Not interested in the performance features (cadences heart rate, calories and all that gumf) – just want the best SatNav turn-by-turn GPS unit…

You can still connect an hrm and it shows calories, but no cadence.
It does have a feature where it’ll select three routes based on location and distance. I’ve never used that nor the turn by turn screen.

I just got one from Halfords as there on offer at the min. I was after the same thing just GPS and think it’s spot on.
Few setting changes from ridewithgps set it up nicely –

Navigation specific settings for your Edge Touring.

Click the Wrench Icon on the main menu of the unit.
Select Routing Options
Change Routing Mode to Cycling
Change Calculation Method to Minimize Distance
Ensure Lock On Road is set to Off
Enter Avoidance Setup and disable all (keeps the unit from changing your pre-planned route based on its own map data)
Change Recalculation to either Prompted or Off (Important!!! If you lose GPS signal or go slightly off course, recalculation will usually short cut you to the end of your route. You almost never want it, so we set it to Prompted).
Course Turn Guidance must be OFF. This feature only works when the device recalculates the route, which you don’t want if you are using a TCX route.
Off Course Warnings is Enabled. Venture too far away from the route and the device will let you know.

Also you can’t connect HRM unless you buy the plus model.

I’ve been using mine for a couple of weeks now (to replace an Etrex20 and and Edge 50). Navigation features seem identical to the 800/810. Apart from all the usual caveats about Garmins and their quirks it’s a bargain compared to the other models.

Thx guys…

These come with Western Europe maps – is there a cheap/no cost method of also downloading USA onto them as I’ll be visiting Boston/Massachusetts later this year?

http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2013/05/download-garmin-705800810.html

Though is there any way to get Garmin’s own customised version of the OSM maps? I tried the maps that came with my Edge Touring on my Etrex and, although there was a ‘can’t unlock mapping’ warning it seemed to work fine.