Essentials for your Garmin home screen

bernithebiker
bernithebiker Posts: 4,148
edited January 2015 in Road general
Was curious what everyone puts on their 1st, main Garmin* screen in case I'm missing anything useful.

Here's mine (on a 510);

Gear Position (yeah baby!), just need to learn to stop looking down at the cassette now
Speed - kind of essential really
HR - essential for gauging effort
Compass - essential for not getting lost and/or wind direction
Time of Day - so as to not to anger the missus
Distance - essential for those Strava challenges

Gear Position took the place of Elapsed Time, but I'm missing it, so I need to go up to 7 fields.

My mate only has 3 fields but he's shortsighted.........

2nd screen is all heart stuff, 3rd mostly elevation and averages, 4th gear and battery





*other good GPS devices are available......
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Comments

  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    speed, lap speed
    cadence, heart rate
    lap distance, 3s power
    gradient, temperature
    lap time, time of day

    I have a screen set up for general pottering (not often used) and another for TTing (focusing on power & hr)
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,348
    On the roadie

    Cadence
    Speed
    Distance - HR Zone
    Time - Grade

    On the MTB

    Speed
    Distance
    time - HR Zone
    Elevation - Grade
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • NeXXus
    NeXXus Posts: 854
    Speed Hr Cadence Distance Time. Elevation/averages/odo + more on screen 2.

    Less fields = bigger and easier to see info.

    This is on an Edge 1000 though
    And the people bowed and prayed, to the neon god they made.
  • Was curious what everyone puts on their 1st, main Garmin* screen in case I'm missing anything useful.

    Here's mine (on a 510);

    Gear Position (yeah baby!), just need to learn to stop looking down at the cassette now
    Speed - kind of essential really
    HR - essential for gauging effort
    Compass - essential for not getting lost and/or wind direction
    Time of Day - so as to not to anger the missus
    Distance - essential for those Strava challenges

    Gear Position took the place of Elapsed Time, but I'm missing it, so I need to go up to 7 fields.
    My mate only has 3 fields but he's shortsighted.........
    2nd screen is all heart stuff, 3rd mostly elevation and averages, 4th gear and battery

    *other good GPS devices are available......

    I don't have one - yet, but bare minimum for me would be

    Time of day - Amazing how many cycle computers you can't have that on the screen with everything else.
    Distance
    Heart Rate
    Cadence

    That's about it really. I would disagree that speed is essential, you've got a pretty good idea that you're going slow or going fast the actual number is more of a 'ooh that's interesting' metric than anything useful.
  • Speed
    Distance
    Gradient
    HR
    Cadence
    TOD

    I don't get that Di2 gear thing. The only time I look at the cassette is on a climb when I'm praying for an extra cog.
  • I have 4 screens on mine depending on what I'm doing- general riding, hills/ info of interest, racing and a summary screen.

    'Home' screen:
    SPEED
    HR
    Cadence : Time (of day)

    Racing screen:
    HR!!!
    Speed
    Lap time
  • Edge 800

    This is my usual screen when on a normal ride

    Elapsed time - Current Speed
    Total Distance - Average Speed
    Calories - Heading
    Grade % - Total Ascent
    Heart Rate (actual) - Cadence (actual)

    I do also have a more simplified screen when I'm chasing average speeds etc. (auto lap set to 1 mile)

    Current Lap Average Speed
    Current Lap Distance
    Heart Rate (actual)
    Last Lap Average Speed - Actual Speed
  • dyrlac
    dyrlac Posts: 751
    On my 500: Elapsed, speed, distance, cadence, time of day, compass; autolap every km which just flashes the elapsed time. Only look at HR after the fact. Laughed about the gear indicator above, but then realised that when I'm riding the best bike, I really miss the Sora shifter indicators.
  • I found that I was always checking my cassette to see what gear I was in, maybe just a bad habit, but the indicator solves it.

    I think if you suddenly asked most riders to guess what gear they were in, about 50% would get it right, 25% be 1 gear off, and 25% more than 2 gears off.

    If you're racing and an attack brews up, it's useful to know your gear, so as to pre-empt a potential front shift.
  • Cadence then HR and Speed (all current not avg.) on a Garmin 500 with 10km auto lap. Cadence and HR is for me, I lead some rides, so find speed a good way to gauge if we are on the target avg., seems easier knowing what we need on flats and climbs, rather than chase a moving average. Time and distance, well they will be what they will be.
  • chris_bass
    chris_bass Posts: 4,913
    Edge 800

    This is my usual screen when on a normal ride

    Elapsed time - Current Speed
    Total Distance - Average Speed
    Calories - Heading
    Grade % - Total Ascent
    Heart Rate (actual) - Cadence (actual)

    I do also have a more simplified screen when I'm chasing average speeds etc. (auto lap set to 1 mile)

    Current Lap Average Speed
    Current Lap Distance
    Heart Rate (actual)
    Last Lap Average Speed - Actual Speed

    As a word of caution, calories is basically just a made up number.
    www.conjunctivitis.com - a site for sore eyes
  • Chris Bass wrote:
    As a word of caution, calories is basically just a made up number.

    Even then it's a number I would use after a ride to compare it with others. Not something I'd need to see while I'm on the bike
  • chris_bass
    chris_bass Posts: 4,913
    Chris Bass wrote:
    As a word of caution, calories is basically just a made up number.

    Even then it's a number I would use after a ride to compare it with others. Not something I'd need to see while I'm on the bike

    Yeah, me too, I have a look after a ride but don't pay much attention to it, I have heard of people basing diets and things around it which is not a great idea!

    If i don't have my heart rate monitor on the calories it says I burn is something like 1000 an hour which would mean i'd need an average heart rate of about 250 bpm (based on what it says when i am wearing it)
    www.conjunctivitis.com - a site for sore eyes
  • My calories display is more of an(other) encouragement effort, as in today I want to exceed x calories burned. I know it's a largely arbitrary number but I like it.
  • triban
    triban Posts: 149
    edge 500:

    Speed (top half of screen)
    Avg. speed
    Distance
    Elevation gain
    Heart rate - which i haven't used at all in 12 months, should really change it to something else

    i wouldn't want to know what time it was, i think that would have a negative impact on the relaxation aspect for me.
  • slowbike
    slowbike Posts: 8,498
    triban wrote:
    i wouldn't want to know what time it was, i think that would have a negative impact on the relaxation aspect for me.
    Depends really - 2 thoughts -
    a) although not time pressured I usually know when my wife will be returning from one of her rides so can time my return accordingly.
    b) during a commute it can help if I've taken an alternative route as I know if I've got time to put an extra loop in or not ...

    I could look at my watch - but with enough display boxes on the computer it's easy to put on there.
  • triban wrote:
    i wouldn't want to know what time it was, i think that would have a negative impact on the relaxation aspect for me.

    Depends, if you have all day to do whatever you want, then that's fine. For the rest of us, we have promises to be back for lunch etc.
  • Dippydog3
    Dippydog3 Posts: 414
    Was curious what everyone puts on their 1st, main Garmin* screen in case I'm missing anything useful.

    Here's mine (on a 510);

    Gear Position (yeah baby!), just need to learn to stop looking down at the cassette now
    Speed - kind of essential really
    HR - essential for gauging effort
    Compass - essential for not getting lost and/or wind direction
    Time of Day - so as to not to anger the missus
    Distance - essential for those Strava challenges
    Gear Position took the place of Elapsed Time, but I'm missing it, so I need to go up to 7 fields.
    My mate only has 3 fields but he's shortsighted.........
    2nd screen is all heart stuff, 3rd mostly elevation and averages, 4th gear and battery
    *other good GPS devices are available......

    Gear. No, no Di2.
    Speed. No, couldnt care less.
    HR. Yes.
    Compass. No.
    Time. No.
    Distance. Yes.
    and......
    Cadence
  • Edge 1000

    Power 3s Ave
    Speed
    Distance | Heart rate
    Avg Speed | Cadence
    Power 30s Ave | Time

    Same on Screen 2 but for Laps
  • Bar Shaker
    Bar Shaker Posts: 2,313
    Cadence
    Speed
    HR
    HR Zone
    Av Speed
    Cassette gear
    Di2 battery level
    Boardman Elite SLR 9.2S
    Boardman FS Pro
  • mugensi
    mugensi Posts: 559
    Speed.
    Distance. Duration.
    Cadence. Slope.
  • Dippydog3
    Dippydog3 Posts: 414
    I am interested at to why so many like speed displayed.

    I never look at mine. Its a function of slope, wind, effort, heart rate etc. Doesnt really mean anything to me. For the same effort I may bevgoing 10kph or 60kph. Why bother looking?
  • iPete
    iPete Posts: 6,076
    Power 3 second avg.
    Speed (rarely look at this)
    Cadence
    Temperature
    Time of day when commuting or duration if racing.
  • FatTed
    FatTed Posts: 1,205
    On Power up "please return to FatTed with phone number"

    On Home screen
    Power 3s average
    HR
    Cadence
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,196
    On an 810:
    Outdoor:
    Speed
    Distance
    Time Elapsed
    Cadence
    HR
    I can see the argument for having time of day but I tend to plan when I'm going to be back before I go (for the misses' benefit) so based on elapsed time and distance it's pretty easy to judge whether I'm on track.

    Indoor I just have:
    Total time
    Lap time
    HR
    Cadence
  • Dippydog3 wrote:
    I am interested at to why so many like speed displayed.

    I never look at mine. Its a function of slope, wind, effort, heart rate etc. Doesnt really mean anything to me. For the same effort I may bevgoing 10kph or 60kph. Why bother looking?

    Force of habit I guess because all cycle computers since they first came about have speed as the biggest displayed number, and speed is the biggest display when driving a car, so people are used to wanting to know what their speed is.
  • wongataa
    wongataa Posts: 1,001
    Dippydog3 wrote:
    I am interested at to why so many like speed displayed.
    Because they are interested in knowing how fast they are going most likely. That's the reason I have speed displayed on mine.

    I have on my main screen:
    Current speed
    Trip Distance
    Average speed
    Cadence
    Heart rate
  • Bar Shaker
    Bar Shaker Posts: 2,313
    Out of interest, am I the only person who wears a watch when riding?
    Boardman Elite SLR 9.2S
    Boardman FS Pro
  • supermurph09
    supermurph09 Posts: 2,471
    Dippydog3 wrote:
    I am interested at to why so many like speed displayed.

    I never look at mine. Its a function of slope, wind, effort, heart rate etc. Doesnt really mean anything to me. For the same effort I may bevgoing 10kph or 60kph. Why bother looking?

    The only reason I have speed on mine is for when I'm going downhill to reaffirm when I need to dab the brakes.

    Power
    Cadence
    Elapsed Time
    Distance
    Speed
  • Bar Shaker wrote:
    Out of interest, am I the only person who wears a watch when riding?

    Maybe, I haven't worn a watch for years.

    When you have a phone, computer, Garmin, do you really need one?

    I find it quite liberating not to wear one....!