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Contemplating a new GPS and currently I'm a little torn between the 820 (which is pretty keenly priced right now) and the 520 Plus.
Now, tales of insufferable 820 touch screens are rife, which would steer me to the 520 (which looks fine other than zooming and panning the map, which seems wholly impractical while riding… is panning even possible?). But picking through some obscure bits of the DC Rainmaker site he seems pretty confident that if you buy a new 820 unit and use the latest firmware you should be good.
So, I have one specific question, really:
Anyone able to evidence that theory?
Given the above remarks by Ray, any opinions about the performance of your touchscreen plus a rough guess as to the age of your unit and whether you're a firmware upgrade or an ain't-broke-don't-fix it type of user would be really helpful. I'm primarily interested in relatively newly-purchased units, but I'm sure plenty of longer term users will take the opportunity to vent frustrations 😉
Also how is battery life panning out for you? I find Garmin's claims are usually pretty wild, normally up to 50% too optimistic; though my current Edge Touring Plus seems to be breaking the mound and getting impressively close to the quoted life.
This may even be a stealth wanted ad, too, I dunno yet 🙂
(Please don't tell me to go buy a Wahoo: I know they beat Garmin hands down in a number of areas but when it comes to navigation Garmins work better for what I want.)
Cheers
I have one, bought July 2016. I don’t think you really have much choice over firmware - it’s connected to the internet via your phone & will bug you till you update (so I always do). The touchscreen is absolutely fine except in heavy rain, when it’s useless. It’s not really a problem for me given that I don’t ride in heavy rain often, and when I do I’m not going to stand around sodding about with my Garmin so I just lock the screen & crack on. I bought the handlebar remote which works great (on drops) obviously lets you use it in the rain, looks ungainly on the bars though!
Battery life is fine, enough for all dayers. The map screen massively drains battery so I use it sparingly (this is the same for all Garmins though IME). I don’t use navigation a lot which is a good thing as although it works great it takes a long time to plot the route initially. Like FOREVER. apparently this has been addressed on subsequent Garmins like the 1030.
Software is crap (it’s a Garmin!) My biggest bugbear was that it’s a ball-ache to load routes onto it without physically plugging the device into a computer (there’s no removable memory card). This has been solved recently with the release of the Trailforks IQ app which makes it a LOT easier.
Pretty much echo all of Zilog's remarks above (inc. the remote) but loading routes is actually very easy if you use Garmin Connect to build / import your gpx and then sync the Edge & phone via bluetooth or wifi. 30 second job, no PC required
I can pan and zoom the map on my Edge Touring, do it all the time it's very useful to me. Also works fine in the rain. Just sayin.
Had one just over a year ago for one week, absolutely terrible!
Returned it and went back to my Edge 800
I hope they have sorted all the issues out by now
Just to confirm...you can’t pan the map on the 520. Miss that a lot from my old 705.
true, this is obviously how they intended the device to be used however a) GC is poor compared to other web apps for planning routes and b) they make it VERY difficult to import other peoples’ GPX files!loading routes is actually very easy if you use Garmin Connect to build / import your gpx and then sync the Edge & phone via bluetooth or wifi.
I recently changed to an element bolt. Much better.
That being said, i've got a 1.5 year old 820 sitting on my desk in front of me, doing nothing. Feel free to make an offer!
I gather from another thread that the Routecourse IQ app provides wireless download RideWithGPS, which is what I tend to use, so that issue seems solved (and is one of the areas where I'd appreciate the improvement over my Touring).
Does the 820 update its own firmware or does it have to be done from a PC? My experience is that Garmin expect you to use Windows, which is a slight issue.
It does it wirelessly when it’s connected to your phone.
I bought myself an 820 explore about two weeks ago, used it to navigate for a couple of 3 hour rides and so far I’m happy with it.
The touchscreen is a little bit slow to react compared to a smart phone but other than that it’s been fine so far.
battery seems good even when running the map constantly.
My use and experience is exactly as zilog6128. Mine is an older unit, no problems other than rain on the capacitive screen, navigation (rarely used but vital when it is) is great but takes an age to calculate and creating routes is a PITA when you don't want to use Connect. I've loaded the Trailforks IQ app, not used it yet but have high expectations.
Trouble with Garmin alternatives is they just don't do the off road navigation as well unless anyone knows different? 820 is a good compromise over screen size and battery life for me but as someone mentioned I tend not to leave it on the map screen.
Routecourse IQ app
Hadn't seen that, thanks
My experience is that Garmin expect you to use Windows, which is a slight issue.
Garmin Express working very nicely for me on this Mac, seems identical to the Windows one. Works for uploading rides and firmware updates. To upload GPX files to the device it's a case of copying a GPX to a folder on the device but that's pretty easy on mine, check if you can do the same on other Garmins.
they make it VERY difficult to import other peoples’ GPX files!
Log in to Garmin Connect, go to routes and click import. It's a 3 second job to import a GPX file.
I like my 820. It's not perfect, but then what is? It's about a 18 months old, I keep it up to date and the touch screen has definitely improved with firmware updates. That said it doesn't work very well with full finger gloves and isn't great in the rain. If either of those are deal breakers then look at the 520 or the 1030.
To get the best battery life you need to turn off all the unneeded bits like bluetooth and wifi, but you don't really need them active while riding anyway, and turn the back light down. (If you're doing an epic 15 hour ride just take a pocket sized usb power pack.)
Navigation from a loaded map is good, mine guided me on a 110 mile ride from Coventry to mid Wales on Saturday without any issues. You can sync any route you have created or uploaded to your Garmin Connect account from the app on your phone so once the routes are created you don't have to plug your 820 into a computer to load them on to the device. (I do all my route planning on a PC.)
The Hammerhead Karoo looks interesting, but from what I've read the software is miles from finished. May be in another year it'll be a Garmin killer, or hopefully it'll be am incentive for Garmin to raise their game.
cool, didn’t know about that! It’s a new feature btw, didn’t exist 6 months ago when I last tried to do it! Why it’s taken them so many years to add that I don’t know. Instantly makes GC/Garmin devices so much more usable!Log in to Garmin Connect, go to routes and click import. It’s a 3 second job to import a GPX file.
I like mine enough not to be thinking about ditching it, but only just.
Were I buying with what I now know, I would steer clear.
In winter, I get fed up with raindrops activating the touch screen and causing random and confusing swapping of screens and modes.
Now summer is here (kind of), I get fed up with sweat drops doing the same.
Touch screen on this kind of device is a bit daft really. I can't justify the expense of finding a different device, but there must be something that does nav at least as well as Garmin, but with nice big chunky buttons on the side to drive it with?
there must be something that does nav at least as well as Garmin, but with nice big chunky buttons on the side to drive it with?
That'll be the Edge 520 Plus.
locking the screen & using the remote really does work very well. It is expensive though. I think it's specifically the type of screen they've used, I don't remember having such issues with my 800!I get fed up with raindrops activating the touch screen and causing random and confusing swapping of screens and modes.
That's because the 800 had a resistive touchscreen, which responds to pressure; the 820 has a capacitive one, which responds to electrical conductivity.
"& using the remote"
yeah that's a step too far for me!
So, realising that this may seem a daft question, what can you do (without the remote) while the screen is locked? Presumably poking the power button re-enables it, or something? And is re-locking it a quick process that you can safely do while riding, or is it buried in a menu?
"buried in a menu"
probably that one 🙁
To lock the screen you hold the power button until you get the OFF/SLEEP/LOCK menu. Depends where you are riding as to whether it is an uncomfortably long wait whilst holding the button.
Similar to most of the posts, it's ok but the screen can be frustrating at times. It's good for navigation and it's a nice size hence no desire to replace, though the 520+ looks good.
My biggest issue is the screen halo. My first unit went back and was replaced under warranty at 11 months old, the second unit is doing the same thing after 9ish months but is now out of warranty.
You can still flick pages left & right when the screen's locked. To lock/unlock the screen you hold the power button as mentioned, HOWEVER you then have to press a virtual button on the screen so if it's raining hard you'll probably need to clean the water off the screen first! I would definitely pull over to attempt this if I were riding on the road!
Once I got to my destination in the pouring rain, stopped the recording with the physical button, then the raindrops pressed the correct combination of virtual buttons to delete it (and then confirm the deletion 🙂 ) This is before I started locking the screen in the rain! (Apparently it is possible to recover deleted rides, I wasn't too fussed though, it was more of a surprise/annoyance than anything!)
Never had the screen halo issue luckily.
Nice. And I've just remembered one thing that always pisses me off about Garmins: often when I stop for a bit and then start moving again it doesn't resume recording. At times I've gone bloody miles before noticing. (I can't remember exactly what scenario causes this.) Does that still happen with the 820? Because the most important data field for me is distance covered, and this issue knocks that right out of whack.
Bez if you want to flig a working Touring pm me.
Is that an auto-pause issue? I never use it (it's cheating lol). If not then no, that's never happened (to me at least!)
I will do, but I want to try whatever new device I choose before I sell mine. Last time I sold my 800 to buy a Bolt and then when I (unexpectedly) decided not to keep the Wahoo I had to go looking for another 800/Touring to buy 🙂
Does that still happen with the 820
Doesn't happen to me as I don't use autopause
(it’s cheating lol)
🙂
Is that an auto-pause issue?
Probably. Normally works fine but I forget whether there's something specific that does it. Maybe it's when it shuts itself down while I'm stopped for lunch, come to think of it, and then it doesn't auto-resume once you get going, you need to press the start button (and, unlike starting a fresh ride, it doesn't give you the "movement detected" reminder to press it). At least, I think that's it. I remember noting that the Wahoo made a much better job of this, anyway: it just got on with its job and recorded stuff.