Steve Vai
Endurance Guy: Tolerates most of us.
That's a great question. I'll have to find out because there isn't really any other option. My 810 is buggy AF though which is what prompted the switch in the first place.
Wahoo Element Bolt or Some Garmin Device?
- Thread starter bergsnj
- Start date
That's a great question. I'll have to find out because there isn't really any other option. My 810 is buggy AF though which is what prompted the switch in the first place.
my 1000 has been pretty stead from a software perspective, my only complaint is battery life in the winter . . . and it has a new battery . . . (im experimenting with turning off bluetooth/wifi and screen brightness to help with this, will try and remember to report back)
er, i think i can browse my elemnt when plugged into my chromebox. i'll confirm.
pygmypony
Well-Known Member
i've been considering a garmin or a wahoo after using the strava app on my phone for the last few years now (supplemented with google maps, trail forks and alltrails)...to be honest, i'm still not convinced a stand alone GPS unit is worth the hassle or extra $$$...what do you get in these standalone unit that you can't do on a phone with strava or other apps, etc?
Yeah I got a 8xx (I don't remember which) and it broke like every other ride. I sold it for peanuts. Literally a bag of peanuts. Then I ate the peanuts and sent Garmin HQ a bag of empty shells. Then I too a dump and sent that too. ???
I went back to the 705. It's been 7 years or so now, and it just works. Once or twice a year it has a panic attack but otherwise it works. It does not upload my ride inside of 10 seconds but against all odds, my life is not worse because of this egregious gap in social media information etiquette.
Paul H
Fearless OOS Poser
I'm in the same boat and the only thing of substance for me is battery life. My old phone is pretty much done after 4hrs. If I want to do longer rides, gotta take a battery pack with me. Still not sure if its worth it tho.
doesn't kill your phone on longer rides, leaving it for emergency or other map app when needed.
no need to bar-mount your phone for telemetry or maps.
Can stand alone - in the case of the garmin, it can have the maps built in. wahoo can preload some, but wants a live connection through the phone to get what it needs.
Nothing wrong with the phone tho. serves the purpose if you aren't looking for numbers and maps while riding reasonable amounts of time.
pygmypony
Well-Known Member
i’ve got the mophie battery pack case for my phone AND an extra battery pack. i also picked up a handy phone bar mounting system from SP connect. it’s all worked ok so far! https://sp-connect.com/products/handlebar-mount
i think i’m going to put the cash toward a pair of wolvhamers!
Steve Vai
Endurance Guy: Tolerates most of us.
During 2 of the 600k Brevets I did earlier this year, I swapped to my phone and RWGPS App after my Garmin died. It's actually amazing riding with the phone but I'm terrified of crashing and having it shatter, especially now that I have a Note9. Some units like the Lezyne just mirror what's happening on the phone with a small handlebar display. If you run the phone anyway that could be a cheap alternative, and more or less the same as running a Wahoo.
pygmypony
Well-Known Member
yup - crashing is sub-optimal with the phone handlebar mounted.
i rarely use the mount (actually never do, if i'm in familiar locations), and just carry the phone in my back jersey pocket. it gives me an excuse to stop every once in a while if i feel like i'm lost!
bergsnj
Well-Known Member
man, you would think in 2018/19 there would be a stand alone unit that had trail/off-road maps in real time that was stone reliable and for not a lot of money. The technology is readily available, i guess the demand is not that high. I guess i'll just stick to using my phone. Most of the time I just wish i could look down and know what time it is without needing get my phone out.
I had a Garmin 705 for like five years and loved it, but then I closed the trunk of my car on it. I replaced it with an 800 which I also really liked, but then I got upgraditis and replaced that with an 820 and it is dogshit garbage. My main purpose for the Garmin is loading gpx files to follow/explore, and obviously tracking my rides. Zooming in and out on the map with a gpx file loaded takes forever. Moving around on the map takes forever. This has gotten slightly better with more recent firmware updates, but it still sucks balls. If I leave the map up on my screen the entire time then I'm lucky to get 3-4 hours of battery life. Having it synced to my phone so that my wife knows where to find my body if I don't come home also kills the battery. The only reason I didn't go back to the 800 is because I like not having to plug it into my computer to upload the ride.
one piece crank
Well-Known Member
Any hands-on experience with the 520 Plus? Is it a nice reliable unit, or did it follow the garbage route???
Currently I launch all my apps and stow my phone in my pack, then save/quit them when I return. But on some of my routes I'd really like a reference map on my bars...
Currently I launch all my apps and stow my phone in my pack, then save/quit them when I return. But on some of my routes I'd really like a reference map on my bars...
Mahnken
Well-Known Member
I bought a Fenix 3hr on sale just before the 5 came out for running. I've been using it for about a year with the bike as well because my 800 was run over. Left it on my bumper like an idiot and drove off. Found it busted on the side of the road when I went back to look for it. I usually just use maprika on my phone to see where I am on trails I'm not familiar with. The map on the watch is basically useless for anything other than trying to back track.
Steve Vai
Endurance Guy: Tolerates most of us.
I'm testing one now. Will report back next week.