Viewing 13 posts - 1 through 13 (of 13 total)
  • Trailforks on newer Garmins – worth upgrading for?
  • clubby
    Full Member

    Have an older but perfectly good Garmin with OS map card which is great for mapping but also use Trailforks and find myself constantly pulling phone out to check where trails start. I know the newer Garmin models can overlay Trailforks data onto the map screen. Would be handy for the majority of times I use the gps. Is it any good though?
    I’d also lose my ability to use OS map card unless I went for the top of the line model with the SD slot. Even then I’m not sure you can set up to use more than one map type and if using the Trailforks map I may lose the OS anyway.
    How good is Garmin’s standard mapping these days.
    Any big day out I’d usually have a paper map anyway. My recent ones came with a digital code so also have copies in the OS map app on my phone for emergencies.

    jimdubleyou
    Full Member

    How good is Garmin’s standard mapping these days.

    The Topo Active maps are pretty good. I still have an OS-maps subscription for my phone for a backup though.

    Not used the Trailforks app much on 520 Plus, but it worked the one time I wanted to find the top of an unfamiliar trail in the Surrey Hills.

    joebristol
    Full Member

    I’ve got a 530 and don’t rate the Trailforks functionality – it’s just too clunky to use with buttons. Maybe it works better on the 830 with the touchscreen.

    Last time I tried to use it I ended up using my iPhone instead as it was less annoying!

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    bri-72
    Full Member

    Any more info on which garmins Trailforks works with? And How does it work is it running Trailforks own map or simply showing trail routes as breadcrumbs as it were.
    Got a 130 edge but would look into upgrade if Trailforks worked well.

    frogstomp
    Full Member

    The Trailforks app overlays trails on whatever map you are using – similar to Strava.

    Alternatively, if you are a Trailforks paid subscriber you can download a version of the OSM base map which has been tailored for showing the trails.

    roverpig
    Full Member

    I’ve used Trailforks a bit on my 530. Don’t really find the buttons an issue but then I only really use it in two ways:

    The trails are always shown on the map and you can see the name of trails when you stop at junctions

    I can create a route in Trailforks then transfer it to the Garmin, but then it is just a course like any other that I can follow.

    I’m not trying to get detailed information about the trails or pan about the map much, which may be why I don’t find the buttons an issue.

    bri-72
    Full Member

    So is that your garmin running Trailforks as an app or a Trailforks basemap (if so how?)

    Or are you just creating a route in TF then importing into garmin?

    The former I’d find useful. Even better if somehow OS maps and TF could integrate.

    markgraylish
    Free Member

    Does the Edge 130 support Connect IQ apps? If so, have a look at the Garmin app store to see whether the Trailforks app is available/compatible with your device. I installed it on my old 520 years ago…

    I’ve now got a 530 which includes TF as standard but I’m in Canada (with shit maps) so I can’t comment about how it impacts OS basemaps…

    roverpig
    Full Member

    Yes, the newer Garmins (or at least my 530) have all the trails from Trailforks shown on the base map. Colour coded although the colours aren’t very bright. When you are on a trail it tells you that at the top of the navigation screen. The same way it does when you are on a road. If you stop at a junction of two trails you can see the names too.

    clubby
    Full Member

    Thanks guys, sounds like it would do just what I want it to. Only question now, is the touchscreen version worth the extra over the 530?

    roverpig
    Full Member

    I view buttons vs touch screen as more of a personal preference (depending on how and where you ride) rather than a case of one being better (even if one is more expensive). Personally I ride all year round on (mucky) Scottish weather. It’s often wet and I could be wearing thick gloves. So buttons suit me better. I also tend to load a course and follow it and rarely re-route during a ride. But there is no doubt that it’s much easier to pan around a map, for example, on a touch screen.

    chakaping
    Free Member

    Are you sure you’d be happy with the resolution and screen size offered on a Garmin?

    I know I’d struggle, whereas I find TF very usable on my phone – even without my specs.

    clubby
    Full Member

    Never had an issue following a loaded course on my current Garmin. Route planning I’d be doing on desktop or iPad anyway.
    Last ride I was in a familiar area but with new trails. One stretch of road had multiple cut ins, had to stop and pull out phone 3-4 times until I was at correct start point.
    Ben nice to have right on bars on a relatively compact device.

Viewing 13 posts - 1 through 13 (of 13 total)

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