Thoughts on this new Garmin Edge Touring? It fills a very peculiar roll. It's a turn by turn GPS with points of interest, restaurants, ect. It comes in at the Edge 500 price point, but has none of the typical features. Kind of an Edge 800 product, but with next to no training use besides a map. It seems to be for very casual cyclists, but I doubt that group would drop the cash for something like this.

https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/into...rod134596.html

On the other hand, I have spoken to a couple of people who were interested in it because they mainly wanted directions and the ability to find and plan routes, but not the training features. It will likely depend on what kind of riding someone is doing.

I'm a touring/recreational cyclist with an Edge 800. I have never ever used the training functions, but frequently use the maps. I would jump on this one in a heartbeat if I didn't already have the 800.

I'd buy it, as I get all the training functions I need/want out of my Suunto Ambit...I'd love to have some bike specific maps though, and since it appears to sync with Garmin Connect, I could also plan routes for new scenery, something that helps with the boredom for me.

Thanks! This is exactly what i would buy to

If you want training features you wouldn't buy it. Some people buy the 800/810 for the navigation/maps (and not the training).

It allows people not to pay for stuff they don't use.

I bought the 800 for navigation and I am not a casual cyclist.

It's still more money than a casual cyclist would likely want to spend.

There is also a "Touring plus" that supports a HRM and has a barometric altimeter and thermometer for $50 more (but doesn't support the cadence/speed/power transmitters).

More options are good.

sticking with my 810. this is junk.

Cool idea. Couldn't you still upload to Strava and get some training help? I just hope the display is bright /contrasty enough.

That looks great for doing exactly what it's aimed at -- touring. With the plus version for someone who wants to use a HRM to balance their effort or just wants the temperature/altimeter readings to do some post-process performance measurements but doesn't need performance on the fly.

This would be my main question. I can get elevation data off gps maps and it will show in Strava, but this particular garmin just needs to keep track of time/gps route/speed. If it can do that, I can see it having a place for the cyclist not using power data or hear rate.

Does anybody know if it will connect with their cadence sensor?

I believe it has a use in the Randonneuring world.

Nope. No speed, cadence or HRM sensors. Presumably, it doesn't have ANT+.

I'm looking at the feature list now.. It looks like it is not compatible with heart rate and cadence sensors. It does do speed, time, distance, elevation (probably off gps maps since it doesn't have the barometric altimeter), and you can upload into Garmin Connect (I would imagine Strava too).

It does most of what I would want a bike computer to do right now...but I don't ride and analyze workouts with training plans. It does have courses so you can compete against previous activities.


Edit: thanks Bacciagalupe, we posted at the same time.

As I pointed out earlier, there's a "Touring Plus" model that supports a HRM (not included) and has a barometric altmimeter, and a thermometer for $50 more (but does not support the cadence/speed/power transmitters).

https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/into...rod143677.html


So, we have $250 for the Touring, $300 for the Touring Plus (with HR, barometer, thermometer), and $500 for the Edge 810 (adding your own OSM maps).

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There appears to be additional navigation features in the Touring models (over the 810).

https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/into...rod134596.html

The 800/810 will compute routes but they don't let you "plan" them.

The software makes it nothing like Edge 800. You have no control over the routing. Instead, you tell it either place you want to go or distance you want to ride and it constructs 3 routes for you to choose from.

Me too.

You can load OSM on your Garmin, though, I think it gives you restaurants and all the other POI this guy comes with.

I don't know that I'd call touring cyclists casual, exactly. I know a guy who rode from Montana to the Pacific Ocean, I think he's a bit more serious than the "training cyclists" who try to win downhill segments on starva.

Route finding can be pretty tricky in places you've never been to. Do you really want to go down that hill, and descend 1,000 feet? If it's the wrong way, that's a lot of altitude you're going to give up and then come back up.

What I mean is I would think people cycling enough to shell out a couple hundred bucks for a gps may want some data points, such as their speed.

They get that (from GPS).

More information.

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2013/08/g...-computer.html

True, though I imagine it's with the same caveats as using a 500, 705, 800 or 810 without a wheel sensor.

Just hat exactly happens when you do that? I ride my garmin unit without a wheel sensor and it never really seems that off compared to others.

Correct. It's the exactly the same. It's the same issue with the fairly-popular Edge 200. The distance provided is more than good enough for the intended purpose.

It's not as good but, probably, (more than) good enough.

Anyway, it's speed that is more of an issue. The wheel rotation sensor will be much more accurate for speed (over short distances).

That's not how I read it. In overview it says: "Plan and download new routes to follow"

Yes, you can download routes to it (that's a basic feature for this sort of device).

It would be almost worthess otherwise.

The 810 you can design a course through Garminconnect then send to your device and when you enable guide text it gives you turn by turn prompts. So the 810 does allow custom course design with prompting. Also I assume you could put in an address (numerical wise) in the 810 and from wherever you are it would take you there???? Not sure on this but would assume so.

If you design/plan the route on Connect or ridewithgps or whatever, you aren't using the 800 to design the route. You are just loading the route to the device. Loading routes has been a feature of the Garmins starting with the ancient 605.

Yes, you can plug in an address an such into the 800/810/touring units and have it compute a route for you (just like a car nvavigation unit).

The Touring computes three alternative routes or loop (round trip) routes and routes that minimize elevation. The 800/810 units don't.