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Just had an email through about the new Edge Explore 2.
My ageing Oregon could do with replacing and this looks interesting.
https://www.garmin.com/en-GB/p/802162
The external battery pack certainly makes it a bit more functional for longer trips but I'll be hanging onto my Oregon 700 with its AA batteries a while longer I reckon.
Phew, very little change (that you can work out from the website anyway) from the previous model, which I purchased only a month ago 😂
This is perfect timing. Was already planning on replacing my 530 with an edge explore... now I can go with the new version 🙂
I’m considering one too. I was just searching for prices for the original one but might just go all out and get this.
Can anyone tell me how practical it would be to lend to someone else and link temporarily to their Garmin account? Is it a case of reset and re-link to other phone and all the previous settings, routes etc will be there and then same when I switch back to mine or will it be a massive ball ache to set back up each time?
The v1 (and I assume the new one but not looked) has a hire or guest mode, designed for companies loaning out these with rental bikes or some such, that locks down some of the base settings. Have a look and see if that allows connection with the phone app.
Dcrainmaker gives a better explanation but doesn't mention connect or go into any detail about it really.
Cheers, doesn’t like like it’ll be an issue after all as we have his & hers on the way 🤨
Interesting timing, as I sold my Explore last week. Fed up with Garmin Connect failing to talk to either the GPS itself or to RideWithGPS where my routes are, so it was essentially impossible to get a route into it without a cable—which isn’t much progress since I started using them 20 years ago.
I’m on the lookout for a new GPS but I think 20 years of putting up with Garmin’s software is probably my limit.
Got the explore original and happy with it...only thing missing for me is I like the VO2 max ...explore 2 has it - paying £250 for VO2 max is just silly isnt it?
Unless anyone wants to buy my explore 1? 😉
Typically it's not that straightforward. The standard Explore 2 doesn't have the 5 pin connector on the back that enables the Charge battery pack to be used, you have to buy the Power bundle which costs another £100 for the mount but to add insult to injury, they then screw you for another £50 for the special lead that connects this to a USB output from your dynamo. This brings the price to the same as a discounted Edge 1030plus with its bigger screen and more functions. Daylight robbery. The latest DC Rainmaker review makes this clear.
@pistonbroke for the rare time I might need extra power I'm happy to just plug it in to a powerbank or my light which acts as a powerbank. The extra power mount seemed a lot of money for the benefit.
Agreed, now they've finally after 7 years of their existance, changed the charging port from the fragile micro USB to USB C. However for those who already own a Garmin Charge power pack, having to pay £100 more to get the 5 pin Explore which includes a mount you don't need and then another £50 for a USB cable to make it work is really extracting the urine.
That's interesting, I'd have thought making two variants with and without the 5 pin mount is actually more expensive for them than having a single spec for the device.
As it is I'm just going to look at better options for power bank connections on my V1.
The device is great apart from battery life, I know I can get more run time with a power bank when I need it. the only real issue is the downward facing charging port and not knackering it over time.
Two variants does seem a bit daft, although I suspect that it's actually only the back panel that's different and that both units contain all the necessary electronics. I wouldn't be surprised if, in time, some clever soul on the internet doesn't hack a standard one to work with the mounts.
It does seem odd not to simply supply all Edge 2s with the back panel terminals, especially as the power mounts are available aftermarket (at the ridiculous price of £109.99).
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It is more than a little bit cheeky, especially as having those pins on there from day one would mean they would probably convert a proportion of those unit only sales to an "upgrade" sale of a power-bank and new out front mount later.
Garmin's charging via pins isn't new lots of the forerunners did/still have proprietary charging connectors/clips, my old edge 25 has a totally unique USB to charging clip thingy, when I temporarily lost that I discovered the pinout for it on the interweb and managed to fashion a working charging arrangement by hacking up an old USB cable and a couple of safety pins (not recommended)
I bet you two of those 5 pins are just +5V and GND and enterprising punters could fashion their own power bank connecting edge mount.
a bit of googling yielded a quote of a quote on Garmin's user forums:
"If you look at the Garmin from behind, it's 2 a.m. plus and 8 a.m. minus. The remaining contacts do not seem to be occupied. You can probably only charge the Garmin in one position"
Other sites seem to indicate those pins on the 1030/830/530 just splice in like an alternative, proprietary USB connector, each pin corresponding to a power or data line on any other USB connector.
another user confirmed they had applied 5V to the two pins identified and gotten a unit to charge that way, so Garmin's proprietary power-bank connector looks to be nicely hackable.