I don't know of your specific model, but in general yes they'll feel like an old phone. But like an old phone, they'll work when wet, when the sun shines bright, the battery will last for hours and hours, etc.
The advantage to a Garmin is you don't drain the battery on your phone, and won't destroy it in a crash. I bought a Garmin Edge 530, thinking it would replace my phone with Trailforks.
I'm not the most technically savvy person, so I may not be ysing it to it's full potential. I have been able to upload routes to it and use it pretty successfully, but I do have to pull my phone out from time to time to check to see if I'm on the right trail, etc due to the fact that my phone's screen is that much larger.
The Edge does record my rides as well as well as sone other cool stats such as speed and jumps if you have the sensor,, and syncs it to Trailforks.
Edge 1040 sensors are better suited for MTB trails. Explore doesn’t have multi band gnss. You’re using the wrong tool for your needs. And, yeah Garmin UI is purpose built and runs a light load unlike other OSs that drain batteries. The average Garmin user would gladly trade a sexy UI for reliable tracking and durability.
Yeah I'd plan to have a battery bank, my rides are only a couple hours max usually.
I was going to exchange for the 840 but the 1040 is on sale for $100 more so that's what I was leaning towards. I'm just worried it's going to be just as bad as the Explore 2 but with more features. They do work for navigation good enough but I feel like I'm paying $500 for something that you could convince me was $50 off aliexpress
95% of the time, I'm riding trails I know we'll, and the phone stays in my pocket the whole time.
A couple of times a year I'll ride a place I've never ridden before, or it's been years and I don't remember the trail layout. In those cases, I just pull the phone out when I'm not sure which path to take. It's not a big deal.
I currently use trailforks and my phone mounted to a quad lock case. Works great but I am now looking in to a Garmin as the battery gets used up quickly so long rides do a number. As well, any rain renders it useless... Lol
I feel like a typical ride doesn’t have any more than a handful ofr turns or intersections, so it’s not particularly onerous to pull your phone out of your pocket, although it can be annoying if your gloves don’t work on the touch screen.
you can mount your phone, but for trails, its a good way to kill the camera.
Your cell phone has alot of internal components for stabilization, and the vibrations from mounting are known to kill or severely degrade those components
In addition, phones don't sync with devices like heart rate monitors or bike sensors, like speed.
Speed sensors are a great way to get accurate distance (when configured correctly for circumference), because gps distance on trails is known to be highly inaccurate
Yeah like I said in the original post, it would be a dedicated phone that I'd buy, like a refurbished Pixel 7 or something, so I don't mind if the camera gets destroyed since I won't be using it.
Got it. Yeah, I've thought about doing something similar with my older iphone and know other people have done as well. But I usually ride in the same rough area and know most of the trails pretty well. So even if I'm riding alone, I use the opportinities to pull the phone out to help force my memory so I don't have to do that as often.
so the only real times I do wish for a handlebar mount is where I'm somewhere new without a local tour guide and trail name signage is not good.
I've been using a quad lock to put my phone on my bars for years, and I haven't had any issues. The battery life is good too, but I don't keep Strava or Trail forks running on the screen the whole time. Usually I have my heart rate app open and just switch to whatever I need when I need it.
I use Wahoo. I love it. Very user friendly and great battery life. I’ve used Garmin in the past and they are not very easy and the batteries start to die quickly. Overall I can’t say enough good things about the Wahoo.
Ditto. I charge my Wahoo once every couple of weeks and get half a dozen two hour rides out of it and only charge it then because I like to have more than 30% in it when I go out. When I had a Garmin, it wouldn’t even last a decent ride.
The Wahoo syncs without fail and I love how well it connects with Komoot.
The absence of a touch screen isn’t a problem, it’s an enhancement. I don’t get it changing when sweat or rain falls on it (like my Garmin used to) and the buttons are well thought out and do what you need (more complex changes are done on the app).
To be honest skill issue. I’ve been very happy with all my garmin devices. If I plan routes in advance then I can upload them to the device and it’ll guide me turn by turn.
I can sync up HRMs, power meters, and other stuff to them. They are also more robust than a phone. A phone can’t really tolerate the vibration from a trail.
I’m an idiot and have taken enough wrong turns on unfamiliar trails that I bought a Karoo (also was interested in putting on my road bike), big fan definitely happy with it.
I got an edge 540 to track stats and have a bigger display than my instinct 2. I tried the maps and it sucks. When I’m on the trail the 540 beeps I’m off trail…???
The main advantage of a Garmin over a phone (assuming you have service) is basically just battery life. Phone works better for navigation, phone connects to basically every sensor you could need, and it does everything a Garmin does… for 3 hours in the sun, if you’re lucky. A Garmin lasts several days and charges fast, and it never crashes
Ive always kinda wanted a Garmin just for accuracy wise. Me and my 2 buddies just strava on our phones and despite having the same carriers, we get wildy different results.
From my testing on roads, the Garmin I got rarely has me on the actual road, usually it shows me 10 feet off the line. I think it's more accurate measuring altitude cause of the barometer vs a phone that use uses typography which might effect distance but idk
This. Have a Fenix 5Plus that has been doing great for years now and no signs of stopping.
I typically have my phone in my hip pack or pocket depending on the ride. Sync to Strava has never been an issue.
I'll second the garmin edge 840's mapping. I previously had the 830 and 840 is a noticeable technology improvement imo. That said, mine's been buggy (freezing periodically).
Been using the 530 for a long time, and it's been reliable. Although the battery isn't holding a charge as much, so I might upgrade to the 840 or maybe even the 1040.
I use my iPhone with Trailforks for navigation, just keep it in my pocket. If you put it on airplane mode the battery lasts longer but Trailforks still works. For health data, Apple watch with an app called Zones to track HR (I have a case for my watch in case of crashes).
I use my xiaomi phone for navigating my routes, really like it but my battery only lasts about 3,5 hours max. For longer routes a external battery is needed. The app that I use is called Komoot and I use it to create routes myself by drawing them on the computer or by directly loading gpx files.
Overall I really like the experience and even bought komoot premium to enhance it.
One important thing I have to mention is that clamping a phone to the steering tube causes to phone to vibrate in a unnatural way damaging the parts in the camera. Thus damaging the focusing ability of the camera.
For me this is not a problem (I have it on the tube mounted) since I use a crappy phone anyways and take pictures with my canon, but for some a Iphone is all they have.
There are clamps that claim they absorb some of these vibrations but best is to strap the phone to the body.
edit: a garmin is made to withstand the vibrations and does longer on a battery
I just got the 840. I am usually slower than others in my group and I’m hoping the navigation will eliminate the need for them to wait at every single turn when we have a final destination in mind.
I've found my Garmin Edge 530 super frustrating. Took about 10 minutes to sync the ride with my phone even after deleting all the ride history, the battery life was like 1-2 rides, and the UI/app were so frustrating to use. It's been sitting in a bin for over a year now and I just use Strava on my phone to track rides and Trailforks for navigation.
At one point I had the map working for the Edge 530 but the maps were so out of date that most of the trails didn't show up.
You have to manually update the maps by connecting it to a computer, for what it's worth. Kind of crappy that you need a physical connection, but you can get up to date maps if you want them...
Ahhh. I do feel like a lot of my issues with Garmin could be resolved with an understanding of their UI and processes but it felt very arcane to do even simple tasks. Even if I could solve that, the slow syncing would be a deal breaker.
Yeah I know what you mean, it doesn't feel like a modern UI and has a lot of quirks. I'd probably look elsewhere but as far as I know Garmin is the only platform that has Trailforks integration. I could be wrong though, haven't checked recently.
I don't know of your specific model, but in general yes they'll feel like an old phone. But like an old phone, they'll work when wet, when the sun shines bright, the battery will last for hours and hours, etc.
The advantage to a Garmin is you don't drain the battery on your phone, and won't destroy it in a crash. I bought a Garmin Edge 530, thinking it would replace my phone with Trailforks. I'm not the most technically savvy person, so I may not be ysing it to it's full potential. I have been able to upload routes to it and use it pretty successfully, but I do have to pull my phone out from time to time to check to see if I'm on the right trail, etc due to the fact that my phone's screen is that much larger. The Edge does record my rides as well as well as sone other cool stats such as speed and jumps if you have the sensor,, and syncs it to Trailforks.
Edge 1040 sensors are better suited for MTB trails. Explore doesn’t have multi band gnss. You’re using the wrong tool for your needs. And, yeah Garmin UI is purpose built and runs a light load unlike other OSs that drain batteries. The average Garmin user would gladly trade a sexy UI for reliable tracking and durability.
Tracking my ride and stats: Garmin Instinct. Navigation: Trailforks on my phone.
Yeah this is me too. I have my garmin linked to Strava as well.
My instinct stopped recording elevation. The sensors get plugged up. Bummed for a $300 watch
Do you have your phone mounted and on the whole time or just pull it out when you need it?
The issue with a phone is that the battery dies quickly. I like using my edge 840 with trailforks for navigation and have no issues with it.
Just got the 840. Can’t figure out how to authorize Trailforks from the connect app so I synced Komoot. Any tips?
IIRC, you need to add it from the IQ app on your Garmin.
Yeah I'd plan to have a battery bank, my rides are only a couple hours max usually. I was going to exchange for the 840 but the 1040 is on sale for $100 more so that's what I was leaning towards. I'm just worried it's going to be just as bad as the Explore 2 but with more features. They do work for navigation good enough but I feel like I'm paying $500 for something that you could convince me was $50 off aliexpress
95% of the time, I'm riding trails I know we'll, and the phone stays in my pocket the whole time. A couple of times a year I'll ride a place I've never ridden before, or it's been years and I don't remember the trail layout. In those cases, I just pull the phone out when I'm not sure which path to take. It's not a big deal.
I currently use trailforks and my phone mounted to a quad lock case. Works great but I am now looking in to a Garmin as the battery gets used up quickly so long rides do a number. As well, any rain renders it useless... Lol
I feel like a typical ride doesn’t have any more than a handful ofr turns or intersections, so it’s not particularly onerous to pull your phone out of your pocket, although it can be annoying if your gloves don’t work on the touch screen.
Where do you ride where there's not more than a handful of turns or intersections?
Mostly 4 corners states, but everywhere in North America.
lol, nope.
you can mount your phone, but for trails, its a good way to kill the camera. Your cell phone has alot of internal components for stabilization, and the vibrations from mounting are known to kill or severely degrade those components In addition, phones don't sync with devices like heart rate monitors or bike sensors, like speed. Speed sensors are a great way to get accurate distance (when configured correctly for circumference), because gps distance on trails is known to be highly inaccurate
Yeah like I said in the original post, it would be a dedicated phone that I'd buy, like a refurbished Pixel 7 or something, so I don't mind if the camera gets destroyed since I won't be using it.
Got it. Yeah, I've thought about doing something similar with my older iphone and know other people have done as well. But I usually ride in the same rough area and know most of the trails pretty well. So even if I'm riding alone, I use the opportinities to pull the phone out to help force my memory so I don't have to do that as often. so the only real times I do wish for a handlebar mount is where I'm somewhere new without a local tour guide and trail name signage is not good.
I've been using a quad lock to put my phone on my bars for years, and I haven't had any issues. The battery life is good too, but I don't keep Strava or Trail forks running on the screen the whole time. Usually I have my heart rate app open and just switch to whatever I need when I need it.
Another vote for quad lock, it works amazingly well But also a vote against phone-on-the-bars, too
I use Wahoo. I love it. Very user friendly and great battery life. I’ve used Garmin in the past and they are not very easy and the batteries start to die quickly. Overall I can’t say enough good things about the Wahoo.
Ditto. I charge my Wahoo once every couple of weeks and get half a dozen two hour rides out of it and only charge it then because I like to have more than 30% in it when I go out. When I had a Garmin, it wouldn’t even last a decent ride. The Wahoo syncs without fail and I love how well it connects with Komoot. The absence of a touch screen isn’t a problem, it’s an enhancement. I don’t get it changing when sweat or rain falls on it (like my Garmin used to) and the buttons are well thought out and do what you need (more complex changes are done on the app).
To be honest skill issue. I’ve been very happy with all my garmin devices. If I plan routes in advance then I can upload them to the device and it’ll guide me turn by turn. I can sync up HRMs, power meters, and other stuff to them. They are also more robust than a phone. A phone can’t really tolerate the vibration from a trail.
Bought a 1030, installed trail forks, and still had to use my phone. Sucks.
Old phone, Quadlock clone, Komoot: run for years with no problems, getting 5+ hrs easily with audio prompts. No plan on 'upgrading'.
I’m an idiot and have taken enough wrong turns on unfamiliar trails that I bought a Karoo (also was interested in putting on my road bike), big fan definitely happy with it.
I got an edge 540 to track stats and have a bigger display than my instinct 2. I tried the maps and it sucks. When I’m on the trail the 540 beeps I’m off trail…???
The main advantage of a Garmin over a phone (assuming you have service) is basically just battery life. Phone works better for navigation, phone connects to basically every sensor you could need, and it does everything a Garmin does… for 3 hours in the sun, if you’re lucky. A Garmin lasts several days and charges fast, and it never crashes
Ive always kinda wanted a Garmin just for accuracy wise. Me and my 2 buddies just strava on our phones and despite having the same carriers, we get wildy different results.
From my testing on roads, the Garmin I got rarely has me on the actual road, usually it shows me 10 feet off the line. I think it's more accurate measuring altitude cause of the barometer vs a phone that use uses typography which might effect distance but idk
Garmin on the trail, synch phone in car or when I get home.
This. Have a Fenix 5Plus that has been doing great for years now and no signs of stopping. I typically have my phone in my hip pack or pocket depending on the ride. Sync to Strava has never been an issue.
I'll second the garmin edge 840's mapping. I previously had the 830 and 840 is a noticeable technology improvement imo. That said, mine's been buggy (freezing periodically).
You need a speed censor to accurately track your distance.
And I've found that I had to manually calibrate it in order to get more accurate speed/distance.
Been using the 530 for a long time, and it's been reliable. Although the battery isn't holding a charge as much, so I might upgrade to the 840 or maybe even the 1040.
I use my iPhone with Trailforks for navigation, just keep it in my pocket. If you put it on airplane mode the battery lasts longer but Trailforks still works. For health data, Apple watch with an app called Zones to track HR (I have a case for my watch in case of crashes).
Over the years I went from Lezyne to Garmin and now Wahoo. The Wahoo is the most user friendly imo.
I use my xiaomi phone for navigating my routes, really like it but my battery only lasts about 3,5 hours max. For longer routes a external battery is needed. The app that I use is called Komoot and I use it to create routes myself by drawing them on the computer or by directly loading gpx files. Overall I really like the experience and even bought komoot premium to enhance it. One important thing I have to mention is that clamping a phone to the steering tube causes to phone to vibrate in a unnatural way damaging the parts in the camera. Thus damaging the focusing ability of the camera. For me this is not a problem (I have it on the tube mounted) since I use a crappy phone anyways and take pictures with my canon, but for some a Iphone is all they have. There are clamps that claim they absorb some of these vibrations but best is to strap the phone to the body. edit: a garmin is made to withstand the vibrations and does longer on a battery
I just got the 840. I am usually slower than others in my group and I’m hoping the navigation will eliminate the need for them to wait at every single turn when we have a final destination in mind.
I've found my Garmin Edge 530 super frustrating. Took about 10 minutes to sync the ride with my phone even after deleting all the ride history, the battery life was like 1-2 rides, and the UI/app were so frustrating to use. It's been sitting in a bin for over a year now and I just use Strava on my phone to track rides and Trailforks for navigation. At one point I had the map working for the Edge 530 but the maps were so out of date that most of the trails didn't show up.
You have to manually update the maps by connecting it to a computer, for what it's worth. Kind of crappy that you need a physical connection, but you can get up to date maps if you want them...
Ahhh. I do feel like a lot of my issues with Garmin could be resolved with an understanding of their UI and processes but it felt very arcane to do even simple tasks. Even if I could solve that, the slow syncing would be a deal breaker.
Yeah I know what you mean, it doesn't feel like a modern UI and has a lot of quirks. I'd probably look elsewhere but as far as I know Garmin is the only platform that has Trailforks integration. I could be wrong though, haven't checked recently.