GPS tech (Garmin, Hammerhead, Wahoo, RWGPS, etc)

What's the best bike computer for navigation on a budget?
Not interested in power meters or advanced ride analysis but would be nice to see where I'm going without relying on a phone.

You could probably pick up a second 500/800 for around £50 on eBay. You can plot routes on ridewithgps that you then upload to the garmin. Similarly you can use the maps loaded on to the garmin to navigate to any destination or postcode and set the options ie on/off road etc. You can also route/reroute whilst riding

Brilliant, Cheers!

https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/371302/#comment16326750 This is in the classifieds FYI

Yeaah just found this!

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2022/01/sram-acquires-hammerhead-maker-of-karoo-bike-computers.html

Soon you'll get to shout "Fucking Karoo".

Garmin 1030 question. I'm trying to get back into using this thing.

I find it hard to see my course on the maps. The magenta line isn't as distinct as the bright pink one on earlier Garmins.

What is the best colour to change or to for visibility and how would I go about doing it?

I prefer black but everyone to their own

you can change it in the track properties
so menu, courses, select course, select tool icon, select display, choose colour

Not me but apparently an easy 4.5k gained by putting your Garmin in the washing machine...

https://twitter.com/kydawson63/status/1484436383628410880?t=CdRdPgT8C7e3-XJ_lTaG9g&s=19

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Thanks, I'll see how I get on with that today.
Looks like it is a setting for a specific route rather than a universal one.

Yeah, that only works if you're not doing TBT navigation and just following a static track on the map. I do this sometimes to save battery or if the route is fucked. But you have to watch more carefully so as not to miss a turn.

OK, I tried it yesterday on the Willy Warmer and it didn't work, the line stayed the same dull magenta colour that it always is.
I did get arrows coming up, which I hadn't had before, and which helped to make the track a bit more visible. Assume that meant I had switched on TBT.
To be honest, though, I find the screen really poor either way. It's just about OK in daylight but in the dark it looks really bleached and virtually monochrome. I missed a couple of turns because of it. More than that though, I find the pale colouring makes it a bit depressing to look at at night.
I'm only trying using it again for the power consumption vs a phone app (and better performance in rain) but I think I might give up on it and just carry a bit more battery capacity.

To get the higher battery life they really messed up the screen. I've got used to mine but it's redraw rate and generally colour is worse than the 1000. I've just swapped my broken 1000 for a 1030 Plus though because I'm a masochist.

It's just about OK in daylight but in the dark it looks really bleached and virtually monochrome.

I flogged my 1030 to Hippy for this exact reason. It's much discussed amongst users but dissenters are usually shouted down by the "but it's amazing in sunlight and the battery life is awesome" crowd (which is true, it is very good in those specific scenarios - but that doesn't alter the fact that it's shitty in the dark).

You might want to have a look at the 530/830 as it seems Garmin did relent slightly on the display for those (and the battery life is still excellent). They still aren't as good in the dark as the 800/1000 were though..

It will be interesting to see if Garmin continue to pursue the battery life angle, at the expense of the display clarity, on their next models - particularly given the increasingly positive reviews that the Karoo is getting (mainly due to its display)..

I'm reassured to hear it's not just me who has an issue with the screen. I was beginning to think there might be a fault with mine!

I'm surprised that garmin is dying on the hill of battery life as it must be a tiny percentage of people who need >10 hours. In principle I'm pleased that they are focusing on it, but not in this way.

I expect I find it worse than most people as I've spent the last 18 months using a phone. That has its limitations, in very bright sunlight or heavy rain, but all round its so much more pleasant. I would have left the garmin in its drawer if I wasn't planning to do the TCR this year. The garmin does do a couple of things that phone apps don't but none of them are deal breakers.

I had a look at Karoo but the dc rainmaker review made it sound a bit flaky so not sure. So I moved on to looking at the stages one, but it takes ages to work out what they are like.

I did get a 530 to try when I got the 1030 and the screen was better, but it didn't work well with the buttons so I sent it back and kept 1030. 830 is probably the best option but I don't think I'd get another garmin, though.

What I will probably do is use a phone app as my primary navigation and have the garmin there to switch on as backup when it rains hard, phone battery runs low or when I want to do stuff on my phone. I can mount two devices on my ultra racing bike so that's not a problem. And phone + power bank on winter bike. I don't think I can stand that ghostly glare for riding in the dark again!

I'm liking the sound of stages dash, from DC Rainmaker and a couple of other reviews. Might get one..
Anyone else used one?

I've typically carried 3 devices - phone, Garmin Edge and Garmin etrex. If you just want to follow a trail have you tried using an etrex?

I want data fields too. I don't think etrex does power, does it?

But it would work as a backup map with phone as the main navigation.

No it doesn't.

Weurd you didn't like 530. I find it ideal, simple and works.

Having owned a 530 (horrible to use with the buttons) a 1030 (too big and slow) and a 830 (perfect) there's only really one Garmin to get at the moment. The 830 is such a good little device, I've not had any issues with it at all.

I'd probably have got the hang of it if I'd stuck with it, but it felt like a device designed for use with a touch screen that didn't have one. I was used to how the 705 worked, which obviously was designed to work without a touchscreen and the 530 seemed more of a workaround to get it to work with buttons.

If I got a Garmin it sounds like the 830 would be the one, but I think I'm about to order a Stages Dash L50 - unless I find out anything horrible about it in the next couple of days. Bright colour screen and really long battery life and no touchscreen, plus four data fields on the map screen - it sounds great.

Stages ordered - I'll report back on what it's like.

That's why I wrote "if you just want to follow a trail". I think it can do HR but I've never tried. You can customise 'navigation' fields and show compass and lots of other 'nav' stuff.

Not much wahoo chat going on. I lost my Garmin 530 a couple of weeks ago and am just about getting by with an ancient Garmin, don't even know the model name.

I've always used Garmin but I'm thinking about jumping ship to wahoo. It's mainly down to the poor touchscreen in the wet and the crap software/firmware plus a load of features I don't use or even know how to use.

Also what's the deal with the hill/gradient feature, it'll list the hills on a ride but then not even register the hardest little fucker as a hill, like it's just a bump in the road.

I think I've pretty much decided on a Bolt v2. I'll be using it mainly for navigation but didn't fancy the Roam for the size and screen clarity. Can't believe there isn't anything better on the market really.

Can't believe there isn't anything better on the market really

you won't need to look further than the bolt v2 :-)