out via email, so feel free to give me a shout. Happy to help.