Garmin Edge 1000 - potential buyers beware

[Dogtrousers]

This is where cycling and driving "sat navs" usage differs.

As a driver I typically don't give a stuff about the route. I don't drive for fun, I just want to get there. I'm perfectly happy to hand over all navigation to my satnav. Provided I apply a modicum of common sense (like not going down stupid little unsurfaced roads) it will probably not let me down. May not be optimal, but will be good enough, and that's what I want and it's what I get from my car satnav.

As a leisure cyclist I'm very concerned about the route. I want the nicest roads, I want to choose/avoid particular hill climbs. I want to pop into cafes. I don't want the shortest route because that would be to simply stay at home.

The job of a cycling navigation unit is therefore half and half. To provide a decent route, and also to obey the additional whims of the rider. From reading this thread this is where the problems arise. It's a fiddly and complicated business to set up a route with intermediate points, and it's frustrating when rider and GPS disagree over the best route between them. And the quality of mapping data isn't good enough to stop the GPS from occasionally sending you down an unsurfaced mud-path or a quasi-motorway.

Personally I don't trust my bike GPS to do any of this, and so do it all myself beforehand. (And also I enjoy the planning)

 

[PK99]

. It's a fiddly and complicated business to set up a route with intermediate points, and it's frustrating when rider and GPS disagree over the best route between them. And the quality of mapping data isn't good enough to stop the GPS from occasionally sending you down an unsurfaced mud-path or a quasi-motorway.

I find setting intermediate points on RWGPS trivial, it is simply part of the route planning process.

Other than in extremis, I never let the Garmin navigate my route. In the same way, with RWGPS, I tend to put in start and end points and then spend a while dragging the route and adding fixed points to give me the sort of route I want. EG a 20 mile route from SW19 to Wisley on RWGPS uses sections of the A3 and some off road track, but a minute or two dragging and dropping control points and I have a pleasant, quite back road route.

I've done the same thing when plotting new routes in unknown areas for CTC rides. Most other leaders in the group start with routes they know and fnid a pub. I search for good Camra pubs and plot a route to reach them, which often means completely new roads - a single reccie ride normally solves any wrinkles.

 

[Lpoolck]

@Lpoolck Are you using Garmin connect for your mapping? I have found it to be too buggy for course creation. Instead I use ridewithgps. If necessary I put the ridewithgps routes in Garmin connect for downloading off my phone. Unfortunately the mapping site you choose to use has a great influence on how successful your routing is. One of them, I can't remember which, will not cope with you going back over roads you've already done, it might be Garmin Connect. Ridewithgps/Bikehike in combo with Openstreetmap has worked extremely well for me so far and I've experimented with a few combos including Garmins own maps.

Also, turn off any maps which you aren't using and check your map following settings, there are some websites which advise on this. If your unit stops giving directions, pausing it or switching off/on seems to bring it back to life.

I know a lot of people have issues with Garmins but like most tech (including phones) you need to learn their idiosyncracies. Once you do, they do work really well.

I have used garmin connect and I have also used basecamp which uses the actual map which is on the device so they can be no discrepancies whatsoever between the created route and the device as it's used the same map.

I have also used the openstreetmap map on Garmin connect instead of the default Google map. None of the changes makes a difference.

I may try RWGPS but I think for the money spent I should not need to fanny on with creating a route in another programme and upload that to connect or plug my device into my computer to get the route.

I love my tech, I don't mind messing on with it, I have owned android phone since they first came out and run a Linux computer so I am used to constantly tweaking things and learning the quirks or a device. But they have the ability to work, at the minute no matter what I do, the Garmin more often than not, doesn't.

I do pause or turn off my edge to try and get the routing to work again. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Probably has a 50% success rate. Once after performing the pause and turn on and off technique for 5 miles I give up, 35 miles later the navigation just started working again.

Its quite frankly embarrassing Garmin charge such a high price for a so called premium device. And its sad that people are accepting these flaws and putting up with them.

 

[Lpoolck]

This is where cycling and driving "sat navs" usage differs.

As a driver I typically don't give a stuff about the route. I don't drive for fun, I just want to get there. I'm perfectly happy to hand over all navigation to my satnav. Provided I apply a modicum of common sense (like not going down stupid little unsurfaced roads) it will probably not let me down. May not be optimal, but will be good enough, and that's what I want and it's what I get from my car satnav.

As a leisure cyclist I'm very concerned about the route. I want the nicest roads, I want to choose/avoid particular hill climbs. I want to pop into cafes. I don't want the shortest route because that would be to simply stay at home.

The job of a cycling navigation unit is therefore half and half. To provide a decent route, and also to obey the additional whims of the rider. From reading this thread this is where the problems arise. It's a fiddly and complicated business to set up a route with intermediate points, and it's frustrating when rider and GPS disagree over the best route between them. And the quality of mapping data isn't good enough to stop the GPS from occasionally sending you down an unsurfaced mud-path or a quasi-motorway.

Personally I don't trust my bike GPS to do any of this, and so do it all myself beforehand. (And also I enjoy the planning)

I do all my planning beforehand using Garmin connect or basecamp whilst having another tab open and using Google Street view to check for road surface and to try and gauge the amount of traffic on a particular road that I am not familiar with.

I have never used the devices to create its own route or generate one for me to navigate.

However that being said I would still expect it to perform that task more often than not as long as the maps are kept up to date.

 

[Shut Up Legs]

Its quite frankly embarrassing Garmin charge such a high price for a so called premium device. And its sad that people are accepting these flaws and putting up with them.

As I said earlier, Garmin and GoPro have for years lost the plot. They've forgotten the basics: reliability and battery life, and are more inclined to add new features than to fix the bugs in the existing features. GoPro are starting to get more competition from other action-camera companies, but the cycling satnav market still seems to be a bit small.

 

[Crackle]

I have used garmin connect and I have also used basecamp which uses the actual map which is on the device so they can be no discrepancies whatsoever between the created route and the device as it's used the same map.

I have also used the openstreetmap map on Garmin connect instead of the default Google map. None of the changes makes a difference.

I may try RWGPS but I think for the money spent I should not need to fanny on with creating a route in another programme and upload that to connect or plug my device into my computer to get the route.

I love my tech, I don't mind messing on with it, I have owned android phone since they first came out and run a Linux computer so I am used to constantly tweaking things and learning the quirks or a device. But they have the ability to work, at the minute no matter what I do, the Garmin more often than not, doesn't.

I do pause or turn off my edge to try and get the routing to work again. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Probably has a 50% success rate. Once after performing the pause and turn on and off technique for 5 miles I give up, 35 miles later the navigation just started working again.

Its quite frankly embarrassing Garmin charge such a high price for a so called premium device. And its sad that people are accepting these flaws and putting up with them.

Garmin Connect routing is relatively new. Until it came along, you had to use other sites. If you've looked in the error log and there are no hardware faults shown, the issue is down to the mapping and course creation. I've found the maps used and the courses created to be quite sensitive. Even using different compilations of Openstreetmap on the device gives different results at roundabouts and turns. Using a different format to gpx gives different results. it required some experimentation for me to get a satisfactory route guidance. I'm sure they'll sort Garmin Connect out in the future but right now, it's buggy.

 

[Milzy]

Mio 315 is ordered, I don't care if it lasts 3 hours it's enough for me.

 

[Nomadski]

switch off auto recalculate. at the moment it is simply doing what you have told it to do

It's not doing anything though? It doesn't know how far it is to go home, if that is what you say it is doing, it just lists the name of the final street. The course map hasn't changed (hence why I have at least been able to follow it), but all the metrics....distance time etc is stuck on 0.00.

I have a 800 as well, the difference between the two functionality wise when going off course is stark.

FTR I manually plan routes clicking after each intersection in RWGPS when plotting routes, there are usually plenty of data points for it to potentially use.

 

[Tight Git]

@Crackle out of interest how do you transfer your RWGPS routes to Garmin Connect?

TIA

 

[Lpoolck]

@Crackle out of interest how do you transfer your RWGPS routes to Garmin Connect?

TIA

I used this method today, I'll see if it works to solve the issues I am having at the weekend.

https://ridewithgps.com/help/export-routes-to-garmin-device

 

[Crackle]

@Crackle out of interest how do you transfer your RWGPS routes to Garmin Connect?

TIA

As per Lpoolck

Edit: See below for fuller answer as I didn't read this correctly first.

 

[Shut Up Legs]

I used this method today, I'll see if it works to solve the issues I am having at the weekend.

https://ridewithgps.com/help/export-routes-to-garmin-device

This method just transfers the route to the Garmin GPS itself. Transferring it from the GPS to Garmin Connect requires extra steps.

 

[Crackle]

This method just transfers the route to the Garmin GPS itself. Transferring it from the GPS to Garmin Connect requires extra steps.

Oh yes, I didn't read that correctly.

Download the gpx file as per the first steps of those instructions then go to Garmin Connect, hit the white plus button in the top right corner and import data choosing the gpx file downloaded. When it's imported, use the view option to see the file and then go to the knurled knob in the top right corner and select, save as course. You can also save any activity as a course.

As said earlier. I've found Garmin courses to be buggy, This method improves things because the Course Creator isn't used and that seems particularly error prone but I've only tested it over short routes.

 

[Lpoolck]

I also followed these steps (simular to @Crackle) to export the course I created in RWGPS to Garmin connect. Steps 3 and 4 were a bit strange. Not sure what they do!

I am however more likely to use the route I created in RWGPS and put direct onto my device - as it hasn't went near Garmin connect and people believe it may be Garmin connect where I am getting my issues from.

I found RWGPS a really good site to use to create a course. It's a shame the edge 1000 doesn't have the ability to receive this course wirelessly from the RWGPS site like the wahoo bolt does.

 

[jiberjaber]

I also followed these steps (simular to @Crackle) to export the course I created in RWGPS to Garmin connect. Steps 3 and 4 were a bit strange. Not sure what they do!

I am however more likely to use the route I created in RWGPS and put direct onto my device - as it hasn't went near Garmin connect and people believe it may be Garmin connect where I am getting my issues from.

I found RWGPS a really good site to use to create a course. It's a shame the edge 1000 doesn't have the ability to receive this course wirelessly from the RWGPS site like the wahoo bolt does.

You didnt read my post then?