Does anyone own a Garmin edge touring?

[Young Ed]

So anyone own a Garmin edge touring or the plus version?
I am saving for one of these devices, [probably the standard version, and want to know general opinions and any flaws.
Please do nit pick!
Would it be suitable for LEJOG?
Would it potentially be suitable for some touring in the rest of Europe?
Cheers Ed

[mattsccm]

When they came out many people didn't like the fact that they have an integral battery which means you need to find some form of charging. The alternative would be conventional AA's.
Depends on your version of touring I guess.

[andymiller]

Just to add a bit to the previous point - the battery life is claimed to be 17 hours - I suspect in real world use it's going to be something like 12 or 13, so in other words a day and a bit. Which is fine if you plan to stay overnight in hotels or hostels but could be problematic if you are camping (although you can get power packs which mean that the problem isn't insuperable). You can also get an add on power pack from Garmin - at £69.99.

It does do some nifty things like plotting a route and showing its elevation profile. It does a lot of other stuff which probably isn't of interest to touring cyclists but may be of interest for training. I have to say I kind of suspect that Garmin have spotted a marketing niche but haven't really spent a lot of time researching what touring cyclists need/want: for example iIt will also give you, if you want it a choice of three circular routes in the vicinity of a given distance. This is great for day-rides but I suspect most tourers would be more interested in a way to quickly compare three alternative A-B routes.

It would be worth comparing it to the eTrex 20. Although the Garmin Edge Touring is not dramatically more expensive than the eTrex 20, I'm not sure it actually does very much more.

Either would be suitable for a LeJog.

[RickH]

Just to add a bit to the previous point - the battery life is claimed to be 17 hours - I suspect in real world use it's going to be something like 12 or 13, so in other words a day and a bit. Which is fine if you plan to stay overnight in hotels or hostels but could be problematic if you are camping (although you can get power packs which mean that the problem isn't insuperable). You can also get an add on power pack from Garmin - at £69.99.

My Edge 605 which was bought in 2008 will still give 14 hours of "switched on" time without giving a low battery warning (Manual says 15 hours depending on use), so I think the battery life given by Garmin is not far off the mark. But I have set the backlight to off completely & switch it on manually to stay on at 5% at night which probably saves a bit of power use overall.

On the charging side of things an external battery pack will keep an Edge going for days - you don't have to pay the prices for Garmin's - I have a Veho Pebble 5000mAh pack which will keep my Edge & a smartphone charged for 3 to 4 days. This Anker 13000mAh one is only a few quid more & would probably keep you going for a week or more without needing mains power. An alternative would be to power/charge it using a hub dynamo instead or as well. You can also generally power an Edge from an external source and use it at the same time but I have found a few USB leads that make mine go into computer mode rather than charging mode.

Rick.

[andymiller]

My Edge 605 which was bought in 2008 will still give 14 hours of "switched on" time without giving a low battery warning (Manual says 15 hours depending on use), so I think the battery life given by Garmin is not far off the mark. But I have set the backlight to off completely & switch it on manually to stay on at 5% at night which probably saves a bit of power use overall.

Which I suspect is how manufacturers arrive at battery life figures - turn it on, leave it running with the backlight off and don't do anything like zoom or scroll. Garmin claim 25 hours for an eTrex - when IME a couple of days is about par for the course - so I suspect the figure for the Edge Touring is also on the optimistic side.

In any event 17 hours battery life probably isn't enough to get you through two days.

As I said though it isn't necessarily a game stopper, but if you have to carry a power pack it does rather negate the advantage of the slim svelte package. You might just as well get the chunkier eTrex.

[RickH]

As I said though it isn't necessarily a game stopper, but if you have to carry a power pack it does rather negate the advantage of the slim svelte package. You might just as well get the chunkier eTrex.

Unless you need to run it for longer than a single charge will last (are many folk on the road for 12 hours or more in a day very often?) it is probably easiest to recharge from a battery pack after you've stopped for the day rather than trying to do it on the fly. If you are having a long break (planned or otherwise) during the day you can always switch it off until you're ready to hit the road again.

Rick.

[Skipper9999]

All comments revolve around the battery ??? What about the actual unit and features of the garmin edge touring !!

[hexhome]

I don't own one but have played with one extensively. It works well but has no advantage over an Etrex 20 with free OSM maps installed. Indeed I would say that an Etrex 20 is superior in some ways. The main advantages of the Edge over the Etrex are; slightly easier integration with Strava, lighter (though not if you have to carry a charger),slightly larger screen, touch screen interface, mount included. Disadvantages are; less flexible menu system, screen gets dirty from operation (touchscreen), less memory (card essential and supplied), more space needed for mount (clearance needed for twisting on), less map detail displayed (can be increased in menu), charger needed for touring. They both do an identical job, but the Etrex has more useful off bike applications.

My view is get an Etrex 20 or pay very little extra for an Edge 800

[hexhome]

A couple more thoughts on this. The Edge Touring looks cheap. I think that the white casing is the culprit, but also the increase in screen size is not matched by an increase in resolution so to an Etrex user looks 'thin'. This of course is just appearence, I am sure that it is as capable as the Etrex or other Edge's.

The mount, which is the same mount as all Edge models is good, but it doesn't feel as secure as the (proper Garmin not cheap copy) Etrex mount. The Edge can be easily knocked around in the mount by hands moving about the bar. The Etrex also has the option of a lanyard. The fact that you have to rotate the Edge through 90 degrees to mount requires space 360 degrees around the mount equal to the length of the Edge. This does restrict the mounting options and many users buy the optional extended mount.

I have seen the Edge Touring for sale with OS Explorer Maps for £160 (with downloadable voucher from Millets website) at my local Millets and still wasn't tempted! Etrex 20 from Handtec is £130 and £135 from Cotswold.

[cycleruk]

Etrex 20 from Handtec is £130 and £135 from Cotswold.

Cotswold should give 10% discount if you are CTC member. (they also grant discount with a few other organisations as well.)

[mmuk]

Etrex 20 from Handtec is £130 and £135 from Cotswold.

Cotswold should give 10% discount if you are CTC member. (they also grant discount with a few other organisations as well.)

i tried this with Cotswold, but the discount is off full price items only, they said, and the Etrex was heavily discounted already (as the Etrex 30 is now out ...)

[meic]

All comments revolve around the battery ??? What about the actual unit and features of the garmin edge touring !!

That could be because the battery life is the unit's big shortcoming.

[timmyhiggy]

It looks like it is basically an edge 800 without being able to do any of the external connectivity (apart from HRM) or some of the training features to me

[Ayesha]

Any self respecting cycle tourist will have a dynohub. Power supply and recharging problem solved.

Now can we hear about its ability to plot routes on the fly, and ad-hoc adventures???

Does it accommodate changes of destination and how good are the routes it generates?

Can the user create a zig-zag expedition without needing a computer and Garmin Basecamp??

If it cannot, a useless piece of junk it is.

[keepontriking]

Any self respecting cycle tourist will have a dynohub.

And a folded map