Base maps on Garmins

[earth]

How useful are the maps supplied with the cheapest Garmin Edge bundles? Are they really necessary or are the bundles without still usable for navigation in the UK?

I mean navigating for road riding. B roads etc.

 

[Rob3rt]

The basemaps are rubbish but you can get free maps instead of paying for the Garmin City Navigator maps.

 

[earth]

The basemaps are rubbish but you can get free maps instead of paying for the Garmin City Navigator maps.

Are the free maps as good as city navigator and where do you get them?

 

[Rob3rt]

There are loads of different open source map options out there, openstreetmap would be one of them. Each must be considered on its own merit, not all are equal. Chances are there will be quirks in use with the Garmin unit that make them "worse" than the Garmin street maps, but then they are free.......... plenty on here use the open source maps I am sure.

 

[Phil485]

I have the cheaper garmin bundle and I've downloaded a set of openstreetmap maps. I use ride with gps for planning routes and download to my garmin as a tcx.
It all works brilliantly apart from ...
if for example, you are unsure of where you are and select, return to start , then it will work a route out to get you back, BUT it only uses the base maps to work it out, so possibly not the quickest.
The tcx gives turn by turn directions but I think the style and quality of direction does depend on whether or not it's base map or OSM/

 

[ufkacbln]

Google "Frank Kinlan"

He does an excellent guide to Garmin systems including adding maps

 

[HLaB]

talkytoaster is a good open source