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Morning all
I ride long distance gravel/bridelway/XC/byways etc more than trails/enduro/downill etc.
Until now I've used Viewranger app on iPhone to navigate. It's an amazing solution - massive colour screen, with full Ordnance Survey maps.
But there's a significant downside - battery dies lasts < 3hrs!
Time for a computer. But is the mapping off-road usable? If I load a complex route from Strava/RidewithGPS is it easy to navigate, with map detail availabel? Or do you just see a large arrow, pointing vaguely in the right direction?
I'm thinking Dartmoor/Exmoor/Highlands etc, wide-open countryside with no roads to use as bearings.
If the mapping and nav are usable, what would you recommend? Wahoo Roam? Garmin?
I've noticed hikers have handheld displays which show full Ordnance Survey maps, but with full-day batteries. Anyone tried attaching these to their bars?
I don't need the turn-by-turn stuff that much, but worried that in real open wilderness the maps aren't sufficiently detailed to navigate by. Am I right or wrong?
I just got a Garmin Edge Explore and reckon that's just what you need. Basically a sat nav for your bike with mapping you can zoom in and out of and clear route following. You can download Strava, Komoot, etc to it so planned routes are easily transferred across.
Well impressed by mine, it's just the job.
Thanks, very handy. Edge Explore... I've heard they're very good.
What would be the difference between that and a 520/530?
My Edge 800 is on the way out so I'm bookmarking this one 🙂
I use a Garmin Oregon for walking, paddling and cycling. It has full OS maps and some OpenStreetmap too. No problem having it on the handlebars. Runs off AA batteries. A good set of rechargeables will last 16-18 hours.
Edge Explore here. Unmatched for the price I reckon. Mapping is good - it's OSM based and it will route you (fairly sensibly) off-road or just let you navigate. There are far more trails on OSM than OS maps, because people are now adding their local cheeky singletrack, however it doesn't show RoW status - which you may or may not care about!
It's also small, tough, rainproof, and even the tough screen works in the rain or with gloves on.
You can pan and zoom the map whilst navigating which is a big plus and not available on Wahoo, I don't think.
Question for the knowledgable ones:
I own an Edge 520 Plus, with TopoActive maps.
If I buy an Oregon, is that map transferable to the new device?
Main reasons for doing this are... want AA battery compatible device for longer multi-day or v.long days out. Open to suggestions on what device to get.
Supplemental question, I assume it's fairly trivial to add on the open-cycle maps files to the Oregon?
Further question - what's the difference between (say) GPSMAP 66S and the Oregon 700 which appear to be similar prices?
One difference is that the explore doesn't pair with powermeters.
A much cheaper solution if you're generally happy with your current solution is to get an external battery pack.
I thought of that, thanks. Yes, that would probably be my preferred option, as I'm really smitten with Viewranger and 'proper' maps, such as OS or OSM.
But after playing with various options, it was getting a bit ridiculous trying to mount a reasonably heavy power brick somewhere near the phone, and plumbing a cable between the two.
I guess I could stop for an hour or so and retrieve the battery pack to power the phone, but it's pretty slow to charge an iPhone from an external power brick, and it's all a bit...messy.
After a lot of clicking and reading, I went with the Edge Explore in the end.
Coupled with TalkToaster maps I think that'll get me near as dammit to what I'm after.
The Oregon looked very interesting. Especially the AA battery feature. More $$$ though, and I think/hope the Explore will do the same stuff for less.
Arrives in a week. THANKS ALL!
Standard answer used to be Etrex. They're really dated and a bit of a faff to use compared to current alternatives now though, it's a shame Garmin haven't brought them a bit more up to date.
Wahoo are great for general day to day stuff, and for following well defined routes but they lack any kind of detailed mapping for getting lost out in the wilds. (Depends on the usage though, if you don't wander off your plotted you'll very rarely get lost, and if you do, you have your phone for backup)
I expect the best answer is probably the Edge units with OS Mapping.
Molgrips
however it doesn’t show RoW status – which you may or may not care about!
At the planning stage yes.... I'll nip across something if needs be but I'd rather not and if I do then I'd rather know and be inconspicuous.
This is my issue with Komoot on the phone (other than battery). Route planning wise it either puts you on footpaths or avoids them (stuff like footbridges) with 3-4 mile detours... and it can be nigh on impossible to get it to take you over the footbridge.. then keeps telling you you are x hundred meters from your route... (on the phone this sucks if you are trying to preserve battery as it wakes everything up to tell you)
Weirdly for something that's a route planner 1st and formost I like the recording and GPS speed/distance etc. without needing sensors (I'm not that fussed if its accurate for these)