[Closed] ‘Best’ GPS for MTB?

Remember that "turn by turn" uses path/track/road junctions on the map not on the ground and by "on the map" I mean that the underlying data is properly recorded not just a dotted line being shown.

With that caveat done. The Garmin Edge series are more road oriented and the Etrex/Oregon style are more general purpose. I've the Edge 520 for road riding but I've not used the mapping on it so can't comment on how useful it is. I tried the turn by turn on the 510 which I had previously and it wasn't brilliant but hopefully things have improved with the newer models.

No idea about the Wahoo models as I've never used them.

I was always a fan of OS mapping.

So I'm still with my OS maps from Garmin 800 - but on a 1000.

It's not been great. A buggy mess, and I've had to have it replaced out of warranty at full expense once. Gfs 820 has just failed too.

So, I don't know really these days.

I like OS mapping and some training data/strava integration but not bothered by navigation really. Oh and good battery life.

@rone - are the official OS maps vector based so you can zoom in on them? I've a set of the knock-off maps and they are bit-maps so there's an optimum viewing zoom level and if you go past that they are very blurred and hard to read. I've both the OS maps and OSM cycle maps on my Oregon so I can switch between the two.

I bought an edge 530 a couple of weeks ago and it's already opened up new trails for me. Trailforks and starred strava segments have enabled tricky to find trails. Great for gpx routes too.

Well I use Garmin's etrex10 which I know many frown at but as long as you don't want a map as such and are happy following a pre planned breadcrumb trail its really very good.
Its cheap so if it gets damaged it's not the end of the world, it uses two AA batteries so easy to keep going without having to recharge etc, I've not got lost with it over 3 years including many rides in Scotland, lakes, exmoor etc. It's pretty tough so can survive some rough and tumble and can be used off the bike for a walk.
You can upload rides to Strava or whatever and download routes to it from Komoot or whatever you use. And has a bike mount available.
Overall it's been pretty perfect for me...

 

I'm on a low end garmin which is very good, but it's not got navigation. I often think the simpler the better.

However, if you want navigation, any of those with Strava and Trailforks integration should be your best bet. As far as I know it's only garmin that does this though. Garmin are renowned for software bugs too, so you may be better getting an older unit with that functionality (if it exists - I'm not sure when it was added) than the latest...

Finally, I used to use my phone for navigation / Strava and it was a pita. Particularly draining the batteries. Dedicated units are much better. They automatically upload everything. Gives you the option of taking it a cheap burner phone too, rather than potentially smash a very expensive one in a crash. My friend broke his iPhone at the start of the month so you can justify it as an investment!

I use the Maverick mapping app (which has OS mapping) on my phone and have attached a Garmin mount to the back of a spare case for use on the bike. Running it in airplane mode extends the battery life noticeably but you can still use GPS.

Interested to hear people's opinions as I'm thinking about getting a dedicated unit; it's an extra toy as much as anything.

Garmin 30x. Simply put..... 25 hours from the batteries, don't have to take your gloves off to work it, it navigated me across continents on tiny trails, records everything you want (feet climbed, max speed, time stopped etc etc), lets you have background maps showing or not showing and just does not break.

Got the Garmin Oregon 600. It’s not bad for OS mapping if you can get a UK wide bundle. The display is not perfect but good enough. It is quite bulky but crucially you can change the batteries mid ride so it lends itself to all day rides. It is definitely not a performance data recording device so it depends what you want. There are cheaper Garmin Etrex models but the display is smaller. I also looked at the Memorymap devices but they are v bulky and have fixed internal batteries.

Are any of these easy to use, or do you need a degree in cartography and way point setting for them to be effective?
Second question ... do any of them have displays that those of us who are slightly more senior could make out ...?

It really depends what you want - performance data or rolling maps. The Garmins are ok, memorymap displays are probably clearer but they are huge. The Garmin are fairly simple to use the basic functions.

Garmin Edge 800 here, been using it since 2012 with OS mapping. No real issues in that time, still getting a full day's worth of battery life even with turn-by-turn nav. One of the best bits of bike kit I ever bought.
If you want mapping, my advice would be to get one of the bigger units like the Edge 1030 - bigger screen is much easier to use. My wife has an Edge 820 and I find the screen a bit small.

If you wanted a REALLY small screen, Go Outdoors have these on offer...
https://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/15930938/casio-wsd-f20-pro-trek-smart-watch-15930938

The 530 is getting some decent reviews.earlier model has some button issues but seem to sorted that.having the trailforks and Strava is great,esp for looking up trails,lots of upgrades over prev 520.I will also be getting it soon.but check size.i found the 520 bit small.and buggy..not used wahoo tho.got a Bryton as well,that's great l,but no ant+ which I need

I went around this loop a year ago and ended up with the Wahoo, it is easy to go its only got a black and white screen (but I've founds you can always see it which is helpful), has indicator lights for turns / HR if you want to use them too, very good VFM with sensors for heart / speed if you want or need them.

I'm the same as you, wanted to upload maps, plus a little Komoot planning too and it has opened up a huge range of routes for me that I never knew existed locally.

If I had to be negative its the OSM map they all use, not all paths categorised correctly (at least near me, so you get the Bridelway that isn't!) but that effects all. The battery life has been more than enough for a wholes days ride and easy to get on and off to move between bikes too.

At the end of the day the view I took was quite a few comments on buggy Garmins plus the cost for the same as Wahoo a year ago made the wahoo an easy choice.

Having been with it a year has it ever let me down, yes, once. Not the unit but the OSM map had me in teh middle of nowhere with no mobile signal (to create a new map ont he fly) so I had to wing it, still alive and still £200 cheaper than proper on device route planning (plus bugs) so with one oppos in a year I'm still a happy camper.

They're all good if it helps you get out.

James

Are any of these easy to use, or do you need a degree in cartography and way point setting for them to be effective?

Like any device they have their quirks, some things you just think: "why the f did you do it like that?" Most of the frustration is setting things up the first time then you just get used to using them. Setting a waypoint on the Oregon is ridiculously easy - just press the lower of the two buttons on the right side of the unit to get a waypoint at your current location. Alternatively scroll the map then tap the screen at the point on the map you want to add.

A lot of the "problems" are really down to the small size of the units and them having to be weatherproof. My 510 has one button (the on/off button) and a touch screen. The 520 has seven buttons and no touch screen; the Oregon has two buttons and a touch screen. They aren't (yet) a solution to complete numpties not getting lost.

Second question … do any of them have displays that those of us who are slightly more senior could make out …?

I need glasses to read the Oregon's screen in anything but good light and a lot depends on the mapping I've got loaded: OSM maps aren't as colourful or have as much contrast as OS maps for example.

@rone – are the official OS maps vector based so you can zoom in on them?

No, they are scans. You can zoom in but resolution is not great and neither is speed.

The Wahoo Elemnt synchs automatically with Komoot via your home wifi then gives you turn by turn on roads / tracks that are shown on Open Street Map. Most of my local bridleways are shown, so in theory it'd work on those - but I know them already, so I've never used it for off road navigation, just noticed they are marked when riding them on the cross bike.

It has on one occasion left me notionally in the middle of nowhere. I'd look at the new Elemnt Roam though. Colour screen and smarter navigation, so you can actually put together a route on the unit and it knows where you are if you deviate from the planned route, which the Elemnt and the Bolt don't.

If the trail you're following is on Open Street Map, it should work, particularly synched wth Komoot. Battery life seems good too. Mine's used primarily on road, but I don't see why it wouldn't work on trails too.

For Ordnance Survey mapping devices, have a look at the Satmap stuff or ViewRanger on a Smartphone. Much better map repro than Garmin ime and easier to use. No turn-by-turn though, mostly just lines on a map plus a pointer that leads towards the next waypoint on your GPX track, or whatever the technical term for that is.

I went for garmin edge 1030. The bigger screen size is really helpful looking at the nuances of bridlepaths vs footpaths. Battery life can be extended by a anker battery in a top tube bag.

I don’t like Garmins policy of releasing stuff as ‘beta’ without rigourous testing and with bugs. However the 1030 has been out for a while and I haven’t found anything wrong as yet.

If you’re going on multi day trips with no charging avavilable then I had a battery powered etrex 30 which is ok but the screen size is small.

I get the maps from the free maps as instructed on the dcrainmaker site.

Second question … do any of them have displays that those of us who are slightly more senior could make out …?

I use an eTrex 30x for navigation when away from known routes. As above, it needs to be set up to your preferences, but now I have it set the way I want I find it the best way to navigate. Of course, it depends on the mapping system used, but OS 1:25,000 is pretty spot on.

Set up a route, and tell the unit to navigate is all that's needed. Excellent TbT instructions, and a gpx track if you need it. I have maps installed on it, but never resort to them, just following the plotted route. I need reading glasses to start the thing off, but not for general riding, but once on the bike mount I can easily see the instructions given without having to stop and put glasses on.

Works well for me with my style of riding.

I bought the Edge explore 6 months ago. Very happy with it & good value too at around £200

Hi All,

Thanks for the replies.

I really like the functions with Trailforks built in on the Garmins, however i feel like the features the Explore has where you can set a way point from the device would be really nice to have.

Irritatingly the Edge 830 has both of these features but is more expensive. I'm not really interested in the metrics etc that the Edge series gives, i just want it for exploring really.

Do you think they'll update the Explore to add Trailforks stuff to it?

Stupid question - does the 30x have an elapsed timer which can be set up to auto pause while stopped?

Stupid question – does the 30x have an elapsed timer which can be set up to auto pause while stopped?

How do you mean? Total time vs moving time?

Here are the data fields you can choose to display on the 30x https://www.manualslib.com/manual/302033/Garmin-Etrex-30.html?page=50#manual

I've the Oregon which is a bit further up the feature scale from the Etrex (a bit like comparing the Edge 1000 with the 520) and have overall average speed, moving average speed, total time and moving time displayed.

Additionally, i think i might have to stick to a Garmin as the point of getting on is to Explore easliy on my own - and Garmin has safety features built in that the Wahoo units seem to miss

[The Wahoo is] still £200 cheaper than proper on device route planning (plus bugs)

Edge Explore is available £185 these days with full routing capabilities and the Wahoos all still seem to be more than that, so I think you may have your numbers a bit wrong 😉

OSM maps aren’t as colourful or have as much contrast as OS maps for example.

You're comparing apples with oranges there. OS maps come as fully-rendered visuals, whereas with OSM you can get the underlying map data and render it how you like. There are many different options available from people who've done that, and with a bit of effort (and a small outlay on a couple of quirky old Windows applications) you can build your own .typ file which will tell a Garmin device how to render vector data, so you can customise it completely. I've built one which gives a much less cluttered and higher-contrast style of mapping so it's easier to see.

Edit: found a picture of it on the old Edge Touring on an old thread. Roads in black, major roads have an orange band, bridleways and bike paths in magenta, footpaths in grey, etc.

Do you think they’ll update the Explore to add Trailforks stuff to it?

Vanishingly unlikely IMO. It's a feature that differentiates their new products, and Garmin don't tend to enlarge the feature set on old models. But you can get a Trailforks ConnectIQ app which will run on the Explore; not sure what the difference is in practice, though, as I've not used either.

I bought an 830 a few weeks ago after much indecision about 830/1030 - needed something with mapping for the Transpyr.

I eventually settled on the 830 for the MTB specific features, Climbpro was particularly useful to know how far up the climbs i was and what gradients were coming up.

Aside from a couple of sporadic HRM and Power meter connection glitches (solved) by a hard restart. It was actually very good, screen is big enough to navigate by, battery life wasnt an issue, finshed most days with over 50%.

Didnt try Trailforks as i was following a set route, but there were lots of trails on the maps. The MTB flow and grit screens were fun, and getting stats about the crap jumps i was doing was entertaining.

Smart Nutrition and hydration alerts were also handy.

If the 1030 had the Climbpro and Trailforks features i think i’d of gone for that, but it doesn’t and according to Garmin support it won’t be getting them, contrary to what DCRainmaker has said. His review is worth a read too.

I bought a 520 plus just before the 530 came out, as I’d dropped my 520 and smashed it up. Replacement was half the cost of the plus unit.

It comes with garmin topo active maps which are actually pretty good, but I’m almost always following a trail/track. Turn by turn seems to work ok, not amazing when you’re off road but ok.

I have considered an etrex 20/30 for better mapping and battery life, but the 520 will last a day ish of my riding and can be charged from a battery in a few hours.

A bit of a hijack but related...

Got smartphone with rather big battery and not looking for GPS unit as such, but for app/maps to use it in my riding.
Mainly interested in OS Maps with off line option as most of the time I'm riding in the areas without any mobile reception.

So, please correct me if I'm having it right...

With OS Maps Premium Subscription I will have access to all of their Explorer maps.

Need to download map/maps of the area I'll be riding before the trip, then just open it in the app and use as normal.

It is supposed to be back-up option in case of poor visibility or so as I'm mainly using paper maps anyways.

Am I right, or missing some catch?

Cheers!
I.

How do you mean? Total time vs moving time?

With the Edge series, you can set it to auto stop the timer when you’re not moving (and restart when you move off again).

With the Edge series, you can set it to auto stop the timer when you’re not moving (and restart when you move off again).

The Oregon and Etrex do that automatically, not sure you can turn it off. When I upload an activity to Strava I get moving and total times.

I have an Etrex 30x on order, could anyone let me know the best way to attach it to the bike, I prefer it central over the stem.
My stem is short, (chortle) I don’t think that the Garmin offering will zip tie to it. Is there another way.

I have an Etrex 30x on order, could anyone let me know the best way to attach it to the bike, I prefer it central over the stem.

I mount my 30x over the stem. A quick google comes up with this as the first answer. It's what I use.
No idea about your length, but this fits nicely on my stem, and holds the unit very tight indeed. No chance of it bouncing out.
https://www.wiggle.co.uk/garmin-bike-mount-for-etrex-and-oregon-gps-units/?lang=en&curr=GBP&dest=1&sku=5360732111&kpid=5360732111&utm_source=google&utm_term=&utm_campaign=Shopping+-+All+Products&utm_medium=base&utm_content=mckv|sMBHgAW6n_dc|mcrid|295293415336|mkw||mmt||mrd|5360732111uk|mslid||&mkwid=sMBHgAW6n_dc&pcrid=295293415336&prd=5360732111uk&pgrid=58853027266&ptaid=pla-522398534321&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIyvvR39WO4wIVZbXtCh3saQFDEAQYASABEgKN6fD_BwE

There is this, #2 entry on Google, wich is a bit more cumbersome, but will allow fixing to your bars. Still uses the same clasp, so should be just as secure.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Holder-Garmin-Bracket-Mounting-Trolley/dp/B01GEO0U50

Google is full of suggestions under etrex mounting bracket. Try it yourself, you will be amazed at your options.

You don't need to register with Google to use their services, and it is entirely free. You may find that it is already installed on the machine of your choice. Other search engines are available.

A mate of mine uses the Edge 820, he says its pretty good. I was asking him about it as I'm looking to move from recording rides on my phone to something more dedicated. I've found that using my phone for ride beyond 2 hours is pointless as it completely drains the battery. It's actually on sale from here Edge820 at the moment. I'm still dithering over the purchase.

Got smartphone with rather big battery and not looking for GPS unit as such, but for app/maps to use it in my riding.
Mainly interested in OS Maps with off line option as most of the time I’m riding in the areas without any mobile reception.

So, please correct me if I’m having it right…

With OS Maps Premium Subscription I will have access to all of their Explorer maps.

Need to download map/maps of the area I’ll be riding before the trip, then just open it in the app and use as normal.

It is supposed to be back-up option in case of poor visibility or so as I’m mainly using paper maps anyways.

Am I right, or missing some catch?

That's how I understand it, yes. Maybe take a look at ViewRanger as well, it's been around for years now and has some really nice features. I prefer it to the OS Maps app - or at least the last version of it I used.

Cheers!

Will take a look at ViewRanger as well.

I.

Ivan MTB. Check out maverick GPS navigation app that someone mentioned earlier. Free. OS maps free and many other map layers for different parts of the world.

Doesn't do turn by turn though.

Ive used if on my android smart phone for years. Airplane mode saves loads of battery, though I have a black view 5800 which is waterproof etc and a massive battery.

I went to the Yorkshire Cycle Hub in North Yorkshire this weekend and after a particularly gruelling road ride yesterday we didn't really fancy the relatively long MTB route today, especially as it had quite a lot of climbing in it.

I use a Wahoo Elemnt Bolt so spoke to Neil in the bike shop there and he suggested a shorter route and provided a paper map. I asked if he could mail me a GPX, which he did.
I've only ever synced from RidewithGPS to get rides onto it, so wasn't sure how easy it would be to get the route onto the Bolt.
It literally took <1min. Download from email, select and open in the Wahoo app. You then just click on 'select route' and it was ready to go in no time at all.

The simplicity of the Wahoo really sets it apart, IMO.

Thread Revive! I need to make a decision haha and I’m really having issues. It’s between:

Garmin Edge 530
Wahoo ROAM
Hammerhead Karoo

The Karoo is probably out as it’s the most expensive and least tested in anger. The Garmin has the best features but worried about bugs. Anyone got experience with the Roam/Karoo with MTB?

What's the current state of the 1030, a buggy mess or rock solid.

Or somewhere between.

My 1000 has never been right. It's a pain.

I want to use my OS maps on it, otherwise I would be off to another manufacturer.

Can't comment on the Roam though there's a chap doing an intermittent review over on the Bearbones forums.

I've the Garmin 520 which so far has been bug free. Not sure if the 530 has extra storage but the 520 is limited to around 45Mb of maps - this means you need to select which bits of the OSM map you want to have loaded. It's a bit involved swapping maps in and out of the unit, there's a video explaining how to do it if you search. Have followed a GPX with turn by turn on the road (created in Strava, download TCX file, copy to unit) but not off-road.

i think I've pretty much settled on the Roam. Trailforks doesnt add that much value in Wales and I'll probably add the routes by GPX most of the time anyway, so am going for the most reliable option!

I've been using a Hammerhead Karoo since they first got released (getting on for 2 years and about 10000 miles) and its an amazing bit of kit, I use it both on and off road as their mapping is second to none. They have a great online community and release software updates every month, usually bringing in new features.
You can also sideload other android aps to run alternative mapping software if you wish..

I barely touch my Garmin since I use an old waterproof Andriod phone running OS & Endomondo app - replaceable for a tenner if it ever gets lost/damaged.

@Trailseeker

What phone do you us for that, and what's the battery like on it? Guessing you don't need a sim card for it if it's just being used as a GPS device?

My Edge Explore 820 has had a cracked screen for a while, so looking for a new one soon.

Its a 2013 Motorola MB525 Defy, small & waterproof.
Its got a removable battery if you wanted to carry a spare but I get over 12 hours from a charge when using as a GPS on all day rides.
It loads all GPS app data via Wifi & still usable for emergency calls without a Sim card inserted.
It does everything the Garmin does but cheaper, faster, smaller & doubles as a back up device if I ever need to call 999