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

Are bike computers for navigation worth it?

Yes. They're more rugged than phones and batteries tend to last longer.

No. They can be almost as expensive as phones and if you're not doing long rides or rides in shit conditions, why not just use your smartphone?

I got an edge 800 last year as my edge 200 battery died. The mapping is nice to have and I prefer it to having a phone on my handle bars (just my choice). I got it second hand for £60 which might be a better choice than going for a new 840?

Picked up an Edge Explore secondhand recently, it was £100 as-new off FB marketplace. The screen and maps are nice, but trying to enter destinations on the device itself is shite. Entering a post code just doesn't work at all, it expects you to type in a full street address. Really doesn't compare to a phone in terms of usability. Maybe newer models are better in this regard but it was kind of shocking how limited it is. Still nice to have a separate device tbh.

I used to be able to send a location from e.g. Google Maps on my phone to my Garmin car satnav. But infuriatingly not to Garmin Edge devices.

i've always had to do routing in a separate device, i.e. phone or at home on a PC, and then send it to the cycle GPS thing.

but accepting that limitation, i much prefer it to having to use phone to navigate when i'm in some place i don't know.

Are bike computers for navigation worth it?

I'd say it's the best bicycle related purchase i've done and i've spent quite a lot on bicycle stuff.
It completely changed the way I ride and I've discovered a lot of new areas i've never been to.

You can sync routes from RWGPS via Garmin on your phone to an Edge unit. I normally use wifi and have my Garmin able to connect to my phone's hotspot and sync, rather than piss about with bluetooth.

Garmin "on device" nav can be pretty shit. Much better to route plan in advance. It's ok for smaller bits and pieces but I've had some shocking routes from Garmin devices (like turning a 100k ride into a 200k ride)

Yes, but we were talking about finding locations on the fly, not syncing routes.

Well you could just route to the location and then you have the location you want. Or make a route around the block of the location.

But if you really just want a point you can maybe use SendPoints or GRouteLoader widgets.

Are bike computers for navigation worth it? ...
If people use phones, what apps do you use and how much do they cane your battery?

I went for about a year thinking that Garmin and Wahoo were the new Polaroid. I used a phone (a cheap ruggedised / waterproof one) for all my riding, including multi-day rides and wet rides.

But, eventually, I had a phone that got killed by a really wet ride in Wales and I had to go back to Garmin.

Answer to both questions depends.
Do you ride a lot in the rain? I've done wet rides with a phone and it's been fine, but it's suboptimal and you have to give the phone a bit more attention.
Phones use more power, but you can carry a powerbank or two and then it isn't a problem.

The apps available are better IMHO than Garmin / Wahoo because the map is much bigger and clearer and they let you have loads of data screens on show.

They are not quite as good in really strong sunlight, and don't leave them in the sun when you are stationary - I had a phone shut down from overheating once.

The apps I used (actually still use) were
BikeComputer (Pro version, costs about £5 one-off) for navigation and route logging.
CycleMeter (costs £10 per year for premium version) for intervals / training. The data screen it gives you is way better than Garmin.

If you don't want to use a power meter, then there are a lot more options.

If you subscribe to RWGPS their app is a good alternative to BikeComputer for the daytime but, for some reason I can't fathom, they don't have a dark screen, so it is crazy bright at night.

OSMAnd is good for on-bike navigation, no power, heart rate, etc. Google maps is ok at a pinch, but it uses data, OSM downloads the maps beforehand.

Leaving your screen on hits your battery; what the apps do other than that doesn't make much difference. Don't have the screen brighter than you need and put it into flight mode. I used to get about 4-5 hours without using a power bank.

PS Quadlocks aren't worth it!
Just get a phone case and a stick on Garmin mount, then you can use phone interchangeably with other devices.

True. I have quadlocks because there weren't stick-on Garmin mounts around at the time.

I do quite like the quadlock retention - it's better than Garmin mounts - maybe more useful for off-road use but it's not necessary on road.

I need to list my quadlocks for sellz..

Yes, actually off-road is another point.

I generally don't leave my good phone mounted on my bars when I go off road. I've never had any issues but I do worry about the vibration trashing either the phone or the mount.

The ruggedised phone that I used for navigation only, (Cubot Kingkong Mini) is pretty small and light, and cheap, so I was happy to leave that on the bars all the time.

Google maps is ok at a pinch, but it uses data, OSM downloads the maps beforehand

Google Maps allows you to download maps for offline use. If I'm going somewhere where I think mobile signal might be poor I download the area as a backup.

RWGPS downloads for offline routing and OSMAnd can download whole countries and has the ability to search for stuff. Much more useful than an offline google map.

Yes, but (as Hippy says) offline google maps is OK but you can't rely on it for large areas as it is too fiddly to download all the bits you'd need.

For bike navigation you really need to have offline maps as you might not always have a data signal and will want to save your battery (and your data allowance). BikeComputer, the one I use, has this, as do RWGPS and OSMAnd. They can all do routing offline, should I need it. Cyclemeter doesn't have offline maps (it uses Google maps), hence I only use it for intervals, not navigation.

too fiddly to download all the bits you'd need

I agree with the routing points and I'm sure there are better apps for different areas but what kind of areas are you covering? I've got offline maps for 'London' (everything between Brighton/Hitchin/Gravesend/Maidenhead), 'Peaks' (Matlock/Sheffield/Huddersfield/Buxton) and 'D&C' (everything left of Lyme Regis). I can imagine it would be a PITA for Transcontinental Race competitors but that isn't most of us.

Before I got a cycling computer I used my phone on a quad lock. Wasn't worried about rain too much as it was waterproof. I did get burn in on the screen from long sunny rides, which affected the value depreciation of the phone. Plus if you get stuck somewhere and your phone dies, you're screwed. Computer just added in extra independent resiliency and is easier to use on bike.

Sure, Google maps may work for some people as long as you remember to download the map beforehand, but why not use an app that is designed for the purpose and does a better job?

Very happy with my Edge 530, however it takes forever (10-60min) to sync an activity with Connect app on my phone without any specific logic I could identify. This is regardless of it being the only device connected or not or whether it has just synced or not.

Anyone else with similar issues?

Sync via BT? I only ever use Wifi.

If you want to speed it up, turn the Garmin off and on again and it should sync immediately. If you've already got it on when you push routes to it via RWGPS or whatever it's slower. Likely the same applies when it pushes completed rides up.

I've recently had trouble with my 530 taking a long time to download a course from Connect. I kept getting a notification saying the device was busy, and couldn't sync. Seems to be ok now, maybe it was doing some background updates or something?

Has anyone used a company to replace a Garmin Edge battery or similar? I was going to have a go at it myself but fiddly stuff like that isn't my strong point and I really can't afford to replace the whole unit if I botch it.
This place will do it for £30 which doesn't seem bad if they do a good job.

I normally get my routes in to my 530 from RWGPS via a GarminIQ app.

This has always been fine, and still is fine for short routes. However the last couple of long routes have taken ages to sync across.