Edge Explore \ Radar - Improving battery life

[kingrollo]

I run a garmin edge explore with radar (older style) and a HRM. Disappointed I only got about 4.5 hours. I hope to follow a route and lead a club run soon - any tips for what settings I can use to improve battery life ?

 

[fossyant]

Other than a new battery and disable the additional 'connections', not much.

 

[ianrauk]

As it's an old machine it would be worth changing the battery. It will give your machine a whole new lease of life.
Get one off the bay, and take it to one of those phone shops. They usually charge about a tenner to swap over.

 

[PaulSB]

I run a garmin edge touring with radar (older style) and a HRM. Disappointed I only got about 4.5 hours. I hope to follow a route and lead a club run soon - any tips for what settings I can use to improve battery life ?

In my experience 4.5 hours isn't unusual for a Garmin.

 

[cyberknight]

My edge explore I use for club rides ,no other connections on it .mine was on for over 4.5 hours and was at 56 %

 

[I like Skol]

My edge touring does a good 8 or 9 hrs quite easily.
Make sure your backlight is turned off because otherwise it lights up the screen everyone it gives you a turn instruction and that will eat into battery life.

 

[kingrollo]

Its the edge explore - not edge touring. I think it is the lights network & radar which hammers the battery - I do find the radar useful

 

[Milkfloat]

Backlight off, turn off unused sensors and not having map view on seems to be the most common things that people try. I just bought a new unit.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Turn the radar connection off, and turn the screen off assuming you know where you are going when you lead this ride.

 

[kingrollo]

Turn the radar connection off, and turn the screen off assuming you know where you are going when you lead this ride.

I was wondering is there a mode - where you have the radar only - no light ?

 

[Milkfloat]

You can have just radar without light network, on mine I did not notice any difference through.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I was wondering is there a mode - where you have the radar only - no light ?

You are leading a ride, there will be many riders behind you triggering it. Just turn it off and turn display off. It will then last.

 

[Darius_Jedburgh]

Are you seriously going to lead a club ride on a route that you have no idea of?
Recce the route beforehand then you won't need to rely on the Garmin.

 

[PaulSB]

I run a garmin edge explore with radar (older style) and a HRM. Disappointed I only got about 4.5 hours. I hope to follow a route and lead a club run soon - any tips for what settings I can use to improve battery life ?

I hadn't thought about the point @Darius_Jedburgh makes above. He's right in my view, relying on a Garmin to lead a club ride is placing a lot of faith in both the Garmin and your own plotting ability.

My personal experience is it can go wrong which can be embarrassing!! A couple of times I've relied on a Garmin to take me on a section I don't know and ended up not lost but having to mentally re-route to get back on track.

It's a sweaty moment!! Fixable if you know the general area but very difficult if you don't.

 

[neil_merseyside]

I find if I plot a route online with (usually) cycle.travel and then review it on Google streetmap/earth I don't actually really need to follow the Garmin, this works even when off familiar ground. At one point on our LeJoG I was convinced I'd been to one place before as it was so familiar, took me a while to realise it wasn't deja vu or a return visit, rather it was me over flying it in Google Earth and checking on Streetview.