Which Garmin for MTB

Edge explorer with an external battery pack for 8+ hour rides. It's the cheapest way to get a decent screen and the only functions it's really missing are competitive/roadie focused.

Any suggestions for which Garmin smar****ch as an alternative? Sorry for the thread hijack

Edit - that didn't take long...

If I was starting from scratch, I'd just have one of the better specced watches. (Fenix) It will do pretty much all you want, you can bar-mount it if looking at your wrist doesn't work for navigation for you, and if you can follow a breadcrumb, you can easily use it in areas you're unfamiliar with. Pair it with a HR strap if you're interested in that sort of thing, I use mine in combo with Koomot now that they've joined up with Garmin, and either work out a route using their software and fire it to the watch, or download interesting looking stuff directly to the watch from Komoot's website.

I've a Fenix 5 pro and a 520 and the 520 doesn't get used at all nowadays really.

The trouble with me is wanting the best gadgets

I'd go for the Epix over the Fenix for the Amoled screen and there is a new Epix Pro just about to be released - circa £1100......and subsequently ending up with something I wouldn't want to get scratched up on the bike

I've a Fenix 6 and recently bought a 530...my watch only gets used for tracking watches/swims now and doesn't get used for biking at all. I've not got round to following a course yet, but suspect that it will be easier to do than from the wrist (although my eyesight is mince so it is more likely just me causing that issue).

Garmin discount available on a lot of their kit through this site...so you could get something for less than retail price that will do what you need.

Slap a screen protector over the watch face and then no concerns with scratching it.

I use the edge 530 on the bars of my road/gravel bike and also on my mtb for longer big mountain rides. Works great, I can sync komoot/ridewithgps routes over wifi/bluetooth or just plug it into my pc and do it that way. It uses buttons rather than touch screen because I always find touch screens don't work great in the rain/mud. One piece of advice would be turning off the auto re-routing setting as this initially caused a lot of headaches.

About a year later I got a garmin instinct solar to wear year round and this gets used to track most of my riding now. The edge 530 is used when I need navigation or generally when I'm on the road/gravel bike as the mount is always attached. Either device connects with a heartrate strap when I want something more accurate than wrist based data.

I’ve used my Edge Explore for navigating at Surrey Hills, the Lake District and most recently on the Cantii Way in Kent. As it has maps installed, it’s better than just following breadcrumbs. The maps show roads obvs, but also most nearby trails (as well as the one you’re on) in case you stray off route, plus other features such as woods, rivers etc.

1030 for me as a used bargain: big screen for navi with open mapping and it will sync with an ebike to give battery info as a bonus.

DC Rainmaker does a good comparison
https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2018/07/garmin-edge-explore-review.html

Explore here - bargain when compared to the other big screen units. If you aren't using a power metre etc, it's the one to go for - Explore II is out now.

If I was buying now, I'd get an 840. My 830 has been pretty good, though the screen can be a bit of a pain in thick gloves. Does everything I need and more and has only ever crashed twice in the 3 years I've had it and I use it pretty much every day.

I’ve been using a Fenix 5X for a couple of years now. It was 2 generations old so I got 45% off. Still more than good enough for me.
Newer versions with a bigger screen would be nice as long as they’re sapphire. That stuff is impossible to scratch.
Only used it for navigation a couple of times, not easiest to see but adequate.

That stuff is impossible to scratch.

Mine has a scraped along a grit stone wall, to errrr...test its robustness, entirely on purpose, you understand. It's still scratch free. To throw a spanner in the Garmin love in, I had use of a Suunto 7 watch for a bit, and it was very easy to set up, navigate with and live with. Watch and accompanying app were both very straightforward They also generally tend to be cheaper than Garmin.

I like the 800 series with OS maps - nice size. Maps aren't crucial for me, although I like them on a road ride, so I'd look at a smaller unit if I was switching. Eyesight a consideration if you think you'll be looking at map details on the display when riding.

The famed garmin software has actually been fine for me on an 810 - bluetooth connectivity can be shocking though.

I've got the 530 and am very happy with it. Previously owned an 820 and don't miss the tetchy touch screen at all.

It makes a beep and tells me I did a good jump on the rare occasions when my wheels leave the ground. Always makes me chuckle.

I feel I'm very much in the minority, but I would always go for the the smallest Garmin available, currently the 130. The navigation prompts it gives are more than enough to follow a pre-planned route. If I ever need more info I'm happy to trade the slight inconvenience of stopping and pulling a phone out of my pocket to check the OS maps app, versus having a huge great expensive lump strapped to my bars at all times.

When you say "For MTB" what do you mean exactly OP? MTBing is a pretty broad spectrum covering everything from arsing about in the local woods to Enduro to Multi-day bikepacking adventures(or all of the above) so what do you think you'll be using a GPS device for mostly?

If I was starting from scratch, I’d just have one of the better specced watches.

Ditto, most of my riding is recorded on my Instinct now, I long ago fell out of love with looking at stats while riding, at the same time I do still occasionally want something for navigaiton when I do go for longer/unfamiliar routes (gets more use on the Road and Gravel bikes TBH).

But Yeah the best cycling GPS I own is a multi-sports watch...

I've got an old 510 that I never used most of the functions on. For local riding I use my vivoactive 4 to watch and my phone for maps.

I have an instinct which has been amazing and great for tracking rides. I’ve used it for navigation but didn’t find it very good, quite a pain in fact.

For navigation if I’m sticking with garmin I’m looking at the new edge explore vs 530/830/1030. Looking at prices only the 1030 is substantively more so I’m not sure if newer edge explore 2 is better than say the older 530/830. I don’t need / want training, just the ability to follow a gpx I may have found somewhere to get me around places I’m not familiar with.

For example today I went to the Quantocks for only the third time following something on Komoot. Whilst it was fine having to stop to check periodically does take you out of things whereas a glance at the bars would have been more convenient / quicker

When you say “For MTB” what do you mean exactly OP?

Generally for following routes in places I'm not familiar with.

Eg - @Vortexracing sent me some GPX files for Conwy/Drum Mountain. Couldn't for the life of me get a file to load on my watch on the day, even though I'd done it before in the Lakes (sussed it now). It's a Samsung watch and whilst it does work, I'm sure a Garmin watch would be better

Loaded them into OS Maps on my phone instead, but didn't have all the bits for my bar mount. Worked ok at first, but there were that many different trails I had my phone out every 2 minutes, gave up and just had a mooch round on the moors instead. Had a great ride nonetheless

Just got a 530 using the STW member offers for £180 new.replaced an ageing and poor battery life 130.

Suspect not yet found all it can do but battery life seems as claimed c20hours, trailforks integration real handy, and nice having integrated mapping rather than the 130’s breadcrumb approach.

Not yet used Mtb data to gauge my enduro hang time off jumps. Nice to know if needed a satellite will have to perform speed of light calculations to score my feeble 2cm air off a jump.

Standard answer would be 520/530. You can occasionally get good deals on them so shop around. They're pretty good these days so not much reason to go to the next models up. Personally I prefer Wahoo having used both but you rarely see them discounted.

I wouldn't use a watch. It could get you by, and it might be attractive if you also run/walk/swim/whatever but it's a massive compromise, and something like the Fenix is more expensive than the 520. I use both. It's nice to be able to track rides without a computer but that's all I use it for.

Like a few others I have the 530 and a Fenix. I prefer the 530 for cycling and use the Fenix for running, plus all the health stuff. I usually use the Fenix for transmitting HR to the Edge too.

Current prices on the 530 are, in my opinion, a complete steal and I've not seen anything on the 540 that makes me want to upgrade.

FWIW I also have an Oregon 600 which is my preference for multi-day stuff and for hillwalking/mountaineering on account of it being powered by AA batteries and having a full suite of maps, including Ordnance Survey.

I've currently got the following Garmin devices which I've listed in order of usefulness (to me):

Instinct solar
Edge Explore
Edge 25
Vivoactive 3
Forerunner 25

I should really just flog everything on that list apart from the instinct TBH, except for the fact that I'd still need a bar mounted navigation device from time to time and while the explore covers that, it's battery life is frankly quite rubbish (needs a powerbank if following a route for more than about 6 hours). For that reason alone I've gone looking at other brands for a bar mounted GPS.

Of course if you don't need navigation and/or don't go for rides of more than about 6 hours then just about any Garmin device would do these days but and edge 130 would make sense if budget is a consideration.

If you want all the gubbins and best battery life then stump up for a 1040 I suppose...

I've tried Garmin bike computers but never really got on with them, have also always had a Garmin watch, am currently using the 945 for all sports, been using the 945 to follow GPX routes on Dartmoor recently and its been fine.

I've found the 830 to be far more reliable than the Explore. It has Trailforks too.

Bryton have a savage battery life (40 hours), and are cheap. Also never suffer from getting wet and ****ing up the altitude like a 530.

Work on a Garmin mount too.

Quite fancy a Fenix but thanks to Trussonomics I'm pleased to hear the Instinct sounds like it'll be more than adequate for me.

Not a Garmin and the battery life is relatively poor but a Hamerhead Karoo2 is a decent device (particularly the navigation) with very regular updates implementing improvements…

530 on the bars for MTB and gravel

1040 on the bars for road

Instinct crossover solar or Apple Watch 7 on my wrist whenever not in bed or shower.

and there is a new Epix Pro just about to be released – circa £1100

Pfffft. A mere toy. You want the Garmin Marq 2 Pilot. A cinch at only £2099.

I've been wearing a Fenix 5 since they came out and it's bloody brilliant. Still getting a good 18-19 days out of the battery when not using the GPS and when using GPS I run out of steam well before it does: I reckon it would still easily manage 15+ hours non stop tracking.

My wife has a 6S and a guy at work has the new Epix with the amoled screen, neither of them are a big enough upgrade to make me want to take the leap. Can be had from Garmin website refurbished for half the price of the new Fenix.

I like my Edge Explore 2, but I've just noticed that CRC have 42% of the 1030 Plus (making it just £50 more). It's an old model superseded by the 1040 but I'd imagine it's pretty decent all the same.

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/p/garmin-edge-1030-plus-gps-cycle-computer

I like the 800 series with OS maps – nice size

I didn't like OS maps on an old Garmin Explore (some years back) - the colours/contrast just didn't work in sunlight. Found the OSM (openstreetmap) based maps worked much better.

but it’s a massive compromise

In what way would you say? I've both; a 520 and a Fenix 5plus, and the Fenix is way more capable and useful. the screen is a bit smaller fo'shure but if all you want is to follow a line, it's perfectly acceptable, I do all my Navigation on it - very very occasionally I need to double check on a proper map, but as you get used to it's directions, I do that less and less. Battery life is fine, and it's convenient in so much as I don't need another "thing" to be a bike computer/fitness monitor/recording device. Plus I can also download a podcast or a Spotify playlist to it, and take nothing else and it's fine for all day if I need it. - it'll easily do 8 hours of bike use a day while listening to tunes.

Hamerhead Karoo2 is a decent device

I'd say it's the very best for clarity and ease of use, it's easily streets ahead of anything else I've ever used in that functionality. Downsides, It relies on Strava (or equivalent) to parse out the detail, I can see why they haven't spent money on developing their own platform to download information to (their own site will just give you ave. speed and time and a map of your route IIRC) If you don't want to use Strava...Tough shit. And like every other bar mounted computer, all it can ever be is a bar mounted bike computer.

Sorely tempted by the new epix gem 2 pro 51mm, it’s what I’ve been after from garmin for quite a while now, but at £999 it’s a very expensive unnecessary upgrade, when my Fenix 6x solar works perfectly.

I use a Fenix 6x solar pretty much all the time and a garmin edge 1030 plus for the road / gravel bikes.

£2k for the marq is absolutely bonkers

I have a 520, it was given to me by my roadie friend as the ageing battery limits is use (for him). I don't use it for navigation so can't comment, I only use it to record rides. The memory is quite small so limits what you can put on it in terms of maps. I believe the 520plus has the ability to take a SD card. 530 I have read has bigger memory capabilities. All three have similar screen sizes (quite small)

In the past I used my phone for navigation using the now discontinued Viewranger app, in one of those clear crossbar tank bags. My near sight is not that good to follow a moving map, I just used it to get to trail head where I'm not blasting down some trial and not looking where I'm going.

I have a 530, does everything need to on road and MTB. The jump 'beep' is fun. Also have an Instinct Solar which is great too. One thing to mention about Garmin, is how awesome their customer service is. My mate came off his bike and smashed his 530 as it was on a road mount. Garmin have offered to replace it for £116. Which, even with the current discounts available due to the 540 being launched, is above and beyond what you would expect.

I'd get another 530 tomorrow. I did a 6.5hr 46m ride the other day with navigation on, and despite it being years old and well used, it still had 65% power left.

Their own site will just give you ave. speed and time and a map of your route IIRC)

The HammerHead site gives a massive amount of detail about rides, it details exactly what you did for each climb for example or if you set laps it does for them too. Maybe you last looked at it a while ago. One of their massive plus’s points is the number of updates they do. Every couple of weeks they release upgrades and fixes.

 Maybe you last looked at it a while ago.

Yeah, it was a couple of years ago. They didn't give you anything like that amount of data. Glad they sorted it because it was pretty bad considering the amount of money they're asking for the unit

Daughter has managed to damage or have packed in a few Garmin watches and computers over the years and they have always been helpful with either new replacements or heavily discounted ones.
They even upgraded my Garmin Camper to a new model when it was playing up.
She's out in NZ at the moment and her Edge130 isn't keeping it's charge, its 5 years old.
Spoke to Garmin Europe an Tuesday who put us in touch with Garmin Australia who have offered her a new upgrade with a Garmin plus and a heart rate monitor for just under £80.
Can't fault their service.

The scratches are your story. Allowing a super flash watch to gain some scratches tells a better story - it’s getting used for what it was designed for.

Anyway, I’ve never found the navigational features of the Fenix 6 to be particularly reliable, I think that the way you plan your routes is really important, it seems to miss indistinct junctions, and you can easily overshoot a junction. More often than not it’s telling me I’m off-course, as opposed to telling me that I should make a turn. I’m sure if I made the junctions ‘harder’ when plotting my routes it would work better.

A big plus for the Karoo2 is the navigation and speed that it re-routes. A couple of the display designs could do with a rethink (pop ups staying on too long and covering other info) but I’ve no doubt they’ll address them.

Allowing a super flash watch to gain some scratches tells a better story – it’s getting used for what it was designed for.

Trust me, I keep testing out the scratch resistance of the glass, in errr, controlled experiments that I totally planned, and have nothing whatsoever to do with incompetence. My Fenix 5 is 5 years old new, and regardless of wearing it every day and being, frankly a clumsy oaf, the glass polishes up like new, the case has some nicks and scars and the base metal is starting to show through the anodising, and I'm on my 3rd strap (I think) , but that glass is absolutely worth the extra.

True, the glass on my Fenix 6 is fine, the outer case has a few nicks and the first time it happens it jars a bit, but you learn to love them!

You can get all sorts of aftermarket bezel and screen protectors.

The Garmin straps are a bit disappointing mind, the genuine ones are nearly £50 and I've found that the rubber begins to split at the hole that is most frequently used. I've found that the cheaper non-Garmin ones always seem to have a pointy bit of metal in the wrong place. I'm going to try one of the elasticated velcro ones next.

There's also a real inconsistency about what works well and doesn't across the phone platforms they operate with, I find that the device syncs much better with certain iOS apps like OS Maps - I can send routes directly to my device whereas with Android theres a really convoluted process of emailing them etc. whereas the weatehr information on Android is much more reliable, and I can tailor app notifications much better in Android than I can iOS, though i suspect that that's because its not an apple watch, where as its part of the 'eco system' you can tailor it to your liking more.

Jumping in on this thread since I lost my Vivoactive 4 the other day. I used that as my daily watch and for MTB and runs using Spotify too.

I'd like to maintain the above features but also allow for following a route. I've only ever used the OS app on my phone so I'm not familiar with following a watch. Is it a worthwhile feature considering it doubles the cost? How do you get routes and maps onto it in the first place (I've got trailforks and OS)? Anything else to look out for?

Pieface

I’m going to try one of the elasticated velcro ones next.

Any recommendations? Would like the same....

I recently got two off Amazon (Songsier) if you have slim wrists check the size as I’m at the very smallest size. They fit well, a little more fiddly taking on and off (probably more so if you have big hands or wrists) but stretchier elastic may make this less of a problem. Main gripe is that they stay wet for a while, if I wear my watch during a shower I’ll get wet patches on my clothes until it’s fully dry, whereas the silicone strap is dry after a wipe with a towel.

The silicone strap needs to be stretchy to get a good fit, but means that the strap splits (not yet entirely) near the holes you use the most.

Overall the elastic strap fits better, but day to day practicality the silicone is better.

I have a Fenix 5s watch and an edge 810 for the bike as it’s easier to load/view maps and with the hr strap & cadence/speed sensors is a lot more accurate at tracking bike activities.

Good prices on Sport Pursuit at the moment, albeit with 1 month lead time.

A month in with the 530 and I'm liking it a lot.

As a basic info and 'record my rides' unit (also basic e bike data) the 130 is a great device - very readable screen, super compact. BUT, and a big but, the battery life isn't good enough and once it starts dropping off over time it's unusable. I got that in 2 years with mine and with the replacement.

The Karoo is a fantastic device in many ways but I never loved it. The potential for third party apps and integrations never really seemed to happen. It's finally got some e-bike support now but only Ant+ (so no good for the Shimano motor on my Orbea Rise where I want it). It's almost certainly the best for navigation, the 'climb graphs' are brilliant for road riding (especially as they "just work" without a route loaded) the screen is great but it's big and the battery life has the same issues as the Garmin 130 - in real life use you're not going to get an 'all day' ride out of it.

530 battery life does seem up towards 20 hours in real world use. The mapping is decent. e bike support is excellent (with a Shimano Steps screen or individual fields). I'm liking the Trailforks integration - can see that being super useful exploring in France next year and the 'mtb stats' stuff is fun. The profiles are easy to change (I have road/emtb/mtb and it auto loads to Strava with the correct ride type).

Also, looking at Garmin Connect I reckon it's probably better than Strava now in many ways though bizarrely it has no equivalent of 'segments'- which of course is the whole point of Strava. I wonder if they've got some kind of patent on that?