samkl 

Well, update: I went with the Wahoo. So far it works great, though I haven't done any long rides yet.

clasher

The new bolt has maps on it, and will use them to re-route to the course if desired. I turned that feature off since I didn't want to play with it on my first few rides. The old bolt had basic maps on it but the colour version has OSM maps with all the street names so it'll do full routing right on the unit, complete with turn-by-turn with street names. It'll also route to saved locations like home if you save the locations ahead of time. Just having the off-course alerts that almost all gps feature nowadays is all I need. Even with the routing feature on the bolt I'm still more likely to pull out my phone and use it to look at the maps, it's much bigger and easier to use. There's apparently 16gb on the new one, I'm not sure if I ever ran into storage issues on the first bolt I had, but I deleted most of the maps that came pre-loaded on that one, as well as my new one.

I've started saving my rides whenever I stop for a sleep, usually works out to one calendar day for each ride.

strathconaman

I plug my 520 into a phone-style powerpack located in a bag on my top tube. I now get 2 weeks of battery life. Cost $20.

joewein

I switched from the B&W Wahoo Elemnt Bolt to the latest colour one and it's really good. Despite the colour screen (usually more power hungry) battery life seems to be even better than on the previous model.

unterhausen

Anyone that has poor hearing can comment on how loud the wahoo is when you get off course? Garmin decided that it wasn't important for some of us to be able to hear the warning, and it's not adjustable.

GhostRider62

The nonadjustable wimpy beep on the Garmin is my one beef. On my upright, normal bike it is not a problem but on a recumbent, the speeds and wind noise are much higher and I cannot hear the beep when a car is approaching (Varia) or any of the warnings. I understand they needed to put the speaker on the underside of the device but did it have to be surrounded by the twist mount, too? And why no volume control? Rant over.

clasher

I find my wahoo is loud enough to annoy me lot when I pull over for a control. I still haven't charged it from the 600 but I can try and film a video later if y'all are curious.

unterhausen

You can keep ranting as far as I'm concerned. People say garmin actually turned down the volume with a firmware change before I bought mine. I never thought about where the speaker is. I like the sound on the 800, sounds sort of like an old fashioned telephone ringer. "Courtesy call for Unterhausen"

sean.hwy

Another happy user with garmin 1030+ Battery just last forever.

joewein

Same here, when it starts complaining about being off course you simply can't miss it.

Regarding battery life on the Wahoo v2 (with colour screen), with v1 I was getting about 15h of battery life. The new unit does much better than that. For example, on the latest ride I started with only 85% charge, rode 14 1/2 hours and still had 25% left.

So far I have not had any issues on long rides, but my longest ride with this unit so far was only 287 km.

girona

The only warning I have on is for the varia radar. I was used to the beep of my old 810 and thought it was fine. The 1030+ is much louder and annoying to me and to others in the pack.
I recently found out that there are two beeps that can be selected, one is shorter and simpler (which I prefer) the other being a bit longer and more elaborate (more annoying in heavy traffic). Volume control would be nice.

żAre you using a silicon case for your Garmin? It may be muffling out the beeps.

GhostRider62

I don't use cases for anything electronic. I have a 1030, not the 1030+......I do not have different tone selections.

Do you ride a recumbent at 30-35 mph? If not, how would you understand what I wrote, assuming you read it.

unterhausen

830 doesn't seem to have alternate off-course warnings. I might have to get a wahoo. It seems like a silly reason to switch, but it is pretty inconvenient to get off course.

girona

I am sorry that you are getting upset at me for trying to help. Hopefully someone else reading these posts may find this information helpful.

Specific to Garmin Varia. Check out GP Lama's video for possible workarounds and getting warnings through bluetooth headphones or smartphone:


Also there is a way of connecting a Garmin 1030+ to a phone to get prompts. Not sure if Varia warnings are included.
You could keep your phone on a case on your arm and adjust volume on the phone accordingly. Possibly you can have earphones (wireless or not) connected to your phone as well.
All this would have an impact on battery life I'm assuming. Maybe not a functionality all that important to make an upgrade worthwhile.
https://www8.garmin.com/manuals/webh...8913B544B.html

GhostRider62

Not upset, merely clarifying. I had the same issue on my upright today into a 10-15 mph headwind down a slight gradient. Could not hear the beep of cars approaching. Equally important for others reading to understand the limitations of the Varia warning and not to rely upon it in some circumstances. Yes, it is true some do use the Garmin AP and their smartphone with earbuds. A bridge too far for me. Thanks.

unterhausen

I can't see wearing earbuds or my bone conduction earphones for long distance either. Now that I realized the speaker location is a problem, there might be something I can do about the mounting that will make it louder

Big in Japan

Notes of turns & roads written in pen or pencil. A paper map if necessary for longer routes.
* Batteries never run down.
* If you wrap the notes in sticky tape, or book covering material, the ink won’t run.

Apart from that, I use a Lezyne Mega XL—fantastic battery life, esp. if you turn off things like cadence &c.
Carry a phone with thr route on Strava or similar for backup.

atwl77

Just got the new Garmin Edge 1040 Solar... most noticeable difference over the old 1030 upon turning it on, is that the touch screen seems a lot more responsive. As for the effectiveness of the solar panels, well I have a 400k coming up this month and I'm looking forward to seeing how well it works (assuming a sunny day). Usually the 1030 is just barely enough for a 400k (depending on how fast you ride and finish) - 20-24 hours is probably ok depending on the age/condition of the battery, but past that you'll have to recharge during the ride.

samkl 

I should add, turns out Lezyne has really great customer service. They repaired my GPS for free even though it was out of warranty. I told them I’d happily pay—and they said no!