Which GPS

What do people recommend for a mtb GPS – preferably one that comes with maps included

I like my Edge 530 and find the mapping itself really good but if you actually want to look around the map the interface is truly, genuinely awful. Make sure you get something that has a thought through button layout, joystick or a touch screen if you want to get decent map use.

If I was buying tomorrow i think it would be an Edge Explore 2 or 830/40 depending on what exactly I was looking for.

If you want a cheap dead end unsupported option,  and either

– just want a rolling OS50 or OS25 with basic details recording (*no connectivity)

– or if you want to download/upload routes AND are a windows pc user (poss mac as well)

then if you can find a Satmap 10 or 12 that is fully working ( and all buttons, flaps, esp joystick etc intact)  and has the correct map card and a bike mount (might manage it for £50 see arsebook and eBay),

the good news is you can get new batteries but the company is gone so no spares, support etc etc. (But mine is over 10 years old, crashed, abused, but still the best one I have)

I use a Garmin Edge Explore (now superceeded by the Explore 2) on the mtb

Great for mapping and recording rides, lots of useful features taken from the flagship model but without all the training stuff

For all the bells and whistles ive got the Garmin 1040 for the road bike but at nearly £500 id never use it on the mtb for fear of crashing and damaging it

Explore

https://www.hdewcameras.co.uk/garmin-edge-explore-20466-p.asp

Explore 2

https://www.garmin.com/en-GB/p/802162/pn/010-02703-10

If your feeling flush 1040

https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Garmin-Edge-1040-GPS-Bike-Computer_246680.htm

If feeling very flush then the 1050 is pre order for £700

https://www.tredz.co.uk/.Garmin-Edge-1050-Cycle-Computer_270027.htm

Whatever GPS you decide you want go check out what DC Rainmaker has to say about it

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/product-reviews

I am a longtime garmin 830 user. I can’t reccomend it as it’s screen is useless in the rain. To solve this problem I have just bought a garmin remote (not tested in rain yet). I’d avoid the 1030 for the same reason.

According to dcrainmaker the 840 solves this.

Can’t speak for other brands but for garmin I’d say 530, 830, 540, 840, 1040.

Battery life. The 830 will do about 20 hours.

I’ve recently bought the Garmin Edge Explore 2 and I’m very happy with it so far.

it does all the stuff I need and it was ‘only’ £220’ish.

The screen is large enough and the touchscreen seems to work when wet. I also love the Bluetooth synchronisation.

I recently replaced my ageing Garmin 520+ with an 840 using the member’s discount and I’m very happy with it. Maps and screen are a huge improvement over the old unit.

Another Garmin Explore user here. My wife was using the 810 it replaced and that’s finally died so I bought another Explore for her. Have a look on Amazon as they occasionally have Garmin “renewed” units.

These come in a less fancy garmin box and are indistinguishable from brand new. I’m assuming they are ones that were returned because people had changed their minds and the fancy boxes were too scruffy.

The standard included maps are OK but if you go to https://www.openfietsmap.nl/ you can download more detailed OSM maps which are nearly as good as OS.

I had an edge 510 for a while till it fell apart a bit later I got an edge explore while they were going cheap and got rid of it after a year and a half or so, as the battery life issue was just a deal killer for me (I wasn’t super into the touchscreen either) the device was good, especially the maps and navigation, but it’s not really much use for “exploring”.

I Picked up a lezyne super pro last year and despite it being dinky and black and white it’s ability to do maps and routes, rerouting, etc (pushed from your phone) is actually very good, battery far exceeds Garmin performance (mainly due to that small B&W screen IMO).

But I have to admit I missed the whole Garmin ‘ecosystem‘ so on a whim I’ve picked up a couple of cheap, broken edge 520 to play with and have cobbled together a working one. Despite having limited memory and needing you monkey about with the base maps,  and use pre-plotted routes rather than allow routing on the fly, it’s sort of refreshingly “basic”.

I can see me being happy with a 530 (although a mate that got one a year or so ago has said the battery is disappointing) or when the 540 drops to my sort of skinflint pricing level picking one up. I also reckon I’ll be turning lots of features off cos I just don’t want/use them.

If in doubt, and if you need mapping edge 540 I reckon (today), it’s about the ‘standard‘ for a mid-price point GPS device with mapping, Garmin bike computers are historically dog-shit on battery life, but apparently that is improved with the 540/840/1040, and they’re ubiquitous for cycling, so I reckon the 540 is a reasonable starting point.

If your Edge Explore isn’t lasting as long as expected, you can re-calibrate the battery: https://forums.garmin.com/sports-fitness/sports-fitness/f/edge-explore/265182/edge-explore-battery-meter-calibration

Thanks everyone, some really helpful advice

If your Edge Explore isn’t lasting as long as expected, you can re-calibrate the battery:

Yeah did that several times, minimal improvements, it was a well priced, good device with one huge deficiency, I’m still tempted to try an explore 2 for the mapping, but I’m generally unconvinced by Garmin’s battery claims (slightly improved for the explore 2).

I had a garmin 530 and it was alright. Just died after 4 years of fairly regular use commuting and mountain biking.

If you uploaded a road route it was awesome to follow with the directions and map.

Off-road is a bit more hit and miss as it’s not as clear as roads – but still does a job.

Trailforks integration is crap due to the poor way of moving around the screen with buttons. A little joypad or joystick would make it far far better.

Just replaced it with a Garmin 830 – used it for 2 commutes and so far the touchscreen has worked on the rain and wearing gloves. Will see how that goes over time.

I do wonder if my 830 screen response is worse because I have a screen protector on it

I have a Garmin Edge Explore that I’ve used probably 2-3 times. Surplus to requirements as I now use my Fenix watch. Has maps built in.

Can’t remember what I paid for it, but some sort of PSA from Halfords a while back. If you want it I’m open to offers, or a donation to mountain rescue. Feel free to PM me.

no one going to mention wahoo?

after trying several garmin units in the past am now a roam v2 user here

is simple, has maps, routing, recording, pretty much an idiot proof unit that does everything I want and none of the things I dont

using / setting up of the unit done via the phone app for ease, worth a look IMO

Well this thread has now caused me a mini conundrum, I just thought I’d have a little browse and I’ve now got an Explore 2 and a 540 in my Amazon basket, both are available on 5×0% payments:

Explore 2 = £246/£49.26pcm

540 = £329/65.82pcm

*(edge 530 is also showing the same 5×0% for £208/£41pcm, but shows out of stock till at least August)

I can justify buying one but probably not both, so which do I want?

3″ touch screen Vs 2.4″, Buttons and better battery life but for £15 a month more?

The Reviews seem to suggest both are about on par Nav wise, and the only other feature that might be a differentiator for me is ‘Climb Pro’ which both apparently have now too.

I’m drifting towards the Explore 2 now, I was disappointed by the Explore V1’s battery, but the larger screen and Navigation was also good on the V1, if the reality of that claimed 16hrs is even up to the V1’s supposed claim of ~12hrs, maybe even ~10hrs (with navigation) I think I’d be Ok with it (or am I just kidding myself here?). But then the 540 claims 26hrs of “Intensive” use battery, it’s also 30% more spend, and I already have a 520 and the super-pro as back-ups if I need them so does battery life really matter?

Yep I’ve got decision paralysis…

Anyone had/got both the Explore 2 and 540? Which would you choose in my shoes?

I don’t have a 540, but I do have an 840, which is pretty much identical apart from the touchscreen. The reviews suggested that the current UI really didn’t work with buttons and only really made sense with the touchscreen, and I’d agree, I’d hate to have to use just the buttons.

@onewheelgood I had seen that mentioned in the reviews but TBH I’m not sure I can stretch the extra £100 odd for what is essentially the same device. Plus the V1 explore did at least teach me I’m not actually a big fan of getting all touchy swipey with a device (perhaps that was a product of the old UI), if I can move between data screens with simple button presses while riding I’m good, most other things I would tend to stop to do.

I do think I’m now swaying more towards the 540. Last time I owned an “Explore” line device i was a let down. it seems great on paper, but I just don’t trust their battery claims, it came out about a year before the 540/840 and part of me wonders if the Explore 2 was a bit of a stepping stone device, pitched as a “cut down 1040” when it’s really more of a fluffed up 830…

I have put the Explore 2 in the ‘save for later’ list…

I’m getting closer to making a choice, Sigh…

I really can’t emphasise how bad the map controls are on the 530 and I’m assuming the 540 is the same. If you only want to follow a breadcrumb and never think you might want to pan a bit left or right or zoom in and out then it’s fine and most of he time when I use it like that I’m perfectly happy with it. When I actually want to use it to navigate I go from ‘this is fine’ to having to resist throwing it into the nearest tree in under 2 minutes. Fortunately that frustration passes by the time I get home or I’d probably have bought a replacement I don’t really need by now.

I had a 510 before and the touchscreen was fine so I don’t understand why they couldn’t have left it on the 530.

I really can’t emphasise how bad the map controls are on the 530 and I’m assuming the 540 is the same. If you only want to follow a breadcrumb and never think you might want to pan a bit left or right or zoom in and out then it’s fine and most of he time when I use it like that I’m perfectly happy with it. When I actually want to use it to navigate I go from ‘this is fine’ to having to resist throwing it into the nearest tree in under 2 minutes. Fortunately that frustration passes by the time I get home or I’d probably have bought a replacement I don’t really need by now.

But isn’t the point to do your route planning and tweaks on your phone or computer, save that to connect and push it to the device as a course? You can plot routes on the device, but obviously that’s going to be a tortuous way to do it, especially when you have a much better tool in your pocket (that’s basically what I already do on my current devices it’s just the maps are a bit crappy on them).

Anyway the 540 has been ordered, we shall see if I end up in button pressing hell, wishing I’d opted for the cheaper big screen experience or happy with a bit more battery life and not missing all that swipe and podge action.

johnnystormFull Member
If your Edge Explore isn’t lasting as long as expected, you can re-calibrate the battery: https://forums.garmin.com/sports-fitness/sports-fitness/f/edge-explore/265182/edge-explore-battery-meter-calibration

This is actually a major bug with the original explore.

I had 4 units and they all behaved exactly the same way, the out of the box battery calibration under reports the battery life by a good few hours.

As mentioned in that thread, out of the box battery life is rubbish but if you keep running past 0%, you will get another 5-6 hours. However, once you do this, the battery indicator is never correct afterwards – rebooting the device will give a different value on the battery indicator each time (this is the actual bug). I think Garmin knew about this bug and just masked it by fixing a much lower battery indicator value (about 6 hours).

I worked with Garmin support on this issue – providing logs and a video of the battery indicator behaviour after rebooting. Garmin just replaced the device each time, after the 4th unit did the same they replaced it for an edge 830.

can see me being happy with a 530 (although a mate that got one a year or so ago has said the battery is disappointing)

in what way disappointing? Agree on comments above about panning map (I use my phone if I want to see where I am) but the 530 is the first garmin  I’ve had that has a big enough battery. The claim is 20 hours – that might be a stretch but its definitely longer than I’m ever going to be riding in one session.

 like my Edge 530 and find the mapping itself really good but if you actually want to look around the map the interface is truly, genuinely awful.

Well, that’s Garmin’s user inferface for you… but to be fair, most handheld devices are similarly compromised. It’s like watching a football match through a small telescope, you’re never going to get a really good wider take on what’s going on beyond your immediate field of vision.

For pure mapping, as someone above has already said, the SatMap Explorer units are very good. The latest one, Active 20 was excellent, but very heavy and bulky and quirky when it comes to connectivity. If you can find one cheap with OS mapping, it’ll do some of what you want.

I once spent a day with Edale MRT. They used a case-protected iPad with GPS and. a mapping app, which is about the nearest you’ll get to a wider mapping viewing experience, but obviously utterly impractical on a bike or for most walkers for that matter.

I thing you’re maybe better off accepting that handheld devices have inherent limitations and simply choose one that works best for everything else.

in what way disappointing?

I think he thought 20hrs was the minimum he could ever get, whatever he did so he probably had every feature and dodad turned on and up to 11.

I do remember It ‘died‘ on him during a weekend away riding towards the end of a second full day of riding (maybe 14-16 hours of use then?).  But he’d not bothered to charge it after day 1 assuming it was still good for another 12+ hours or so. After that I think he probably took onboard some suggestions about turning down screen brightness and letting our other mate (the one with a 1030+) do most of the navigation TBF he’s not mentioned it since but has said he’s thinking about a newer Garmin (having only had that 530 for about a year)…

A lot of the more recent reviews for 540/840/1040 mentioned that Garmin have adjusted the way they describe battery life. Including a description of the type or intensity of use. Apparently it’s attributed to some negative reviews on the 130(?). Either way even if Garmin are going to be more “honest” about run times, I’m still going for the longer lasting device, battery life always creeps down over time for all of their products, that’s kind of the nature of batteries TBF.

Off out for a ride now with a mate taking the old 520, might be it’s last trip for a while.

The 130 battery life was poor – claimed 15 hours.  I think realistically it maxed out at about 10 if you were actually using it (even if was just linked to your phone).

The 530 20 I think is probably pretty realistic for the same sort of use but it has some features that will eat battery more quickly (https://www.reddit.com/r/Garmin/comments/q5b7eb/garmin_edge_530_battery_life/). It does sound like that’s got better again for the 540

I have an 830 for MTB and gravel, no issues with screen, and a 1040 for road bikes. Both work perfectly for me.

Well I’ve just done the setup bit, played about and Charged up the 540 for the first time, it reckons at 99% charge with the screen set to 10% brightness (off after 30secs) that it’s got ~46hrs runtime, 49 if I enable some extra power saver options.

Dunno if I trust those estimates, When I eventually get  out for a ride with it I’ll find out for sure, but it’s at least encouraging.

The button presses are is a bit much, but you can actually do most of the setup and option browsing via connect and I like to keep the profiles reasonably simple with just one (tailored) data screen, the map and I’ve decided to enable Climb pro to try in pop-up mode. So during a ride I shouldn’t be doing much more than single presses to switch screens. If I want to navigate I’ll be pushing a route (pre-defined or generated) from my phone.

I’m pretty pleased so far (early days I know).

I’ve had an 2x 800, 1000, 200, 830, and 530. Garmins aren’t that reliable if you ride in all weather. 3 of these broke due to water ingress (2x 800 and 1000). Currently have a 530 and an 830 (I bought the 530 waiting for a warranty on the 1000 as I was going on holiday).

Anyway, of the 530 and the 830 I prefer the 530. I don’t tend to mess around much while riding. I plot a route at home and then go follow it. If I do go explore it is just following my nose and the clunky map scrolling is fine to find my way back to the planned route. Most of my mtb is either big long moorland rides where I don’t tend to go off plan or small areas like Thrunton and trail centres where you can probably just figure it out without a map anyway. I do like the 830 but it does not cope well with wet and muddy conditions as the touch screen becomes overwhelmed and I get through screen protectors – so it tends to mainly be used on the road. If I only had one it would be the 530 as I would prefer clunky buttons to non functioning touch screen. If I really wanted to look at a map I’d pull out my phone (strava/fatmap or I won a copy of OSM+ which I like).

Both give good battery life. Fine for long day rides with things connected – never got below 50% on 8hour rides with power meters, hrm, phones etc.  That is less of an issue these days and probably only a concern for epics and multi day rides.

Never been that convinced by the mapping on Wahoo. The Hammerhead one always looked interesting but a bit beta, maybe it has been refined. Saw that Coros have a device out specifically for bikes. I got given a watch as a present and really like that for simple recording.

I’m in a similar position although want a new GPS mainly for road use.

Not wanting to spend a fortune. Don’t use mapping a lot although can be useful when away in trips with the bike.

Edge 530 would probably have been perfect but not many left around now at decent priced. Don’t really want a reconditioned one.

Choice seems to be narrowing down to Edge Explore 2 or Wahoo Element Bolt v2. The Wahoo looks good but I’m a long term Garmin user so a little reluctant to make the leap. Plus I’d need somenew mounts or adapters as I’ve got several bikes.

Any words of wisdom?

Any words of wisdom?

Not really, I am glad I went with the 540 just because it’s the most recent device I had as an option and has the longer battery life (basically my main motivation in the end).  Waaay more functions than I’m ever likely to use.

I essentially paid an extra £100 over what an Explore 2 or 530 would have been, and odds on the 540 will be available for that sort of price in another 18-24 months, but I’m choosing to view it as having something that does everything I want today, rather than playing the deferred gratification game like I normally do.

Been out with the 540 a couple of times now and using buttons is fine. Yes the UI is clearly designed for touch (and from what I understand is the same as you’d get on an Explore 2 or 840) but it works well for me when when actually riding.

Explore 2 is probably a slightly better user experience than the 530 or 540 with the bigger touch screen, if longer battery really doesn’t worry you and you’re more comfortable with Garmins I’d probably pop for it, I did come close myself.

I’ve taken a punt on the Element Bolt v2 in the end. £200 on Amazon was too good to ignore. If I’m not keen on the move away from Garmin I can always sell it on in due course once the 540 prices come down a bit.

That looks like a pretty good deal actually.