Advice for recording Strava data with no USB.

crescent

I have a Garmin 200, it is the entry level one with basic functionality and mapping but it has served me well and continues to do so by allowing me to plan routes and upload to Strava etc. However, I am off to Ventoux in a few weeks and I am concerned that I may not be able to record my rides on a daily basis as I will not have access to a device with a USB port - I will have an iPad but this will not have connectivity with the basic Garmin 200. I have a smartphone and I am considering using the Strava app to record live ride information and use that to save my rides for posterity. The reason I am concerned is that the memory on the 200 is not great and with some preloaded routes and some recorded rides it will probably run out of memory before the week is up - this happened to me in Mallorca this year and I lost some information that I would have liked to keep. Am I right in thinking that if I switch off my roaming data (I don't want to incur huge charges) the GPS function on my phone will still record the ride but not upload it until I am in a WiFi spot i.e. the hotel? Are there any other ingenious methods of recording ride data with the kit I have? My phone is fairly new, a Samsung A5 and has plenty of bells and whistles. I know much of this could be tested over the next few weeks before I go, but I would appreciate if someone has a suggestion as to how I can make the kit I have work for me. The 200 does everything I need normally so I am reluctant to buy a new higher end model with wireless connectivity for this one trip.
Thanks for any advice and suggestions.
Cheers.

Man Of Lard

If your Samsung A5 is USB OTG capable then it would be possible to get the ride data off the Garmin... See http://www.howtogeek.com/129800/how-to- ... d-devices/ (your Edge is just a flash drive when mounted via USB)

bflk

Did you clear down all the existing ride data that time before in Mallorca? I've got quite a few courses on mine and dozens of .fit activity files and it is nowhere near full - it should store about 4Mb worth from what I can make out. What is the total size of your stored courses when you view the device in explorer?

Rigga

Just get a OTG usb cable to plug into your phone, this has a female usb port on it. Then download 'OTG disk explorer lite app' then...

1. Plug the otg cable into the phone.
2. Plug the Garmin into the otg usb cable.
3. Open the OTG disk explorer app.
4. Select 'Garmin' then 'activities'
5. Then all your rides from your garmin should be listed.
6. Select your desired ride and save it to your documents.
7. Open up Strava (desktop version) click upload ride. (top right)
8. Click upload files directly.
9. Select and select your ride from your documents list.

That's what I do anyway lol.

super_davo

If you use the USB OTG method with your phone there is an app on the Play store "Garmin Uploader" by Carlos Pescio which can upload to Garmin Connect and in turn Strava. It's a fairly cheap paid app and that and the cost of an OTG cable won't set you back much.

Though to be honest, it's a faff and using the Strava app on your phone will be much, much easier.

My solution was to buy a cheap Windows tablet/hybrid (Lenovo Miix 300) which cost £90 from Argos eBay store. That can do all my Garmin uploads, plus Citrix connectivity to my work desktop plus watch films, plus run Android apps via the DuOS application. iPads are just big toys really...

Ascot17

Crescent wrote:

Am I right in thinking that if I switch off my roaming data (I don't want to incur huge charges) the GPS function on my phone will still record the ride but not upload it until I am in a WiFi spot i.e. the hotel?

Correct. The Strava app collects the data. The sync only happens after you save the ride. You can prove it to yourself by turning off your data and recording a few seconds of a 'ride' as you stroll around your garden. When you save the ride you will get am 'unable to sync' [or similar] message on the Strava app. Connect to Wifi and the sync will complete.

(You can then delete the the 'test ride' so it doesn't screw up your Strava stats)!

crescent

Thanks for all the replies, some excellent suggestions. Much appreciated, folks.
Will probably try the Strava app on my phone. I still intend to use my Garmin but will empty it as far as I can to try and minimise the loss of memory. I did do it before Mallorca but for some reason it kept over-writing what was there already.

shmooster

Crescent wrote:

The 200 does everything I need normally so I am reluctant to buy a new higher end model with wireless connectivity for this one trip.

You've got this all wrong, seems the perfect excuse for new kit

bendertherobot

Get a Garmin 25.

crescent

I didn't realise the 25 had bluetooth connectivity (and HRM), I thought I had to go further up the range for that. Hmmmm, I do like the idea of something new and shiny, could possibly justify the 25 but not the 520. Thanks again for the info and advice.
Cheers