Garmins

[SWSteve]

Hi,

I may be in the market for a new Garmin soon, but want to ask those in the know about them.

The route functions available on a 1000/800series, can I put in a postcode, and then select what kind of distance I want to ride, or will it only direct to get me there?

I used a 1000 as a gps when cycling to Paris, but that just involved loading the route or postcode of the hotel if lost in a town, I never worried about picking a long/flat/short route as they didn't apply.

Thanks in advance CCers

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

Direct there, the round trip routing you're thinking of will let plan routes for you from current location to current location (not the same thing)

 

[Sbudge]

I've a 1000 and to be honest for that sort of thing I use an online service like RidewithGPS etc etc to properly plan the route and profile I want then just upload it. Much as I love my Garmin I'd never trust it not to route me via a busy road etc. Almost all the online services will allow you to toggle between Map and Satellite views so you can decide if 'that' road is actually a good idea.

Yes, it would be lovely to be able to do that on the unit itself but perhaps the best we can hope for is soon to be able to do it on a mobile and upload directly from there while 'on the road'.

 

[StuAff]

Three tips....
Do not ride plan on a Garmin
Do not ride plan on a Garmin
and
Do not ride plan on a Garmin.
Seriously, it's a pain. The processing power of the things is slow, you'll be sitting there for ages while it does its stuff (and if you try and do it riding, it will take far longer, or crash). The screens are tiny. And you can't trust the routing, or check what route it's given for you properly. As @Sbudge says, much better to plan with a computer and then transfer the file.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Not sure about the 800/1000 range but my 705 takes me all over if allowed to even with unpaved roads off. So anything that needs planning rwgps.