kjarrett
Well-Known Member
tl;dr - tried to use my Garmin Edge 520 Plus with a custom course & it puked all over itself, wondering what to do now.
Hey everyone,
Picked up a Garmin Edge 520 Plus and a Speed Sensor after doing some research and comparison shopping for something basic with Navigation. Wanted to keep the total investment under $300 and nothing decent used was on eBay when I looked. Also considered the Wahoo Bolt but decided to go Garmin for now.
My reasons for getting a GPS: 1) improve my fitness level, generally [not to become a data nerd]; 2) find new trails that I believe I'll enjoy (suitable terrain/elevation/etc.) & load those as courses.
Not interested in slapping an old Android phone on the bars and running Trailforks. Want a purpose-built, durable, professional solution. (At least I'm saying that for now...)
Have it installed & calibrated (manual speed sensor setup). Have gone on a few rides with it, it's working, as is Garmin Connect, Trailforks, and Strava. Some things are going well, others not so much. Could use some pointers. Clearly I am doing something wrong...
The Good:
Parked in Lot 7. Fired the unit up. Started the course, it asked me if I wanted to navigate to the beginning. I said no and dropped in like I always do, heading up to Cheeseman.
The unit almost immediately started bitching about me being off course (the 5.70 firmware was supposed to fix a navi bug), telling me to "make a U turn in XX feet" <= how dumb is that, I can just turn the bike around, I don't need to WAIT for a U-Turn, I'm not on a damn road. And, sorry, but - off course? I'M ON THE COURSE ACCORDING TO THE DISPLAY! lol
For at least PART of the day, I was able to follow what appeared to be the course, learning how to interpret its "guidance" - more like "suggestions," and you better not be going that fast. I realize that the GPS tech IS limited, it's in the woods with no clear view of the sky, I don't expect accuracy like I do in a car.
But for most of the day the unit was utterly confused. Eventually I started trying intentionally to piss it off by riding in random directions. That got old quick. I was imagining the "Mayhem Guy" saying "RECALCULATING!" haha.
Tomorrow I am heading to Black Run - but THIS TIME, I created the course in Garmin Connect via .GPX import from Trailforks. Will it matter? I don't know. I also re-created the Challenger course in the same way and may try it again tomorrow as CCC is on the way home.
If I have to spend $$$ for a higher-end unit, I might, but the damn thing better work perfectly and make me breakfast in the morning, I can't be buying "accessories" that cost many times what my damn bike is worth...
Thanks in advance for any help.
-kj-
Hey everyone,
Picked up a Garmin Edge 520 Plus and a Speed Sensor after doing some research and comparison shopping for something basic with Navigation. Wanted to keep the total investment under $300 and nothing decent used was on eBay when I looked. Also considered the Wahoo Bolt but decided to go Garmin for now.
My reasons for getting a GPS: 1) improve my fitness level, generally [not to become a data nerd]; 2) find new trails that I believe I'll enjoy (suitable terrain/elevation/etc.) & load those as courses.
Not interested in slapping an old Android phone on the bars and running Trailforks. Want a purpose-built, durable, professional solution. (At least I'm saying that for now...)
Have it installed & calibrated (manual speed sensor setup). Have gone on a few rides with it, it's working, as is Garmin Connect, Trailforks, and Strava. Some things are going well, others not so much. Could use some pointers. Clearly I am doing something wrong...
The Good:
- The ability to ride and record my home trails and then race "against" myself virtually (since I usually ride alone).
- General durability, seems well-made. UI isn't terrible, mostly easy to use. Bit of a pain to configure settings however.
- Sending rides to Strava. Seems like a better app for tracking stuff than Garmin Connect. Not sure tho.
- Interoperability with Trailforks - find a route, add it to my favorites, sync with device. Neato.
- Battery life seems okay for what I'm going to need, especially at 50% brightness (fine for in the woods).
- Auto-Pausing works really well.
- Buggy firmware? Who knew! Wish I'd their support forum first. (Yes I'm running the latest release.)
- The screen is just about as small as I think I can tolerate. Bigger would be better but $$$.
- After a mostly positive experience yesterday, today I followed a course I set up and the thing was almost useless. (See below)
Parked in Lot 7. Fired the unit up. Started the course, it asked me if I wanted to navigate to the beginning. I said no and dropped in like I always do, heading up to Cheeseman.
The unit almost immediately started bitching about me being off course (the 5.70 firmware was supposed to fix a navi bug), telling me to "make a U turn in XX feet" <= how dumb is that, I can just turn the bike around, I don't need to WAIT for a U-Turn, I'm not on a damn road. And, sorry, but - off course? I'M ON THE COURSE ACCORDING TO THE DISPLAY! lol
For at least PART of the day, I was able to follow what appeared to be the course, learning how to interpret its "guidance" - more like "suggestions," and you better not be going that fast. I realize that the GPS tech IS limited, it's in the woods with no clear view of the sky, I don't expect accuracy like I do in a car.
But for most of the day the unit was utterly confused. Eventually I started trying intentionally to piss it off by riding in random directions. That got old quick. I was imagining the "Mayhem Guy" saying "RECALCULATING!" haha.
Tomorrow I am heading to Black Run - but THIS TIME, I created the course in Garmin Connect via .GPX import from Trailforks. Will it matter? I don't know. I also re-created the Challenger course in the same way and may try it again tomorrow as CCC is on the way home.
If I have to spend $$$ for a higher-end unit, I might, but the damn thing better work perfectly and make me breakfast in the morning, I can't be buying "accessories" that cost many times what my damn bike is worth...
Thanks in advance for any help.
-kj-
