Garmin Edge used for navigation?

[john_n]

Hello.

I have been using my iPhone and the Gaia GPS app for my navigation on bikepacking trips, a system that has worked fairly well up to this point. I do not have the phone strapped to the handlebars and instead keep it in a handlebar bag for easy access. This process becomes frustrating in areas where there are lots of turns / traffic.

As a result of my experience with the phone, I have begun looking into dedicated GPS devices that can be strapped to the handlebars. I currently have a Garmin Edge 520 and was wondering if anyone has used a Garmin Edge device for navigation assistance and recording. Otherwise, I am planning on acquiring one of the Garmin eTrex devices that people seem to like. Would the Garmin Edge be sufficient for 2-3 day trips, and acquire the eTrex for extended trips? Also, I carry an Anker external battery pack for charging USB devices when needed. Thank you.

John

[alpamayo]

I have used my 520 for turn by turn. That combined with my phone and a paper map have gotten me by, but it is far from ideal. My 520 is only good for 2 days, I haven't taken a cache battery with it. I picked up a used etrex and I am still figuring this out.

[Aushiker]

With the exception of a recent bikepacking trip where I used a Wahoo Elemnt (now sold and replaced with a Garmin Edge 1030) and a bikepacking trip a year or so ago when I played with a Garmin 60CSX I have used Garmin Edge models going back to the Garmin Edge 305.  Both of my experiments with other options had less than ideal outcomes and hence I have gone back to the tried and true Garmin Edge.

My touring bikes and even my endurance bike are dynamo powered so my approach is to top up my cache battery during the day and then use that to recharge the GPS overnight in the tent. Has worked well for me in the main. Mind you I carry more electronics now days (phone, tablet, GPS, camera...) so the cache battery seems to be growing in size.

I don't use my phone as a bicycle GPS because

(1) I find them hard to read in bright sunlight and that is pretty common here in Western Australia;
(2) I prefer to tour in remote areas, often on 4WD tracks and the like where the likelihood of an off is fairly high;
(3) I want my phone ready for emergency use (assuming range of course) so prefer to not putting battery life at risk during the day;
(4) I am often out of range so if I want to or need to re-route etc it often becomes a pain trying to do this on the phone or with the Wahoo Elemnt which relies on the phone.

My preference for the Garmin GPS is:

(1) Robust. All mine have coped with their share of offs;
(2) Easy to read in bright sunlight;
(3) Re-routes if I go off the route or if I want to change my plans for the day. Being able to do this on the unit without stuffing around with the phone is real big bonus to me;
(4) Tracks reliably all my riding data from the day and syncs without intervention with Strava/Garmin Connect and then with Taprik to whatever other tracking website I want to use;
(5) Battery life up to now has been good. Yet to properly test the Garmin Edge 1030 but.

[AnatolyG]

Make sure to get an Edge that can run while being charged -- that's not the case with all of them, but some have that ability. I run an Edge Touring Plus, and it can charge while on -- meaning I can now bring a power brick and have nearly endless battery life (for the GPS and a variety of other USB-chargeable bits, like lights and phone).

Edge Touring (and a few other navigation-capable Edge devices) are very similar to the "hiking" GPS models like eTrex, Dakota, Oregon, Montana, etc. Edges are smaller, lighter and mount on the bike better. They all have fairly weak touch screens. You can load routable maps on both navigatable Edges and the hiking models.

I also have a Garmin Dakota 20, and from a riding perspective, I like the Edge better, but I've not had great luck navigating to a new place on the Edge (that is, not riding a pre-set track uploaded from Basecamp). Dakota did better here.

[Gabriel]

It never let me down.

[rimugu]

I am a bit late for the post, but here is my take. I have an old Garmin etrex Legend HCx that I got when they were just about to be discontinued, so I got it cheap. I make my own maps as Garmin maps are expensive and that old model is limited on the options regarding maps it can take. It cannot hold a candle to the cellphone in terms of details and big screen. But then, that is in part the disadvantage of the phone, it get thru battery fast. While I have bikepacked a day and a half with only one set of batteries. etrex 20x would be the successor to my old GPS, and has a bit better resolution, and I think better option for maps. I will keep using my old Legend for as long as it works (hopefully not less than a a couple years). By then, I will see what is in the market and reevaluate. Remember a GPS in essence is latitude and longitude. Tracking, mapping all else varies by model and some my offer things that you consider vital, or overkill. My GPS is set to record everything and me making my maps makes me more comfortable to use and familiar.