Garmin 530

Santapez

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
if they start using USB-C, i could use it to extend my desktop!

The micro-usb thing is actually semi-important for those of us who travel and want to minimize cables. I don't think micro-usb is leaving the headphones/GPS devices etc anytime soon however. I still have to keep mini-usb around for one set of headphones.

Screw the 530/830, the 45/245/945 were released.
 

shrpshtr325

Infinite Source of Sarcasm
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Lol? How big is a micro usb cable?

yea, this, i carry a cable for every device i bring with me, and a charger that can handle charging them all at once (usually, yes its overkill, but idc)
 

one piece crank

Well-Known Member
But,still can’t pinch the screen to zoom in and out like in smartphone,this feature still make me not buying Garmin edge series, not until they release pretty much have smartphones tech,(I’ll wait another year) in the meantime I just use the phone to record my activity.[/USER]

You'll be waiting many years, or, just use your phone! Since I usually start a few apps and throw my phone in my pack, I decided to get a case & bar mount to test with my phone. Now, for new terrain or mapping trails, I just mount my phone on the bars. I can use any or all of a dozen different navigation apps.

IMPORTANT: If you do use a phone for this task, be prepared to simply loathe current GPS device tech.
 

goldsbar

Well-Known Member
At $379, the ROAM is about $100 overpriced. Too bad, as I'm a fan of the Elemnt and it was good to give Garmin some serious competition. Garmin took a nice step forward in that time period, Wahoo added some color. 530 for me whenever I replace the Elemnt.
 

liong71er

Well-Known Member
You'll be waiting many years, or, just use your phone! Since I usually start a few apps and throw my phone in my pack, I decided to get a case & bar mount to test with my phone. Now, for new terrain or mapping trails, I just mount my phone on the bars. I can use any or all of a dozen different navigation apps.

IMPORTANT: If you do use a phone for this task, be prepared to simply loathe current GPS device tech.
I agree
Just like you,I use my phone for exploring new place using google maps, and mapsme(no WiFi needed)
 

Santapez

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Lol? How big is a micro usb cable?

It's the annoyance of making sure I have it more than anything else.

It's an issue for bike touring where I need to charge things fast and have the cables. I'd rather carry x2 USB-C and charge two USB-C devices with the possibility of one cable going bad/lost than two different cables and one goes bad/lost and can't charge the devices specific to that one. Bike touring especially I need to charge lights/phone/GPS quickly and at the same time. Often the only access to charging is the bathroom at the campsite while showering and brushing teeth at night.

Even for small flight trips I one-bag it and go pretty minimalist.

And now that phones are all USB-C, it's harder to find a cable to charge when out somewhere. Someone usually has a phone charger.

It's not really a game changer, but it is.
 

Santapez

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
You'll be waiting many years, or, just use your phone! Since I usually start a few apps and throw my phone in my pack, I decided to get a case & bar mount to test with my phone. Now, for new terrain or mapping trails, I just mount my phone on the bars. I can use any or all of a dozen different navigation apps.

IMPORTANT: If you do use a phone for this task, be prepared to simply loathe current GPS device tech.

When exploring new areas I use my OLD phone with a bar mount and connect it to my regular phone via the hotspot. This way my new phone isn't the one that gets destroyed or lost. Plus it's setup with the appropriate apps on the front and the always-on screen doesn't affect my normal phone's battery life while out on a long ride.
 

JimN

Captain Wildcat
Team MTBNJ Halter's
It's not really a game changer, but it is.

You can buy a two pack of 4" micro usb cables on amazon for like $6. Or two tiny micro usb male to usb c female adapters. I get that it's more stuff to carry and make sure you have with you, but they take up virtually no space. I can't see how this makes it a game changer, but you do you :p
 

Santapez

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I think I've given away about 30 micro-usb cables this past year. I have more than I need.

It's a matter of do I have one when I'm 40 miles from a town on a bicycle staying at a campground. If everything electronic is USB-C, I don't have to worry.
 

JimN

Captain Wildcat
Team MTBNJ Halter's
It's a matter of do I have one when I'm 40 miles from a town on a bicycle staying at a campground. If everything electronic is USB-C, I don't have to worry.

If you throw a little adapter in your fanny pack, then you know it'll be there when you need it.
 

one piece crank

Well-Known Member
When exploring new areas I use my OLD phone with a bar mount and connect it to my regular phone via the hotspot. This way my new phone isn't the one that gets destroyed or lost. Plus it's setup with the appropriate apps on the front and the always-on screen doesn't affect my normal phone's battery life while out on a long ride.

I get what you're saying - duplicity, back-up and all that, but running a hotspot on phone-A in an attempt to save battery while using phone-B doesn't fit my logic. Even with ~20% battery I can map/track for my typical rides with juice to spare (and that's not even managing cellular drain, just letting it run). My old phone netted me $300 off the new phone, which was a much better (everyday life technology) deal than spending it on "old" GPS tech. It gives me crazy battery life and for the next two years, as long as I bring a piece of it in, I get a free replacement. Win-win, cowboy logic, dunno?
 
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