Garmin (or similar) vs Smart Phone for navigation, your experience?

[midliferider]

I still use an old Garmin device. It serves me well. It has many advantages, battery life, waterproof etc. The only disadvantage is that I need a laptop/ computer to load a new GPX route file.
I have noticed that many people now simply use their smart phone with Ride with GPS or similar app. Some even just use Google maps suggested route!
My Garmin is getting old and I may need to replace it.
What is your experience of using smart phone for navigation?

 

[steveindenmark]

The advantage over any GPS device and a smart phone is that they have a far better battery life, they are waterproof, they are shock resistent, they do not often fry in the sun. They are a lot less nickable than mobile phones.

I have had lots of Garmins. My current Garmin is the 1040. I also have the Karoo2 and I have 3 Wahoo v1s. None of them have ever gone wrong.

For pure navigation and for being user friendly, I would take the Wahoo any day. Now they have made the Wahoo v2 and the Wahoo Roam. The Wahoo v1 can be bought very cheaply on Market place and ebay.

My next choice would be Garmin and then Karoo and then the phone. A lot depends on the features you think are important.

 

[Bristolian]

When I got back into cycling last February I used my iPhone running Strava. At first there weren't really any drawbacks (as far as I could see) but continually using GPS seriously limited the battery life and once we got some sunny days I found the phone screen hard to see even with sunglasses on.

I bought a Garmin 530 when they were about to launch the 540 and the dealers were off-loading their 530 stock at a good price. I wouldn't go back to the phone again unless something happened to the Garmin, even though I carry it with me on every ride.

 

[Mike_P]

Keep your phone in a pocket - in case the worse happens you may need it while a bike computer is less of an issue if it gets damaged.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Modern GPS you can create route on phone and send to gps. Completed rides are also automatically sent to Garmin / Strava as per preferences. Great when touring away from home etc.

A phone is an expensive thing to stick on the bars and not as robust as a GPS. Keep the phone safe as a backup.

 

[CAESAR AVGVSTVS]

I just use the Garmin 1040 with the connect app on my phone. I find it great creating my own courses and I can simply transfer a group route from my phone direct to the 1040.
I also have my 1040 talking to my Wahoo smart trainer. It means I can ride any of my saved courses on my trainer. Not that I do as I’m using Rouve on a large screen. That is also talking to my Garmin device and the connect app.

 

[Slick]

I use my Garmin all the time as the phone is pretty poor in comparison for all the reasons listed above.

The thing with following an uploaded route on Garmin that I found was, you really need to learn how read what its trying to tell you. On a recent tour of the Netherlands, I would be cycling along following the route and all of a sudden it would be telling me to do a U turn. It took me a while but I soon realised that it would drop the signal going under a bridge or crossing and it would assume you have missed a square inch of the route and it won't be happy until you go back and cover it. Same thing happens if you spot a cafe stop not on your route, so I found I had to stop and reset it to get over the fact we've strayed more than an inch from the route.

Also, I took a couple of wrong turns and I was questioning myself as I was sure the map showed a left turn, but I finally sussed that just this weekend doing a sportive when I noticed the direction arrow pointing right, and the map showing left, but it just needed a minute for the orientation to catch up, so always go with the directional arrows.

Don't be put off, as they are still much better than a smart phone.

 

[Slick]

Although I did have to use my phone to confirm the couple of times the Garmin got confused.

 

[Mike_P]

Having both a Wahoo Elemnt Bolt v1 and a Garmin 530 I would agree with @steveindenmark that a Wahoo is the more user friendly. The Garmin has I find a confusing user interface.

 

[Dogtrousers]

As others have said, things have moved on and if you have a smartphone with bluetooth then getting routes to and from the GPS is way easier than hooking it up with a cable these days. This enables you to keep your phone safe from the elements and let the GPS do the hard work. Whether you go for another Garmin or a Wahoo or Hammerhead Karoo or other is another question. DC Rainmaker is a good place for reviews etc.

But in answer to the specific question, using a smart phone for navigation - while I normally rely on my GPS for following a planned route, I do use my phone sometimes for short navigates through towns, or if I've gone off my route and want to get back on. I turn the speaker up full and use google maps with voice prompts.

 

[midliferider]

As others have said, things have moved on and if you have a smartphone with bluetooth then getting routes to and from the GPS is way easier than hooking it up with a cable. This enables you to keep your phone safe from the elements and let
while I normally rely on my GPS for following a planned route, I do use my phone sometimes for short navigates through towns, or if I've gone off my route and want to get back on. I turn the speaker up full and use google maps with voice prompts.

That was my issue for last few weeks while touring. Get back to the route or get directions to the cafe etc.
I should have used the voice on Google maps!!
Why didn't I think about that?
I was about to buy a smartphone holder. Not anymore.

 

[bobzmyunkle]

That was my issue for last few weeks while touring. Get back to the route or get directions to the cafe etc.
I should have used the voice on Google maps!!
Why didn't I think about that?
I was about to buy a smartphone holder. Not anymore.

I used to do that. Rode around in circles in one city until I realised the 'turn left' was Google maps trying to get me off the bike path and onto the road. I find this works well at the end of the day when I want to get to a campsite or hotel - easy to see what Google maps is trying to tell you.
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/easy-...A1Go0trCakTPU6JjRKpa4wxkvE_KyUkcNUIc8sXzfEPb4
Oh, and I always use a Garmin for routes. Again, sometimes you have to interpret what it's telling you

 

[ColinJ]

A cyclist friend of mine uses 'bra nav'! I asked how she navigates without a GPS and she told me that she uses Google Maps to give her directions from her phone kept deep within her cleavage. It gets her some funny looks on shared use paths...

 

[Adam.1918]

On longer rides, I've taken to running my iPhone alongside my GPS (Wahoo Bolt) so that I can have a wider perspective of the area I am cycling through. Battery life is an issue but I deal with that by having a power pack in a small frame bag by the stem and running a short lead to the phone (works for me but unappealing to some, I appreciate). Heavy rain is a problem, but apart from that I do find myself wondering whether I really need the GPS (I use some of the traing stuff but not much). At the other end of the spectrum, I am considering an expensive GPS that is also capable of a wider perspective (the subject of a post I made on using gloves with a Garm 1040).

 

[NorthernSky]

i have the Garmin eTrex Touch 35 but really struggled with programming it. i have got a little better at setting it up but i still fear it will not take me on a route correctly. however i still think it would be better than a phone

how easy are the new garmins for programming a route etc? have they come along?