My Garmin switched itself off mid ride. Any ideas why?

[ColinJ]

I realise it's possible Colin but I wouldn't want to - I like to know what's around me.

A few times I have had people ask where we are on one of my forum rides. If it isn't somewhere that I have ridden lots of times before I often don't have a clue! It depends how long it is since I plotted the route and how many times I have checked it. If it was planned more than a month before the ride then I forget the details.

I have thought about keeping my tiny old Xperia Ray phone handy so I can quickly check...

The battery power isn't a great issue on the etrex as it's, er, heavier, has quite a substantial battery - easily switched over so I always run its batteries to the bottom before replacing.

Yes, not a problem with replaceable AA batteries. I have seen lots of people resorting to connecting external battery packs for more recent Garmin devices which have fixed batteries.

Yes very bright sunlight can be an issue but the display can be adjusted - it's not a critical issue I find.

(especially in y/our parts )

Often not, but the day on which I tried using the colour screen Etrex was extremely sunny and I couldn't see what was on its screen.

 

[ColinJ]

D'oh - I have already posted that picture in this thread! (I thought I had got distracted and never completed the post. I did a quick search but didn't find it.)

 

[Drago]

Any ideas why it would do that ?

Boredom induced suicide?

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Was it vomitting shortly before it shut down?

 

[PaulSB]

PS I just found this firmware update page and there is a mention of a fix for a bug which stopped auto-rotate working at different zoom levels. It is also obvious from that page that Wahoo devices have plenty of problems initially, but perhaps they are better at fixing them than Garmin are at fixing theirs?

If you're reaching this conclusion because of the number of updates listed I would advise caution. If there is technical stuff there which backs up your assertion that's obviously a different matter.

I've used a Garmin 810 for five years and my Wahoo Elemnt for 15 months. The Garmin would frequently fail in several different ways, my Wahoo has yet to give me a problem. In my club when chat turns to GPS units the comments revolve around how poorly Garmins behave and how good the Wahoo is. I don't know a single unhappy Wahoo user, I know plenty of Garmin users who cannot rely on their device.

Garmin's problem is twofold; the software has never really been good enough and gets worse with every feature that is added. The second failing is not having recognised the issue and gone back to the drawing board with newer devices.

The difficulty Garmin now faces is personal recommendation from one cyclist to another tends to be "Get a Wahoo, they're brilliant. Garmin will let you down." This is bad news for any company.

 

[PaulSB]

Yes but it doesn’t tell you where you should have gone very clearly. I’m not very good with the arrows and sketchy map. This is likely the way my brain (doesn’t) work not the unit. The on the fly isn’t great either. Tried to send me down a muddy hidden bridle path when I’d asked for road instructions (there were no other turnings)

I can't comment on the Bolt but my Elemnt displays a countdown to the next turn in miles and then feet as I get closer. A blue light flashes to indicate left or right and an arrow next to the street name also shows the direction of turn. If I miss the turn a red light flashes.

I find it hard to imagine what more help a device could give?

 

[Blue Hills]

A few times I have had people ask where we are on one of my forum rides. If it isn't somewhere that I have ridden lots of times before I often don't have a clue! It depends how long it is since I plotted the route and how many times I have checked it. If it was planned more than a month before the ride then I forget the details.

I have thought about keeping my tiny old Xperia Ray phone handy so I can quickly check...

View attachment 482741

If it's at a stop, you could get out a 7 inch android tab running osmand plus. A fiver for a lifetimes monthly updated maps of anywhere you might want to ride. All works offline. You can superimpose your ride's gpx onto the map. Great for seeing the big picture. Recommended.
If anyone on a ride with me plugs a powerbank into a tiddly built in battery gos I'm afraid they are going to get the
Old, but still telling, joke about the bloke trying to impress a pal with his super tiddly pocketable telly, before sheepishly admitting that it ran off a car battery.
Not a good idea anyway to plug stuff into usb power ports on a bike..

 

[PaulSB]

Why on Earth would anyone go on a bike ride carrying a 7" tablet? Quite beyond my comprehension. In a pannier on tour for evening use but on a ride???? It's a bit rich recommending this and then remarking about riders using a powerbank.

I occasionally carry a powerbank if I'm on a very long day, perhaps 3-4 times a year. In the cafe I'd give my device a quick boost.

 

[Blue Hills]

Morning paul
I usually have two small panniers on day rides.
I have been known to take the tab for checking my surroundings when sat behind a church brewing an espresso.
And i often like to stop in a pub with free wifi to innocently check stuff. I do the bare minimum on tiddly snartphone screens.
The issue with plugging a powerbank into a device on the move is that it can screw the input on the device. Usb inputs weren't specced for that sort of use. So then you have a dead unit and more landfill, all for the want of two AAs.
Pannier paul, panniers.
(Off on a ride later today am off to see a film on lsd, an art exhibition, and I will also be packing a chromebook ) route planning to do over a fine beer or two.
Espresso pot, gas stove and cartridge will be left at home though.
Can't remember if i took the tablet on my day ride with colin over salter fell - possible, though I didn't use it. Definitely had the coffee making gear with me.

 

[geocycle]

I’m a bit of a cartophile and love the stories and info you can get from proper maps such as OS. However, I’ve realised that on a bike simple is often better so I went to Garmin with OSM and now Wahoo. I have full OS. Mapping on my phone which gets used in cafe stops.

 

[vickster]

I can't comment on the Bolt but my Elemnt displays a countdown to the next turn in miles and then feet as I get closer. A blue light flashes to indicate left or right and an arrow next to the street name also shows the direction of turn. If I miss the turn a red light flashes.

I find it hard to imagine what more help a device could give?

I have an Elemnt. It’s when using the map screen with the arrows that I find it hard. Maybe I should try with the list of street names. I’ve barely used it as I said

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Hate to burst your bubble @PaulSB but I have a friend who is always moaning about his Wahoo. But it's the British condition to moan.

 

[Blue Hills]

Just out of interest yukon, what does he say?

 

[PaulSB]

Hate to burst your bubble @PaulSB but I have a friend who is always moaning about his Wahoo. But it's the British condition to moan.

I'd also be interested to know his complaints.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I'd also be interested to know his complaints.

Well for a start it'd keep taking him off the pre planned track, off down small side roads only to reappear on main road a few miles on. It doesn't load the full route in one go, so he couldn't zoom it, to see where it was taking him and what's coming up. It crashes from time to time, getting itself stuck in a routing loop. You can't change the recording frequency and occasionally it fails to upload to Strava. A few other things, but I lost interest...