Etrex 10? GPS for Audaxing pre-planned routes

[aidan.f]

My Garmin Edge 305 is  getting pensionable - I don't really  want anything more than;
Ability to  load a custom GPX file with waypoints I have  edited to read 'TJ Right SP...'
Navigate that  route and  have each waypoint pop up on proximity with beep and illuminate the back-light with  a  rubber band line to the next one
Yes I am old skool but oddly enough time spent checking the route on a map beforehand leads to easy navigation on the road.
Logging said  ride for  interest or  DIY  by  GPS
Long battery life and removable batteries or USB cache charging (preferred)
Seems to call for an etrex - is  the 10 too basic?

[Andrew]

My Garmin Edge 305 is  getting pensionable

Ditto, but it's still (touch wood) going strong.

I'm interested in this thread however because I'm aware that one day my 305 will *just stop* (probably stop finding satellites). The current Edge like replacement looks to be the 520 - and a fine bit of kit it seems too. As I have cadence sensors on 3 of my bikes, it 'makes sense' (TM, patent pending) to stay Edge, or maybe the discontinued Etrex 30

BUT

the basic Etrex path IS cheaper and would do what I need... and is cheaper.... and would avoid domestic disputes (did I mention it was cheaper)   

[aidan.f]

My 305  has already  been fettled  - the spring power contacts between the two halves became intermittent on bumpy roads.
A case  split and  re-springing the contacts has  fixed that, but the rubber buttons are getting worn.
Standing by for wise advice most GPS gurus will be out riding their bikes this weekend.

[Phil W]

Is that just a GPX of waypoints, no matching track or route? The etrex 10 will certainly do that and you can name your waypoints and set proximity alarms in Basecamp. Sending  your list of waypoints to the unit from Basecamp is trivial.

[fuaran]

The Etrex 10 should work fine.

But the Etrex 20 isn't much more expensive. And it allows you to load proper maps. You may not need maps if following a preplanned route, but they can be very useful if you go off course, or take a diversion for some reason.

[Kim]

Agreed.  Don't underestimate the value of a GPS device that can be simply used as a waterproof, backlit, self-scrolling map.  That can more useful than the navigation functions in some circumstances.

[frankly frankie]

Obviously the Etrex 10 with its pared-down capability appeals to the minimalist side that many cyclists have.  But it isn't very minimalist - it's the same size and weight as the E20, and costs only a little less.
One practical advantage to the E20 is that there is far more knowledge about it, in fora like this one - the E10 is rather rare - this may also be part of its appeal but I say with GPS, run with the pack.

[vindec]

I've had my E20 for 4 years. Audax, touring, walking and boating; it's been faultless. It looks a bit chunky alongside some others but it has withstood considerable abuse. Thoroughly recommended.

Sent from my Vodafone Smart ultra 6 using Tapatalk

[jamesld8]

I use both a Etrex 10 and a 30 (not at same time of course !)

Etrex 10; it`s simplicity in what it can display is sometimes a good thing, just a track (breadcrumb trail) and speed, no gradient, HRM, cadence, temperature etc. Just load up a .gpx and ride with it

Etrex 30; virtually does everything so can be over complicated in use; but fact that it takes sd map cards is an enormous plus point. download a .gpx  to follow but as there`s a map facility you can locate to other roads, make diversions and still keep track of where you are. Plus has all sorts of listings on map card eg food, ATM, hotels, attractions, can also get 30 to plot a navigatable route on the move so say you want to go to a local village off your preloaded route just get 30 to calculate route , follow and you`re there.

But if all you need is a GPS for a preloaded route 10 will fill all needs 

[vorsprung]

the maps in a etrex 20 might be crude and tiny but if you go off route or a bridge is out they are suddenly tremendous useful

i almost never use the routing in a etrex 20 with maps but it's there

[NeilP]

Out of interest how do you mount them to your bike?

[frankly frankie]

Garmin make a handlebar mount.  It's nearly always found marketed as an 'Oregon' bike mount, but the same mount fits several Garmin models including the Etrexes.  It's absurdly expensive for what it is, but it does do a good job.  There are some very cheap copies easily found via Amazon etc, to look at they are indistinguishable, but the two I have are a dangerously loose fit and even packing them with tape doesn't help.  It's well worth paying full whack for the Garmin version.

[mattc]

Obviously the Etrex 10 with its pared-down capability appeals to the minimalist side that many cyclists have.  But it isn't very minimalist - it's the same size and weight as the E20, and costs only a little less.
One practical advantage to the E20 is that there is far more knowledge about it, in fora like this one - the E10 is rather rare - this may also be part of its appeal but I say with GPS, run with the pack.

"A little less"? Google says #75 vs #135 !!

That's quite a hike.

anyone want to give me more reasons to blow that extra #60?  I'm on the fence here!

(and how much better are these than a 2nd-hand Vista HCx for #45? I believe the main drawback of which is that it might be one that turns itself off every 20 miles, which I think would drive me mad ... )

/gpsnewb

[L CC]

The second hand Vista is better until it gives up the ghost, which is way sooner than you think.

[frankly frankie]

I wouldn't get a 2nd-hand Vista or Legend now.  They've been out of production for a few years.  I have 4 of them lying around and they're all now more trouble than they're worth.

I do think though that a working Legend or Vista is better than an E30 (let alone an E10).  I've been using an E30 or E30x all this year and haven't learned to love it yet.

[Fab Foodie]

Ive used a 20 for a few years now .... my first ever GPS unit.  I'm quite a luddite with this kind of stuff but find I can create a route in ridewithgps or take an existing gpx file, upload it and follow without any great issue (plus download later).  Having a proper map on screen is very useful for excursions planned or otherwise as well as being able to zoom in and out to get a sense of what's coming up ......

[quixoticgeek]

Don't know if this is an issue with the eTrex 20 or 30, but on the eTrex 10, routes are limited to 256 points. I've found this to be a right pain in the backside a few times. Having to split routes down into 256 point blocks.

J

[frankly frankie]

It's a limitation on all Garmins as far as I know.  But in typical UK laney conditions (pretty much a worst case scenario) you don't need more than about 1 point per kilometre on average (obviously more in towns, less in the country) so 250 points is a good day's riding by any standards.  And if you're doing a 'circular' route which most cyclists do, most of the time, then it's a good idea to split into out and back anyway, regardless of distance, otherwise your GPS will want to make short cuts - this again seems to be a feature of most Garmins when following a Route.

[quixoticgeek]

It's a limitation on all Garmins as far as I know.  But in typical UK laney conditions (pretty much a worst case scenario) you don't need more than about 1 point per kilometre on average (obviously more in towns, less in the country) so 250 points is a good day's riding by any standards.  And if you're doing a 'circular' route which most cyclists do, most of the time, then it's a good idea to split into out and back anyway, regardless of distance, otherwise your GPS will want to make short cuts - this again seems to be a feature of most Garmins when following a Route.

Riding in both the Isle of Man, Belgium and Luxembourg I've found that I actually needed more than 256 points per day, lots of tiny turns and wobbly roads. This limit is one I hit frequently.

J

[Ningishzidda]

You don’t have to put a Waypoint at every bend in the road.

Ancient Metroguide didn’t navigate. Waypoints were placed just after junctions so a straight line led to the next Waypoint, which when it was near, was visible on the screen.
When the road went in a sweeping curve following the contours, eg Peak District, the straight pink line would leave the screen and re-appear when the next Waypoint got near.

Navigating on the eTrex without a map loaded is possible by designing the route on a mapping package placing Waypoints just after junctions. Use the POINTER on the compass facility. When the junction is arrived at, the POINTER swings to tell you which way to go.

[mattc]

It's a limitation on all Garmins as far as I know.  But in typical UK laney conditions (pretty much a worst case scenario) you don't need more than about 1 point per kilometre on average (obviously more in towns, less in the country) so 250 points is a good day's riding by any standards.  And if you're doing a 'circular' route which most cyclists do, most of the time, then it's a good idea to split into out and back anyway, regardless of distance, otherwise your GPS will want to make short cuts - this again seems to be a feature of most Garmins when following a Route.

Accoring to the experts, this isn't an issue with recent Garmins:

Note that later Garmin models such as the Oregon, and Etrex 20/30 etc, any model introduced after 2009, just have so much capacity that this page is no longer relevant.

From "Living with a Garmin: The Waypoints Limitation"
http://www.aukadia.net/gps/lwg_1.htm

EDIT: see Frankie's next post - apparently there is still a limit to points PER ROUTE! (I've only used humble trackpoints in my vv short GPS career.)


(Having just bought an e20x, I hope this is true!)

[frankly frankie]

It's true that those models have an overall Waypoints limit so high (2000 at least) that it is no longer a practical limitation.
However what was at issue was the number of points containable inside a single Route.  This limit is still 250 I think (for direct routing, or just 50 for autorouting).  I would say both these are ample in practice, in UK laney conditions, and even more so in places like central France where you can often Route for a whole day's cycling with 10 points or fewer.

Modern Edges confuse this issue because they can do similar things using very many more points - but I think these aren't using the Route syntax.

[Kim]

I've come up against the 50 routepoint limit a few times, typically when reproducing someone's main-road-averse route through urban areas on >100km rides.

I've not run out of waypoints or trackpoints since the original eTrex Legend.  I think the proximity waypoint limit is still fairly low, but how many do you actually need in one go?

[frankly frankie]

OT now, but I just checked/tested, because my curiosity was piqued - and both my E30 and my E30x, just like the older colour Etrexes, do max out at 250 Route points.

Using this file:  routepoints360.gpx
which consists of a single Route of 360 points, numbered sequentially.  No error message on loading or opening the Route! 
(Older Etrexes will throw a near-subliminal 'Route Truncated' message - like this (different file):
Etrex Legend Cx


Inspect the Route in the GPS Route Manager in edit mode:
Etrex 30
       

Scrolling down, the list ends at point 250 ...

[quixoticgeek]

Thank you everyone for pointing out that I am wrong and the 256 point limit on routes are entirely not a problem and that it's obviously me in the wrong and that I imagined it causing me problems on rides.

Cheers

J