Bike computers/navigation

I don't have any experience with bike computers. Does the GPS lend appreciable assistance for navigation for mountain biking? With little or no signage on most trails one of my early frustrations is the flow disruption of trying to stay on my predetermined route. Obviously time and experience will help with that as I learn the local trails and then go back to them. I have a good innate sense of direction, but have found myself on a few occasions making a turn based on my recollection of the route I planned out, and wondering if it was the correct one, with varying outcomes. Just wondering how much help GPS is on trails, and what actually shows up on the display.

 

Just purchased the Garmin 520 plus and so far VERY happy with it. Just tried it yesterday and it did outstanding offroad. We loaded up a 40 mile off road ride and it even told me which trail we were on if it’s loaded on Trailforks.

 

Awesome, I've been using Trailforks for mostof my route planning, and that's the exact unit I was eyeballing. Thanks!

 

See here lots of good info

https://www.imtbtrails.com/forum/threads/2019-best-gps-computer-for-cycling.8203

 

Thanks, I'd seen that and there is some good info there, but I guess my question was more general. Not so much what's the best unit, but do bike computers generally provide appreciable navigation assistance? At this point I don't care too much about the stats and other features, as my phone does everything I need it to in that regard. Mikie's input indicates that the 520 is pretty legit With navigation, but I've read mixed reviews across the board about how well any of them handle trails.

 

None of the many bike computers i have used over the years trail navigation is perfect... They all have their quirks ... Pros... Cons...I actually thought the Garmins of a few years back were better ... Then they rev'd etc. None of them will be like Google maps on the road ...

It also depends on what is put into the route done have "turn by turn" like the old geoladders routes... Others are show the trails and or constantly beep you are off the trail if your GPS and the person's who built the route don't agree... In general if I am really out of my element I am just looking for that trail intersection ... And which way to go..

Still way better than the old days with Franko's map and your brain and bearings


Or is it????

 

The navigation on a bike computer is different than in a car... On the bike, you can pre-load a route, and follow the GPS bread crumbs. It works pretty well for the most part, but it doesn't tell you to "turn left on Williams Street". It's more like, "I see the line on the screen bending, so I know I have a turn in the trail in a few hundred yards."

I'll have the True Grit course pre loaded on my Garmin, but will use it mostly for the elevation profile. It lets me peek ahead at the climbs and descents, so I can plan energy expenditure...

For true navigation... If you get lost, the phone is a much better navigation tool. The few times that I've had no clue which way to go, the Garmin was useless. It couldn't maintain a strong enough signal with heavy cloud cover and canopy. The phone, on the other hand, was able to display my GPS dot perfectly on a pre-downloaded map (Oregon in this case). It saved my bacon from taking the wrong course at unmarked intersections several times. I never needed the paper map that I had in the pack. That was a nice feature when I was alone on the mountain with heavy rain, fog, and no cell reception.

 

I agree with this.....comparing my old Garmin 720 to my newer 520....I like the old navigation better.

I can preload a route on both. I can follow the route line/breadcrumbs on both. The 720 allowed me to easily zoom in and out on the route on the fly. The 520 I have to go to a couple separate menus find the zoom and them zoom in or out....not something easily accessed on the fly.

Otherwise I like the size of the 520 better. It also has other bells and whistles that I don’t really need.

 

So... You're saying that there isn't a zoom button right on the "purple line" screen on the 520? My 510 has that and I use it constantly when following the line.

The wife told me to replace my messed up 510 before True Grit... The Wahoo is looking pretty attractive, and seems to have a nicer software experience.

 

Nope...you gotta go to 2 other menus to get to it.

Granted I tend to keep the zoom all the in....so I am only seeing 100’ ahead, but sometimes I wanna zoom out to see a larger section.

Other than that, it works fine.

 

Bare in mind the 520 is a lower model to the 700 series. The 800 series allows zooming, but costs a little more. The 520 is a compromise.

The 520 Plus will connect to trail forks. So if you have a cell signal, you can transfer a trail directly to your Garmin to navigate with. You can also add additional background maps. You can't punch in an address like an 800 or 1000 to navigate with though, but you can save a waypoint (trailhead) and navigate to it, or navigate back to start.

I like the 520+ a lot, great compromise for me. If I don't need to actually see a map I just use my watch which has much better battery life (Fenix 5). But the 520 also has a mirror mode, so I an actually connect the Fenix to the 520 and all my data will be displayed on the 520 without using the GPS itself so the battery lasts longer. Really cool function that is triathlon inspired.

 

Some (like I was) are surprised to learn that the GPS function of a smartphone works even when the phone has no reception and/or is on airplane mode. So GPS-based apps like TF and MTB Proj will work wherever a GPS will, even when you are conserving power in airplane mode in BFE. Detailed backgrounds can, in some apps, be downloaded ahead of time so that phone reception is not necessary for them to be viewed. Even without the hi-res BGs, the basic direction/orientation relative to the track is still functional.

I was not a user of GPS units for cycling, but I felt I had to buy one as a nav backup for some longer rides I wanted to do. Ones where I would use primarily paper maps and route signage. My GPS did serve that purpose – to confirm/refute my other navigation.

For the AZT I again brought the GPS as a backup to my primary nav. But this time my primary nav was the AZT smartphone app, and I didn't used my GPS at all in 20+ days of riding. So the next long route I just used the phone, and that's where I will probably stay. Instead of the GPS, I'll bring more phone power.

I don't want a device on my bars if I can help it. For me, only the most vague of routes demands constant access to a screen (read: a bar mount). Anything else, it's in a pocket.

– LudditeMike

 

I didn't know TF would work offline with my GPS. Never been a TF user, might have to change that!

 

The old Garmin 500 had auto zoom depending on your speed ... It was both awesome or terrible at any moment.

 

One ride in on my new Elemnt Bolt... I have hated the Garmin software (6 year old Garmin 510), and did not want to give them more money. We'll see how the Bolt works out.

 

Ok... I'm impressed already. I was going to experiment with the navigation features on the next ride, and looked up how to sync my routes to the device. No cables needed... All of my created routes in Strava are automagically synced to the device and ready to go.

 

Very interested to hear your likes/dislikes on the bolt. My Edge 520 has been fine for simply recording rides but I cant stand it for trying to follow a course. My map screen is crazy slow to update, as in the screen takes about 10 seconds to refresh after completing a turn. Also the battery life now sucks(low battery warning 3 hours in to navigating last weeks ride) and while there's replacement batteries available I'm not sure I want to spend any money on it. @Mikie has the 520+ and we both had the exact same route loaded and his worked perfectly. The bolt looks like it'd be much easier to follow a route with all those little arrows pointing you in right direction as well as the led's that can be set up.

 

What mounts does the Bolt come with? I have 35mm bars so not sure if the handlebar mount would work? I would want to use the stem mount on my road bike.

 

The Bolt came with an "out front" mount that fits 31.8 bars, like I have on the Chameleon. It is perfectly "aero" when the unit is inserted. It also comes with a small "stem mount" that is basically just a base that you zip tie to either the bars or the stem if it's long enough.

The mount is very similar to the Garmin, but the orientation is turned 90 degrees. I removed the insert from my stem cap mount and turned it 90 degrees. The Bolt fits it, but there isn't a "hard click" like the Garmin gives. I think this will work for normal rides, and might be a long term solution once I get the tether that I ordered. I used it on our social ride the other night.

If you have a nice collection of mounts, Amazon sells the replacement discs (for like a K-Edge...) that you just swap out with the existing Garmin mounting disc. $5.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FJ8UXSQ/?tag=imtbtrails-20

 

This would be my first bike computer. I could always have my buddy Tony fab a couple of mounts.

 

Ahhh... Didn't realize that you didn't have one already. If that's the case, then the standard out front type mount will work just fine for a road bike. On the mountain bike, I don't want it sticking out that far. I go OTB too often... I have a metal stem cap unit that I bought a few years ago. I don't remember the brand.

Even with the Garmin, you'd want something that fits inside the handlebars or on top of the stem. The K-Edge is about the best, and puts the unit in the best position for a mountain bike. There are knockoff k-edge units out there as well...

 

Looks like I had it backwards. Stem mount MTB. Handlebar mount road bike. I was under the impression the stem mount replaces the stem cap. I think that's why my buddy made his own. I believe he actually used the part you linked to.

Edit: He made his own for a specific angle. I like this cap mount.
K-Edge Gravity Cap Computer Mount for Wahoo Black, One Size https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01G35DLOW/?tag=imtbtrails-20

 

I have one like that, but have been using this one for the last couple years with the Garmin... It's a good fit on the Hightower with the short stem.

With a longer stem, I'd just use the mount that came with it and zip tie it.

 

Switched from 520 to Bolt last year couldn't be happier.

This is the mount I use expensive but works really well keeps it back out of the way sturdy

https://barflybike.com/collections/mountain-bike-mounts/products/bar-fly-4-mtb

I'm sure you can find it on Amazon and used IMTB code

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GRHYT38/?tag=imtbtrails-20

oh just to be clear it does not stick out in front it sits backwards and the bolt sits over the top cap of the stem completely protected

 

You can reverse the Garmin Out-Front mount. It sits right over the top cap out of harm's way...unless you do something spectacular.

 

So far I like the software experience with the Bolt... The majority of the setup is done through the App on the phone. Personally I like that better than trying to find options on a 2" screen. And the connection to the phone seems more seamless than the Garmin, which would sometimes (quite often) refuse to connect until both devices were rebooted and I sacrificed a chicken.

And last night, as the wife and I were talking, my Bolt reminded me that it needed to be charged by sending a notification to my watch. Freaky.

 

Ordered one yesterday. Woohoo!! Or is that Wahoo?

 

Nice... I think you'll enjoy the data. The one feature I don't like and need to turn off? On one screen it shows me how far behind the KOM I am on Strava segments. I don't need that.

Edit: @UPSed - Also... The first thing I did on mine was to delete all of the street maps for the world. I left my device with California, Oregon, Utah and Colorado.It freed up a couple of gigabytes on the device. If I ever bike in Estonia, I'll re-download the other regions...

 

@Faust29 What does something like that cost? And where did you purchase?

 

Thanks for the info. This being my first bike computer I'm sure I will have a lot of questions.