New gps

[citoyen]

Apparently, it's "Amazon Prime day" and the Explore is down from £185 to £130... which has suddenly made the decision process an awful lot easier (the Bolt is still full price).

Order placed!

I feel like a disgusting pawn of the capitalist system, but I get a shiny new toy so I'm happy.

[De Sisti]

Apparently, it's "Amazon Prime day" and the Explore is down from £185 to £130... which has suddenly made the decision process an awful lot easier (the Bolt is still full price).

Order placed!

I feel like a disgusting pawn of the capitalist system, but I get a shiny new toy so I'm happy.

I've read a few reviews which are far from complementary of Garmin's claim of up to 12 hours battery life.

What I mean is, the complainants were getting nothing near 12 hours running from a full charge on their units.

[citoyen]

Well, it’s worth a punt at the price. I’ll report back with my own experiences.

[De Sisti]

Well, it’s worth a punt at the price. I’ll report back with my own experiences.

Please do. Although, by the time you report back, the lower-price offer will no longer be available. 

[farfetched]

Apparently, it's "Amazon Prime day" and the Explore is down from £185 to £130... which has suddenly made the decision process an awful lot easier (the Bolt is still full price).

Order placed!

I feel like a disgusting pawn of the capitalist system, but I get a shiny new toy so I'm happy.

Only saw this today so couldnt reply earlier, I am also the owner of an edge explore. Generally I am happy with it. Does what I need
and (like you) I also dont need all those features on the high-end edges. Battery life is probably the main issue, I think Garmin claims 12hrs but
I have never got anywhere near that out of it. Usually after around 6 to 7 hrs I have about 30% left. I tend to take 9-10 hrs on a 200km so I usually
put it on the charger at the last Control so I have no idea how that last 30% works out. With some of the battery saving features turned on you might get close to the 12hrs I guess.

I have been using it since April 2019 and its been fine, although from time to time I have seen my data fields reconfigured. I only use one
data field 'page' but occassionally one field will be swapped with another or even replaced by one i dont want to use. Last saturday on a 200 the
heading field (which i always have visible on the map screen) was replaced by ETA at next course point.

[citoyen]

Went out for my first proper ride with the Explore today - I was out for just shy of 5 hours, following a pre-planned course, with the Explore running all the time (I don't do auto-start/stop) and my phone was connected for the whole ride. When I got home, there was 69% battery remaining. Pretty good, I reckon - and if anything suggests the claimed 12hrs is a tad conservative.

The only concession I made to saving battery life was to set the screen to auto-sleep* - so it was off most of the time, only coming on to give me alerts/turn instructions. I presume this makes a pretty big difference to battery life, and maybe those who aren't getting the claimed run times are using it with the screen permanently on? I'm used to having the screen permanently on with the 510 because the lack of maps means it's the only way to make sure you don't miss your turnings, but I really enjoyed riding without feeling the need to keep looking at the handlebars (except when it beeped at me) and instead spent a lot more time enjoying the scenery.

Impressed.


*actually, this is the default setting, so what I mean is I just left it on that. The fact that this is the default suggests this is how it is designed to be used, and that battery claims are based on this scenario.

[phydaux]

I have recently purchased a 530, after my Etrex 30x developed a screen fault.  It has taken a long time to learn how to use it.  Mostly, because it comes with all the bells and whistles switched on, and I have to work out what screen has just popped up, and where the setting is to stop it popping up again.  It is obviously a very clever piece of kit with far more features than I am ever going to use.  So far, I have been quite happy.  I have been particularly impressed with 'Climb Pro' which I certainly did not expect.  I grind up hills extremely slowly, and thought 'Climb Pro' would only be useful to those for whom an AAA rating is an attraction and not a warning, but I actually find it helps a lot!  I have not, so far, been amazed at the battery life, but maybe I just haven't found the right setting yet.  My biggest complaint is that the bluetooth connection to my iphone7 is unreliable at best, meaning that the Live Track and Incident Detection features are a bit hit and miss.   I also find the Garmin App really confusing.  It took me a long time to work out how to plan a route on the app.  It is not obvious, and you have to go down several dead ends before finding the correct menu option.

[citoyen]

I I also find the Garmin App really confusing.  It took me a long time to work out how to plan a route on the app.  It is not obvious, and you have to go down several dead ends before finding the correct menu option.

I don’t use Connect for route planning - I make courses in other apps and import them into Connect.

I did try the Explore’s auto route planner for a short local test ride yesterday but wasn’t entirely impressed with it’s - it wanted me to go down the A2... no thanks! Might need to tinker with the settings if I’m going to use that feature again.

[Pingu]

...I have not, so far, been amazed at the battery life...

Not surprising after an eTrex, thobut.

[Lightning Phil]

Especially  with rechargeable lithium AAs and chargers now becoming available. We are soon going to see eTrex running for 40 or more hours on a single pair of AA. This is with screen and low level backlight on all the time in map mode.

[trickedem]

Especially  with rechargeable lithium AAs and chargers now becoming available. We are soon going to see eTrex running for 40 or more hours on a single pair of AA. This is with screen and low level backlight on all the time in map mode.

I got quite excited about this. Then I started to read this article https://reactual.com/portable-electronics/batteries-portable-electronics/do-rechargeable-lithium-ion-aa-batteries-exist.html that suggested these rechargeable Lithium AAs were not even as good as the best NiMH batteries.

[Lightning Phil]

Early days yet , but finally here, and capacities will rise just as they did with niMh rechargeables.  Having said that I’m seeing 30 hours on my latest niMh rechargeables, so maybe not as big a jump as I think.

[andrew_s]

For GPS use, a problem with rechargable lithium cells is that they are regulated down to 1.5V.

That means that the battery gauge in the GPS doesn't work properly, and that it reads fully charged right up to the point where the regulator in the cell decides that the cell is exhausted and turns it off, shutting down the GPS with zero warning.

Having had a google, they have improved quite a bit since I got some a while back. These 3300 mWh AA lithium rechargables (with USB charging port) seem quite a lot better, apart from the somewhat sneaky use of mWh for the sake of bigger numbers (having said which, mWh are a better measure of the oomph in the cell, if only everyone used it).
 

[grams]

That means that the battery gauge in the GPS doesn't work properly, and that it reads fully charged right up to the point where the regulator in the cell decides that the cell is exhausted and turns it off, shutting down the GPS with zero warning.

The better lithium AA/AAAs simulate the voltage curve of an alkaline to avoid this problem.

apart from the somewhat sneaky use of mWh for the sake of bigger numbers (having said which, mWh are a better measure of the oomph in the cell, if only everyone used it).

If a NiMH battery spends most of its life not far above 1.0 volts, then for comparison purposes mWh is roughly equivalent to NiMH mAh.

[frankly frankie]

A NiMH cell spends 95% of its working life very close to 1.2V.  If it gets down to 1.1V it's within 5 minutes of being totally flat. In practical terms in a GPS, the best NiMHs outperform even Energizer lithium primary AAs - and are tried and tested to their rated capacity - although with a significant weight penalty over lithiums.  (Notable that these new Li-ion rechargables are the same weight as NiMHs - twice the weight of lithium primaries.)
Where lithium cells regulated to 1.5V would score heavily over NiMHs is in an unregulated 4xAA front light like the old CatEye Micro - but who uses those any more.-  For backup AAs carried in the bottom of the bag nothing beats lithium primaries - lightest weight, longest shelf life.

[L CC]

For backup AAs carried in the bottom of the bag nothing beats lithium primaries - lightest weight, longest shelf life.

Twice I had brand new emergency purchased Energizer Lithiums go flat within 10 minutes.

[sojournermike]

I have recently purchased a 530, after my Etrex 30x developed a screen fault.  It has taken a long time to learn how to use it.  Mostly, because it comes with all the bells and whistles switched on, and I have to work out what screen has just popped up, and where the setting is to stop it popping up again.  It is obviously a very clever piece of kit with far more features than I am ever going to use.  So far, I have been quite happy.  I have been particularly impressed with 'Climb Pro' which I certainly did not expect.  I grind up hills extremely slowly, and thought 'Climb Pro' would only be useful to those for whom an AAA rating is an attraction and not a warning, but I actually find it helps a lot!  I have not, so far, been amazed at the battery life, but maybe I just haven't found the right setting yet.  My biggest complaint is that the bluetooth connection to my iphone7 is unreliable at best, meaning that the Live Track and Incident Detection features are a bit hit and miss.   I also find the Garmin App really confusing.  It took me a long time to work out how to plan a route on the app.  It is not obvious, and you have to go down several dead ends before finding the correct menu option.

I recently purchased a 530 to replace the 1000 that I washed and spun to deth. I prep routes in Strava and then it auto uploads to the 530 next time it syncs. It's pretty straightforward.

I like the 530 and don't feel that it's a step down in anyway but cost. It has more than I need, but I've set up a couple of personal data screens and together with the way it pops the map and directions up if it's navigating it is a nice device.

[IJL]

I have recently upgraded from an ageing edge 705 to  a 530.  The battery life on the 705 was poor but not unmanageable if hooked upto a power bank, the mapping was getting old but the main issue was my aging eyes were struggling with the  screen.  The 530  screen is slightly bigger but much brighter and clearer, although it still occasionally beeps and tries to tell me things that would only be visible if I had my reading glasses on.

The speed at which it loads routes in a great improvement over the 705 (but that 10+ years of progress) a 100 mile route can be processed in seconds rather than the many minutes that the 705 took.  The ability to upload and download via a phone is not a new feature but its new to me and saves hassle.  The strava live segment  function is good fun.  The routing is good and clear and it lets you know within a few metres if you have gone of route.   

battery life seems very good so far and I will get the external power pack eventually.

so what's the downsides

I have paid for a host of features that I have turned off, mainly because I don't want it constantly beeping at me every time I go uphill
The menu system is a bit clunky and involves lots of button pressing and remembering where the options are, although once set up for your preferences you don't need to fiddle much again 
it doesn't have the ability to route you to an address etc on the unit, the 705 could, although i might have only used it once or twice when i got very lost.
I bought it partly in preparation for LEL next year but I don't think i can hold Garmin responsible for that.


So far i'm happy, it works well and does what I need, the larger touch screen device might have been a better in terms of screen visibility but i couldn't justify spending that much

[L CC]

It can route you to a location from the unit?

https://www8.garmin.com/manuals/webhelp/edge530/EN-US/GUID-BC41609D-1AA5-456F-BE74-71101630D704.html

[IJL]

It can route you to a location from the unit?

https://www8.garmin.com/manuals/webhelp/edge530/EN-US/GUID-BC41609D-1AA5-456F-BE74-71101630D704.html

Thanks, I clearly need to spend a bit more time with the manual. 

[basset]

I recently bought a garmin 530 having previously come from a 800 and for the last 4+ years a 820 and am finding it very clunky as compared to my 820 and much harder to use on the fly .
The wife will end up with this and her 520 sold .
Given the 1030 is on offer at wiggle for £300 and I used my old Garmin’s when out walking as well as I had a os outdoors map card (which I now realise I should never have sold ) I’m thinking that’s better value than the 830 but is it to big 

[TimC]

I've had a 1030 since it came out and I think it's great. I still have the 1000 I was technically replacing (the screen is discoloured from getting too hot, but it works fine).

For me, the main advantage of the 1030 is the big screen (FCVO 'big' - my phone is much bigger). I have only the map displaying while I'm riding, though I will have upcoming turns if I'm on a particularly unfamiliar route, and the screen size and clarity is great for quick referencing while in motion. I don't look at the data until the ride is finished - it'll be embarrassingly poor to crap, so I don't need that in my face while riding - but I do enjoy a bit of analysis after it's over, and the 1030 supplies oodles of info. It also lasts far longer than any ride I will ever do.

[basset]

Thanks for the reply but after looking at size it would appear I cannot fit the  1030 either between my tt bars easily or on the stem due to said tt bars unless I run a longer stem or alter my tt  bar set up so it’s looking like a 830 .

[Davef]

How close together are your TT bars ? Surely a 1030 will fit between

[Davef]