# Garmin Edge 520



## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

Following on from the Garmin Edge 20 and 25 announcement Garmin have launched a Garmin Edge 520 as well. This is a replacement for the Garmin Edge 500 and Garmin Edge 510.










The new Garmin Edge 520: Everything you ever wanted to know | DC Rainmaker

Garmin Edge 520 launches, featuring Strava Live Segments - BikeRadar

My first impressions are that this is looking like _the_ GPS cycle computer to buy. It appears to have most of the functionality of the other Edge models in a smaller form factor. Turn by turn navigation is missing but you can load basemaps onto it to see where you are.

_- Added on-device Strava Segment integration
- Added basemap to device
- Added ability to download 3rd party detailed maps
- Added Bluetooth Smart Text & Call Notifications (previously on Edge 1000)
- Added Recovery Advisor metrics (previously only on some Running/Tri units)
- Added VO2 Max Estimation (previously only on some newer Garmin units)
- Added Personal Records
- Added Cycling Dynamics metrics (previously only on some newer Garmin units)
- Added ability to control Garmin Varia bike lights
- Added integration with Garmin Varia bike radar system
- Added ANT+ FE-C Trainer Control
- Addition of GLONASS support (was in Edge 510, but not 810 or 500)

In addition to the above, when compared to the Edge 500, you'll find these new features that have been added to most Garmin devices as of late. These are all present/added on the Edge 520:

- Integrated Live Tracking with phone
- Integrated Bluetooth Smart uploads to your mobile phone (and then sync'd to Strava/Training Peaks/Sport Tracks/etc&#8230
- Ability to download courses and workouts from phone to Edge 520
- Sensor pool concept & Activity Profiles (no bike profiles)
- Support for Edge Remote Control accessory
- Support for Shimano Di2 integration
- Support for Garmin VIRB control/integration
- Added Training Calendar support
- Added Auto Sleep option (turns off if not used for a while)
- Added Lap summary page (seen on Edge 510/810/1000, but not Edge 500)
- Support for ANT+ sensor types: Cadence sensors, Heart Rate Sensors, Power Meters, Speed Sensors, Speed/Cadence Sensors, VIRB action cams, Weight Scales"_ *dcrainmaker*


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## Menel (Mar 15, 2015)

Niiice!


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Still with the dropping battery life. A loss of 5 hours compared to the Edge 510. For me, I think 15 hours is about a minimum, but 20 is strongly preferred.


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## Tystevens (Nov 2, 2011)

The 520 looks like a pretty good device. With my 510, I would like the ability to overlay my breadcrumb trail over a map. That way, I wouldn't have to use Google Maps on my phone (and hope I have data service!) to triangulate my position and figure out where I missed the turn. Seems like a great feature.

Price point seems pretty spot on, as well as the size -- I wouldn't want anything larger than the 510 on my bars. Looking forward to seeing real world reviews of this one.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

It looks like they should be available to buy in the UK by the end of July 2015. At £239.95 GBP for a basic unit without sensors I'm very tempted just to order one.

My concern is that with Garmin GPS units being an early adopter often isn't a good idea. There have been so many well documented software issues with previous units initially (Garmin Edge 1000 being the notable recent one) that even if the hardware is perfect the device may need several firmware updates to fix any bugs and reliability problems that exist.


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## MTBeing (Jan 11, 2012)

Real-time Strava segments!? That's not going to turn out well for someone. Why the hell don't they just make the thing orange.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

MTBeing said:


> Real-time Strava segments!? That's not going to turn out well for someone. Why the hell don't they just make the thing orange.


You can get a Strava bundle with a year's Strava premium subscription included with the Garmin Edge 520:

https://shop.strava.com/collections...&utm_campaign=evergreen&utm_content=Garmin520

The device is still in the same black and white case. I wouldn't be surprised if they did an orange special edition at some point though.


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## Chippertheripper (Sep 10, 2014)

One of my only gripes with the 510 is not seeing texts and phone numbers appear on the screen. This will do that when blue toothed to my phone, so I'll know whether or not to stop and answer??


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## Menel (Mar 15, 2015)

Chippertheripper said:


> One of my only gripes with the 510 is not seeing texts and phone numbers appear on the screen. This will do that when blue toothed to my phone, so I'll know whether or not to stop and answer??


Thats easy, don't need no widget to tell me.
Never.

Airplane mode that *****.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## Chippertheripper (Sep 10, 2014)

Thanks for nothing.


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## bigdrunk (Feb 21, 2004)

The 20% off at Performance deal pushed me off the ledge to buy my first GPS. I really could have used on last week. 

Question: I don't particularly have a use for a cadence or heart rate monitor so I bought the base Edge 520. Is the speed sensor a worthwhile purchase? I will be using the 520 on a road and mountain bike.

And oh, Performance showed the unit "in stock" but after my order, I received the back order notice. I was kind of expecting it....


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## Menel (Mar 15, 2015)

bigdrunk said:


> The 20% off at Performance deal pushed me off the ledge to buy my first GPS. I really could have used on last week.
> 
> Question: I don't particularly have a use for a cadence or heart rate monitor so I bought the base Edge 520. Is the speed sensor a worthwhile purchase? I will be using the 520 on a road and mountain bike.
> 
> And oh, Performance showed the unit "in stock" but after my order, I received the back order notice. I was kind of expecting it....


It showed as a preorder, avail 7/28

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

A speed sensor is worthwhile on a mtb especially. If you want accurate distance tracking, the sensor will improve distance recording accuracy.

I was really looking at the spec sheet on the new Garmins, and I noticed that the Edge 520 does NOT have a touchscreen. I actually like that feature, but I think it's important to note. It's not really mentioned on Garmin's website, but it was on the product literature Garmin sent to my shop because they're a Garmin dealer.

Also worth noting, when doing a feature comparison on Garmin's website:

https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/cat...p?compareProduct=166370&compareProduct=112912

The Edge 520 is NOT listed as being shock resistant. I dunno, but that sorta feels to me like it should be an important feature for the mtb. Also, the Edge 520 does not have an expandable memory card slot. And while it looks like the ability to add maps has been added, it's not a feature that's listed on Garmin's website yet. And, there's really no mention of memory capacity for the extra maps you're supposed to be able to load.


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## Learux (Jun 4, 2012)

By giving it the edge 520 name I think Garmin wants you to believe it is a slightly better unit then the 510.

Which I think it is.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Learux said:


> By giving it the edge 520 name I think Garmin wants you to believe it is a slightly better unit then the 510.
> 
> Which I think it is.


If you consider "number of features" as being "better" then yeah, I see that. With that said, Garmin has created some expectations with their other models that can accept maps. Storage space for those maps, for one. The Edge 520 differs from previous mapping models in that respect. You have to rely exclusively on the internal memory for maps. And Garmin's not saying how much there is at this point.

I also think that if this model truly isn't shock resistant, that's a step backwards. That has long been one of the reasons to use a Garmin instead of mounting a smartphone on your handlebars. We know ejected Garmins happen from time to time, especially in crashes. I think that shock resistance is important, and I think some smartphone manufacturers get it, too. There are sports-associated smartphones out there now that are shock resistant.

I also think the reduction in battery life associated with all of those extra features is a downgrade.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

Harold said:


> If you consider "number of features" as being "better" then yeah, I see that. With that said, Garmin has created some expectations with their other models that can accept maps. Storage space for those maps, for one. The Edge 520 differs from previous mapping models in that respect. You have to rely exclusively on the internal memory for maps. And Garmin's not saying how much there is at this point.


The dcrainmaker article goes into detail about this. Around 50mb of internal memory is available on the Garmin Edge 520. If you load a third party map onto the device that takes up around 40mb, leaving 10mb free space for recording rides and anything else. That 40mb of maps consists of your local region, a few hundred miles. There isn't enough space to have a larger area, such as an entire continent, on the Garmin Edge 520. The map file size would be too big for the device.

That is quite low. You'd think that they could have easily and cheaply expanded that onboard memory, for more future proofing, without it costing much more.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

WR304 said:


> The dcrainmaker article goes into detail about this. Around 50mb of internal memory is available on the Garmin Edge 520. If you load a third party map onto the device that takes up around 40mb, leaving 10mb free space for recording rides and anything else. That 40mb of maps consists of your local region, a few hundred miles. There isn't enough space to have a larger area, such as an entire continent, on the Garmin Edge 520. The map file size would be too big for the device.
> 
> That is quite low. You'd think that they could have easily and cheaply expanded that onboard memory, for more future proofing, without it costing much more.


Yeah, 40mb is not much. To be fair, that will probably suit most people most of the time, but if you travel much, you'll have to be installing new maps pretty frequently. It is better than nothing, but it's important for people to understand before buying this model that their expectations for mapping should not be the same as for the Edge 810, 1000, or any of the hiking models. But of course there will be people who didn't do their research before buying this, who will wind up being disappointed. I'll say we'll see our first one here in the forum within 2 weeks of first availability of this model.

On a side note, it looks like I lost my Oregon 450 on my recent trip to TN and GA. Though my contact info is in the startup screen, chances are small that it'll get returned to me. Which means I'll be needing to replace it with another mapping GPS at some point.


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## gregf83 (Nov 5, 2011)

Harold said:


> I also think that if this model truly isn't shock resistant, that's a step backwards. That has long been one of the reasons to use a Garmin instead of mounting a smartphone on your handlebars. We know ejected Garmins happen from time to time, especially in crashes. I think that shock resistance is important, and I think some smartphone manufacturers get it, too. There are sports-associated smartphones out there now that are shock resistant.


I checked with Garmin after ordering and it is shock resistant. Just an omission in the specs.



> Thank you for contacting Garmin International.
> 
> The Edge 520 is shock resistant. I am not sure why it doesn't show it on our specs page.
> 
> ...


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## thrash_273 (Apr 24, 2013)

this is a nice unit


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## Buster (Jan 4, 2004)

I am especially curious about accuracy and how this works with the sensor. I had a Garmin unit before but returned it to REI because the mileage was always off. I understood that this was the satellite losing visibility due to tree cover, and/or not enough data points on tight, twisty trails.

Will the sensor fix these problems?


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## thrash_273 (Apr 24, 2013)

it will provide you more accurate reading if you put a speed sensor since it communicates the reading directly to the GPS unit and will not rely on satellite.


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## Buster (Jan 4, 2004)

Thank you. I didn't realize that the sensor did this. I may try one of these again.


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## thrash_273 (Apr 24, 2013)

np.very handy tool, use it on my road bike and for indoors as well. mtb should benefit big time on this if you want more accurate mileage (i use to have it on my mtb but took it off)


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

I use one of the newer hub-based magnetless speed/distance sensors with my Forerunner 310XT. It works very well, and definitely maintains distance tracking in poor GPS reception. I had a ride shortly after I installed it where the GPS satellites were absolute crap. I had signal for awhile, and actually lost it for at least half my ride. First time that's happened in years. I tracked the problem down to poor satellite visibility using some online tools from Trimble that give you that information. Canopy cover was a relatively small factor. Regardless, no signal.

You can see the ride here.

https://www.strava.com/activities/323628395

The distance is accurate because of the sensor.

I have changed my opinions on GPS use for mtb's a little since using this. A couple of things are essential.

For accurate tracking of distance, a wheel sensor is most essential. This is new for me. This is somewhat adjusted by the fact that you can get JUST a wheel sensor, without the addition of cadence. I'm just not sure how useful cadence is for the mtb. I suppose if you race and you truly train, knowing your cadence can help you get up climbs faster.

The ability to record at 1 second intervals is secondarily important. What I don't know is just how the two features play together. I probably should do a test with a speed sensor and without, both with 1 second recording and with "smart" recording. I know that "smart" recording by itself on a twisty mtb trail is the least accurate option. But, for example, with the new Edge 25 that only does smart recording, but can accept a wheel sensor, will that wheel sensor make it just as accurate as 1sec recording plus a wheel sensor? Or is it still somewhat less accurate? The wheel sensor won't help the GPS track (which is still crap with "smart" recording), but fewer people care about the accuracy of the GPS track - most care about the recorded METRICS associated with the GPS track.

With the rain we've had locally over the past 2 months, though (and the worst basement flooding I've had in the years I've lived where I do now), the local mtb trails won't be worth much for quite some time. I won't be able to do such a test for awhile. Running such a test on straight roads isn't going to be informative, as "smart" recording does perfectly fine in that situation. I'd need to do this on actual twisty trails.

As for the shock resistance of the unit, I can't say I'm surprised by Garmin's website spec sheets having a typo. I've seen them before on there. It's usually in the later descriptions, though, and not on the feature checklist. I have to wonder if they have interns updating the product descriptions on the website at times. I've also noticed that they don't go back on there and update the spec sheets when they change something with a firmware update. That can be pretty frustrating when you're looking at the software features and they have an outdated list. It's already the case with this model (related to the downloading of 3rd party maps) and it's not even available yet.


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## TwoTone (Jul 5, 2011)

Harold said:


> I use one of the newer hub-based magnetless speed/distance sensors with my Forerunner 310XT. It works very well, and definitely maintains distance tracking in poor GPS reception. I had a ride shortly after I installed it where the GPS satellites were absolute crap. I had signal for awhile, and actually lost it for at least half my ride. First time that's happened in years. I tracked the problem down to poor satellite visibility using some online tools from Trimble that give you that information. Canopy cover was a relatively small factor. Regardless, no signal.
> 
> You can see the ride here.
> 
> ...


Mind linking the speed sensor you're using? Will it work with a 810?


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

Buster said:


> I am especially curious about accuracy and how this works with the sensor. I had a Garmin unit before but returned it to REI because the mileage was always off. I understood that this was the satellite losing visibility due to tree cover, and/or not enough data points on tight, twisty trails.
> 
> Will the sensor fix these problems?


Depending upon your settings recorded mileage with a Garmin Edge and separate speed sensor should be about right.

Post #38 of this thread has my Garmin Edge 500 settings and some detail about how I have the speed sensor configured on my bike. 

http://forums.mtbr.com/xc-racing-tr...r-meter-889731-post11216130.html#post11216130

I use a Bontrager ANT+ speed sensor with a magnet on the wheel.

http://www.bontrager.com/model/09814

Where the speed sensor won't make any difference is for the accuracy of the recorded GPS track of your route, whether it picks up the twists and turns of your route properly. That's purely down to satellite reception. If you're riding under tree cover a new Garmin Edge 520 (which has GPS and GLONASS, using more satellites than older Garmin models) should record a better GPS track but it still relies on being able to communicate with satellites. In some situations a Garmin Edge 520 is likely to still encounter problems.

For Strava you can repair the track of your rides using the Strava GPS Snap tool. That recalculates the track so that it hopefully recognises the segments you rode. This works better for road than offroad segments.

http://strava-tools.raceshape.com/snap/


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

On the subject of GPS tracks. We did a five hour ride today with some hills. I bet my friend is annoyed. Looking on Strava his Garmin Edge 800 track has gone wrong for the biggest climb of the day. There were some hairpins under tree cover part way up and the GPS track is off the route. 

He had dropped me too by that point so was most likely on for a personal best...


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

TwoTone said:


> Mind linking the speed sensor you're using? Will it work with a 810?


https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/sho...ike-speed-sensor/prod517136_010-12103-00.html

It should.


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## thrash_273 (Apr 24, 2013)

i believe its a garmin sensor, the new one. hub based
Garmin Speed and Cadence Sensors 010-12104-00: HeartRateMonitorsUSA.com


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## JackJr (Sep 24, 2007)

Rarely used the speed sensor. Mrs had a spare so I mounted it to the CX bike. Mileage always seemed accurate and the speed sensor did nothing to improve that. It's main use would be if you use your bike on a trainer indoors.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

JackJr said:


> Rarely used the speed sensor. Mrs had a spare so I mounted it to the CX bike. Mileage always seemed accurate and the speed sensor did nothing to improve that. It's main use would be if you use your bike on a trainer indoors.


Which head unit? What circumstances? It matters. Look at the track I posted above. Without a speed sensor, I would have lost around 8 miles of distance tracking.


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## Triaxtremec (May 21, 2011)

bigdrunk said:


> The 20% off at Performance deal pushed me off the ledge to buy my first GPS. I really could have used on last week.
> 
> Question: I don't particularly have a use for a cadence or heart rate monitor so I bought the base Edge 520. Is the speed sensor a worthwhile purchase? I will be using the 520 on a road and mountain bike.
> 
> And oh, Performance showed the unit "in stock" but after my order, I received the back order notice. I was kind of expecting it....


where is this 20% off coupon or have it expired?


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## Flash (Jan 30, 2004)

Glad it's shock resistant. I use the included leash for added security. What's a good resource for a Garmin noob? I want to learn to use it for live segments but I'm way too busy to read tons on pages!


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Flash said:


> Glad it's shock resistant. I use the included leash for added security. What's a good resource for a Garmin noob? I want to learn to use it for live segments but I'm way too busy to read tons on pages!


Hate to break it to you but learning to use all or even many features on newer gps receivers will probably require both a lot of reading as well as trial and error. If you wanted an idiot proof device that you can learn on the fly, you should not have purchased a brand new garmin with a pile of brand new features.


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## Flash (Jan 30, 2004)

Stop making sense! I'm sure I will do fine with it but sometimes info sharing can save a bit of time. Seems like these days there can be too much info from everyone that thinks they are a genius. Wading through it can be cumbersome. So far it's a great device and I don't regret the purchase.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Flash said:


> Stop making sense! I'm sure I will do fine with it but sometimes info sharing can save a bit of time. Seems like these days there can be too much info from everyone that thinks they are a genius. Wading through it can be cumbersome. So far it's a great device and I don't regret the purchase.


There are really a couple problems you will run into.

1. Garmin provides the worst product manuals known to man. Entire feature sets are ignored.

2. The Edge 520 is brand new so there will be very limited 3rd party feature documentation.


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## Flash (Jan 30, 2004)

Exactly Harold. I originally had a 310 and sold it. I was fiddling with the device rather than riding. At least with this unit the basic features are easy to use.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

You can free up an extra 6.75mb of memory on the Garmin Edge 520 by removing any unused language files:

https://forums.garmin.com/showthread.php?321014-6-75MB-more-of-Free-Space-in-our-Garmin-Edge-520

.


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## AMac4108 (Oct 8, 2008)

None of my LBS have the 520 in stock right now and they said they won't get it for 2 weeks. I want one for my bike trip next weekend and JensonUSA is saying they have it in stock. (Hopefully it doesn't turn into 2 weeks of processing)

Figured I'd ask here first, has anyone very recently ordered a 520 online and already had it shipped quickly? If so, where did you order it?


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

They're hard to get. The shop where I worked has ordered a few. A couple special orders and a couple for stock. The extras have sold quickly.

If someone says they're "in stock", CALL TO VERIFY. A lot of online retailers drop ship from a distributor, or don't order them until a customer places an order. So if they're backordered at the distributor, you'll be waiting.


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## davez26 (Dec 2, 2004)

AMac4108 said:


> None of my LBS have the 520 in stock right now and they said they won't get it for 2 weeks. I want one for my bike trip next weekend and JensonUSA is saying they have it in stock. (Hopefully it doesn't turn into 2 weeks of processing)
> 
> Figured I'd ask here first, has anyone very recently ordered a 520 online and already had it shipped quickly? If so, where did you order it?


Ordered it Monday from Performance, received it Wednesday. Used it tonight.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk


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## Flash (Jan 30, 2004)

Digging mine so far. Still getting discrepancies while running Android Strava and Garmin. A 5 minute segment shouldn't have a 30 second difference.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

Flash said:


> Digging mine so far. Still getting discrepancies while running Android Strava and Garmin. A 5 minute segment shouldn't have a 30 second difference.


A good test is to use Strava flyby to overlay the ride files. That lets you see the different GPS tracks from different riders overlaid together on a map. You can see from that if the two devices were both following the same route, or whether one had gone off course.

On the Garmin Edge 520 if you go to the satellite settings option make sure that you have both GPS and GLONASS turned on, so that it is using both sets of satellites for keeping track of your location. By default it may only have GPS enabled.

Make sure that the Garmin Edge 520 is set to record at 1 second intervals also. It may be using "Smart Recording" instead.

When riding there should be a Data Field that you can add to a ride screen called GPS Accuracy. This shows how close the Gamin has your location pinpointed, the lower the number the more accurate your location is at that time. If you have that displayed whilst riding it will give an at a glance idea of how closely the Garmin is following your route.

With a mobile phone Strava app GPS accuracy can vary by a lot due to several factors. If you have the phone buried in a backpack it may not get a good GPS signal, which will see it losing parts of the route. Recording rates are longer than 1 second so frequent twists and turns may not be picked up and the start and end of segments may not always be in the same place. On short segments this can have a big impact.

The way that the Strava app (android in particular) identifies stationary time in rides can be a bit random too. You'll sometimes see rides on Strava, recorded using a mobile app, that have very low average speeds and no stationary time.


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## Flash (Jan 30, 2004)

Thanks for the great info. I have tried the flybys. They confirmed my suspicions. The unit was set to GPS and GLONASS. I did make the change from Smart Recording to 1 second per your advice and that of a friend but haven't ridden yet with that setting. Thanks again for the help. I think this unit is just what I wanted and I'm getting closer to knowing all of the functions. I'm just late to the GPS game.


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## AMac4108 (Oct 8, 2008)

Thanks. I ordered it this afternoon and it said I would get it Sept 10th. Got an email at the end of the day saying my order was cancelled because my shipping address was different than my billing address and due to fraud issues they won't ship it. Now when I go to order the earliest I can get it is the 14th. Frustrating. JUST TAKE MY MONEY AND GIVE ME MY GARMIN! lol


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Be careful about comparing data between two different services.

From my Garmin, stuff uploads automatically to Garmin Connect and then gets sent to Strava. Same data file. Garmin Connect and Strava report different metrics.

Sorting through it all, I've traced the differences back to how each site defines "stopped" time versus "moving" time. I do not set my Garmin to auto-pause, because I've found that fairly unreliable on slow, steep, grinding climbs. I let the websites sort out the data in the end. Also, When I load a track into Topofusion, I get yet another discrepancy between "stopped" time and "moving" time. Topofusion differs from GC and Strava both. The only way to narrow that difference would be to manually pause it when I'm stopped. That's a pain to remember (not just to pause it, but also to restart it every time). I tried doing it once just to see, and forgot to restart it again after a lunch stop.

My ride the other day was another one with crappy accuracy of my device (Forerunner 310XT). It's small (small antenna), and pre-GLONASS capability. I've got my eyes on the etrex touch 35. I want a mapping GPS with GLONASS, I don't want to spend $600 for it, and I want to be able to use a couple fitness sensors with it. I might get one with my next paycheck.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

If you're in the UK the individual and bundle versions of the Garmin Edge 520 are in stock at Wiggle and available to buy now:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/?s=Garmin+edge+520

It looks like they're in stock to buy from Garmin UK direct too:

https://buy.garmin.com/en-GB/GB/sports-recreation/cycling/edge-520/prod166370.html

I've got one on order from Wiggle so it will hopefully turn up next week sometime.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

My Garmin Edge 520 arrived from Wiggle today.

I bought the bundle pack (including speed, cadence and heart rate sensors) and the Garmin Edge 520 was paired with the bundled sensors out of the box.

The initial setup along with age / height / weight etc has some funny questions.

"What is your cycling level?" I answered Superior.:lol:

There's also another one "Are you a lifetime athlete?" Yes/ No

On a serious note these questions are actually quite important to get right as they will have an impact on many of the calculations that the Garmin makes. How you answer the cycling level question in particular is likely to have a large impact on any calories burnt figures, along with what will appear in the VO2 Max and Recovery sections on the device.

The main reason for switching to a new Garmin for me was GPS accuracy. My Garmin Edge 500 (2011 vintage) is reliable but the GPS track will be way off if there's tree cover. The Garmin Edge 520 has both GPS and GLONASS so should be more accurate. I stood both devices side by side outside and left them in one place for several minutes to get a good satellite lock. In the picture below GPS accuracy is shown by the onscreen number in feet. The lower this number is the more accurate the location is.










The Garmin Edge 500 had a GPS accuracy of 21 feet and the Garmin Edge 520 had a GPS accuracy of 10 feet.

There are several screen display options available on the Garmin Edge 520. It has a colour screen so you can have either white background and black text (day mode) or a black background with white text (night mode). There is also a backlight brightness option. Having the backlight on all the time is going to use the battery up faster than having it off.

This picture shows my Garmin Edge 500 stood next to the Garmin Edge 520 when they are both on a Ride screen. The Garmin Edge 520 is set to day mode with no backlight. The Garmin Edge 500 has better contrast but the Garmin Edge 520 screen is still readable.










Here's a picture showing the Garmin Edge 520 mounted on a stem mount. This is trying to give an idea of how it will look when riding. I've read some comments about the screen being hard to read online but my initial impression is that it will be ok. When mounted on the stem like this the lower device buttons are easy enough to press too. They might be hard to press on an out front mount but there's no issue with a stem mount.










The Garmin Edge 520 paired straight away with the Bontrager ANT+ speed sensor and Power2Max power meter on my bike. The calibration figure for the Power2Max power meter appears as the same on both the Garmin Edge 500 and Garmin Edge 520 and I have the same manual wheel circumference entered for the speed sensor.

There are quite a few menus of other settings to go through but I'm optimistic that it will all be good so far.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

I got out for a ride with my new Garmin Edge 520 today.

I did a steady 3 hour 52 minute ride with the Garmin connected to speed and power sensors. (No mobile phone connection and with the screen backlight turned off). The battery was at 100% fully charged when I set off and was at 70% charge when I got home.

There were no sensor dropouts or spikes at any point so that was fine.

*Updating the Basemap*
The basemap that comes as stock with the Garmin Edge 520 is incredibly bad. I first downloaded a new map of the local area from here:

Planet.osm extracts | BBBike.org

Select Garmin BBBike as the format, 
Map type OSM Mapnik from the small + at the top right of the screen.
Use the Add Points To Polygon to create the map you want.










I followed the instructions from this thread to update the Edge 520 basemap.

https://forums.mtbr.com/gps-hrm-bike-computer/how-add-detailed-maps-edge-520-a-985251.html

1) Download the map section of interest per the 'Part 1: Downloading the Maps' section (again for the Edge 520, remember to keep it small*: See note at end of this section!).
2) Plug-in your Garmin Edge 520 to your computer.
3) Within the \Garmin folder on the Edge 520, you'll find the gmapbmap.img file (Disc Image File). Make a backup copy of this on your computer for long-term safe keeping.
4) Within the \Garmin folder on the Edge 520, delete the gmapbmap.img file (after you've copied it elsewhere).
5) Copy the gmapsupp.img map file you downloaded into the \Garmin folder on your Edge 520.
6) On the Edge 520, rename that map file gmapsupp.img to gmapbmap.img - don't worry if you can't see the .IMG extension, just rename it to gmapbmap, like below.
7) There is nothing extra you need to do on the Edge 520 itself as far as configuring maps - it'll happen automatically, so you can ignore Part 3 of the instructions.
8. Go ride *dcrainmaker*

How to download free maps to your Garmin Edge 705/800/810/1000 & Touring

That updates the basemap so you now have a lot more detail.

On the ride today I did the first hour with the display set to a ride screen with three data fields (as pictured above) but then for the last three hours I switched to map view, with GPS accuracy displayed alongside. I was interested to see how well the Open Street Map would match up with what was actually there.

The screen on the Edge 520 is quite clear and I could read it whilst riding without needing the backlight. The map was easy to make out too. The actual accuracy and content of the Open Street Map is very variable though. Riding around the rural Cotswolds you could rely on it if you were sticking to the roads but the offroad footpath, bridleway and byways were frequently missing. It was a good thing I knew where I was going as trying to navigate using just the Open Street Map on the Garmin would have been impossible.

At the same time when I got back into the more built up area in town the amount of detail on the Open Street Map was close to overwhelming. Individual buildings, railway lines, points of interest, wooded areas all appearing together on the map make it hard to even see the roads. That's fine on a 24" PC monitor but makes for a cluttered look on a small Edge 520 screen on the move.

You aren't limited to just Open Street Map as a basemap. You can have Bing maps on there. Bing maps are missing the offroad tracks, but look like they may be better for road riding as there is less overload of information.

*GPS Track*

The GPS track and accuracy of the Garmin Edge 520 whilst riding (on a dry day with some cloud) is far better than the Garmin Edge 500. The Edge 520 was displaying between 10 and 15ft GPS accuracy for most of the ride with an open view of the sky. It was mostly spot on with the route.

Under tree cover the track wasn't as good but I deliberately did some sections in trees that always defeat the Garmin Edge 500, causing it to go way off course. With the Garmin Edge 520 it wasn't perfect (losing some GPS accuracy under the trees) but the sections were still close enough to register the Strava segments.

*Edit:*

*Screenshots*
You can take screenshots of what is displayed on the screen whilst riding. In order to turn this on go to Menu - Settings - System - Display and enable Screen Capture. When you press the Lap button it will now take a screenshot of the screen contents and save them as a bitmap picture file.

*Basemap Pictures*
I took a couple of pictures whilst out riding to show what the map looks like in different areas. This is using Open Street Map as the Basemap. One picture is up in the hills. I was riding along a country lane approaching an offroad bridleway (the yellow line heading off to the left. There are farm fields all around. This is clear enough and easy to read on the small screen.

The picture next to it is a different area on the main road. Here there are multiple roads and junctions, a river, railway footpaths, bridleway, woods, houses. Even as a blown up screenshot like this there's a lot going on.


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

WR304 said:


> "What is your cycling level?" I answered Superior.:lol:


Correct.

That gave me a chuckle when I was demo'ing one at the shop.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

*Garmin Edge 520 Settings*

The Garmin Edge 520 has different activity profiles. I have two setup. One is called Epic for my mountain bike and one is called Turbo Trainer for indoors riding. These are the settings and data fields for my mountain bike: 

*Activity Profile "Epic"*

*Data Screens: *
Screen 1: 3 Fields (my normal riding screen)
Field 1: Power 3s
Field 2: Speed
Field 3: Time

Screen 2: 10 Fields (my summary overview screen to look at when riding)
Field 1: Time
Field 2: Distance
Field 3: Avg Speed
Field 4: Avg Power
Field 5: Avg Cadence
Field 6: Totl Ascent
Field 7: Elapsed Time
Field 8: Avg Balance
Field 9: IF (Intensity Factor)
Field 10: NP (Normalized Power)

Screen 3: 4 Fields (Misc items that I may want to look at infrequently)
Field 1: Time of Day
Field 2: Temperature
Field 3: Battery
Field 4: GPS Accuracy

Screen 4+5: Off

Map Screen: None - On

Compass Screen - Off
Elevation Screen - Off
Lap Summary Screen - Off
Virtual Partner Screen - Off
Cycling Dynamics Screen - Off

*GPS Mode:* GPS+ GLONASS

*Map*
Orientation: Track Up
Auto Zoom: Off
Guide Text: When Navigating

*Alerts*
All turned off

*Auto Features*
Auto Lap: Off
Auto Pause: Off
Auto Sleep: Off
Auto Scroll: Off

*Start Notice:* Off

*Sensors: *
I have an Ant+ Speed sensor with manual wheel circumference and power meter paired.

*Bluetooth:* Off

*System: *
Display: Brightness 40%
Backlight Timeout: 15 seconds
Color Mode: Day
Screen Capture (usually Off)

*Data Recording*
Recording Interval :1 sec
Cadence Averaging: Do Not Include Zeros
Power Averaging: Include Zeros


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

*Garmin Edge 520 Power Meter Settings and Notes*

If you have a power meter connected there are a few other screens to go through also. With a Garmin Edge 500 it would always come up with a pop up message "power meter detected do you want to calibrate" y/n (set the zero offset) screen when first turned on.

The Garmin Edge 520 currently doesn't have this prompt. You can still manually calibrate (set the zero offset) by pressing the up arrow once to go to the status screen. If the power meter is connected you will see a calibrate option. Select that and it should give you a success message as pictured below. Under sensors you can also go to about and look at what details there are for it. With a Power2Max classic power meter this shows the battery level, firmware version etc for the power meter onscreen.










Different types of power meter will have different options and report different zero offset values here. With a Power2Max whenever you freewheel for a few seconds whilst riding it will automatically reset the zero offset by itself. Doing a manual zero offset before starting isn't that critical so long as you freewheel from time to time during the ride.

If you have a Quarq then it's important to remember to manually set the zero offset at the beginning of the ride. To reset the zero offset on a Quarq whilst actually riding you have to backpedal five times otherwise. One of my friend's has a new model Quarq on his road bike. He did a road race a few months ago where the zero offset wasn't set correctly (he did the zero offset calibration with one foot still clipped into the pedal just before the start). The entire race file was garbage as a result. All the power numbers were way off.

If you have the Powertap P1 pedals the Garmin Edge 520, along with the Garmin Edge 1000 still has the incorrect crank length issue. This is where the crank length setting defaults to 172.5mm with no option to change it. See this thread:

https://forums.garmin.com/showthread.php?315690-Edge-1000-and-PowerTap-P1-Pedals

*Setting FTP and Power Zones*
This is under Menu - My Stats. There is a seperate section called FTP here, which you should ignore and leave turned off!

Where you actually have to go is keep scrolling down in My Stats beneath User Profile to the Training Zones section. Under Training Zones select Power Zones. At the top is where you manually enter your FTP figure. For consistency this should be whatever you use in other programs such as WKO+ 3.0, Golden Cheetah, Strava etc.

FTP: enter your own value
Based On: Watts
Minimum: 0w

I have the power zones set manually to match the six Coggan power zones in WKO+ 3.0.

https://home.trainingpeaks.com/blog/article/power-training-levels

In order to make them match I first edited Zone 7 so that it wouldn't be used. Enter a massive number in there that you will never reach, 5,000 watts say and then make Zone 6 limit just below it. The other zones can now be set to match.

Once that is done the metrics such as IF, TSS, w/kg time in power zones etc should be very close to what you will see once the ride is loaded into your preferred program.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

The rides that I'd done with the Garmin Edge 520 up until today were all in full daylight. With the screen set to "day mode" and no backlight I have no problems reading the display whilst riding.

Today was a bit different in that it was a ride that started late afternoon around 4.30pm (full daylight) in order to get some miles in by myself before meeting up with the Friday group ride. This group ride goes into the late evening. I got home at 7.40pm (sunset) when it is close to fully dark. By the end of the ride you need to be running with lights. It gradually got darker over the course of the ride.

To start with the screen visibility was fine but around 6.00pm as the daylight started to fade I was increasingly finding the Garmin Edge 520 screen hard to read. Under the trees it was difficult to make out. A Garmin Edge 500 with no backlight in the same conditions (gloomy but not fully dark) would still have been readable.

I got to the group ride meeting point a few minutes early so I decided to change the screen mode and turn the backlight on. This showed up one big danger with the Garmin Edge 520. I pressed the Start/Stop button, which brings up the pause menu. Still being unfamiliar with the menus I then pressed the Enter button once (once! ) by mistake.

The next thing I know there's a "saving ride" symbol on screen and the ride file has finished and been written to a .fit file. Not what I had in mind at all. With the Garmin Edge 500 you always had to deliberately long press a button to save the ride. With the Garmin Edge 520 it's almost too easy to save the ride as there is no confirmation prompt and Save Ride is the very first option on the pause menu.

*Changing Screen Display Settings Whilst Riding*
Here are the minimal number of key presses to make if you need to change the display settings partway through whilst the ride is still in progress. Display settings have a shortcut so you don't need to wade through all the menus.

Starting from your normal riding data screen press Back once to reach the Ride screen, and then press Up arrow once to select Status Page. Press Enter once on the Brightness option on the Status page. This takes you straight to the display settings menu where you can change screen and backlight modes.

Once you have made the changes press Back twice, and then Enter once to return to your normal riding data screen.

If you have paused the ride press Down arrow four times on the pause menu, and then press Enter once to reach the Status Page that way. Press Enter once on the Brightness option on the Status page. This takes you straight to the display settings menu where you can change screen and backlight modes.

Once you have made the changes press Back three times to return to your normal riding data screen.

The screen display settings that I set for the rest of the evening ride were to put it in "night mode" (black background and white numbers) and set the backlight to 70% brightness and always on. 100% brightness makes the screen look washed out. With the backlight on the screen was nice and easy to read as dusk approached and it got steadily darker. That worked well for riding in the gloom. I was happy with how I could read everything on screen clearly for the remainder of the ride.


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## FireLikeIYA (Mar 15, 2009)

My EDGE 705 is on its last leg and I am thinking about buying a new unit. The 520 seems the most promising but I have a few questions.

1. From what I am finding, there is no SD slot. Can someone confirm whether or not this is true?
2. It shows that this unit will not do routing. Does that mean that if I download someone else's ride it wont tell me when I need to make a turn or does that just mean that I can't enter a destination and have it lead me there?
3. I use my 705 as an odometer for my bikes so that I know when to do maintenance. The 705 keeps track up to 3 bikes. Will this do the same? How many bikes can I keep track of?


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

There are no SD slot or storage expansion options on the Garmin Edge 520. According to Windows Explorer my Edge 520 has 105mb of storage space in total and 64mb free space currently. I replaced the original basemap with Open Street Map (31mb size see post with details and pictures) which is smaller than the stock basemap.

The Garmin Edge 520 seems to be a lot like a mini Garmin Edge 1000. Instead of named bikes and linked sensors it has "activity profiles" and a sensor pool where all the paired sensors are listed together. The sensors that are detected are linked to. In terms of tracking bikes and mileage this isn't a problem. Think of "activity profiles" as "bike profiles" and it does the same thing. You can have 10 seperate activity profiles so can keep track of mileage for 10 bikes with the Edge 520.

These screenshots of my Edge 520 show how you select from the different profiles. My Specialized Epic is named as "Epic". When you go to the totals section of the Edge 520 there are individual totals for each profile, listing number of rides, mileage, hours and calories.










The paired sensors can be renamed also, so that when you have lots of sensors they can be identified. By default they just have a sensor ID but that can be renamed. Here I have renamed the speed sensor and power meter so they match the name of the bike. It doesn't really matter with one bike but if you have many bikes and sensors this will show which is which.










The navigation is on my to do list. It isn't something I use normally but I'm going to try it out. There seem to be some tricks to getting that working properly on the Edge 520


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

My first try at using courses on the Garmin Edge 520 wasn't hugely successful. I exported a previous road ride as a .tcx file from Strava and added it into the Garmin (in mass storage mode copy-paste the .tcx or .gpx file into the \Garmin\NewFiles folder. When you disconnect the Garmin from the computer it will automatically create a course from the file).

Here are some screenshots of the ride when using a Strava created .tcx file to create the course:










The Course had an estimated time of 85 hours and several invalid errors. Not a good start! I didn't have much time to spend messing around as I wanted to get out riding. I set it as the route to follow, put the Garmin on the map screen and set off. It counted down distance to the start of the course as I turned out of the house but then went straight to 38 miles to go once I had reached the beginning of the course.

There was a purple track to follow on screen but no warning tones or turn directions.

Strange pink lines kept appearing on the screen as I rode. You can see one in the middle picture above. This must have been something to do with the routing as they would come and go. They weren't part of the map screen.

I stopped after a while and tried forcing on the directions screen. All it showed was a generic message "Go NorthWest" so I turned it off again.

There were some roadworks that I decided to avoid, taking me off the course. Once I went off course this "Off Course" message appeared along the bottom of the screen. At the point that I rejoined the original route it went away again.

A distance countdown began as I got close to finishing the route. As I reached the end point the Garmin played a tune and it came up with a message saying "Course completed, You win!" :skep:

I definitely need to do more research on how to get courses working effectively. A .gpx file might work better if it can have some turn by turn instructions that the Garmin Edge 520 will be able to use.

*Update*
A .gpx file gives turn by turn directions for courses when loaded into the Garmin Edge 520. You can either import one, or use a saved ride on the device done previously to create the course. The predicted time for the route in the course summary is more or less correct with a .gpx file. It doesn't have the 85 hour problem of the .tcx courses.

The turn directions in the .gpx course don't appear to be necessarily located on the route where you would want to see them whilst riding however (just before junctions and turnings).

I think it may be a case of needing to create or edit the course in a particular program for it to work properly.

_"Turn notifications via TBT instructions and course point notifications are two separate and independent things.

Course points are built in to a tcx file and are reported to the user by the Edge as you pass through that point. You could use a course point to notify you of a turn.

A Turn-By-Turn (TBT) instructions are generated by the Edge through an analysis of the course file when you load it.

You can control the reporting of TBT and Course points by the Edge separately."_ *Aweatherall*

https://forums.garmin.com/showthread.php?322278-Wrong-course-information-on-Garmin-520


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

This RideWithGPS help page and this Garmin forums thread seem to be about the best sources on getting a course to work. It appears it should work if you have a .tcx file with custom cue points and notifications added. You use cue points instead of the turn by turn navigation.

I've got the navigation working on a small test route now. I created the route in RideWithGPS (premium membership needed). With the premium features you add cues into the ride and set it so you get a marker before the turn itself. You then export it as a .tcx course file to add to the Garmin.

There is a known issue with switching between Strava segments and courses apparently. It's a case of using one or the other on the Garmin Edge 520.

--------------------------------------------

*Export File Formats (Ride With GPS Help) *
Every Ride and Route on Ride with GPS has an export tab in the right side panel. You'll see different export options like TCX Course, TCX History, GPX Track, CSV, and KML. What do these all mean?

TCX FILES

There are two versions of TCX files: TCX Course and TCX History.

TCX Course files contain all the navigation to use with your Garmin Edge series devices. This is the most common file format that we recommend to get turn-by-turn navigation.

There are three reasons you would want a TCX file over a GPX:

1. You have a GPS unit that does not have mapping capabilities (Edge 305/500) but want turn warnings, or you have a GPS unit that has mapping capabilities (Edge 705/800) but you did not purchase the microSD card that contains the mapping/routing information which provides the nice GPS style turn guidance.
A. TCX files contain the cuesheet generated when mapping a route using our planner.
B. When you come close to the cuesheet entry, your Edge will beep and an arrow icon will appear on the map. An abbreviated 10 character description of the cue will also appear. Garmin's are limited to 10 characters, so we attempt to strip out irrelevant text from the cue, leaving just the street name if possible.
C. Often, the beep you get with the very simplistic turn by turn directions of a TCX occurs as you are in the middle of the intersection, meaning it doesn't happen in advance of the turn. That's fine for most people, since it's just a reference - most of the time you have an idea of where you are going and just need an auditory beep to make sure you don't accidentally pass a turn.
2. Your GPS unit has fancy maps installed, but you have custom cue entries like water and food stops. Using the TCX will still allow your GPS unit to have the fancy turn guidance you get when you have a quality map installed on the GPS, however you will also get the simple beep/icon style navigation of the TCX. This allows you to get alerts when you approach your custom cues, while still using the fancy navigation capabilities of your GPS unit.
3. You are interested in the training capabilities of the TCX, meaning, you want to export a route with a set speed, and you want to get alerts when you go above or below that speed. At this moment, we do not have the capability to export a *route* with these average speeds, however if you export a TCX of an existing activity that you have done, you can race against the speed you went when originally riding on that activity.

TCX History files contain the entire track of the recorded ride including sensor information like heart rate, cadence, and power if applicable. Export as a TCX History if you wish to transfer a ride to another service or application for analysis.

Export File Formats | Ride With GPS Help

---------------------------------------------------------

"I've just finished a MTB ride (both on and off road) where I navigated using a TCX course from bike route toaster. This TCX file had course points at junctions/intersections and 150ft before each one as well. I turned off the "Turn Guidance" option on the Garmin and it showed me the course instructions at the correct times (even when I did not have the map screen displayed, which was nice).

I also added fields for Course Point Distance, Distance to Next and Time to Next. These all showed the correct data all the way through the ride, and even after I restarted the course mid-ride the data was correct and the instructions continued to be displayed. It did take a couple of minutes after re-starting the course where I was puzzled to see it show every course instruction from the beginning (WTF?), but it did catch up to the correct instruction. However, I did not have any segments starred (so did not follow a segment), so it's not a valid test of the problem!

The Course Point Distance had a uselessly small and badly coloured arrow, the Distance to Next had an extra decimal place so was slightly more accurate. If I'm picky I'd like the course instructions to use a bigger font (there's plenty of unused space), I may have to write a little Python script to convert them to upper case before I put them on the the Garmin.

I am perfectly happy with the navigation/route following capabilities of this device, my offroad excursion was much more successful than when using my Mio Cyclo 505, which has true navigation but also has a nasty habit of deciding to send you off the course you actually wanted to follow, especially when bridleways are involved." *Hulahoopian*

-------------

"If you stop a course mid ride (because you want to load a Strava segment) following a TCX course made from RWGPS, and try to restart the course after your segment, you will not get ANY turn "course points" for the rest of you ride. This is a huge problem. It is bad enough that we can't use segments while following a course, but now we can't stop and restart the course mid ride if we want to have any idea on how to get home.
This happened to me the other day and I had to stare at the map screen for the rest of my ride. This means I could not view my data page!" *PMERRILL87*

-------
"I have found what is causing the problem and I have a workaround for you.

The issue is with the data that is being generated by RWGPS and how the Edge is using it.

To determine if you are on or off course the Edge builds a bounding box around the track points that it considers to be part of the course that you are following.

In selecting what track points to use it looks at the total time specified in the course file for completing the course. Using that time it goes through the list of track points and selects all the track points that fall within that time window.

Here is the problem. The time for completing the course specified by RWGPS is much shorter than the time taken using the timestamps that are on each track point. The bigger the difference the fewer the number of track points that are included in the bounding box calculation.

As an example I looked at the values in the file I was using and found that the time delta between the first and last track point was 18,370 seconds, while the time reported for completion of the course was 2,198 seconds. As you can see unless my course was confined to a very small area I would only be able to pick it up near the start.

I'm betting if you look at the tcx file that you downloaded from RWGPS you will see a similar thing.

Here is how to fix it.

Using an editor (I like using the firstobject xml editor) open up the tcx file.

Go to the first track point in the file and get the value for "Time". Do the same for the last track point. Then workout the difference between these 2 times in seconds and take that value and use it replace the value that is currently associated with the tag TotalTimeSeconds under lap near the top of the file.

Save the changes and place the file in the Garmin\NewFiles folder." *AWEATHERALL*

https://forums.garmin.com/showthread.php?320118-problem-with-turn-by-turn-in-courses

.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

*Creating Garmin Edge 520 Courses With Turn Notifications*

I've got the Garmin Edge 520 courses with turn notifications working now.

You will need to create a .tcx route file. In order to have directions whilst riding on the Garmin Edge 520 this MUST have cue points in the file. Cue points are markers along the route that trigger when you approach their location. On the Garmin Edge 520 the cue points can display a symbol (left arrow, right arrow etc) and also 10 characters of text. This is usually directions but you can put anything in.

The Strava .tcx route I tried to use yesterday didn't have any cue points, which is why there were no directions.

There are a couple of different websites that will let you create and edit the route including cue points. Bike Route Toaster is a free option. It lets you add and edit cue points before exporting the file as a .tcx.

Bike Route Toaster - Welcome to BikeRouteToaster.com

Here I'm using RideWithGps to create the route.

Map Bike Rides with Elevation Profiles, Analyze Cycling Performance, Train Better. Ride With GPS

This is with a premium subscription which is required to allow cue point editing and add prior warnings. You can either import a track from elsewhere (such as a .tcx exported from Strava) or create one from scratch. In this picture the red line is the route that I have created. The map in the picture is Google Maps but if you click on maps at the top right of the RideWithGps map you can select Open Street Map, which will be better for offroad routes. Cue points are automatically added at junctions as you create the course. You can also add your own custom cue points and edit the existing ones.










Once the course has been created you save the route. You can then go to Routes - View and click Export at the top right. Select .tcx course, tick notify before turn and put at least 60 metres in the box. This notification sets where the onscreen message on the map appears and where a warning beep will sound if you have tones enabled.










There's currently a bug with the time in the exported .tcx file from RideWithGps. Open the .tcx in first object xml editor before loading it into the Garmin.

Download firstobject XML Editor by First Objective Software, Inc.

16 lines down you will see a field called TotalTimeSeconds. This is the estimated time for how long the route will take to travel in seconds. Change this number to a time (in seconds) that will take *longer* than the actual route. The easiest way to do this is by adding a 0 to the end of the existing number. If you were to do the route in four hours for example you would enter 14400 (four hours in seconds). This should allow the course to return to its route if you go off course or stop the course apparently (see the post above this one for more details).

Save the .tcx file, and then with the Garmin Edge 520 in mass storage mode connected to your computer copy - paste the .tcx file into \Garmin\NewFiles. Unplug the Garmin and it will automatically create a new course that will be available to select and ride.

*Following a course with Cue Point Turn Notifications on the Garmin Edge 520*

Map Settings that I used today (under Menu - Settings - Activity Profiles - "profile name" - Map)
Orientation: Track Up
Auto Zoom: On
Guide Text: When Navigating
Data fields on screen was Courses - Course Point Distance

To view courses on the Garmin Edge 520 go to Menu - Training - Courses. There are several options screens in this section too! At the top there are course options and then when you select the individual course there are settings there too. Here are screen shots of the settings I used. The average speed for the course should appear as *slower* than the actual speed will be with the estimated time being *longer* than it will take you. If it doesn't you need to go back and edit the .tcx file before importing it again.










Once happy select the course you want to use and press Ride to load the course. Press the Start/Stop button to begin the timer and start riding. With the map screen displayed it should look like in this screenshot.










The Course Point Distance field will have a distance count down to the next cue point. There is also a small icon showing what will happen at the next cue point that you are approaching. Here the next cue point is a right turn. There is a text notice overlaid on the map of what the next cue point is too. Here it says "Turn Right".










As I reach the junction the map zooms in automatically, a beep will sound if you have tones enabled and a notification message and arrow appears at the bottom of the screen. Once past the junction the map zooms out again and the Course Point Distance field changes to the next location.










For today's ride I did a 55 mile route that has defeated me in the past. There are multiple unsignposted junctions. When I tried a few weeks ago I wound up on the main road for several miles, instead of the quiet route through the lanes that I had intended to take.

Following the Garmin Edge 520 map and directions it worked really well. I was able to follow the route easily. The notifications and onscreen map worked all the way round.

I went off course on purpose, cutting out one section and a cue point. As soon as I rejoined the route it started working again, moving onto the next cue point. There seems to be a feature with the "Off Course" message. Once you go off course the map stops updating. It could possibly be a bug or it may be to force you to take notice. It happened yesterday and today.

Battery life takes a hit with the course on. Where the battery was at 70% after 3 hours 50 minutes with no course Wednesday it was down to 60% battery after just 3 hours 30 minutes riding today with the course (backlight off, bluetooth off, two sensors connected).


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## Sprool (Sep 13, 2015)

Really useful thread, been struggling with Nav and settings on my new 520 for the past week. A couple of questions:
1) Courses>settings> Always Display--what does this always display?
2) How to turn off the 'Riding Northwest' text?
3) I want a countdown to next nav point, should I be using Dist To Next or Course Point Dist? What's the difference between the two?
4) Any way of preventing those big straight pink guidance lines appearing on the nav page?

5) Any solution for the elevation profile y-axis being way off scale on RWPGS tcx files and BRT tcx files (which both don't show up in course preview screen, but when riding they are way too big)?


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## jon123 (Oct 11, 2009)

WR304: do you think the 520 (the screen resolution/contrast) is a bad choice for mountain biking if your rides consist of primarily woods, under cover of trees? Is it just too hard to read?
Also. how would you compare it to a 500, which I have, in these settings in terms of readability?

Thanks


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

Sprool said:


> Really useful thread, been struggling with Nav and settings on my new 520 for the past week. A couple of questions:
> 1) Courses>settings> Always Display--what does this always display?
> 2) How to turn off the 'Riding Northwest' text?
> 3) I want a countdown to next nav point, should I be using Dist To Next or Course Point Dist? What's the difference between the two?
> ...


1. Menu - Training - Courses- "course name" - Settings - Always Display

You would normally leave this set to off.

_"Always display will draw the route on the map page all the time even when not following that course."_ *AWEATHERALL*

_"If you were to say have 5 courses saved and all set to display, you'd see all of them. This could be useful and/or confusing if the courses overlapped each other."_ *TLGPA*

https://forums.garmin.com/showthread.php?323145-course-gt-settings-gt-always-display

2. To get rid of the headings go to Menu - Settings - Activity Profiles - "profile name" - Map - Guide Text. Set this to "Never Display". If you have "Always Display" set here it will have the grey box visible across the top of the map screen at all times. If you're using cue points on the course this text box isn't used for navigating with the Garmin Edge 520.

If you were using a Garmin Edge with routable maps this grey text box would be giving you road name details etc displayed in the text box as you rode along. On the Edge 520 all it seems to do is give you a heading.

3. Course Point Distance is the one to use. This gives you the additional small visual symbol and count down to the next cue point. Distance to Next seems to have the same distance but no symbol.

4. I don't think you can do much about the pink lines on the map screen when riding a course. They form a rough pattern of the course you are riding. I suspect that it's a bug that needs to be fixed via a firmware update.

5. The elevation screen profile is one part of the Garmin Edge 520 that is buggy. There is a known issue with the scales:

_"Nothing wrong with the data you are using.

There is a bug in build 2.30 in the vertical scaling of the course preview elevation page."_ *AWEATHERALL*

https://forums.garmin.com/showthread.php?318323-how-can-i-change-elevation-scale


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## Sprool (Sep 13, 2015)

WR304 said:


> If you were using a Garmin Edge with routable maps this grey text box would be giving you road name details etc displayed in the text box as you rode along. On the Edge 520 all it seems to do is give you a heading.


 Thanks for the info. I use an open streetmap area inserted in the the device from BBBike.org, and with tcx route from bikeroutetoaster yesterday I got the street names popping up with turn prompts in a small black box at the bottom of the display.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

Sprool said:


> Thanks for the info. I use an open streetmap area inserted in the the device from BBBike.org, and with tcx route from bikeroutetoaster yesterday I got the street names popping up with turn prompts in a small black box at the bottom of the display.


The navigation features and functions vary between the different Garmin Edge devices. Here's my attempt at explaining the differences.

*Routable Maps and Turn By Turn*
On a GPS device such as the Garmin Edge 1000 you have routable maps and what I'd describe as true turn by turn navigation. This is where the Garmin knows where you are on the map. It is able to reference your position and tell what road or track you are travelling along using its built in map.

If you want to go somewhere you can punch in a destination and the Garmin Edge 1000 will automatically calculate a route from where you are to the destination. As you travel the route it will tell you the street names and where exactly to turn in detail from its built in map. If you're forced to go off course or need to change route the Garmin Edge 1000 can recalculate and create a new route to your destination. For this detailed turn by turn navigation the Garmin Edge 1000 uses the grey box at the top of the screen to display the information.










There's a good description of this on the dcrainmaker Garmin Edge 1000 review:

Garmin Edge 1000 In-Depth Review | DC Rainmaker

*Maps on the Garmin Edge 520*
The key thing to remember about navigation is that a mapping GPS with routable maps can tell you where to go whilst a GPS without routable maps can't. It can only follow a preset route that you have loaded in advance.

The Garmin Edge 520 doesn't have the same mapping and navigation features as a Garmin Edge 1000. It's far more basic. Unlike the Garmin Edge 1000 the Garmin Edge 520 doesn't know where you are on the map or interact with it for navigation. It doesn't care what the map looks like, there could be no map at all and it wouldn't make any difference. All it knows is your GPS position coordinates.

Where the Garmin Edge 1000 can independently tell you how to get from one place to another by itself the Garmin Edge 520 has to be told by you where to go, via loading a course. The course is a trail of GPS points that lead you along the set route. All the GPS is doing is pointing you to the next GPS point in sequence.

*Turn by Turn on the Garmin Edge 520*
Although the Garmin Edge 520 has "turn by turn" navigation this isn't the same thing as on a Garmin Edge 1000. Because it can't see where the actual junctions are via a map all the Garmin Edge 520 does is look for sudden changes of direction in the GPS track, guess that they are junctions and call these turns. Apart from that its "navigation" is just giving you a heading in the grey box. It isn't very good and not what most people think of as "turn by turn navigation".

*Cue Points*
Cue points are the directions embedded into the .tcx course file when you created it. The cue points are what you are seeing when the black box appears with directions at the bottom of the screen whilst following a course. You can have these cue points appear on both the Garmin Edge 1000 and Garmin Edge 520 in the same way. On both devices cue points will pop up as a black box at the bottom of the screen.

On the Garmin Edge 1000 they're more supplementary entries (which can be turned off) additional to the primary detailed directions provided by the built in mapping (the grey box at the top of the screen on the Garmin Edge 1000). On the Garmin Edge 520 because you don't have the detailed directions the cue point directions become your main source of directions and are more important.


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## Sprool (Sep 13, 2015)

thanks for the explanation, that makes it a lot clearer, have you considered rewriting all the operating manuals for Garmin cos they are badly in need of someone technical to add some clarity!


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

Garmin manuals are legendary for their brevity. I'd struggle to stay under their word limit.

Here is the current online version of the Garmin Edge 520 manual:

Edge 520 Owner's Manual

.


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## Sprool (Sep 13, 2015)

yep been through all that, great details about fixing the mount to your handlebars, care of your elastic silicone rings and charging the device, all the essential stuff, nothing much else about navigating and map settings. You would think they are better suited to selling bicycle bells judging by their focus on instruction manuals.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

jon123 said:


> WR304: do you think the 520 (the screen resolution/contrast) is a bad choice for mountain biking if your rides consist of primarily woods, under cover of trees? Is it just too hard to read?
> Also. how would you compare it to a 500, which I have, in these settings in terms of readability?
> 
> Thanks


I think the side by side pictures in Post #48 are a fair representation of how the screens of the two devices appear without backlight. In full daylight both the Garmin Edge 500 and Garmin Edge 520 screens without backlight are easy enough to read. The Garmin Edge 520 screen is a bit darker but you can still see it. Without backlight the Garmin Edge 500 screen is easier to read when in the shade or gloom. The Garmin Edge 520 screen without backlight is harder to read when in the shade or near darkness.

The main thing with screen readability is that this is talking about without the backlight turned on. As soon as you turn on the backlight there's no problem viewing the Garmin Edge 520 screen in shade or near darkness. The Garmin Edge 520 colour screen looks great and is very easy to read with its backlight on. The only reason for deciding to use the Garmin Edge 520 without backlight on all the time would be down to battery life considerations.

Battery life for the Garmin Edge 520 is claimed to be "up to 15 hours". That is best case scenario though. Once you start using device features - ANT+ sensors, GLONASS, bluetooth connectivity, livetrack, following a course, screen backlight etc that will use up the battery faster. I haven't seen any detailed figures as to how much each feature takes up battery as yet. On the evening ride that I did last Friday, with the backlight on 70% brightness, the Garmin Edge 520 didn't seem to be using up battery that much quicker than with the backlight off.

From the rides that I've done I think it's fairly safe to say that with ANT+ sensors, GLONASS and backlight permanently on (but no courses or bluetooth connectivity) the Garmin Edge 520 should conservatively manage at least 8 or 9 hours on a single charge with a safety margin on top. I wouldn't like to say more than that as I haven't tested it to see for sure.

If you're doing rides that are much longer than that (24 hours say) you will need an external charger. The Garmin Edge 520 will continue to record and function whilst charging from an external battery pack. I've tried it connected to a USB charger (not a computer) and the Garmin Edge 520 stays functioning as a bike computer whilst charging, rather than switching to mass storage mode.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

The Garmin Edge 520 has a barometric altimeter. The four small holes that you see on the underside of the device are for the barometric altimeter and temperature.










These holes need to be unobstructed for the altimeter to work properly.

Barometric altimeters are nothing new. They have been a feature of Garmins for a long time. Compared to using GPS elevation there are pros and cons to a barometric altimeter. The barometric altimeter can be affected by changes in the weather so isn't always perfect.

https://gpstracklog.com/2012/12/all-about-barometric-altimeters.html

With the Garmin Edge 520 you can set a starting altitude if you regularly set off from the same place. Enter the correct altitude and then Mark Location so that it will remember it for next time. I got into the habit of leaving my Garmin Edge 500 sat outside turned on for 20 minutes plus to settle before setting off on a ride and have been doing the same thing with the Garmin Edge 520 too.

Here is a comparison between the Garmin Edge 520 and GPS elevation on today's ride.










This graph shows the elevation recorded by my Garmin Edge 520 over 44 miles today. The green highlighted points are the top of the same hill. Near the beginning of the ride was heading out and I also came back past the same point on the way home. You can see how despite this the altitude values don't match. The location was the same but the Garmin Edge 520 had recorded a different, lower, value on the return journey. The weather was closing in and it was getting colder.

The Garmin Edge 520 altitude trace isn't particularly detailed, it doesn't pick up small changes or rises. Compared to the Garmin Edge 500 the Garmin Edge 520 barometric altimeter seems about the same or maybe even slightly less responsive. It's one area that isn't clearly improved from the older models.

For the entire ride the Garmin Edge 520 recorded 1558ft ascent and 1607ft of descent. If you import this ride into Strava it will use the Garmin ascent figure for the ride elevation.

Here's exactly the same route in the Ride With GPS website. This has estimated the elevation profile from GPS data. The GPS elevation estimate for the same route gives 2150ft ascent and 2149ft descent. That's quite a big difference!










The GPS elevation estimate for the same route gives 2150ft ascent and 2149ft descent.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

When you first create a new interval Workout for the Garmin Edge 520 this has to be done via the Garmin Connect website. Where the Garmin Edge 500 had the option to create and edit workouts on the device itself this feature has been removed from the Garmin Edge 520. All you can do is run, preview or delete workouts.

In order to create an interval Workout with multiple steps open Garmin Connect in a web browser on your computer, click on the Menu symbol at the top left and select Workouts from the bottom of the list. You then select "Create workout" and begin adding steps. There is a limit on the number of steps that you can have in an individual workout. If you are doing multiple intervals you would nest the steps, so that they are repeated for the correct number of times.

This picture shows a 3x9 minute Under Over interval session in Garmin Connect. There are 3 9 minute intervals with a 6 minute recovery period between each one. Each 9 minute interval consists of 2 minutes Under, 1 Minute Over, 2 Minutes Under, 1 Minute Over, 2 Minutes Under, 1 Minute Over.

You can put target zones in but I prefer to just use duration without any target zones in Garmin workouts. This avoids any pop up out of zone warnings appearing when doing the intervals.










Once you are happy with the workout format send it to your device. In order to start a workout go to Menu - Training - Workouts - "workout name" and select Do Workout. The workout is now ready to begin. When you press the Start/Stop button the Garmin will go through the workout steps in order.

If you decide to skip a workout step press the Lap button once and it will move onto the next step in the workout instead. Each time you press the Lap button it will advance an additional step.

When the workout finishes the timer stops immediately. You'll see a Workout Complete notice and the Red band will appear around the outside of the screen. If you're outdoors and still riding don't forget to press the Start/Stop button at this point, in order to restart the timer and continue recording the rest of the ride!

When actually trying to ride a workout there are some differences from the Garmin Edge 500. The Garmin Edge 500 had a dedicated Workout display screen. On this screen you could add a few Data fields of your choice, so that you were able to look at the information you were interested in. It wasn't amazing but was enough to get the session done.










The Garmin Edge 520 has a dedicated Workout display screen too. It has some big problems though. The main one is that you can't add your own data fields, making it fairly useless. If you have no target set it only displays speed. If you have a target zone it displays the zone onscreen instead of speed.

Along with this if you have target zones enabled the problem is that if you go outside the zone a warning message appears. This was bad enough on the Garmin Edge 500 (a box right in the middle of the screen) but on the Garmin Edge 520 there is a massive black box covering half the screen if you're out of zone. It makes it impossible to read the display and stays there for several seconds at a time. I want to be able to see the display as much as possible. By creating a workout with no target zones in the file it avoids the warning messages.










The dedicated Workout screen on the Garmin is terrible and basically unusable. Fortunately there is a workaround. You can make a custom data screen that will show you most of the information needed. This wasn't present on the Garmin Edge 500 but with the Garmin Edge 520 you can choose to add a data field called Workouts - Time To Go onto a normal riding screen. This gives you the countdown timer for each workout step on a normal riding screen, allowing you to add your own choice of data fields alongside.

For my intervals screen today I had Power 3 second average as the top field, Time to Go as the middle field, and then Power - Lap as the lower field. As soon as you begin the workout use the arrow keys to scroll from the default Workout screen to the new custom one. Power 3 second average is what I ride to, Time to Go shows how long the step will last and Power - Lap shows the average power for the interval step that I'm riding. Bear in mind that when each step begins you get a message partially covering the bottom of the screen so the most important fields need to be at the top.










Here is a close up graph showing the first 9 minute Under Over interval of the three in WKO+ 3.0. The graph has no smoothing. The aim with Under Over intervals is to be able to lift your pace, recover whilst still trying hard and then lift your pace again. It is intended to help you deal with frequent changes of intensity when riding. It isn't simply going as hard as you can at one pace for 9 minutes at a time. I was trying to hold around 230 watts for the 2 Minute Under sections (96% FTP) and then hold over 260 watts (108% FTP) for the 1 Minute Over sections.

The actual power data recorded by the Garmin Edge 520 with my Power2Max power meter looks just like it did with the Garmin Edge 500. You can see how even though I was trying to ride at a constant effort on a road there is still constant variation in power output. When riding it's helpful to have power displayed on the head unit with smoothing, rather than instant power. I usually use 3 second power, it makes the display less jumpy and easier to pace with.

Riding outdoors you have to be careful with route choice to not get held up. Ideally you want a nice straight road with no junctions or obstacles. During this interval I had to slow down for a junction and then straight afterwards met some oncoming horses so had to slow down again. As soon as you start being held up it drags down your average power.

Interval 1 wasn't as bad as interval 3. A tractor decided to pass me whilst I was partway through the interval. I was doing 21mph and he was only going 1 or 2mph faster. I had to ease off to let him complete the pass, and then of course I'm in the slipstream so not putting any effort in! As I was trying to stick to a set wattage I wound up braking to let him get a decent gap in front before continuing.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

I was reading this thread about the Garmin Edge 520 temperature sensor accuracy (or lack of) and low readings.

https://forums.garmin.com/showthread.php?323632-Edge-520-thermometer-error

https://forums.garmin.com/showthread.php?148689-Edge-510-thermometer-error

In terms of temperatures my Garmin Edge 500 has historically always read high. Before I turned the backlight on it was showing a temperature 1c higher than the indoor thermometer.

The Garmin Edge 520 in contrast appears to read low. Before I turned the backlight on it was showing a temperature 2c lower than the indoor thermometer, 3c lower than the Garmin Edge 520. I've been noticing the same behaviour outdoors riding also. The Garmin Edge 520 shows temperatures that appear lower than I'd expect.

There isn't much you can do about this as the temperature sensor can't be calibrated. I'm just going to make a note to add a few degrees celsius onto whatever figure is displayed by the Garmin Edge 520 in future.

My original intention was to leave the Garmin Edge 520 and Garmin Edge 500 side by side for half an hour to let them settle next to an indoor thermometer before taking a picture. It was all going well until I had the great idea of turning the Garmin backlights on for the photograph, which promptly bumped their temperature readings up by a large amount!

It's a nice picture showing the screens with backlights on anyway. The Garmin Edge 520 is in day mode here, 70% backlight, and the screen is easy to read. You can see the difference in font sizes between the Garmin Edge 500 and Garmin Edge 520 too.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

This graph shows the altitude and temperature traces during today's ride.










I got a puncture after two hours so spent 20 minutes stopped sat on a bench fixing it (it was a nice day and I wasn't in a hurry). I then set off again and rode the last hour home, making the ride three hours in total.

The orange line on the graph shows the altitude in feet. The barometric altimeter isn't that consistent. It lost altitude over the course of the ride. I had the Garmin calibrated manually to 185ft altitude at the beginning of the ride, matching the starting elevation for this point in Ride With GPS. At the end of the ride (exactly the same location) it was 60ft lower, reading 125ft instead of the 185ft that it should have done. The Garmin had a total ascent of 2120ft and a total descent of 2165ft. The Ride With GPS website shows a total ascent of 2657ft and a total descent of 2653ft.

The purple line shows the recorded temperature in celsius. Stationary the Garmin was reading 18c, which was probably about right. As soon as I started moving with the added wind cooling from riding the recorded temperature plummeted. It was reading 11c up in the hills and rose to 16c on the flat just before I punctured.

Whilst I was stopped to fix the puncture, sitting on a bench, it rose to 18c over the 20 minutes. Once moving again it dropped back to 13c.

When riding the temperature sensor of my Garmin Edge 520 is too low by a good 3 to 5c. Today was a warm sunny day. It felt like it was actually around 17 to 18c temperature. I was in short sleeved summer kit without feeling the need for arm or leg warmers.

It isn't that big a problem but I probably wouldn't rely too much on the accuracy of the recorded temperature or altitude from the Garmin.

A few weeks ago there was a Strava challenge to climb the altitude of Alpe d'Huez 6,102ft.

https://www.strava.com/challenges/july-climbing-challenge

My friend was telling me about one of his friend's who decided to do this by travelling to the Alpe d'Huez in France and physically riding up the actual climb. You'd think that this should have given him the achievement but his Garmin (not sure which model, it wasn't an Edge 520) recorded a lower altitude. When he uploaded the ride to Strava it said that he hadn't done enough climbing to complete the challenge!

*Edit:* Looking back through rides done with my Garmin Edge 500 that was generally very close between starting and ending altitude, much closer than the Garmin Edge 520 is managing. The difference between Garmin Edge 500 beginning and final altitude readings over a three hour ride, starting and ending in the same place, was usually around 10ft or less. The altitude at high points on the top of hills on out and back rides with the Garmin Edge 500 were close too, also around 10ft or less.

The overall altitude totals from the Garmin Edge 500's barometric altimeter were still a lot lower than Ride With GPS however. Eg: 29 August 2015 three hour ride, Garmin Edge 500 2,087ft total ascent, Ride With GPS for the same route 2,578ft total ascent.


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## 8cplus (Apr 16, 2009)

Hi WR304, 

I've been testing my new edge 520 this weekend and I found it really slow to follow a course.
I'm used to do MTB marathon races guided by GPS with my etrex, I always used it with no maps, only a line to follow and I can manage pretty well a MTB marathon without errors.
I also had an edge 500 and it was impossible to do that as it would update the line every 4 seconds or so, and most of the time the line would disappear...
With the edge 520 I notice that it is also slow to update our position on the map, I think it updates every 2 seconds, which is really slow if your going downhill on a mountain bike race for instance. Is there a way to speed it up? I've tried it with the base map which as little to non offroad information.

and by the way thanks for the wonderful explanations and reviews.

thx

Tiago Silva


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

I don't think there's much that you can do about the speed that the course map updates. There aren't any options available. Unless it's changed by Garmin in a future firmware update that's it.

If you haven't got any map overlay detail, but do have some idea of where the junctions are, I'd try and add additional manual course points to the route before loading it. That will give you a distance countdown, direction arrow and text warning on the map so you know what's coming up well in advance. You could have a text note to yourself pop up before the start of the descent, with a warning to watch for the turn partway down for example.

Setting the map zoom manually to a different level might help too. Slightly more zoomed out could give a bit more time to plan ahead and react.

Open Street Map is quite mixed when it comes to offroad trails. This link shows part of the Forest of Dean, where the blue lines indicate mountain bike trails. It's actually quite detailed for this area in places:

http://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=16/51.8170/-2.5752

.


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## City Velo (Sep 23, 2015)

*Spurious Pink Line*

Hello all

I was pointed at this thread by someone who for some reason is disagreeing on my review of the 520 on the vendor site stating that there are is no Turn Guidance on the 520 however it is interesting as I can see it is being discussed here in great detail.

Anyhow the extra pink lines that appear can be sorted I believe by turning off Turn Guidance. The line is used when the device plots a Turn Guidance route based on the Course rather than using Course Points. Training>Courses>Course Options>Turn Guidance. Although it also puts a line on if you select Navigate To Start when you load your course.


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## City Velo (Sep 23, 2015)

NB This does not stop Course Point warnings being displayed.

I also find that amending RWGPS files as detailed above (the overall time is out by a factor of 10 so I generally just add a 0) in the TCX file makes the unit generated Course more accurate and the spurious lines follow my course generally.



City Velo said:


> Hello all
> 
> I was pointed at this thread by someone who for some reason is disagreeing on my review of the 520 on the vendor site stating that there are is no Turn Guidance on the 520 however it is interesting as I can see it is being discussed here in great detail.
> 
> Anyhow the extra pink lines that appear can be sorted I believe by turning off Turn Guidance. The line is used when the device plots a Turn Guidance route based on the Course rather than using Course Points. Training>Courses>Course Options>Turn Guidance. Although it also puts a line on if you select Navigate To Start when you load your course.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

One area of the Garmin Edge 520 that has a lot more detail than the Garmin Edge 500 are the post ride summary screens. On the Garmin Edge 500 this was incredibly basic. On the Garmin Edge 520 you have multiple screens including a fairly detailed summary, elevation profile, map, laps. You also get a time in power zones summary with a power meter and a heart rate summary if you are wearing a heart rate strap.

*1. Stationary and Moving Time*
The numbers that you see in the device summary aren't necessarily going to match with the numbers for the same ride once it is imported into another program or website. This is because different websites and programs calculate the averages differently to how it is done by the Garmin device. Each one has its own slight differences.

This picture shows the Garmin Edge 520 device summary alongside the same ride summary once it has been imported in Strava.










The Garmin Edge 520 includes all the time that the timer was running in its average speed and power calculations. I had auto pause disabled and left the timer running from when I set off until when I finished the ride. I had a total time of 2 hours 26 minutes 5 seconds for 42.6 miles. This is the time that was used to calculate the average speed of 17.49mph and average power of 206 watts displayed on the Garmin.

On the Strava summary it shows a higher average speed of 17.8mph and average power of 210 watts for the same ride. The reason for this is that when you import the file into a website such as Strava the website looks through the file and automatically identifies any time that you were stopped. It then calculates average speed and average power based on your moving time, rather than your total elapsed time.

For this ride I had a moving time of 2 hours 23 minutes 50 seconds, several minutes less than the total elapsed time of 2 hours 26 minutes 5 seconds. If the averages are calculated on the shorter time it will result in a higher average speed and higher average power. This is why the average speed and average power doesn't match between the Garmin and Strava summaries.

My approach is that because I know the file will automatically have moving time identified once imported I leave the timer running and have auto pause disabled. I will stop the timer manually if I know that I'm going to be stationary for a long time (5 minutes plus), such as when fixing a puncture, to keep the onscreen ride time fairly close, but I won't stop it for shorter stops such as traffic lights, farm gates etc.

*2. Power Summaries*
In the picture above the power summaries are displayed for the ride on the Garmin and also on Strava:

Garmin Edge 520
Normalized Power 216 Watts, 
Intensity Factor 0.902, 
Training Stress Factor 197.3.

Strava Website
Weighted Average Power 213 watts, 
Intensity 89%, 
Training Load 192.

This isn't down to timing differences or mismatched settings. It's because they are using different metrics. The Garmin uses Normalized Power, which is a 30-second rolling average. Strava uses xPower, which is an exponentially weighted moving average with a time constant of 25 seconds.

xPower in Golden Cheetah - Training advice - Timetrialling Forum

The two metrics give similar results but won't match exactly. It's close enough that the Strava Fitness and Freshness graph (Performance Management Chart) will read about the same as a Performance Management Chart based on Normalized Power anyway (eg: Training Peaks, WKO+ 3.0, WKO 4).

The Normalized Power and Weighted Average Power power summary figures should be within a few points on both the Garmin Edge 520 and Strava. If you are seeing big differences this will be down to not having the same FTP setting in the Garmin Edge 520 as it is in Strava. They both need to have their FTP figure set manually (Garmin Edge 520 - Menu - My Stats - Training Zones - Power Zones - Enter a manual value), (Strava website - Settings - My Performance - Functional Threshold Power - Enter a manual value)

*Time in Power Zones*
This picture shows the time in power zones summary for the Garmin Edge 520 and Strava.










There are a few seconds difference but overall the time in zones are close between the Garmin and Strava. If you want the zones to match exactly you'll need to manually edit the power zones on the Garmin Edge 520 (Menu - My Stats - Training Zones - Power Zones) to be the same as in Strava.

In Strava you need to have a manually entered FTP figure (Strava website - Settings - My Performance - Functional Threshold Power - Enter a manual value) that matches the manually entered FTP figure that you have in the Garmin (Garmin Edge 520 - Menu - My Stats - Training Zones - Power Zones - Enter a manual value). If you have any automatically calculated figures then the two most likely won't match and your summaries will be all over the place.

*Elevation and Map Summary*
This picture shows the elevation and map summary screens on the Garmin Edge 520. You can't zoom or move around on these screens. They're not really that useful for anything. It seems to be very hit or miss whether an elevation summary is recorded. About 50% of the rides that I've done don't have anything visible in the elevation summary screen. There is elevation data in the .fit file but nothing appears in the ride summary elevation screen.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

City Velo said:


> Anyhow the extra pink lines that appear can be sorted I believe by turning off Turn Guidance. The line is used when the device plots a Turn Guidance route based on the Course rather than using Course Points. Training>Courses>Course Options>Turn Guidance. Although it also puts a line on if you select Navigate To Start when you load your course.


I rode a course today with Turn Guidance disabled (Menu - Training - Courses - Course Options - Turn Guidance). There were no pink lines visible on the map. Thanks for the tip.

I ran into an interesting issue at the start of the course though. When you start the course it asks onscreen if you want to navigate to the beginning of the course (which would use turn guidance). I chose Ok. On other rides with Turn Guidance enabled this would give a distance to start countdown.

The start point of the course was 100 metres or so up the road. I set off in the right direction but this time nothing happened. There was no countdown, the first course point didn't trigger and the distance to next course point stayed at 0.1 miles as I rode past the start point of the course.

I rode along for a couple of miles like this with no change before deciding to stop to try and sort it out. I stopped the course and loaded it again as a new course, whilst still on the course route. After loading the course again it came up with a "course found" message, and then displayed all the earlier course points (turn left, turn right, turn right, straight etc) onscreen one by one in order until it reached the correct point on the route where I was.

I set off riding and the course worked properly with the course point countdown and pop up notifications for the rest of the ride.

I'm not completely sure whether this problem was due to selecting "navigate to start" instead of cancelling with Turn Guidance disabled. It could possibly have been because I hadn't planned the course properly in Ride With GPS beforehand.

When I was originally drawing the route in Ride With GPS I had created the course so that I would have to pass through the very end of the course to reach the beginning of the course, which was about 20 metres further on. This might have confused the Garmin and caused the issue of it not beginning the course. In future I'm going to make sure that the first point reached is the Start of the course not the End of the course.










_"Some tips for route planning (originally written by Uncycle on the Garmin forums):

- To avoid confusing the Edge 1000, always finish a circular route 10-15 metres away from the start

- When plotting a route always click in road segments NOT at junctions (to avoid little side stubs when you click a bit inaccurately)

- Allow the website's routing algorithm time after each click to complete its routing to that point (avoids odd little loopbacks)

- Go round the course at max zoom to check that all is correct"_

Garmin Edge 1000 | / forgot /

With the cue points that are added automatically by Ride With GPS it's worth going through them and checking the directions and 10 characters of text that will appear are correct before doing the ride. The automatic cue points aren't always correct, even going so far as getting left and right turns mixed up! I thought I'd checked them but at one junction the cue point said turn left, even though I could see from the onscreen map that it was a right turn!

With 10 characters of text some of the automatic cue points will need re-writing for clarity. Only the first part of the message displays so that needs to be the information you want to see. On roundabout cue points for example I was changing the text to read "3rd exit", "2nd exit" etc. Junctions as simply "Turn Left", "Turn Right".

Something that I haven't worked out is how to import a .gpx route from Strava into Ride With GPS, and then have it automatically add cue points.

https://ridewithgps.zendesk.com/entries/21954163-Create-a-cue-sheet-from-uploaded-file

*Update*
For today's ride I created a course with the Start point around 0.5 miles away and the Finish point several miles away, so that there would be no confusion. I had Turn Guidance set to OFF (which gets rid of the pink lines on the map). On first loading the course I chose to use Navigate to Start? again by clicking OK.

Choosing Navigate to Start? OK when you first load the course currently breaks the course on the Garmin Edge 520 (2.30 firmware) if Turn Guidance is turned off. I began riding and the distance countdown to the Start point didn't change, as it had yesterday also. The course wouldn't have begun. Once I could see this happening I stopped, re-loaded the course (before reaching the Start) and chose CANCEL when asked if I wanted to Navigate to Start. This time the distance countdown worked properly and the course began once I reached the Start point.

I'd expect this to be fixed at some point with a firmware update. The Navigate to Start? prompt shouldn't appear at all as an option if you have Turn Guidance disabled.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

*Strava Live Segments On Garmin Edge 520*
One of the features of the Garmin Edge 520 is that it can notify you of Strava segments on your route as you ride, providing a countdown and best time to try and beat. It's a feature that has been added to other Garmins too. The Edge 1000, Edge 810 and Edge 510 have Strava segments also. You need to have a Strava Premium paid subscription to use this feature.

dcrainmaker has a detailed article about this here:

Hands on: Strava and Garmin introduce on-device Live Segments for Edge series | DC Rainmaker

This is the Strava help page on Live Segments:

https://strava.zendesk.com/entries/69751574-Strava-Segments-on-your-Garmin

I thought I'd have a go with this today. How difficult could it be.

*Strava Segments*
Strava segments are timed sections along your route, as recorded by your GPS. The times for each rider are ranked online with the fastest time being awarded the "KOM" for the segment.

As with any online leaderboard it's easy to game the system. A lot of the Strava KOMs are either junk entries or simply untouchable if you're riding solo. Whether it's raging tailwinds, time trial bikes, entire leadout trains or drafting behind lorries on the road or offroad where the fastest riders mysteriously do a segment passing through four farm gates without slowing at all taking the KOMs seriously is just going to lead to frustration.

Your user experience with Strava really depends upon how you approach this. The only segment times that I really pay any attention to are my own personal bests, or the times of people that I know personally. I'll ignore any randoms.

*Adding Strava Segments to the Garmin*
In order to add segments you first have to link your Strava and Garmin Connect accounts inside Garmin Connect. I did this on the computer. The segments are then synced to the Garmin Edge 520 from Garmin Connect.

This sounds simple but in practice is quite involved. The only segments that will be synced are ones that are starred in Strava. It's only these segments that show up as you ride. You need to first plan where your route will be going that day. You then need to work out which Strava segments are along that particular route, and then you need to choose which of the available segments you want to star and have display as you ride.

Along with this you need to decide what you want as your target time for the segment. Strava - Dashboard - My Segments - Starred Segments










This picture shows a single Strava segment. It is starred so will be synced to the Garmin. There are multiple times for the segment: KOM, PR and Goal. If I was following anyone who had ridden this segment their time would be here too Rival. Only rides that are set to Public in Strava count towards your Personal Best time here. Any Private rides don't appear on the starred segment. You can temporarily make the rides Public, sync the segments to the Garmin, and then make the rides Private again.

_"During the segment, you can choose which effort to be compared against. You will always be able to select the KOM/QOM, and you could also have your PR, your goal, or the time from a friend who's a little faster than you. The default priority is as follows:

1. Goal (If you have one set for the segment)
2. Rival (Next person above you that you're following on the leaderboard)
3. PR
4. KOM/QOM"_ *Strava*

For each individual segment you can choose which of these times you want to try and beat when actually riding the segment.

Garmin Edge 520 - Menu - Training - Strava Live Segments - "segment name" - Leaderboard

Once you've eventually chosen the segments you want and set the target time you can sync the segments via Garmin Connect, make sure they are enabled and go ride. (You can't ride a Course and use Strava segments at the same time. If you want to use Strava segments don't start a Course.) I added four segments for today's ride.

*Riding a Segment*
When riding with the Strava Live Segments enabled the Garmin will automatically detect that you are approaching the beginning of one of the synced starred Strava segments.

The Garmin Edge 520 Strava segment ride screen is a lot like the Garmin Edge 520 intervals screen. You can't choose what it looks like and the default layout is rubbish. There are no options to change appearance, map or data fields. You can use the arrows to switch from the Strava segment ride screen to another ride screen but unlike with the intervals screen there isn't a workaround that I can see. With intervals at least you can make your own custom ride screen showing the required information. With the Strava segments it's a case of either use the default screen or have no segment information displayed.

For short segments, 1 minute or so, not having any onscreen information (power output, time etc) isn't an issue as you're just going flat out anyway. Strava segments can be as long as you want to make them though. For anything more than a few minutes I'd be changing to a different screen because of this.

Here are some ride screenshots for a Strava segment.










As I approach the segment the display switches to map and a countdown begins. At the top of the screen is the target time. Here it is the all time Strava KOM for the segment. A go notice appears at the start of the segment. On screen you have two data fields, Distance To Go and Time Behind/ Time Ahead of the goal time. At the end of the segment your time flashes up and a tune plays.

If you are well behind the time you get a Virtual Partner Finished message blocking the screen at the point that the target time completes.

This graph shows my power output for one of the Strava segments using the Strava segment screen. I rode this one flat out: 0.67 Miles, 1 Minute 45 Seconds, 23.1 Mph avg speed, 310 Watts average power.










If you look at the power output you can see how the warning notice worked well. I hit the start of the segment at full power and averaged 333 watts for the first 53 seconds. I then started to fade, only averaging 291 watts for the next 35 seconds. This is where having the power display can be helpful. When you look down, you're dying and see the watts dropping it's a sign to redouble your effort.

I was still trying hard when the Virtual Partner finished notice appeared, covering the bottom of the screen with the data fields. This is reflected in the power output as I eased off to 248 watts for a few seconds trying to work out what was going on! The message disappeared and I realised the segment still hadn't finished so the last 14 seconds were back up to 298 watts average power.

To be fair the onscreen prompts were a good motivation to try hard throughout the segment.

This particular segment made me laugh afterwards. Where I had done a time of 1 minute 45 seconds, 23.1mph avg speed the "All Time" Strava KOM for the segment, that had appeared as the target on screen whilst riding, was 1 minute 07 seconds, 35.8mph avg speed (6mph faster than anyone else). Digging into this KOM a bit more it was, you guessed it, garbage. The rider with the KOM had been using the Strava iPhone App. He'd averaged 8.8mph for 17 miles on the road, before the final segment suddenly showed him averaging 35.8mph. And that's why you don't bother with the Strava leaderboards.:skep:


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## ewarnerusa (Jun 8, 2004)

Do you have regular success with the Live Strava Segments on your 520? On my 510 they are garbage, they will properly start tracking segments but nearly always give me an off segment notice within a couple minutes and it stops tracking them. A lot of feed back from other 510 users on the Garmin forum of the same results. I'm curious if the 520 does better.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

I had four Strava Live Segments enabled today at different points around the route that I knew I would pass. The segments were spread out with several miles between each one and not overlapping at any point.

The longest segment was around 6 minutes in duration. All four segments triggered and completed properly without any off course notices. Apparently if you have lots of segments enabled it can lead to the Garmin freezing but with just those four it all went smoothly.

Although that worked ok I can't see myself using the Strava segment function much. The segment display screen simply isn't good enough with its restricted data fields. 

If I'm serious about doing my best on a particular segment I'll do my usual process of researching it on the computer beforehand to memorise the start and end points. I then use Strava compare to decide my target power outputs and pacing and ride it from memory based on that with my normal ride display showing what I want to see (Power 3s avg, Speed, Time).


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

For today's ride I loaded in lots of Strava segments all around the route. I did the first few miles the same as yesterday and then went off in a different direction. Although I wasn't riding them hard after 2 hours 30 minutes of Strava segments it was really starting to grate constantly having the screen showing segment countdowns and then time ahead/behind. The first 10 segments or so were ok but that was probably enough.

Despite myself I was finding myself sneakily pedalling a little harder in places to make sure I beat the (extremely low endurance pace) personal bests that had synced from doing part of the same route the day before. I can see how for some people that could be really motivational, having new targets appearing onscreen to chase throughout the ride as a way of pushing harder. When you finish and save the ride you can go to Menu - History - "ride date" - Segments and the Strava segments that you rode on that day have your times listed for the ride, with little PR badges if you beat them. Click on the segment name for a detailed summary with speed, power etc.










All the Strava segments that I had loaded on the Garmin Edge 520 today started and completed with no off course messages. I had also deliberately loaded a few segments that I knew would go off my route. For these segments they started normally. Once I turned off the segment direction a message came up saying "off segment", and then the segment seamlessly ended, switching from the segment map screen back to my normal ride screen. I didn't have to press any buttons for this to happen.

In terms of function the Strava segments feature appears to work as intended on the Garmin Edge 520. I don't like the Strava segments map screen much but if you can get past that it seems to detect, notify and record the actual segments with no obvious issues.

*Managing Strava Live Segments*
Something that isn't really covered in the dcrainmaker article about Strava Live Segments is how you manage the segments that you have on the device.

Apparently you can have a maximum of 100 starred segments loaded at any one time on the Garmin Edge 520:

https://forums.garmin.com/showthread.php?317494-Edge-1000-Strava-Segments-Limitation

That sounds fair enough until you realise that if you have 100 starred segments in your local area enabled the Garmin is going to be constantly notifying you of new segments. I'm sure that's how many people are riding around at the moment, their Garmin screens a blur of segment notifications! I had nowhere near 100 segments enabled today and it was still far too many. It's a case of quantity over quality as you may only be interested in certain segments on a particular ride but it will be showing all the segments.

One way is to only have the segments that you want on that day starred in Strava and sync them before each ride, keeping just a few segments on the device and removing the unused segments. If you have a lot of starred segments in Strava that means you lose your full list there however. Trying to find segments again in Strava isn't always that easy, especially as the naming conventions aren't consistent.










On the Garmin Edge 520 itself there are some basic options for managing segments in bulk. You can selectively choose to enable all, disable all or select multiple segments.

That allows you to turn off the unwanted segments and just have the segments that you are interested in appear whilst riding. The difficulty with this for managing segments is how the segments are arranged. The segments aren't listed in alphabetical order on the Garmin Edge 520! Considering how random the naming of public Strava segments is already if you have 100 segments in total, and want to enable 25 segments say, you first need to know the exact segment names, and then you will have to hunt through the entire list.

There is a segment Search option but you have to select each character individually using the Garmin Edge 520 arrow keys.

Looking through Garmin Connect I can't see any options there. All it is doing is pulling the starred segment information from Strava without letting you specify whether the segment is to be enabled or not.


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## Le Duke (Mar 23, 2009)

So, I don't care so much about the "live segments", but rather the accuracy.

How does the 520, or even the 510, stack up and compare to the 500? I know it uses an additional satellite network (Russian GLONASS), would should improve accuracy in theory, but how well do they work in actuality?

I'm getting sick of losing signal in the deep, dark foliage of VA. Maybe I'm missing it, but has DCRainmaker done a comparison of GPS accuracy between these models?


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

Dcrainmaker did a group GPS accuracy comparison in woodland with the Garmin Edge 500 in 2010. Even then the Garmin Edge 500 didn't do that well for GPS accuracy.

http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2010/11/sport-device-gps-accuracy-in-depth-part_11.html

He did another group GPS accuracy comparison of running watches in 2011 but nothing similar since then.

http://www.dcrainmaker.com/tag/gps-accuracy

Looking at the GPS track from my Garmin Edge 520 it's been doing a lot better than the Garmin Edge 500 would in the same locations.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

Here are some pictures trying to show how the GPS accuracy compares between the Garmin Edge 520 and Garmin Edge 500 under tree cover. This is one of those things where the location is likely to make a big difference. Not all woodland is equal, some being denser and more GPS unfriendly than others!

For today I decided to do a climb through some woods on a route that a lot of Garmins struggle with. The last time I did this with a group my Garmin Edge 500 and the two Garmin Edge 800s of the other riders all went off track on this climb and missed some or all of the Strava segments.

This picture shows the GPS track from my Garmin Edge 500 (11 August 2015) and Garmin Edge 520 (27 September 2015). The colour coded overlay is power output. The route that was being followed is the Buckholt Road. It's a nice clear marker showing exactly where the GPS track ought to be located.










You can see from the GPS tracks that the Garmin Edge 500 goes a long way off course. From early on its track spends the majority of the climb away from the correct location. It missed all the Strava segments. The Garmin Edge 520 in contrast stays on the correct course throughout. If it is zoomed in closer the Garmin Edge 520 track isn't perfectly lined up but it was close enough to trigger the Strava segments.

This picture shows a series of Garmin Edge 520 screenshots that I took whilst riding on this section. This is on the map screen following a course (the purple line is the route). For data fields I had GPS accuracy (in feet) and Distance to Next Course Point.










The first picture shows the GPS accuracy in clear sky before starting the climb. The lower the number the better the GPS accuracy. Here it was 15ft.

The next pictures are as I begin the wooded climb. When you have the GPS accuracy displayed it doesn't stay constant. Under the trees the GPS accuracy began to get worse. As I rode along the GPS accuracy gradually deteriorated from around 24ft near the bottom to 42ft. There was then a thinning of the tree cover and it recovered slightly to 28ft accuracy. When I reached the final section of the climb, where the trees were thicker again, the GPS accuracy went out to 38ft again.

At the top of the climb there is a junction where I was turning right, it's still under tree cover. I was forced to stop here to give way, completely stationary for five seconds. When I looked at the display the GPS accuracy had gone straight back down to 10ft accuracy. I was quite surprised by that. I then set off and it went back up to 17ft accuracy.

Here's a picture trying to give an idea of what the tree cover is like at the point that the GPS accuracy was lowest. This was where the Garmin Edge 520 was showing 42ft accuracy. The Google Street View picture is very close to what it was like today.










On another part of the route there is a descent which is also a Garmin GPS blackspot. It hardly ever registered the Strava segment when I rode it with the Garmin Edge 500. From Strava there are only three entries on there it was that bad: 8 April 2012, 5 July 2014, and 27 September 2015 (Garmin Edge 520 today). All the other times I did that descent didn't register on Strava because they were so far off course.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

On today's ride I was following a course. This showed up one feature of using course points to navigate, and particularly course point warnings.

When you export the course as a .tcx file and select "Notify Before Turn" with a distance (eg: 80m) this does two things. It sets where the Garmin will beep and notify but it also adds a text notification onto the route. This text notification isn't a dynamic notification, one that pops up and then disappears after being triggered. It stays there on the route. This doesn't matter if you only pass a point on the route once.

At one point I was going through the same junction twice, the first time was a left turn (a course point was set to say Turn Left) and then the second time was straight on (no course point on this junction, the next course point being a Left Turn 0.8 miles further on). Everything went smoothly until the second time through the junction. I just managed to get a screenshot.










On the track there was still a Turn Left notice left over from the first time through! I knew where I was going but that would have been very confusing trying to negotiate an unfamiliar area. There isn't a direction arrow on the purple track itself. If you're going to be passing the same junction several times, taking different turns, then some careful planning of the course points is going to be needed.

What I'd probably have done here would be to leave the first time through as Turn Left, but then for the second time have a course point with no text, to avoid adding text on screen. A Straight On arrow course point before the junction would have been enough to know which way to go.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

Here is the altitude profile of yesterday's ride, as recorded by the Garmin Edge 520's barometric altimeter, compared to the same route in the Ride With GPS website:



















This ride was actually fairly close for the totals, with the Garmin recording a total ascent of 3051ft whilst the Ride With GPS website had a total ascent of 2932ft.

I've highlighted the altitude at some of the highpoints along the route:

Starting elevation for both 185 ft

1. Garmin = 870ft RWGPS = 898ft
2. Garmin = 927ft RWGPS = 951ft
3. Garmin = 927ft RWGPS = 964ft
4. Garmin = 906ft RWGPS = 919ft
5. Garmin = 591ft RWGPS = 631ft
6. Garmin = 631ft RWGPS = 656ft
7. Garmin = 606ft RWGPS = 626ft

Ending elevation Garmin 178ft, RWGPS 185ft

Unlike some of the other rides that I've done for this one the weather was fairly constant throughout the three hours, warm and sunny. This possibly explains why the barometric altimeter didn't drift to the same extent that it has sometimes.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

Dcrainmaker has announced that Garmin is releasing the new firmware updates required to use the Powertap P1 pedals with their Garmin Edge 1000 and Garmim Edge 520 this week:

_"Finally, for those on the FR920XT, there's now a beta firmware update out that allows adjusting crank length for non-Vector power meters (needed for the P1). Additionally, the Edge 1000 firmware update went out this past week. And then final Edge 520 firmware update should be out any day now according to Garmin. All other Garmin devices are already compatible."_ *dcrainmaker*

Interbike Power Meter Tidbits Roundup: Pioneer, Xpedo, WatTeam, PowerTap | DC Rainmaker

*Backing Up Garmin Settings Before Firmware Updates*
As with all Garmin firmware updates it's worth backing up all your settings and profiles before doing any firmware updates. This will allow you to restore the settings if something goes wrong during the firmware update!

https://forums.garmin.com/showthread.php?313112-Firmware-4-10-Bugs-Thread&p=693639#post693639

_"Full backup not needed. Just copy the following files to a safe place before doing the update:

All Cyclingxxx.fit files from the Garmin/Sports folder
Locations.fit
Records.fit
Settings.fit
Totals.fit
Weight.fit
all from their respective folder in the Garmin directory.

After the update, just copy them all to the Garmin/Newfiles folder, restart the Edge and all will be well."_ *ONDAEYES*


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

I had a powerspike in my ride file today (it happens very occasionally with the Power2Max power meter). It's easy enough to fix. I'd normally do this in the raw.fit file, so that if I ever import it anywhere the data is correct to begin with.

When I opened up the .fit file that had been created by the Garmin Edge 520 I was quite surprised by what it contained. The file was stuffed full of error messages!










This picture shows what the raw .fit file recording looks like. The green highlighted areas are where it is normally recording for each second. The other sections are where there are error messages. Here are some examples of the error messages:

"Error at pos 84E4:4F000013003EFD0486020486030485040485050485"

"position_lat:617374698-812451341>10000000 position_long:-27242446-617273246>10000000 distance:620781-4268622004>10000000 altitude:2683-26029>500"

"Suspect data at pos 85A4:0FB1"

Also in the file were these notes from time to time: COURSE_POINT MARKER

I had a course running and was following its directions today. I think the errors may be related to the course that was running. When I imported the .fit file the ride data shown in Strava, WKO+ 3.0 etc all looks ok. The data wasn't corrupt.

*Edit:*
Looking through my other Garmin Edge 520 raw .fit files they all have lots of these errors in, regardless of whether a course was running or not. In my Garmin Edge 500 raw .fit files there are none of these errors.

As the data is ok when loaded this is just a footnote. It doesn't seem to be anything to worry about.

*Update*
The actual .fit file was fine. The problem appears to be that Garmin have changed their .fit file format for the Garmin Edge 520. The website that I used to convert the .fit into a .csv file was this one. It doesn't appear to be compatible with the Garmin Edge 520 .fit files:

Home Page

Although this website worked for editing Garmin Edge 500 .fit files it clearly doesn't like the Garmin Edge 520 .fit files.

If you open the same Garmin Edge 520 .fit file in Fit File Repair Tool the data from that day all looks ok:

fit file repair tool - Download

.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

When you do a ride the Garmin Edge 520 will log if you set a personal record - longest distance, fastest 40km, most ascent etc.

I had the Garmin Edge 520 recording for a car journey yesterday (It was quite interesting to see that the car speedometer consistently reads several mph lower than the actual GPS speed as shown by the Garmin. Apparently a car speedometer in the EU is legally required to not read lower than the actual speed but is allowed to read up to 110% + 4kph higher than the actual speed. As a result the car manufacturers routinely set the speedometer to read higher than the actual speed. That way they have a defense if anyone is caught speeding and tries to claim they were only speeding because the car speedometer was inaccurate. In order to be caught speeding the in car speedometer would have to be showing a speed much higher than the actual speed.

https://www.ukpoliceonline.co.uk/index.php?/topic/32965-speedometer-vs-satnav/

When sat behind some lorries on the motorway in contrast the lorries were travelling at exactly the 56mph speed that they are limited to in the UK).

The result of that however was that the personal records on the device were skewed, with a much higher "fastest 40km" than I could do on a bike. Looking in the records section Menu - My Stats - Personal Records it turns out that you can revert the new record to an older one individually. You don't have to delete all the records to fix one bad entry.










There is a catch though. If you decide to revert the entry it reverts to your previous record, not your second best achievement for that record. In the picture above you can see that the distance record here was set 10 September 2015 70.9miles. The previous record that it can revert to is 09 September 2016 56.6 miles.

Any rides that I've done after 10 September 2015 that were shorter than 70.9 miles, even if they were further than the 56.6 miles of 09 September 2015, don't count and aren't available to become the new record if you revert. The same applies to the other records also.

On the subject of Strava segments I was out on the club ride today. On the way home I was just riding along when I looked down at the display and saw it had begun a countdown to a Strava segment! The segments that I had loaded the other day were still active and I was on part of the route where I'd loaded them in previously. They had just been waiting for me to go that way again before starting up all by themselves!


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

Garmin released their 3.00 firmware update for the Garmin Edge 520.

-------------------------------

Changelog:

Changes made from version 2.30 to 3.00:

- Added support for Varia Smart Bike Lights. Now you can form a network of lights including head lights, tail lights, and a rearview radar tail light.
- Added support for sensor software updates
- Added the ability to edit crank length for PowerTap P1 pedals
- Added dynamic zooming while displaying the elevation graph during an activity
- Added a Percent Effort option for adjusting the virtual partner speed when following a course
- Added a preview of an incoming text to smart notifications
- Updated the FTP test to include setting a goal and accepting or declining the test results
- Fixed an issue preventing accurate data from being displayed with an HRM-Run
- Fixed an issue preventing the elevation graph from being drawn correctly
- Fixed an issue where segments would randomly not start
- Fixed an issue where courses would sometimes not start at a point along the course but away from the start location
- Improved device performance with many segments loaded
- Improved device performance while navigating through the list of courses
- Improved stability of device-to-device transfers
- Various fixes for general improvements to stability and performance

Garmin: Edge 520 Updates & Downloads

-------------------------------

I first made a backup of the Garmin Edge 520 contents. I then deleted all the .fit activity files on the device (it seems the update may fail if there isn't enough free space) and updated the firmware from 2.30 to 3.00 by plugging it into the computer with a USB cable and updating via Garmin Express.

The firmware update went smoothly enough. When prompted on first setup after disconnecting the Garmin from the computer just go through all the options and select No to add ANT+ sensors. Your existing sensors should still be paired already.

The other settings should be more or less the same. If you copy the backup files listed a few posts above into the \Garmin\NewFiles folder it will put them back to how it was before the firmware update. If you don't put the backup files back in check your display settings, unit settings and your FTP setting as they had changed on my Garmin.










As part of the firmware update Garmin put the three default profiles (Train, Race, Indoor) back in. My custom named profiles were still there but I had deleted the defaults.

In terms of history totals the personal records are all still there, as are the device totals. The individual profiles have reset to zero though. Restoring the backup files didn't change this. If you want to keep track of individual bike mileage write it down before applying the firmware update!

There's also a new Varia data screen in each profile for if you have the Varia radar. I disabled it.










Under Sensor details there's a new "Software Update" option. I have a Bontrager speed sensor and Power2Max power meter. This option doesn't do anything on my Garmin. If you have Garmin sensors connected it might do something.

*Edit:* 
Reading around about the software update feature it's for certain Garmin sensors. If you have the Garmin Vector power meter pedals for example the Software Update option lets you update the pedals firmware. See the instructions here showing how the feature works:

https://forums.garmin.com/showthread.php?323781-Vector-Beta-release-3-62-is-now-available

For the Strava segments there aren't any new options to add segment Distance To Go and Time Ahead/ Behind fields to other ride screens in this firmware. It's still just the map screen. The Garmin Edge 510 and Garmin Edge 810 do allow you to add these fields to other ride screens so it will probably be included at some point.










I still haven't fully decided whether to disable the Strava segments altogether. This screenshot is from today's ride. I was out for a gentle recovery ride when this uphill Strava segment appeared on screen, with a KOM time set by one of my friend's (way faster than me).

I was almost 5 minutes slower than the KOM. Just what I wanted to know!


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

I've actually been using the courses feature of the Garmin Edge 520 a lot more than I thought I would. As I've been riding with it I've been getting a little better at creating the courses to follow. When it comes to placing course points a warning around 80 metres before the turn seems about right. I've been leaving the audible tones beep enabled also.

If there are multiple closely spaced turnings the subsequent turn notices don't always appear, as the first turn notice is still being displayed. The map will stop updating whilst this happens too so you can lose both turn notice and map when you need them most! For this sort of multiple turning adding extra course points, well before the actual turns happen, gives you a chance to rehearse the route. At the closely spaced turns themselves minimal course points, including one just after the turnings to confirm the correct direction, keeps the map updating so you can see where to go.

With firmware 3.00 the map screen has had a few changes. A new scale has been added in the lower right corner and the compass direction in the top left corner has been moved down. This screenshot shows the changes:










This screenshot is from today's ride passing through a small town.










Although you can't route to a point of interest on the Garmin Edge 520 when the map is zoomed in there is quite a bit of detail visible. In an urban area there are local amenities shown on screen. At a push you could use this to find a nearby shop or similar. When you zoom the map out this detail disappears so it would need to be manually zoomed in.

One thing that you don't get shown on the Garmin Edge 520 Open Street Map automatically are place names - town or village names. It's a bit of a strange omission. I guess it keeps the map clearer but if you wanted to know what town you are in the Garmin won't tell you. You could add some town names in on the route beforehand with course points perhaps. This could potentially be a big problem if you're lost in an unfamiliar area.


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## Le Duke (Mar 23, 2009)

Kind of a strange question, but can you actually display your grid coordinates on the 520?

Ideally, UTM or MGRS...


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

The GPS grid coordinates are only displayed on one riding screen that I can see. That is the Compass data screen.










(The picture above has no satellite lock which is why the coordinates are blank. I'll update the picture with an in use one when I'm out riding).

Menu - Settings - Activity Profiles - "named profile" - Data Screens - Compass - Enable

The Compass data screen can have two riding data fields added at the bottom.

Once enabled that riding screen shows your compass heading and the GPS coordinates at the top of the screen. There are lots of different display options for the coordinates, far more than there were on the Garmin Edge 500. This includes both UTM and MGRS as options.

Menu - Settings - System - Units - Position Format

On the Garmin Edge 500 you have a screen that shows which satellites are currently in view and how strong the signal is. There should be one on the Garmin Edge 520 too. I haven't been able to find where it is located in the menus though.


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## Le Duke (Mar 23, 2009)

Yeah. On the 500, there is no option to view my actual grid location. Which I dislike immensely.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

You can view your GPS location on the Garmin Edge 500 but only in the menu, not on a ride screen.

Garmin Edge 500 position format:

Menu - Settings - System - System Setup - Select a Position format (UTM and MGRS are in the list)

To view GPS location on Garmin Edge 500:

Menu - GPS - Satellite - press the Up- Down arrows to switch from the GPS accuracy screen to the satellites screen. The current GPS coordinates are displayed on screen.

I hadn't turned my Garmin Edge 500 on for a while. I'd forgotten just how long it takes to get a satellite lock. The Garmin Edge 520 usually only takes 30 seconds or so whilst it took over 5 minutes for the Garmin Edge 500.

Indoors just now (it's night time here) the Garmin Edge 520 has a GPS accuracy of 13ft, full GPS strength showing. The Garmin Edge 500 has a GPS accuracy of 160ft and keeps warning that it has a weak signal.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

Here's a better picture showing the Compass screen in use with a satellite lock outdoors.










There are various different ways of displaying your GPS location coordinates. This one is using MGRS (Military Grid Reference System).

*MGRS*
_"The military grid reference system (MGRS) is the geocoordinate standard used by NATO militaries for locating points on the earth. The MGRS is derived from the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) grid system and the universal polar stereographic (UPS) grid system, but uses a different labeling convention. The MGRS is used for the entire earth.

An example of an MGRS coordinate, or grid reference, would be 4QFJ12345678, which consists of three parts:

4Q (grid zone designator, GZD)
FJ (the 100,000-meter square identifier)
12345678 (numerical location; easting is 1234 and northing is 5678, in this case specifying a location with 10 m resolution)

An MGRS grid reference is a point reference system. When the term 'grid square' is used, it can refer to a square with a side length of 10 km (6 mi), 1 km, 100 m (328 ft), 10 m or 1 m, depending on the precision of the coordinates provided. (In some cases, squares adjacent to a Grid Zone Junction (GZJ) are clipped, so polygon is a better descriptor of these areas.) The number of digits in the numerical location must be even: 0, 2, 4, 6, 8 or 10, depending on the desired precision. When changing precision levels, it is important to truncate rather than round the easting and northing values to ensure the more precise polygon will remain within the boundaries of the less precise polygon. Related to this is the primacy of the southwest corner of the polygon being the labeling point for an entire polygon. In instances where the polygon is not a square and has been clipped by a grid zone junction, the polygon keeps the label of the southwest corner as if it had not been clipped.

4Q .....................GZD only, precision level 6° × 8° (in most cases)
4QFJ ...................GZD and 100 km Grid Square ID, precision level 100 km
4QFJ 1 6 ...............precision level 10 km
4QFJ 12 67 .............precision level 1 km
4QFJ 123 678 ...........precision level 100 m
4QFJ 1234 6789 .........precision level 10 m
4QFJ 12345 67890 .......precision level 1 m_ *Wikipedia*

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_grid_reference_system

If you want to find a location you can use an online tool such as this website to find the correct location from the coordinates:

MGRS Coordinates Grid On Google Maps | Worldwide Topo Map










On the Garmin Edge 520 you have an option to "Mark Location". You can go to Menu - Training - Locations and see a list of what they are. You can select a location from the list, have it appear on the map, and also have a pink line appear to "navigate" to that point. There doesn't seem to be a way to find the GPS coordinates of the marked location that you created on the device itself.

For adding new Marked Locations to the Garmin Edge 520 these instructions may work:

_"You can create a new location from any training page from the context menu (mark location), but it will create it with your current position. You can update that position by going to a new location and selecting that location and use the "Reposition here" option.

There is not an option to manually change the lat/long values on the unit.

You can unpack the Garmin\Locations\locations.fit file, make changes, add new entries and repack it and place the modified file in the Garmin\NewFiles folder for import.

You can use the FITSDK to do this or other tools such as the FITFileRepairTool.

I think that there are quite few tools out there that will allow this to be done."_ *AWEATHERALL*

https://forums.garmin.com/showthrea...-Location-with-coordinates-and-elevation-data

Here's how you add locations using the fit file repair tool

fit file repair tool - Download

In order to install this you'll need the Microsoft Access 2010 runtime installed along with the program itself.

Step 1: On the Garmin Edge 520 browse to \Garmin\Locations and copy the locations.fit file off to a folder on your computer.
Step 2: Open Fit File Repair Tool and select Import and repair file. Choose locations.fit and wait for it to load.










Step 3: Add a new entry. For the latitude and longitude you can use a website such as this one to find the coordinates

Google Map - GPS coordinates, lat and long

If you have GPS coordinates in a different format this website will convert them for you:

Convert Coordinates

Use the Windows Ctrl C and Ctrl V keyboard shortcuts to copy paste the coordinates into the Fit File Repair Tool fields (mouse right click and copy - paste doesn't work)










Step 4: Once happy select Export File to save the new locations.fit file. This will appear as locations-fixed.fit. 
Step 5: Rename the file to locations.fit and copy - paste it back into \Garmin\NewFiles on the Garmin (not the Locations folder). 
Step 6: Disconnect the Garmin from the computer and the new locations will be available to choose from the list.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

The .fit files that the Garmin Edge 520 creates aren't compatible with the website I linked previously for editing them unfortunately. That's why I was seeing errors in the .fit file when it was converted to a .csv file:

https://garmin.kiesewetter.nl

If you need to fix bad data, such as power spikes, the fit file repair tool works well and supports the .fit files created by the Garmin Edge 520. The downside is that it is a paid program, rather than free.

fit file repair tool - Download

There are a couple of ways to fix power spikes using the fit file repair tool.










The easiest way is to go to Information/Settings - Program Settings and change the Power Warning Limits setting. This can be set so that when you import a file it automatically replaces all power values (spikes) above a certain power value, 1000 watts say. Once it has done that you simply export the file again and you have a .fit file with no spikes.










You can also manually edit the spikes. In order to do this sort the power values, so that the largest values are all together. You then select the first cell and then the last cell that you want to change. Click on "between" to select them all and then type in the value that you want to replace the spikes with (0 watts usually).


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

WR304 said:


> In terms of history totals the personal records are all still there, as are the device totals. The individual profiles have reset to zero though. Restoring the backup files didn't change this. If you want to keep track of individual bike mileage write it down before applying the firmware update!


*Update*You need to be using Fit File Repair Tool 6.5.3 or newer for this to work. Garmin changed the totals.fit file format between firmware 2.30 and 3.00

Here's how to add your individual profile mileage totals back into the Garmin Edge 520. If you made a backup of your files before upgrading from firmware 2.30 to 3.00 the individual profile mileage totals will still be in the backed up totals.fit file on your computer.

Using the fit file repair tool open the backed up totals.fit file. Line 1 is the overall totals for the device. The next 10 lines are the profile totals.

This picture shows my Garmin totals.fit file from before the firmware update:










You can see how there are three entries there. Line 1 the overall totals and then two totals below. I only have my "Epic" and "Turbo Trainer" profiles. Each profile has its individual totals. As I have only been using the Epic profile the Turbo Trainer profile is blank.










This picture shows my Garmin totals.fit file post the 3.00 firmware update. The profiles no longer have their original totals. I had done a few more rides in between so the overall totals have updated whilst the activity profiles no longer match.










To put the correct totals back in type the values for the individual profiles into the newer 3.00 firmware totals.fit and export the file. Rename the exported file to totals.fit.

Keep backups of both your totals.fit files and then put the edited totals.fit file into \Garmin\NewFiles to add the individual profile totals back in again. Depending upon how your profiles are laid out this may take a couple of goes to get the right totals with the right profiles.

This picture shows the Epic profile totals on the Garmin Edge 520 using the edited file:


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## sellnit (May 18, 2014)

I'm having an issue with my new 520. Used it once, and uploaded to Strava. Was fully charged before the ride. Now at home and charging and it will not power back up. It tries to turn on for 20 seconds and then it goes dark. Any thoughts?


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## Flash (Jan 30, 2004)

Does it show that it's charging? Mine had a faulty plug. The new one has been great.


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## sellnit (May 18, 2014)

Spoke to Garmin today, they walked me through a fix!!! Great customer service on their part, friendly and fast conversation and it's as good as new!


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

sellnit said:


> Spoke to Garmin today, they walked me through a fix!!! Great customer service on their part, friendly and fast conversation and it's as good as new!


How did you fix it and get it working again? What keypresses were needed on the Garmin Edge 520?

To do a master reset on most Garmin Edge devices you have to:

1. Power device off
2. Press and hold Lap and Start/Stop
3. Power device on while still holding both buttons
4. Continue holding buttons when Garmin "splash" screen appears
5. Release buttons when Garmin "splash" screen disappears

https://support.garmin.com/support/...caseId={85293e20-4b35-11e4-ef05-000000000000}

Apparently plugging the malfunctioning Garmin Edge into a computer via USB can sometimes get it to recognise mass storage mode and start working again too.


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## sellnit (May 18, 2014)

WR304 said:


> How did you fix it and get it working again? What keypresses were needed on the Garmin Edge 520?
> 
> To do a master reset on most Garmin Edge devices you have to:
> 
> ...


I plugged the USB into the 520, then plugged it into the computer while holding the lap button. It entered mass storage mode and then I emptied the activities folder, and voila it worked again!


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

Thanks for posting the details. That's useful to know.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

The mapping capabilities of the Garmin Edge 520 are artificially restricted, in order to differentiate it from other devices in the range.

Despite this it can still do more than just be a cycling computer.

If you want to make a note of exactly where you were at a particular point whilst out and about it's possible to do this with the Garmin Edge 520. One example of why you would do this are if you spotted some rare plants and wanted to be able to report the location. eg:

Plants of Concern | Citizen Science Rare Plant Monitoring Program

https://www.plantsofconcern.org/uploads/files/GPS Instructions 2013.pdf

On the Garmin Edge 520 you can quickly mark a location, creating a record of the GPS coordinates where you are stood.










To do this whilst outdoors from a ride screen press the Enter button once to reach the menu, press the Up arrow once and then press Enter button on Mark Location. Press Enter again to OK save the location. By default this will save it with a name such as 001, 002 etc. You can edit the location name by going to Menu - Training - Locations - "location" - Change Name

The problem with this by default is that Garmin don't display these GPS coordinates of the marked location on the device in any menus. This is where they have artificially limited the functionality as it would be easy to add this ability if they chose.

The GPS coordinates are stored in the locations.fit file which is in the \Garmin\Locations folder on the device.

With the Garmin plugged into a computer copy the locations.fit file to your computer and open it with Fit File Repair Tool (version 6.5.5 or newer)










This lists all the GPS locations that you have marked.










In order to export the locations to a fresh file. Click on the Export File button. From the options select CSV and tick the box "Export GPS coordinates as signed numbers". Click OK and a new .csv file will be created in the location you specified.










When you open this .csv file with a program such as Microsoft Excel the GPS coordinates for all the locations are listed in Decimal Degree format. This format lets you do whatever you wish with the GPS coordinates. You can send them to other people, convert them to a different format, use them to find where in the forest you were etc.










Here I have entered the coordinates from one of the locations that I marked today into an online GPS position website.

Google Map - GPS coordinates, lat and long

This shows the exact location that I was at when I pressed the Mark Location button on the Garmin Edge 520.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

I went over the Severn Bridge the other day. There is a cyclepath that runs alongside the M48 motorway to take you across from Aust to Chepstow. It's a really nice ride to do on a sunny day with fantastic views.

Here are some pictures showing the planned map in Ride With GPS and then how this appeared on the screen when riding.










Using the Open Street Map view in Ride With GPS you can route along cyclepaths and footpaths when planning the route. You have to be careful with this as the automatic route planner can be overly optimistic and send you along paths that aren't rights of way for bikes. Here the blue dotted lines on the map show the cyclepath. I added three cue points as notifications of where to go.










This picture shows the Garmin Edge 520 map display at the same point. It's giving quite a clear idea of where to go upon exiting the roundabout. The cue point text appears on the map, the purple line is heading down the cyclepath and I received the pop up messages and audio signals.

The map auto zoom feature on courses is something that doesn't seem to be working for me at the moment. It used to work but all the rides that I've done recently the onscreen map has been staying at 300ft scale throughout. This may be due to changes in firmware 3.00 or it may be down to having Turn Guidance disabled. If you look at the bottom right of the picture the map scale is still at 300ft. Even with auto zoom enabled it stayed at this level throughout.

One new thing with Firmware 3.00 is that you can now cancel any Off Course warning messages and unfreeze the map. Use the arrow keys to switch to a different screen and then back to the map for it to sort itself out.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

There's a workaround to have a course displayed whilst still being able to ride Strava segments on the Garmin Edge 520. Set the course you want to follow to "always display" in its options but don't actually start the course.

When viewing the map you will now have the course track coloured line visible to follow onscreen but Strava segments will still trigger once you reach them.

This isn't perfect, as you won't have any cue point turn notifications popping up or audible tones, but seems to be as close as you can get currently.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

I've got two Garmin Edge 520s here at the moment. One is mine and the other is one that I'm configuring for a friend.

He uses a heart rate monitor so I also have a Scosche Rhythm+ optical heart rate monitor to go with it. This is a dual ANT+ / Bluetooth Low Energy heart rate monitor. It means that you can have heart rate without needing to wear a chest strap.

Dcrainmaker review:

Scosche RHYTHM+ Dual ANT+/Bluetooth Smart Optical HR Band In-Depth Review | DC Rainmaker

The strap I have here is the newest version. It has user updateable firmware. In order to update the firmware of the Scosche Rhythm+ you currently need an IOS device and the Scosche Fitness Utility app. I downloaded the app onto my ipad Air 2.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/fitness-utility/id661537331?mt=8










Pair the Scosche Rhythm+ to the device by bluetooth and when you launch the app it should be detected. The current firmware version is displayed on the first page. The second page shows what is being transmitted and then the third page has an "update firmware" button. This updated the firmware from version 2.60 to version 2.62.

As a quick test I started the Wahoo fitness IOS app and that detected the strap straight away.










I then paired the strap to a Garmin Edge 520 and that detected the strap straight away too.










As I had it available I paired the other Garmin Edge 520 with a standard Garmin premium chest strap to see how the two compared.










I had the Scosche Rhythm+ on my forearm. I went and moved around the house for 10 minutes, not simply sitting down in one place. The heart rate, as recorded by two Garmin Edge 520s with different sensors, was quite different between the two. At rest the readings were close but as soon as I stood up they were quite different!

The Scosche Rhythm+ seemed much more sensitive with surges in displayed heart rate whenever I did anything. The Garmin premium chest strap barely responded to the same movements. It could be that it's down to the levels of smoothing applied to heart rate. It might be that over longer more sustained efforts at higher levels of effort, riding a bike, the recorded heart rates will be more even. That's what it looks like from the dcrainmaker graphs.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

With two Garmin Edge 520s I thought I'd have a look at how the temperature sensors compared with them stood outside.










On the left is the newest Garmin Edge 520, mine is in the middle and on the right is my Garmin Edge 500.

I thought that my Garmin read low. This new one reads an extra 1c lower again!

The screens looks the same between the two and they both have the same level of GPS accuracy.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

I did a turbo trainer session today with both heart rate straps on, each one recording to a seperate Garmin.










The original intention was to do a full interval session with a variety of intensities. After half an hour - I kid you not - the Garmin Premium heart rate strap dropped out and wouldn't reconnect. It was a brand new one that came in a Garmin Edge 520 bundle too.

That brought the comparison part of the session to an abrupt halt and reminded me of one of the reasons I don't wear a heart rate strap monitor normally.:madman:

This graph shows the first part of the turbo trainer ride. I was wearing the Scosche Rhythm+ on my upper left arm, the transmitter on the inside close to my armpit (If I'd been wearing a cycling jersey it would have been concealed underneath the sleeve) and the Garmin Premium heart rate strap on my chest.










I did a 10 minute warmup and then a 20 minute steady state effort. After this the heart rate strap died. At the very beginning of the session I was adjusting the Scosche Rhythm+ position to get it in place.

Once it was in place and I began riding the heart rate strap and Scosche Rhythm+ readings were tracking fairly closely, much better than they had been indoors. I was seeing roughly the same numbers on both screens. I'm quite tired at the moment, which is why the heart rate response is so low at under 120bpm for what was quite a hard 20 minutes. I was trying quite hard and sweating during the 20 minutes. This is the main reason I don't bother wearing a heart rate strap. My exercise heart rate varies enough from day to day and week to week that it doesn't really work well using it for pacing or trying to stay in defined zones based on heart rate.

Comfort wise the Scosche Rhythm+ on my arm was just about ok. You have to be very careful with how tight you do up the arm band, as loose as possible I think. The problem is that if you have it even slightly tight the strap literally becomes a tourniquet, stopping blood flowing down your arm.

I was a bit disappointed that my original plan didn't work. What I wanted to do was have just the Scosche transmitter on my thigh, held in place by the cycling shorts. This was the most comfortable and the optical heart rate works fine like this sat down without exercising. As soon as I started pedalling though the heart rate readings were way off. 90bpm showing on the Garmin Premium heart rate strap and 160bpm showing on the Scosche Rhythm+. I was barely even started at that point so I switched to the arm band and restarted the session.










I didn't think the RR data was supposed to work with optical heart rate but both Garmins came up with the same Recovery Advisor screen at the end of the ride. 5 hours to recover from 35 minutes on a turbo trainer apparently.


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## K.E.Johnson (Aug 2, 2011)

Hi, 
can anyone share their feeling after upgrade to 3.0? 
Got a brand new nice 520 and used it for 1 day with the stock version of software (that was 2.3 version). 
Was quite satisfied. 

Then (obviusly for no reason, just could not stand temptation to get newer software) updated to 3.0.

I have a strong feeling the device startup time increased. 
Another feeling is that it looks for satellites for a much longer period (I have time to leave the backyard and get to the nearest traffic light - around 200m). 

I would say mobile phone with GPS-only got the position faster sometimes.
And when on 2.3 version Garmin was almost perfect - satellite lock in seconds. 

I understand I used 2.3 just not enough to make sure - can someone share their experience? 
If there is a fix - please let me know. 

Thanks in advance!
PS: GPS+Glonass on.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

K.E.Johnson said:


> Hi,
> can anyone share their feeling after upgrade to 3.0?
> Got a brand new nice 520 and used it for 1 day with the stock version of software (that was 2.3 version).
> Was quite satisfied.
> ...


Stood outdoors I just timed my Garmin Edge 520 with firmware 3.00 booting up. From completely turned off, pressing the power button through to getting a satellite lock took 49 seconds. That might be a bit slower than with firmware 2.30.

When you consider that my previous Garmin Edge 500 could take more like 5 minutes to get a satellite lock it is still far quicker than that.

Some things to consider would be if between the first ride and later rides you've enabled some more features (eg: loaded 100 Strava segments, added more sensors, paired by bluetooth to a phone etc). Those added features could potentially result in more processor load and a slower boot time for the Garmin if it is having to do more during its initial startup sequence.

Looking at the sensors menu you have a sensor pool, where all the paired sensors are listed. By default they're all enabled and the Garmin searches for any nearby sensors when it starts up. If you have multiple bikes you can enable or disable sensors, without needing to remove them, so that just the sensors you want to use are being searched for:


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## bajaguy (Jul 13, 2009)

The Strava live segments use to work even if you had several segments that overlap. It seems after the software updates that whatever segment first is reached that will overtake any other segments that fall into the first segment and the Garmin will not notify you of that segment in a segment. Kind of bummed since some longer segments have segments in them that I would like to be notified of as well.


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## K.E.Johnson (Aug 2, 2011)

WR304 said:


> Stood outdoors I just timed my Garmin Edge 520 with firmware 3.00 booting up. From completely turned off, pressing the power button through to getting a satellite lock took 49 seconds. That might be a bit slower than with firmware 2.30.


yes, that's looks close to what I have (I may have even faster lock, never timed it). 
On 2.3 it was less then 30 secs (close to 20, I think - since I barely noticed the time and was really impressed). 
I can live with that, but it would be nice to have "impressed time" of 20-30 secs back


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

K.E.Johnson said:


> yes, that's looks close to what I have (I may have even faster lock, never timed it).
> On 2.3 it was less then 30 secs (close to 20, I think - since I barely noticed the time and was really impressed).
> I can live with that, but it would be nice to have "impressed time" of 20-30 secs back


*GPS Ephemeris*
_"GPS satellites transmit information about their location (current and predicted), timing and "health" via what is known as ephemeris data. This data is used by the GPS receivers to estimate location relative to the satellites and thus position on earth. The ephemeris data can also be used to predict future satellite conditions (for a given place and time) providing a tool for planning when (or when not) to schedule GPS data collection."_

https://huxley.wwu.edu/sal/gps-ephemeris-data

*GPS Almanac*
_"In the world of satellite navigation systems, the almanac is a regularly updated digital schedule of satellite orbital parameters for use by GNSS receivers.

The almanac for any given GNSS consists of coarse orbit and status information covering every satellite in the constellation, the relevant ionospheric model and time-related information. For example, the GPS almanac provides the necessary correction factor to relate GPS time to co-ordinated universal time (UTC).

The major role of the almanac is to help a GNSS receiver to acquire satellite signals from a cold or warm start by providing data on which satellites will be visible at any given time, together with their approximate positions. An ephemeris message is still required from each satellite for the receiver to compute the exact position, but it is the almanac for the constellation that gives the receiver its starting point." _

Spirent Blogs - What is a GPS almanac?

When you turn on a Garmin it will download this information from the satellites themselves periodically. This can take several minutes.

*Garmin Precaching*
Newer Garmins have the ability to have this data precached, so that they don't have to download it from the satellites. Instead it can be synced to the Garmin from a computer or mobile phone. This is one way of speeding up the time to satellite lock. With current precached data the Garmin should be able to get a satellite lock rapidly. This thread on the subject is a good explanation:

--------------------------

"Here is what was given to DC Rainmaker by Garmin regarding the cache feature.

Here was a great post up above on how to pre-cache the satellite info, provided from Garmin Support:

"At this time there is no indication from the watch or application that the data has been downloaded to the watch. To be specific here are the scenarios where the watch will be loaded with the satellite data:

- USB - connecting to the data cable which is plugged into your computer's USB port and having Garmin Express Fit recognize the device should be enough to facilitate a satellite data update
- WiFi - Pressing the Connect button on the Forerunner 620 to check for files will facilitate a satellite data update
- BLE/Phone app - Connecting to the phone app should be enough to facilitate a satellite data update (We currently support the iPhone 4S and above at this time)

The above only occurs when the data is either not present on the watch or when the data on the watch is expired. Updating through your computer downloads 7 days worth of data and downloading via Bluetooth downloads 3 days worth of data."

There is no way to pre-cache the other metrics."

How to Pre-Load Satellites on Garmin Devices : Triathlon Forum: Slowtwitch Forums

----------------------------------------

Regarding Garmin vs mobile phone for connection speed :

_"The biggest reason cellphones acquire GPS more quickly is the cell towers provide the GPS ephemeris. A non-cellular GPS device either has to have it precached (recent watches like the Garmin 620) or it has to pick it up as it's broadcast more slowly from the GPS satellites themselves."_

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assisted_GPS

http://community.runnersworld.com/t...g-to-grab-a-satellite?reply=46753333438218384

.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

When using the Garmin Express software you can't control whether you want device updates to be downloaded or not. By default it will automatically download and install any firmware updates that are available.

If you open Garmin Express, click on the small cog symbol and go to Schedule. This gives you the option that appears to decide when you would like updates to be downloaded.

The small blue symbols at the top right of the device icons show that there are updates available for the Garmin Edge 500 and Garmin Edge 520 in the picture above.










As soon as you actually connect the device it promptly ignores this setting and starts updating straight away...


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## K.E.Johnson (Aug 2, 2011)

WR304, I heard about pre-caching (considering that garmin advertises that a lot). 
since the device is new I connect it to PC on a daily basis. 
And I have my BT connection to my phone more often then that. 
Will see how it goes next time though


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

In terms of precaching a good test is to take your Garmin Edge 520 outside (with it turned off). 

Stand in one place with a clear view of the sky, turn the Garmin on and let it get a satellite lock. Time how long it takes, and then leave it turned on for another minute or so to settle down afterwards.

Still standing in the same place turn the Garmin off and then turn it back on again. Time how long it takes to get a satellite lock this time.

Still standing in the same place turn the Garmin off and then turn back on again a third time. Time how long it takes to get a satellite lock this time.

On my Garmin it was around the 45 second mark to get a satellite lock the first time, 20 seconds the second time and 15 seconds (instant) the third time.

The first 15 seconds of that startup sequence consists of the Garmin logo splash screen, followed by the "loading courses, workouts and locations message". 

I then left it turned off for an hour. When I turned it on again an hour later the satellite lock was very fast still, about 20 seconds. That's with firmware 3.00.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

I finally got round to reviving my brand new Garmin Premium heart rate sensor. It dropped out and was no longer detected after just 35 minutes on Tuesday turbo training.










In order to reset the sensor you remove the CR2032 battery, put the battery back in reversed, leave it for a few seconds and then put the battery back in normally. This forces a reset and can bounce the sensor back into life. This worked fortunately and the Garmin Premium heart rate sensor is back working again.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

I would have liked to have done a full turbo trainer session for comparison between the Scosche Rhythm+ and Garmin Premium heart rate strap. I only had the Scosche Rhythm+ and second Garmin Edge 520 for a few days unfortunately.

This week has been a recovery week. My Specialized Epic has a blown rear brain shock so it has had to be sent off to be repaired. I needed a rest anyway as I was getting a bit too tired following several tough weeks in a row.

Monday - day off
Tuesday - 35 minutes on turbo trainer
Wednesday - day off
Thursday - day off
Friday - day off
Saturday - 1 hour 5 minutes on turbo trainer
Sunday - 1 hour on turbo trainer
Monday - day off
Tuesday - 1 hour 15 minutes on turbo trainer

I did the full session that I had intended to do Tuesday on Saturday, after a further three days recovery time. I wore a Garmin Premium heart rate strap again. It worked for the whole session this time. Each session was done at around the same intensity (same gear, cadence and resistance on turbo trainer).

*Update:* I also did the same session on the following Tuesday. This is an updated graph.










Here is the heart rate for the first 30 minutes of each turbo trainer session overlaid. When tired you'll often see a lower heart response. After just one day recovery my heart rate response wasn't really there. I did quite a hard 20 minutes at an average heart rate of just 115bpm on Tuesday.

The same session three days later shows a clear difference. I still wasn't feeling great but for the 20 minutes effort I had an average heart rate of 131bpm, 16bpm higher than for the same session on Tuesday.

This was the start of a workout by Andrew Coggan that I usually do fairly regularly on the turbo trainer (wattage figures are only examples)

_"Seriously, the best season I've had in recent years followed a winter
during which I did the following '90/90'90' workout 3 d/wk:

5 min w/u
20 min @ 275 W
5 min easy
5 min @ 325 W
2.5 min easy
5 min @ 325 W
2.5 min easy
0.5 min at 500 W
2 min easy
0.5 min at 500 W
2 min easy
0.5 min at 500 W
2 min easy
0.5 min at 500 W
2.5 min easy
5 min warm-down

The '90/90/90' refers to the fact that (almost by chance) the powers
used were about 90% of the best that I could produce for that duration
when at peak fitness. That made the session challenging enough that I
didn't lose too much fitness over the winter, but not so hard that I
ever dreaded the workout or burned out from doing it."_ *Andrew Coggan*

This is how the workout looks in Garmin Connect before being sent to the device. I don't have any zones set to avoid pop up warnings onscreen whilst doing the workout.










I had to go back a few years to find a session where I had done the same workout wearing a heart rate monitor and fresh. This graph shows 04 September 2013 overlaid with 17 October 2015.










4 September 2013 was one of the first turbo trainer sessions that I had done after a year off the bike (due to crashing and breaking my leg in August 2012). I was fresh, unfit and it was a warm day.

17 October 2015 I was still fairly tired but fully fit and it wasn't that hot.

It's quite a good example of just how much exercise heart rate can vary. Right from the start on 4 September 2013 my heart rate when fresh was far higher. Throughout the session my heart rate was consistently 20bpm plus higher.

One thing to watch out for is the heart rate in the recovery periods between intervals. On 4 September 2013 my heart rate wasn't dropping much between intervals, a sign that I was lacking fitness and struggling to recover. On 17 October 2015 as soon as each interval ends there is a steep drop in heart rate immediately. If you look at the four 30 second sprints on 17 October 2015 my recovery heart rate between intervals was higher each time, a sign that I wasn't fully recovering before beginning the next sprint effort.

The difficulty with using heart rate for pacing and training zones is that if you are seeing large variations, as shown here, between different sessions just a few days apart it makes it hard to gauge what the actual intensity of the session was.

After finishing the session the Garmin Edge 520 said that it would take 31 hours to recover from just 1 hour 5 minutes on the turbo trainer.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

My friend did his first ride with his new Garmin Edge 520 and Scosche Rhythm+ today. Looking at the file afterwards the positioning of the Scosche Rhythm+, where the sensor is placed, appears to be important.

This graph shows an extract from his ride today.










The red trace is heart rate, as recorded by the Scosche Rhythm+. Although there are no gaps in the red line (which would be a drop in connection between the Garmin and Scosche) there are frequent sections, as long as 30 seconds at a time, where the heart rate line isn't changing. If you see sections where the displayed heart rate stays constant this is a sign that there are drop outs in the readings that the Scosche is making.

If it was working properly the heart rate trace should be changing constantly every few seconds. You can see how the Cadence and Speed traces continue to change at the same points.

The fix for this would be to have changed the position of the strap, rotating it around the arm a little until the optical heart rate readings were picked up again.

----------

*Update:* I spoke to my friend and for the ride in the graph above he was wearing the Scosche Rhythm+ on the inside of his wrist, where you would have a watch strap. He said that he didn't have the strap that tight either, so the optical sensor might not have been held securely enough.

He's going to try with the strap a little tighter next time, along with experimenting with a higher arm position also. I suggested the upper arm as apparently with optical heart rate you get better results when the sensor is closer to your torso, rather than further away by the wrists.

--------










This graph is an extract from my ride today, on the turbo trainer wearing a Garmin Premium heart rate strap. This is trying to show how a working heart rate trace should appear on the graph. In contrast to my friend's ride you can see how the heart rate is changing all the time. It isn't perfect, there are a few sections where the heart rate doesn't change for 5 seconds at a time, but it's mostly responsive.


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## WATERBOOY (Dec 17, 2012)

Does anyone know if the 520 supports weather alerts? I know that the 510 advertised that it did and I believe I've seen notes about weather on some of the feature listings but I cannot seem to find it. On the Garmin site it says your need to turn it on via the settings on the Garmin App but there is no option when I look. Anyone figured it out? It's not a necessity by any means but it would be nice to be alerted of an incoming storm on the fly so I can alter my route without having to pull out my phone.


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## K.E.Johnson (Aug 2, 2011)

WATERBOOY said:


> Does anyone know if the 520 supports weather alerts? I know that the 510 advertised that it did and I believe I've seen notes about weather on some of the feature listings but I cannot seem to find it. On the Garmin site it says your need to turn it on via the settings on the Garmin App but there is no option when I look. Anyone figured it out? It's not a necessity by any means but it would be nice to be alerted of an incoming storm on the fly so I can alter my route without having to pull out my phone.


I do have 'alerts' toggle in Garmin app (there are 3 switches - auto upload, weather and alerts). 
Never saw it showing up, but I don't expect any alerts in my region (weather functions fine, though it shows up only when satellites found)
Device is moto droid maxx, running android 4.4.4.
Will check if an older phone has the switch (it shows weather, but SMS/ call notification does not work, I think you need BT 4.0 to have it working).

Switch is in 'devices -> settings'

PS, sorry for typos, my phone is not perfect )


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

Got the 520 over the weekend.

Getting the Strava live segments was about a 3-hour 47-step process. Some highlights:

1. I could not sync the unit using Garmin Express and a cable as I could not install Gamin Express on my WIN7 PC. Apparently I needed to install the 4.5 framework before Garmin Express. Trying to update to the 4.5 framework got me about 8 invitations to upgrade to windows 10 before I aborted this story arc.

2. I could not install Garmin connect mobile on my phone because I am a Blackberry holdout. Based on present market share numbers this is a problem most of you will apparently not have. I had to patch the garmin android app, and on the third try it loaded on my BB10 and appeared to be functioning as intended.

3. In order to sync the 520 to the phone, it needed to be in tether mode, which meant that it kept randomly disconnecting from my home wi-fi and burning into my LTE data. This might be a Blackberry-only problem, I have no idea. 

4. Once in tether mode, I had to sync the 520 and the phone together; they would link up successfully for about 3 seconds, then disconnect with no error messages as if that was the objective. Only once the Garmin mobile app was installed and seeing the 520 under the "devices" list would they stay connected. Oddly, after that, the garmin connect app no longer needs to be running for the 520 to connect and stay connected, after they had sync'd the first time with it on.

5. Getting strava segments into garmin connect (before I could even think about getting them on the 520) was the longest effort. My garmin connect (both the web page and the app) were both showing the old garmin segments no one uses. Instructions were provided by both Strava and Garmin to switch over to Strava segments using a Garmin Connect menu button that did not exist. I spent about an hour disconnecting and reconnecting everything fruitlessly. After giving up and going to bed, I got an overnight email from garmin connect thanking me for buying an Edge 520, which I took as a sign they had detected it. When I went back to the garmin connect page, strava segments were enabled and that non-existent menu button had mysteriously appeared.

6. Nothing was still happening on the actual 520, which was still showing a blank segment page. I auto-uploaded a ride to Strava through the connect app. Nothing. On the advice of the strava forums I UN-STARRED my favourite segments and then RE-STARRED them at Strava.com using a web browser. Nothing happened. I tried again. This time the 520, (which was apparently connected to my phone although the connect app wasntt running) beeped and said "Upload completed" The old garmin segment menu item disappeared and the segment menu became populated with strava segments. 

7. Success? Well maybe, I haven't ried to ride any of them yet.

So yeah, I'm starting to wonder if I have now swung too far into the realm of technological overload.


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## K.E.Johnson (Aug 2, 2011)

ghettocruiser said:


> Got the 520 over the weekend.
> 
> Getting the Strava live segments was about a 3-hour 47-step process.


Really wierd. 
Got BT syncronization working in about 5 minutes, 3 of them spent trying to ensure they will syncronize without Garmin Connect on the phone (yes, I don't like to read text on screens).

Why you need "tether mode" (in theory it is Garmin -> BT -> Phone -> 3G/ 4G Connection)? It doesn't work the other way?

PS: Personally I don't see any value in Garmin Express except for firmware updates. No need at all.

PPS: Have you tried importing from Garmin to Strava/ other services? I think they are expected to work with garmin connected as mass storage (which works with most PCs)? Never tried though


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

ghettocruiser said:


> Got the 520 over the weekend.
> 
> Getting the Strava live segments was about a 3-hour 47-step process. Some highlights:
> 
> 1. I could not sync the unit using Garmin Express and a cable as I could not install Garmin Express on my WIN7 PC. Apparently I needed to install the 4.5 framework before Garmin Express. Trying to update to the 4.5 framework got me about 8 invitations to upgrade to windows 10 before I aborted this story arc.


The thing to concentrate on here is getting your Windows 7 PC to install the .Net framework that is required. You don't have to do this through Windows Update as there are standalone installers.

This Filehippo link lets you download the .net framework. Click on just the Green button that says "Download Latest Version" and save the file to your computer. (Don't click on any other buttons you see on screen as depending upon your settings they could be ads, just the green highlighted one)










Download .NET Framework Version 4.6 - FileHippo.com

Once you have downloaded the file install the .net framework, so that the required files are there, and then try installing Garmin Express again on your Windows 7 PC.

The Windows 10 upgrade prompt is a PITA. There is a tool to remove the GWX updates automatically so that you don't see it.

Ultimate Outsider: Using GWX Control Panel (formerly GWX Stopper) to Permanently Remove the 'Get Windows 10' Icon

GWX Control Panel download (remove Windows 10 upgrade nag screens):










Ultimate Outsider - Software Downloads


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

WR304 said:


> The initial setup along with age / height / weight etc has some funny questions.
> 
> "What is your cycling level?" I answered Superior.:lol:
> 
> ...


As I've been doing some rides with a heart rate monitor strap on the Recovery and VO2 Max numbers have been appearing.

My record so far with the Recovery Advisor after 1 hour 15 minutes on the turbo trainer is a time of 62 hours to recover afterwards:










*VO2 Max Estimate On Garmin Edge 520*
After a few weeks stuck on the turbo trainer I was able to get out for a ride on my mountain bike today. With a power meter and heart rate monitor together this will give you an estimated VO2 Max number. I don't normally wear a heart rate strap so this was the first time I'd had a heart rate strap and power meter running at the same time. I just did a steady 1 hour 40 minutes ride, nothing serious.

At the end of the ride an estimated VO2 Max number appeared on screen. 52 ml/kg/min.










This VO2 Max estimate is based on a formula by Firstbeat technologies. There are a few inputs that affect this. Heart Rate Variability is one but it also uses the personal settings that you entered on first setup, especially what you chose for activity level.

*Heart Rate Variability*
With a heart rate strap the Garmin Edge 520 records the R-R data from your heartbeats as a separate entry.

_"The time between heartbeats varies slightly, even when the average Heart Rate is constant. For example, a Heart Rate of 60 BPM is an average of one beat per second. However the actual time between heartbeats could vary so that some beats occur after 0.8 seconds, and some after 1.2 seconds. Generally, heart rate variability is greatest at rest and the variability declines as the heart rate rises. Heart rate variability is linked to aerobic fitness, with the fittest individuals having the greatest variability, and this can be used to predict V̇O2max"_

Heart Rate Variability - Fellrnr.com, Running tips

_"In an electrocardiogram, the interval from the onset of one R wave to the onset of the next one, one complete cardiac cycle."_

R-R interval | definition of R-R interval by Medical dictionary

*User Activity Level*
With the inclusion of power data the Garmin Edge 520 may be using a more refined formula than older devices (there's no documentation about what the Garmin Edge 520 uses exactly) but estimating VO2 Max from heart rate variability isn't new. It's been around for many years.

My Polar RS800cx heart rate monitor from 2010 included a VO2 Max estimate feature, also using Firstbeat technologies and R-R data. This is where the user activity level comes in. There are tables estimating VO2 Max based on age and activity level. eg:










VO2 Max

Without doing a full lab test the VO2 Max figure provided by the Garmin Edge 520 is an educated guess. The age and activity level that you entered into the Garmin on first setup feed into the formula used. If it's anything like the Polar RS800cx the activity level that you chose will have a large impact on whatever figures the Garmin gives you. Change the activity level and you can expect the VO2 Max displayed to change also. Increase the activity level and your displayed VO2 Max will magically increase too. Decrease the activity level and your displayed VO2 Max will magically decrease also.

*Activity Levels In Garmin Connect*
After first setup there isn't an option that I can find to change activity level on the Garmin Edge 520 itself. The only way seems to be to do it through Garmin Connect.










Open Garmin Connect click on the picture on the left hand side - Settings - Personal Information and there is an option to choose an activity level between 0-10. Click on the small "What is this?" icon alongside to see the table.

With the Garmin Edge 520 you can the "send to the device" button at the top of page to sync them to the Garmin.

As with all these things, estimated training zones, estimated VO2 Max, calories burnt etc, I'd take the Garmin Edge 520 VO2 Max figures with a pinch of salt. Don't expect them to necessarily be correct or anywhere near what you would see from an actual lab test.


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

Thanks as always for continuing to provide an almost non-stop stream of often-valuable information on this thing.

Alas I have no power meter, but I have been getting the "recovery time" estimates at the end of each ride... Usually it says I need 24+ hours. "Uh... I have to ride to work tomorrow guys.." 

But that said, so far my recovery has been rated "Good" every morning, in a sudden mid-ride announcement that often startles me at inopportune times. 

Of course, I'm now convinced my Wahoo Tickr is completely making up my HRM data, so this may not mean anything.

The 520 seems to be fine pulling the weather and the Strava live segments whenever it is connected to the phone, but wireless uploading of rides requires the Garmin Connect app to be running, is that what everybody else is getting? 

Also: I turned off tethering, and the phone asked for it to be turned on one more time and then gave up asking. The 520 connection still works fine with it off.


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

Also for the "user reviews" file.

1. I really like how it figures out which bike you are riding from the speed sensor ID and announces when it changes. This was the only cool part of my Wednesday morning when I set off in the rain on my road bike, broke my 6700 STI shifter at the end of my driveway, and had to return to my garage to get my cross bike. This is going to be an expensive week. You can apparently also add an unlimited library of ANT+heart rate monitors, if you're into that kind of thing. *A+*

2. As a K-edge out-front mount user I'm really annoyed at where they put the start-stop buttons... of all the places they could have put them... I basically start the unit before I put in on the mount, and stop it when I take it off at the end of the ride. *D-*


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

*Setting Training Zones*
You have to be very careful with zones as there are many different methods of calculating training zones (Coggan, Friel, Carmichael, British Cycling etc). Different methods will give you different zones depending upon what they are based on (power for a set duration, max heart rate, LTHR heart rate etc). Sometimes there can be large differences between the zones as a result.

1. What are training zones? | Heart rate and power zones for cycling

Generally if you're following a particular training program from a coach or in a book (eg: Chris Carmichael Time Crunched Cyclist) you would want your zones to be calculated using the method of that particular training program. Don't assume that "Zone 2" in one set of zones is the same as "Zone 2" in another set of zones!

*Heart Rate Zones*
I put Coggan heart rate zones in my Garmin Edge 520 as that is what is in the WKO+ 3.0 software that I use most.

Heart Rate Training Zone Calculator - Argonaut Cycle Coaching

Because there isn't one fixed set of zones the Garmin Edge 520 and any programs or websites need to be edited so that you see the same zones in each one. In order to set any heart rate zones you can go to Menu - Settings - My Stats - Training Zones - Heart Rate Zones










As with the power zones the first thing to do is turn off "Auto Detect Max". You want the zones to stay consistent. Set the zones to Based On: BPM. You can either manually edit your own values in or add them in Garmin Connect before Sending To Device.










In Garmin Connect Click on the Picture icon - Settings - Heart Rate Zones

With Edit Mode set to BPM the numbers you see here are the upper and lower limits of each zone. You can't have the lowest limit as 0 bpm in Garmin Connect. It has to be 1bpm or higher. The following numbers are the upper limit. Here Zone 1 is 10-111 bpm, Zone 2 is 111- 134, Zone 3 is 134-152bpm, Zone 4 is 152-170bpm, Zone 5 is 170bpm - 186bpm.

You then press Save and then Send to Device to update the zones on the Garmin Edge 520 when it is connected.

Strava by default uses a different set of heart rate zones again. You have to manually change the heart rate zones in Strava to match the device.










Move the sliders until they match the zones that you want to use. Be aware that this change doesn't seem to affect older rides. The heart rate zones on those rides will stay based on the previous zones that were in Strava. All later rides uploaded to Strava should use the new zones however.

*Heart Rate Zones vs Power Zones*
This part of the post is really following on from Post #120 and the graph showing how my exercise heart rate changes with fatigue.

I was well rested for today's ride. It was a fairly steady 2 hour ride on the road after several weeks of doing nothing but some turbo training.

Here is the Strava summary showing my time in heart rate zone. This is with the edited Coggan heart rate zones:










Here is the Strava power zone summary for the same ride. The Strava zones line up with the Coggan power zones.










Where heart rate is recording how fast my heart was beating my power output is recording how hard I was actually pushing on the pedals during the ride. There are some clear differences between the power summary and heart rate summary. The power summary shows me spending 22 minutes 51 seconds in power Zone 1 (less than 132 watts) and 41 minutes 29 seconds in power Zone 2 (133-180 watts). There were some hard sections but the power output doesn't show it as a particularly tough ride overall. I had plenty in reserve.

The heart rate summary in contrast is showing that I did quite a hard ride. 49 minutes 46 seconds in heart rate Zone 3 and 35 minutes 17 seconds in heart rate Zone 4. This is where the graph in Post #120 comes in. I was fresh and well rested so my heart rate response was quite high today. If my heart rate were to stay at this level all the time that would be fine. I could retest and adjust the heart rate zones. What I know happens however is that there are differences in my exercise heart rate between days, weeks and months.

As I get back into riding regularly, and the fatigue builds up again, my exercise heart rate will drop significantly for the same power output. If I were to do exactly the same ride when fatigued in a few weeks time my heart rate could easily be as much as 24 bpm lower than it was today. If my heart rate was that much lower it would reduce the time in higher heart rate zones and increase the time in lower heart rate zones, showing that the ride was more like the steady paced ride that it actually was.

The problem is that where power output should stay constant between rides when exercise heart rate changes by large amounts trying to use it for zones becomes difficult. You can set heart rate zones that seem right one day and then the same zones will be way off on another day, depending on your heart rate response during that ride.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

ghettocruiser said:


> Also for the "user reviews" file.
> 
> 1. I really like how it figures out which bike you are riding from the speed sensor ID and announces when it changes. This was the only cool part of my Wednesday morning when I set off in the rain on my road bike, broke my 6700 STI shifter at the end of my driveway, and had to return to my garage to get my cross bike. This is going to be an expensive week. You can apparently also add an unlimited library of ANT+heart rate monitors, if you're into that kind of thing. *A+*
> 
> 2. As a K-edge out-front mount user I'm really annoyed at where they put the start-stop buttons... of all the places they could have put them... I basically start the unit before I put in on the mount, and stop it when I take it off at the end of the ride. *D-*


Did you get Garmin Express installed on your computer?

There is a limit on the number of Ant+ sensors that you can have connected with the newer Garmins. I saw a dcrainmaker comment about it but can't remember the exact number offhand. If you have lots of sensors have you renamed them all individually?

With the Wahoo Tickr there is an incompatibility between some versions of the Wahoo Tickr heart rate sensor and the Garmin Edge 520. It could lead to dropouts and difficulty connecting the sensor. Apparently the fix is to get a Wahoo Tickr X or Tickr Run instead...

https://forums.garmin.com/showthread.php?321128-Wahoo-Tickr-HRM-problem

The button placement is a bit tricky if you use an out in front mount. I have my Garmin Edge 520 on top of the stem so the two buttons aren't obscured.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

There are a few different handlebar mount options for the Garmin Edge 520.

Included with the Garmin you get two of the rubber stem/ handlebar mounts. This is the lightest option:










You also get a Garmin out in front bracket. This out in front bracket places the Garmin ahead of the handlebar, but also higher than it. Using this included mount the two rear buttons aren't blocked and can be used.










Along with the stock Garmin mounts there are lots of aftermarket mounts too.

For the Garmin Edge 520 you need a longer bracket than normal, so that the buttons can be used. K-Edge do an XL out in front bracket. It's intended for the Garmin Edge 1000 but the extra gap should let you use it with a Garmin Edge 520 too.

https://www.acecosportgroup.com/k-e...ter-mounts/k-edge-pro-handlebar-mount-xl.html

If you have a bike with a non standard handlebar Raceware Direct make Garmin mounts for many different bikes.

https://www.racewaredirect.co/product-category/garmin-mounts/

Garmin also make a Garmin Edge remote control. This is a button that sits by your handlebar grips. It lets you switch view screens, mark laps and Start / Stop the Garmin without having to press the buttons of the unit itself.

https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/shop-by-accessories/remotes/edge-remote-control/prod146078.html


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

Today's ride was in thick fog. It was very damp with a layer of moisture over the front of the bike. I could barely see out of my glasses they were so wet on the inside and outside of the lenses. It was cold to begin with as well. I could have done with some slightly thicker gloves than the summer ones that I was wearing!.

The Garmin Edge 520 got wet too. That's not a problem but predictably the barometric altimeter blew a gasket. In order for the Garmin's barometric altimeter to function the four small holes on the bottom of the device have to be unobstructed. Whenever these holes fill with water the barometric altimeter will no longer work. This happens on all Garmin Edges with barometric altimeters in the wet and the Garmin Edge 520 is no different.

Here is what the elevation profile of the ride, as recorded by the Garmin Edge 520 originally, looks like.










There are sharp changes in altitude, mixed with flat sections that should be uphill. This isn't as bad as sometimes because it was only wet fog, rather than heavy rain. When you get a thorough soaking the altitude trace of a Garmin will turn into a flat straight line with no changes at all.

This picture shows how the elevation profile should actually appear:










Here's the worst section of the barometric altimeter profile with power output and speed alongside. You can see how the altitude trace doesn't match with the changes in the power and speed traces. Where I was going slowest at the highest power output is the actual steep sections of climb.










An altitude trace like that is no good. Fortunately you can repair the ride files easily. This process replaces the bad barometric altimeter trace with altitude data based on GPS. This GPS altitude normally isn't as accurate as the barometric altimeter, there can be strange altitude spikes, but is better than the broken altitude trace from a Garmin on a wet day.

There are a few ways of doing this.










If you have imported the ride into Strava a small blue "Elevation" button is underneath the altitude total on the Overview page. Click on the blue "Elevation" button and an option to Correct Elevation will appear. Click this, it may take a few minutes for a long ride, and then reload the page to see the corrected elevation data. This works.










In Garmin Connect by contrast if you open the ride with bad data there is a small button on the right hand side titled Elevation Corrections. By default this is set to Disabled with a Garmin Edge 520 but you can turn it to enabled, which in theory should repair the file. This hasn't actually worked for me however. The elevation profile has stayed wrong on the file.










If you use WKO+ 3.0 you can select the entire workout - Edit - Corrections - Fix Elevation Profile Using GPS and repair the altitude. You usually have to go through and make a few manual edits afterwards.

Not all programs offer the ability to replace the bad altitude data with GPS altitude data. If you want to have good altitude data then you have to repair the original .fit file before importing. Fit File Repair Tool has an option to replace the altitude data in the .fit file. If you use several different programs this is the tidiest option. It also means that if you ever want to import the .fit file into a different program in future the altitude data is already corrected.










This shows the repaired file after it has been imported into rubiTrack for IOS on iPad.










Even though there are no options in rubiTrack for IOS itself to change the altitude repairing the .fit file before importing it gives the correct altitude profile.


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## Flash (Jan 30, 2004)

Someone really needs to produce a small bonnet to go over the unit in wet weather. A Garmin condom if you will. Light elastic band with clear material. I usually carry Ziploc baggies but they don't stay on the unit well. Just something to keep mass water and mud off.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Garmin sells silicone condoms for the edge series. Not sure how well they keep water out of the altimeter ports


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## Flash (Jan 30, 2004)

I have the silicone shell. Doesn't protect the device much. I'll have to poke around to find something better.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

Harold said:


> Garmin sells silicone condoms for the edge series. Not sure how well they keep water out of the altimeter ports


The barometric altimeter holes on the Garmin Edge 520 are directly underneath the clamp mechanism.










The aftermarket silicone covers only cover the buttons. They don't go over this part of the device.

These holes have to be left open to the air for the barometric altimeter to work. If they were blocked by a cover that would stop the altimeter working just as effectively as rain water does.

Looking at other people's rides from today (in the same wet fog that I was riding in) a lot of other Garmin Edge devices (all different models) had exactly the same issue with the barometric altimeter stopping working.

For protecting the Garmin you could cut a mobile phone screen protector down to the size of the Garmin screen. That would stop the screen being scratched when you wipe it with a muddy glove to clear the display. The side buttons are rubberised so they won't get dirt in, it's just those two rear buttons that are exposed.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Those silicone covers are neither waterproof nor airtight, so they wouldn't prevent the barometric altimeter from functioning any worse than burying the altimeter holes inside the clamp mechanism. Really all that's needed, I think, is a splash guard

But for that matter, the barometric altimeter port in my Oregon 450 is located underneath the back battery cover, which has a rubber gasket around its perimeter. That's more covered/protected than what a silicone rubber cover would supply.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

How does your Garmin Oregon 450 barometric altimeter deal with wet weather?

Looking around there is an interesting forum thread in detail about the older Garmin Edge 705 having the same problem in the rain. The pictures are missing but you can still read the text.

http://www.zonefivesoftware.com/SportTracks/Forums/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=6739

They added a rain protector to keep the holes clear of water and apparently that kept the Garmin Edge 705 barometric altimeter working throughout a wet ride.

The Garmin Edge 705 used a different bracket and case back design, not the quarter mount style, so I'm not sure how you would do this with the Garmin Edge 520.

All the recent Garmin Edge devices seem to have their barometric altimeter holes in the same place directly underneath the clamp. That makes it difficult to modify.


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## Ducman (Feb 29, 2004)

Flash said:


> I have the silicone shell. Doesn't protect the device much. I'll have to poke around to find something better.


Which one do you have
this









or









I was thinking of getting the yellow one, looks like it will protect the 520 fairly well


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

WR304 said:


> How does your Garmin Oregon 450 barometric altimeter deal with wet weather?
> 
> Looking around there is an interesting forum thread in detail about the older Garmin Edge 705 having the same problem in the rain. The pictures are missing but you can still read the text.
> 
> ...


Can't really say for sure. I don't get out in those conditions much. I'd usually rather be inside and there's enough dry weather most of the time that I can be picky about it.

My old GPSMap 76CSx spent more than half an hour completely submerged in a river after I dumped the canoe in some whitewater. You can see its effect on the altimeter in the last half hour here:
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/12584860
On this model, the barometric altimeter port is NOT covered by anything.

The wettest ride I've done in recent memory was this one:
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/383451975

and I wasn't using my Oregon. I was using my Forerunner, which does not have a barometric altimeter.

This one was wet, but less so, but also with the Forerunner.
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/895133115


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## K.E.Johnson (Aug 2, 2011)

> Which one do you have
> this


Have the yellow one. Comes with screen protector and I think does good job protecting (especially that frame on top that I think will protect screen if the device falls flat on hard surface)

The downside is the movement of the case against device that I feel sometimes. It is too'silicony' (soft )

I ordered the red one as well (with less area covered) - and will compare those as soon it arrives


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## Le Duke (Mar 23, 2009)

I think the case is most useful in helping find the 520 in the event it comes off the mount.

Provided the case actually stays on. It's not a very tight fit.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

I'm not convinced that those rubber cases really protect the Garmin much. They should keep mud out of the lap and Start/ Stop buttons but that's about it.

When my friend crashed a few months ago his Garmin Edge 800 had a Garmin rubber case on. The Garmin Edge 800 flew off the bars and was smashed anyway. He had to buy a new Garmin.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

WR304 said:


> I'm not convinced that those rubber cases really protect the Garmin much. They should keep mud out of the lap and Start/ Stop buttons but that's about it.
> 
> When my friend crashed a few months ago his Garmin Edge 800 had a Garmin rubber case on. The Garmin Edge 800 flew off the bars and was smashed anyway. He had to buy a new Garmin.


If something would smash the Garmin without the case, the rubber condom won't change anything. It's not offering anything structural. What it might do is help for a more minor event. Something that would scratch the device. I agree that the bright colors can help you find it if it pops off. But a tether is more helpful there...it will prevent you from needing to look in the first place. The tether, for that matter, can keep the device from most drops, too. Aside from the initial impact that pops it off of the mount, anyway.

I find that most aftermarket mounts have a stronger hold on the device than Garmin's mounts do, also.

Speaking of damaged Garmins...it occurs to me that having the altimeter ports on the mount makes it difficult to deal with many of the common repairs for broken mounting tabs. If you make new tabs with epoxy, you have to be more careful that you don't get any epoxy in the holes. And I think that dogears are entirely out of the question unless you're willing to lose the altimeter.


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## Ducman (Feb 29, 2004)

I have been using the tether on mine, but I plan to get a screen protector. Something to help protect the screen when it gets covered in mud and I wipe it off with a dirty glove


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

I got caught in heavy rain today. It absolutely lashed it down for the last few miles home. The rain started just before the final descent off the hills into town.

My cycling shoes still haven't dried but it does make a good example of how the Garmin Edge 520 barometric altimeter will respond in heavy rain.










The upper picture shows the Garmin Edge 520 barometric altimeter recording and the lower pictures shows the Ride With GPS corrected elevation for the route.

The first 26 miles were just light rain. It was damp but not too bad. You can see how the Garmin Edge 520 was ok in this. The barometric altitude profile recording from the Garmin is a reasonable match for the GPS altitude profile. The rain wasn't heavy enough to affect it.

At the 26 mile point you can see how as soon as the heavy rain hit that was it. The barometric altitude profile becomes a gradual line, no longer registering what is happening. The descent and flat run in are completely missing. This is where the holes in the underside of the Garmin were full of water, stopping it working.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

I'm not sure it totally stopped working there. The water seemed to slow the sensor's response significantly, though.


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## K.E.Johnson (Aug 2, 2011)

WR304 said:


> I'm not convinced that those rubber cases really protect the Garmin much. They should keep mud out of the lap and Start/ Stop buttons but that's about it.
> 
> When my friend crashed a few months ago his Garmin Edge 800 had a Garmin rubber case on. The Garmin Edge 800 flew off the bars and was smashed anyway. He had to buy a new Garmin.


I do believe it help a lot.

Yes, it won't save the device in all situations, but it decreases the impact - just as your helmet does - no gurantee you will be unhurt, but it is more likely you will not get to the hospital.

And yes, I strongly beleive in screen protectors - I never use any kind on bumpers or cases on my phone, but have a screen protector always. The funny thing is that I never broke my screen, although my phone meet the asphalt at least once a week (and I had body of the phone broke, but screen was safe). I think it helps to redistribute the impact equally vs stress at one point only. 
(and yes, it also helps not to care about dust/ sand/ anything that might be on the screen).

It won't help of course if you drop it and 10 bikers ride over it going 50km/h (but with the bright red/ yellow case you will find debris much easier  )


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

Harold said:


> I'm not sure it totally stopped working there. The water seemed to slow the sensor's response significantly, though.


You're right. The barometric altimeter didn't stop working so much as stop responding quickly enough. I edited my original post as that wording is better.

The weather was horrible today. As a fair weather cyclist I had the day off.

One of my friend's did get out for a ride though.

This picture shows the altitude profile for his ride alongside the corrected GPS altitude.










He was using a Garmin Edge 800 (not a Garmin Edge 520 unfortunately) which had the protective rubber cover on. This rubber cover goes over the device body. The Garmin Edge 800 has its barometric altimeter holes in the same place on the underside of the mount. It should still give a reasonable idea of whether the rubber case would help with the barometric altimeter in wet weather. I wouldn't expect it to make any difference as the rubber cover doesn't go near the altimeter holes but it's worth looking at.

As with my ride yesterday when the heavy rain began the Garmin Edge 800 with rubber cover ran into the same problem. The entire last part of the ride sees the barometric altimeter losing its responsiveness. Instead of the descent and short bumps there is just a gradual line.

Although I'm not convinced of its effectiveness the rubber cover doesn't do any harm to have. It will protect the Garmin from scratches and keep it looking tidy for longer anyway.


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## Iowagriz (Jan 14, 2008)

I did a quick read of the thread and didn't see my answer, apologies if already covered.

WR or others with the 520; can you do a test for me? Will it continue to work with a battery pack tethered to the unit? For bikepacking, I have the need to recharge while using. The 500 does not allow this (it acts as if it is connected to a PC for upload). I have friends with the models newer than the 500 and they allow a tether charge (I think he has the 800). Thanks in advance.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

Iowagriz said:


> I did a quick read of the thread and didn't see my answer, apologies if already covered.
> 
> WR or others with the 520; can you do a test for me? Will it continue to work with a battery pack tethered to the unit? For bikepacking, I have the need to recharge while using. The 500 does not allow this (it acts as if it is connected to a PC for upload). I have friends with the models newer than the 500 and they allow a tether charge (I think he has the 800). Thanks in advance.


The Garmin Edge 520 will continue to work when connected to a micro USB charger.










In this picture my Garmin Edge 520 is plugged into a mains charger. It hasn't gone into mass storage mode and is searching for satellites and sensors whilst charging.

That seems to work ok but you need to be alert to the automatically shutting down in 15 seconds? notice that appears when the Garmin is unplugged from the charger. You have an ok or cancel prompt that has to be pressed otherwise the Garmin will turn off.


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## Iowagriz (Jan 14, 2008)

Thank you for the quick help.


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## andersonsmog (Oct 21, 2015)

So excuse my ignorance, but will this allow me to get directions when on a trail, about which way to turn and things?


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

andersonsmog said:


> So excuse my ignorance, but will this allow me to get directions when on a trail, about which way to turn and things?


You have some reading to do.

The short answer is yes AND no. The details are more complicated and discussed at length elsewhere. If you're unwilling to read the whole thread, a Google search will get you what you need (but chances are, at least one of the hits will take you back here).


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

andersonsmog said:


> So excuse my ignorance, but will this allow me to get directions when on a trail, about which way to turn and things?


The maps that you load onto the Garmin Edge 520 are created from Open Street Map.

http://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=6/52.676/-0.857

If you go to the Open Street Map webpage, and then zoom right in on where you normally ride you can check to see what detail is there. In some parts of the world you may find there is a lot of detail - mountain bike trails, footpaths, individual blades of grass almost, whilst in other parts there will be nothing there at all. It isn't uniform.

If the trails aren't on the Open Street Map web page you won't see them on the Garmin Edge 520 whilst riding either.

In terms of navigation Post #56 of this thread on are discussing the Garmin courses for following routes. Post #63 is my attempt at explaining the navigation differences between different Garmins.

http://forums.mtbr.com/gps-hrm-bike-computer/garmin-edge-520-a-980371-post12197613.html#post12197613

.


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## thecanoe (Jan 30, 2007)

I just purchased a new 520 and had my first ride yesterday, after the lbs set it all up. I was using an openstreetmap app on my iPhone to see the trails. When I was done, my ride was recorded on the 520. I put my phone into Bluetooth mode, pushed SAVE RIDE on the Garmin and didn't see my ride on GC app or strava ( it's linked). I played with the 520 and found UPLOAD RIDE. After I did that, everything loaded. Shouldn't I just have to hit SAVE RIDE?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

thecanoe said:


> I just purchased a new 520 and had my first ride yesterday, after the lbs set it all up. I was using an openstreetmap app on my iPhone to see the trails. When I was done, my ride was recorded on the 520. I put my phone into Bluetooth mode, pushed SAVE RIDE on the Garmin and didn't see my ride on GC app or strava ( it's linked). I played with the 520 and found UPLOAD RIDE. After I did that, everything loaded. Shouldn't I just have to hit SAVE RIDE?
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


I'm not an iPhone user, but sometimes there are unexplained delays between activating the Bluetooth on the 520 and pairing. And unless I m monkeying with live track, I usually turn off Bluetooth on the 520 when riding (the incoming notification aren't compatible with my phone).

It usually uploads when I save the ride if it is paired with the phone, but sometimes I also need to click on the activity to upload it from the 520.

Sent from my BB10 with Taptalk.


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## thecanoe (Jan 30, 2007)

Didn't know you could turn off Bluetooth on the 520. But your explanation makes sense. Thanks. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

*Removing Bad Data From Rides In Strava*
Something that can happen occasionally is that there is a ride with sections that need to be removed. The Garmin could be left recording as you drive home in the car or you may start the Garmin early, stop it and then have a massive gap at the beginning of the file.

On the turbo trainer you may sometimes forget to turn the GPS off and it will record a short jumpy route, even though you were stationary throughout.

My friend did a turbo trainer ride the other day where he had 27 minutes of junk time at the start, the Garmin was on but he hadn't started the session, along with having left the GPS on. This is what the ride looks like in Strava if it has been sent directly through Garmin Connect:










There is a 27 minute section at the beginning to be removed and a GPS track for a ride that doesn't exist.

*Removing GPS Track In Strava*
If you just have a GPS track in error, and don't need to do anything else to the file, the easiest way is within Strava. To remove the GPS track click on the small Pen icon at the bottom left to Edit the ride. Click on the Stationary Trainer button and Save Changes. This removes the GPS track from the display. For the majority of turbo trainer rides this is enough.










*Cropping Out Bad Ride Sections In Strava*
The hard part within Strava is removing the bad data at the start of the ride, in this case where my friend had the Garmin on but wasn't doing any riding. If you have an outdoors ride and need to crop some of the ride out, such as where you drove home in the car afterwards, then this is straightforwards to do inside Strava. Click on the Actions - spanner icon - select Crop and then use the sliders to remove the section of ride that you want excluded. The blue selected section is what is being kept.










This is fine for outdoors rides but no use for indoors rides. The X axis for adding or removing sections of ride is based on Distance, not Time. With a stationary ride you have no idea what parts are being selected.:madman:

*Edits In Fit File Repair Tool*
The most certain method for fixing this is to delete the bad turbo trainer ride from Strava altogether, edit the original .fit file and then re-upload it manually. This is how to repair the ride using Fit File Repair Tool.










1. Open the original .fit file in Fit File Repair Tool.
2. With the data sorted by Timestamp scroll down to where you want to cut out the data. Here I knew that the beginning of Lap 3 at 27 minutes and 02 seconds represented the start of the ride. Put a tick in the entry immediately before (27 minutes and 01 seconds in this case).
3. Click on Quick Select "Up to here" in the bottom right corner of the screen. This will select all records from the beginning of the ride to the point where you want to delete them.
4. Click on Delete Selected Records.
5. A dialogue box will appear. Put a tick in the "Delete and insert Stop/ Start event (recommended for Export as a Fit file) and then click ok.

This will delete the first 27 minutes 01 seconds off the beginning of the ride.

*Removing GPS Data In Fit File Repair Tool*
It's easy to strip the GPS data out of the .fit file at the same time, saving having to mess around with the file again in future. You can also easily remove other traces, power, heart rate etc if you want to share the ride publicly without other people being able to see what your power was.










Click on Export File, select Fit file as the file type and then from the Exclude options select Altitude Data to remove it from the file.

Click Ok and this will save a new .fit file in your chosen folder. This file name will end in -fixed.fit.

***If you don't want distance before you upload this file to Strava load it back into Fit File Repair Tool again.***










Without doing anything else to the file save it again as a new .fit file. This time the file name will end in -fixed-fixed.fit. By doing this you remove any distance data from the file. If you have a speed sensor fitted to your turbo trainer bike there's no need to do this. It's only if you have junk distance in there. My friend had a cadence sensor and heart rate strap only, no speed sensor, so didn't want any distance information.

The -fixed-fixed.fit file is now ready to upload. Within the Strava webpage click the Red + at the top right of the screen - Upload - From File - Browse to your repaired .fit file and upload it. Don't forget to mark the file as a Stationary Trainer ride!


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

thecanoe said:


> Didn't know you could turn off Bluetooth on the 520. But your explanation makes sense. Thanks.
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


If you start at the Garmin Edge 520 Ride screen press the Up arrow once to get to the Status page. That gives you quick shortcuts to the display options, satellites, sensors and Bluetooth. Press enter on the Bluetooth section and there is an option to enable or disable Bluetooth.

Having Bluetooth off when riding should extend battery life if you aren't using it.


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## thecanoe (Jan 30, 2007)

I have two rides now on my 520. Both were recorded correctly, but, the Bluetooth is taking forever to connect to my phone. Is there something I should look for?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

If my phone has been previously paired with my headset or something, I need to turn off BT and turn it back on again on the phone to pair with the 520. Otherwise they can't find each other.

This was a problem I didn't have for the first 2 weeks of use, not sure why it's happening now. Of course, with my phone being a completely unsupported device, I can't complain too loud, I guess.


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## thecanoe (Jan 30, 2007)

According to the Garmin forum, this is a common iPhone problem. But it seems if you open the GC app first, then turn on BT, it connects quicker. I tried it a few times and it works. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## J-Flo (Apr 23, 2012)

I have the 510 and have found the barometric altimeter has similar issues when the weather changes. Here in California we don't have much rain anymore, but on several long rides when a cold front moved in, the altitude became skewed dramatically upwards. From what I have read I think the 520 uses a similar or perhaps even the same altimeter (same four holes in the bottom too). 

Anyhow, I don't know why Garmin can't use GPS data to correct for this, so that we don't have to try to figure it out. I don't like to have to use the Strava elevation correction feature. It is not always accurate (for example, it thinks I was on the water when going over a bridge).


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

J-Flo said:


> I have the 510 and have found the barometric altimeter has similar issues when the weather changes. Here in California we don't have much rain anymore, but on several long rides when a cold front moved in, the altitude became skewed dramatically upwards. From what I have read I think the 520 uses a similar or perhaps even the same altimeter (same four holes in the bottom too).
> 
> Anyhow, I don't know why Garmin can't use GPS data to correct for this, so that we don't have to try to figure it out. I don't like to have to use the Strava elevation correction feature. It is not always accurate (for example, it thinks I was on the water when going over a bridge).


Barometric drift. It happens on ANY device with a barometric altimeter. The ONLY WAY to address that is to calibrate the sensor. Hiking models allow you to manually calibrate them. The Edge models do not. However there is a way. If you have a waypoint stored on the device, and you pass that waypoint, the device will calibrate to the elevation of that point when you pass it. Otherwise, you're pretty much reliant on the auto-calibration Garmin offers, which DOES use GPS satellites. The problem there is that the accuracy of GPS elevation is usually pretty terrible (worse than DEM corrections that Strava or anyone else uses) so it's not going to be a perfect real-time correction system for barometric drift. It can help when the accuracy is good, but that's not going to be terribly often. Make sure you check your device settings to see how it's handling elevation calibration.

I'm sure WR304 would be thrilled to post a couple screenshots of the Edge 520 for us.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

There are two things in particular that Garmin Edge devices have a terrible reputation for. One is Garmin Connect and the other is Bluetooth connectivity.

Avoid those two areas and it makes for a much happier experience. As I use WKO+ 3.0 I usually connect my Garmin Edge 520 by USB and copy off the original .fit file, rather than syncing with Garmin Connect.

*Connecting and Syncing Garmin Edge 520 via Bluetooth*
Before you start you will need to have created a Garmin Connect account and a Strava account with the login details ready. This doesn't have to be done on the mobile device. You can sign up on a computer or through a web browser ahead of time.

The pictures below are using my iPad Air 2 with IOS 9.1.

*Garmin Connect Mobile App*
The first thing to do is download the Garmin Connect Mobile app from the Apple app store. Do a search for Garmin and it will come up near the top. There are lots of other Garmin apps but you only need this one.

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/garmin-connect-mobile/id583446403?mt=8

Download and then run the Garmin Connect Mobile app. When prompted enter your Garmin Connect user name and password.

In the Garmin Connect Mobile app tap on More in the bottom right corner - Settings - Third Party Apps - Strava. When prompted enter your Strava user name and password to link your Garmin Connect and Strava accounts together. This can be unlinked from within either Garmin Connect or Strava websites at any time.

*Pairing The Garmin Edge 520*
It's always worth closing all running apps beforehand, especially anything that might use Bluetooth. In IOS 9.1 double tap the home button. This will bring up a list of all the apps that are open on the device. Swipe up on each app in turn to close it until all that remains is just the home screen.










Go to Settings and select Bluetooth from the list. Turn it on on the device. You should see a small spinning icon as it searches for any new Bluetooth connections. Leave it open on this screen.










Turn on the Garmin Edge 520. When it has booted from the Ride screen press the up Arrow once, select Bluetooth from the list and press Enter. On this screen you will see an option to enable or disable Bluetooth. If it's off turn it on.

On the Garmin Edge 520 screen you will now see the Bluetooth name of the Garmin "Edge 520" (which can be changed) and below it a Pair Smartphone button. Press Enter on the Pair Smartphone button and the pairing screen will appear. On the IOS device a BT_Edge 520 should appear in devices. Tap on this and you will see a pairing message appear. Tap pair:










On the Garmin Edge 520 the same message will appear. Press the Enter button on the Garmin Edge 520 to confirm.










Pairing isn't finished yet. Open the Garmin Connect Mobile app and it should show that your Garmin Edge 520 is connected. As soon as it has done this go back to the IOS Bluetooth Settings screen and another new device will have appeared. This is called BLE_Edge 520. Tap on this and select Pair for this one also.

On the Garmin Edge 520 pairing screen all three icons should now be lit up to confirm that they are connected. It will return to the previous screen with extra options showing:










*Forced Sync*
In theory if you have the tick box enabled in the app it should sync with Garmin Connect automatically.

In order to force a sync with the two devices paired, connected and the Garmin Connect Mobile app open on the Garmin Edge 520 go to Menu - History - Rides - Select a ride - scroll down to the bottom of the list and you will see an "Upload Ride" button. Even if the ride has already been uploaded pressing enter on this button will force it to do a sync each time.










You'll know that the sync is working because a blue progress bar will appear on the Garmin Connect Mobile app screen.










*Weather*
When the Garmin is connected via Bluetooth, and weather alerts are enabled, an additional option appears at the bottom of the Status screen. This is the weather from a nearby locations. Press Enter on the weather and it brings up a more detailed page that also allows you to scroll down to see future weather.


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## thecanoe (Jan 30, 2007)

That was a great explanation of the syncing process. I had my LBS do this for me. Now when I finish a ride, I open GC app on my phone, then turn Bluetooth on, on my phone and it seems to connect quicker. But I still get "unload failure" and go to history and select the ride and hit "upload ride" and it finally uploads to GC then to Strava. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## K.E.Johnson (Aug 2, 2011)

Back to protector covers. 
Received the second one recently, so I am able to provide review on both options below



Ducman said:


> Which one do you have
> this
> 
> View attachment 1026105
> ...


Note that I tried in real-life (i.e. riding) only the bigger one (yellow above) - I closed my season a week ago.

Yellow one (TufLuv or something, purchased on ebay.uk)
- comes with screen protector 
- covers more on the back (leaving only mount + 3-5mm around it + holes for strap and charging port)
- covers much more on the front, leaving open only actual screen (i.e. covering up to 5mm from the "edge of the Edge"). 
- feels a bit "slippy" on the device (moving against it a bit) if you wish
- changes feeling of buttons - sort of you feel that you compress rubber

Red one (came with Garmin label, purchased on aliexpress) 
- device looks much nicer (I have white) and less bulky
- on front side covers around 0.5-1mm from the edge of the device, although protects from "flat surfaces"
- do not cover the back, aside 3-5mm (and does not cover serial number) 
- feeling of buttons is the same as device itself
- less movement (I feel none)

As a conclusion I'd say TufLuv (yellow above) offers a better protection, but worse feeling (and in case you get mud inside you'll get tons of scratches), garmin one (red above) feels better and stiffer but covers less area.


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

90 minute ride on a cold (1C) Monday night with everything running (Glonass, BT-Livetrack, backlighting, CAD/HRM.

Burned through about half the battery life.

Does not bode well for my next all-day ride.


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## davez26 (Dec 2, 2004)

After reading 169 posts, I hadn't thought about cold weather performance. This could get interesting....

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk


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## K.E.Johnson (Aug 2, 2011)

ghettocruiser said:


> 90 minute ride on a cold (1C) Monday night with everything running (Glonass, BT-Livetrack, backlighting, CAD/HRM.
> 
> Burned through about half the battery life.
> 
> Does not bode well for my next all-day ride.


That is strange. Was it your first ride with the new device? What was the level of the backlight?

PS: 
Haven't ridden in 1C, but I had 3 rides at 3, 4 and 5 degrees (the latter one had ~2.5 degrees half of that time - according to Edge reading, but I had a protective rubber cover that might influence temperature on the device)
Time was 1h40min, 2h, 2h30min

Livetrack on, Glonass on, recording 1 second, CAD/Speed/HRM, backlight at 60%.

I would say that it burns around 8% each 40 minutes (so it makes 12-15% per hour maximum). 
In total each ride burned not more then 20% (from 100 to 82%, from 100 to 85% and from 60 to 40%).

PPS: Li-Ion batteries do tend to loose capacity at lower degrees (especially below zero), but I really don't think that it is that serious at around zero.


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

1:15 last night only burned 20% of the battery, but I had BT off and 80% backlight. For some reason if BT is on and livetrack is not, it causes these strange dropouts in the sound from my BT headset.



DC Rainmaker said:


> The Edge series devices will get Connect IQ support in the following three ways:
> 
> - Apps
> - Data Fields
> ...


And thus ends my dream of having an speedometer dial on my bike for the first time since 1985.

I'm not joking. I wanted it.

Just not enough to mount my phone on the handlebars.


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## Scott McIntyre (Oct 29, 2015)

ghettocruiser said:


> 1:15 last night only burned 20% of the battery, but I had BT off and 80% backlight.


As another data-point for cold temp battery life...

Last night I rode for 2 hours in 3°C, 60% backlight on full time, BT connected to iPhone, and had 86% battery remaining at the end. No complaints here.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Anybody REALLY pushed the battery life on one of these? I used my Forerunner 310XT on a 10hr ride last weekend. Nice fall weather, so not terribly cold. I still had hours of battery left. My Oregon 450 on alkalines didn't make it, though. Alkalines suck, of course (I usually use Sanyo Eneloops or Lithiums in it, but that's what was installed at the time), and the screen backlight kept activating in my pack. Just had me wondering about this device since the spec says 15hrs battery life, and I know that the spec tends to be a little optimistic in most cases.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

The Garmin Edge 520 saves battery status in the recorded .fit file for each ride that you do. If you open the .fit file in Fit File Repair Tool you can see the battery status every five minutes throughout the ride.

This picture shows the battery charge from a ride that I did a few days ago.










- ANT+ speed, heart rate and power sensors connected
- Course running
- GPS + GLONASS on
- The screen backlight was turned off
- Bluetooth was turned off.

The ride duration was almost exactly 4 hours and the temperature was around 53f. Starting battery charge was 98% and after 4 hours it had dropped to 66% battery charge. If it continued to use 8% battery every hour the Garmin Edge 520 should have lasted for around 12.5 hours on a full charge.

Saved in the .fit file are signal strength and battery status for the power meter too. This picture shows the reported values for the same four hour ride from my Garmin Edge 520. My Power2Max usually has a signal strength of 99% and based on when I last replaced it the battery ought to be ok for another 100 hours or so.


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

First real attempt at a strava live segment did not go well. On the climb the readout qas oscillating between 1 seconds behind and 30 seconds behind my PR the whole way up. At the top of the climb it said off course and did not report a time. Then about 30 seconds later if turned itself off and deleted the track log for the ride up to that point. 

Sent from my BB10 with Taptalk.


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

Once turned back on it resumed and somehow accurately reported the total ride distance and elevation despite the lack of track points. But it also recorded an average speed of 58 kph 

Sent from my BB10 with Taptalk.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

ghettocruiser said:


> First real attempt at a strava live segment did not go well. On the climb the readout qas oscillating between 1 seconds behind and 30 seconds behind my PR the whole way up. At the top of the climb it said off course and did not report a time. Then about 30 seconds later if turned itself off and deleted the track log for the ride up to that point.
> 
> Sent from my BB10 with Taptalk.


That's not good. Did you have Bluetooth connected, Livetrack etc?

The two most possible reasons that I've read for why Strava segments can cause the Garmin Edge 520 to shut down is if you have lots of Strava segments enabled and / or you have overlapping segments.

You can have up to 100 starred segments enabled on the Garmin in theory. The more segments you have enabled the greater the risk of the Garmin getting confused however. Overlapping segments appear to increase the risk even more as it then has to try and decide which of multiple segments to follow.

If you link the original device .fit file from the ride there is a list of events saved in it. It might be possible to repair the .fit file in Fit File Repair Tool to get your full ride back also.

On the Edge 1000 the device turning off can also possibly be linked to Bluetooth issues or if you have too many history files on the device. The Garmin Edge 520 and Edge 1000 seem to share some similarities so these are possibilities to consider with the Garmin Edge 520 as well.

https://forums.garmin.com/showthread.php?326780-Edge-1000-turning-it-s-self-off-mid-ride

.


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

No overlap. I have about 20 segments starred and the next closest was about 1 km away. BT was off. However, at the top of this climb I turned around as was bombing back down, meaning the 520 might have been about to give me the "approaching start " warning even though I was going the other way.

I tried the "online fit repair tool" that DC rainmaker linked to but it gave me a gibberish 1kb file. 

I cannot try the other fit repair tool as my boot drive failed yesterday on my PC. Friday the 13th was not kind to my technology. 



Sent from my BB10 with Taptalk.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

ghettocruiser said:


> I tried the "online fit repair tool" that DC rainmaker linked to but it gave me a gibberish 1kb file.
> 
> I cannot try the other fit repair tool as my boot drive failed yesterday on my PC. Friday the 13th was not kind to my technology.


The online website ( http://garmin.kiesewetter.nl/ ) isn't compatible with Garmin Edge 520 .fit files. They are in a different format to .fit files from older devices. It works with files from older Garmins but not the Garmin Edge 520.

The Fit File Repair Tool ( http://fitfilerepairtool.info/ ) is updated so that it does work with the newer Garmin files.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

WR304 said:


> The Garmin Edge 520 saves battery status in the recorded .fit file for each ride that you do. If you open the .fit file in Fit File Repair Tool you can see the battery status every five minutes throughout the ride.
> 
> This picture shows the battery charge from a ride that I did a few days ago.
> 
> ...


To try and test the battery usage a bit more I did a ride on Sunday with most of the features running:










- ANT+ speed, heart rate and power sensors connected
- Course running with display on map screen. (The map is constantly redrawing when displayed which should use more battery if you leave it on the map)
- GPS + GLONASS on
- The screen backlight was turned to 70% always on
- Bluetooth was turned on.

The ride duration was a little over 2 hours and the temperature was around 55f. Starting battery charge was 94% and after 2 hours it had dropped to 69% battery charge. If it continued to use 12.5% battery every hour the Garmin Edge 520 should have lasted for around 8 hours on a full charge. That's 4.5 hours less than on my previous ride!

The main thing that was missing which will use additional battery is Livetrack. I couldn't check that as I don't have a smartphone with any paid mobile data.

In terms of cold rides and battery life although it is November it is still fairly warm at the moment here. It will be a little while yet before having to do any cold weather rides.


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

WR304 said:


> The Fit File Repair Tool ( fit file repair tool - Home ) is updated so that it does work with the newer Garmin files.


Unless I'm missing something, it also requires paying $50USD to repair anything.

I think I'll just ride the climb again...


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

ghettocruiser said:


> Unless I'm missing something, it also requires paying $50USD to repair anything.
> 
> I think I'll just ride the climb again...


The Fit File Repair Tool is a paid for program, not free.

As I bought a license for it if you want to pm me a link to your original .fit file (Dropbox, Google Drive etc) I can have a look at it and see if the file is fixable if you like.


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

Thanks for the offer, but since the total distance and elevation gain were salvaged, we'll let this one die. 

The last time my old edge 500 ate a massive ride, I did a turn-by-turn recreation of the ride the next weekend, made a GPX copy, altered the date stamp in a text editor, and uploaded it to Strava twice. However since the dawn of Strava "flyby", I'd now need the repeat ride to be timed to the second in order for it to be authentic to any passers-by 


I did load up the trial version of FFRT, on my PC (which has a new spacious boot drive); however as you know the trial puts nonsense UTMs for the 2nd half of the ride, which was where the problem was. The error consul listed a "unexpected large gap between track points" or something to that effect, but I couldn't make much more out of it.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

ghettocruiser said:


> The last time my old edge 500 ate a massive ride, I did a turn-by-turn recreation of the ride the next weekend, made a GPX copy, altered the date stamp in a text editor, and uploaded it to Strava twice. However since the dawn of Strava "flyby", I'd now need the repeat ride to be timed to the second in order for it to be authentic to any passers-by


All that I'd do would be to title the second ride clearly after uploading, so that anyone who sees it knows why it is a duplicate. Instead of the automatic "Morning Ride" in Strava change it to something like "Garmin lost original ride. Duplicate to keep 2015 mileage and elevation totals correct".

There is no confusion for any passers by then. As soon as they see the title they will know what's going on.

If you were riding in a group, and there is an issue with your own ride file, another workaround is to borrow another rider's Garmin .fit file for the same ride, crop it down to the part of the ride you did and upload it to your Strava (with a clear title again as to why). That works so long as they aren't much faster than you, as then there will be lots of personal bests that are hard to beat!

Have you got Garmin Connect working via USB on your new computer?


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

I've avoided installing express up to this point since I was told that it would inhibit the ability to directly upload files from the 500/520 (i.e. prevent it from functioning like a drive).


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

ghettocruiser said:


> I've avoided installing express up to this point since I was told that it would inhibit the ability to directly upload files from the 500/520 (i.e. prevent it from functioning like a drive).


With the Garmin Edge 520 and Garmin Express 4.1.10.0 this isn't the case.

You can still view and browse the Garmin Edge 520 as a mass storage drive with Garmin Express installed and running on a Windows PC.

This picture shows my Garmin Edge 520 connected to the computer by USB. Garmin Express is running and the Garmin is still available to browse at the same time.










You can choose whether to have Garmin Express running in the background or not also. If you don't use Garmin Express very often you can leave it turned off for the rest of the time. This is what I do.

Open Garmin Express and click on the small cog symbol to open the Settings menu. Here there is an option to "Always keep Garmin Express running in the background". Untick this and Garmin Express won't start with Windows.










In order to use it you can either launch Garmin Express from the programs menu, or when using the Garmin Connect website it will start when you select to sync or send settings to device.


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## kdiff (Apr 25, 2010)

ghettocruiser said:


> First real attempt at a strava live segment did not go well. On the climb the readout qas oscillating between 1 seconds behind and 30 seconds behind my PR the whole way up. At the top of the climb it said off course and did not report a time.


I've been having 2 of those problems, oscillating time difference between my current time vs. the PR/goal (bounces between 5-30 seconds) and off course problems since the firmware update. Very disappointing since it was perfect before the update. I have not had it turn off. I've been exchanging emails with Garmin about the two issues. You should contact them also. I figure the more noise the sooner it gets fixed or allow me a way to go to the old firmware.

(edited: typos from cell phone & clarified)


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## baja07 (Sep 10, 2010)

Happy to report my 520 works perfectly. Strava live segments is simple to use. I just star the segments and set my goal and its beamed to my garmin. The only inconsistency is the time my rides are uploaded.


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

Let me star some segments on the route home tonight and see if if the split time is still bouncing around. I'm actually sort-of glad to hear that the problem is new, since if the problem was created by a firmware update, then in theory it can be solved by a firmware update.

Garmin forums does report some other folks are having it turn off, but no one else is reporting the track log deletion issue.

As many others have noted, the thermometer reads at least 5C too low. Maybe if the sun was shining on it, the reading would be closer, but at night it's way off.


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

WR304 said:


> With the Garmin Edge 520 and Garmin Express 4.1.10.0 this isn't the case.
> 
> You can still view and browse the Garmin Edge 520 as a mass storage drive with Garmin Express installed and running on a Windows PC.


Indeed. I'll wait to hear from Harold on this first since I also have an older 310XT that the garmin forums widely reported as problematic with Garmin Express.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

ghettocruiser said:


> Indeed. I'll wait to hear from Harold on this first since I also have an older 310XT that the garmin forums widely reported as problematic with Garmin Express.


The 310XT is a totally different animal. It was EXTREMELY problematic with Express at first, but things have settled down and it's pretty reliable.

If the uploads start taking longer than they should, it's a hint that I need to clear out the history of the device. If I let it go too long between clearing the history, Express will really bog down and uploads will start failing. This is probably largely due to the crappy data rate on ANT+ and the fact that you really cannot browse the device like a drive through that protocol.


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

Alright, Thanks.

My boot drive failure wiped ANT+ Agent off anyways, so I'll go with Express on the re-install


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

ghettocruiser said:


> Alright, Thanks.
> 
> My boot drive failure wiped ANT+ Agent off anyways, so I'll go with Express on the re-install


Now that I remember, I had similar issues with ANT Agent bogging down when the device was full when I used it to upload to Strava or Connect before Express came around. The problems just manifested a little differently.


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

With some more monkeying with the settings in the Connect App I now have the caller ID coming up on screen, which I never thought would work with it linked to a Blackberry. No text message alerts though.

Bluetooth connecting remains temperamental. Having the connect app running seems to help, but I've had it connect immediately without the app running and fail to connect utterly with the app running no matter what I tried.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

On today's ride I had done about an hour and was (I know) just riding along through a small town when the Garmin went haywire. There was no indication on screen. Whilst riding it had appeared fine. Speed, power and timer continued to show all ride and it didn't turn off.

When I got home and tried to load the file however the ride only lasted for that hour before disappearing. There was no graph after that point for the remaining 2 hours 30 minutes of the ride. My Garmin Edge 520 had corrupted a ride file. I couldn't believe it.:madman:










Loading the file into Fit File Repair Tool it became apparent what had happened.

At 10:46 am the GPS dropped connection and the timestamps changed from 26/11/2015 10:46:41 to 06/04/2019 23:59:44. The timestamps had jumped forwards by four years! It then changed again to 11/04/2019 10:46:52 (the correct time but wrong year). Two minutes later the GPS got a lock again and continued recording the ride, only still with a date of 11/04/2019.

As the data was there I was able to fix the file using the "Repair Timestamps" option in Fit File Repair Tool. In the end no information was lost, which is something at least.

It's shaken my confidence in the Garmin Edge 520 though. In all the rides that I did with my old Garmin Edge 500 I never had a single corrupt file.


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

ghettocruiser said:


> Let me star some segments on the route home tonight and see if if the split time is still bouncing around.


One segment was about 11:00 and it seemed to give a pretty good representation of my pace relative to my PB.

The other segment was about 2 minutes long and the VP was bouncing from 8 seconds ahead to 8 seconds behind the whole time (in Strava, I was never more than 2 seconds off my target pace.) It them reported my final time as 1:54 when Strava came up with 1:52 when I uploaded.

No more data loss incidents, FWIW.


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## baja07 (Sep 10, 2010)

encountered something weird today. about 50mins into my ride I was passing a fork in a road where I have live segments enabled. Came into the 200ft warning. But I went the other direction on my loop. As I got passed the fork in the road my garmin turned off. Not cool Garmin! I only have 5 live segments synced.


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

Hmm. Something about riding a segment backwards is causing the problem?

It doesn't happen every time, I have a backwards segment loaded on my commute that has caused no issues, other than the pointless notification as I get close to the start.


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## Scott McIntyre (Oct 29, 2015)

I had to turn off live segments. It was too depressing.


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

Did a longer road ride on the weekend (about 6 hours @ 1C) without BT and backlight and the battery life was much better, still in the mid-40% range. I attempted to run live track on the ride but it lost the connection and I gave up and turned it off. In other 520 news:

Good: Raster maps in KMZ format thrown into the "custom maps" folder will indeed display over top of whatever vector base map you are using.

Bad: Having BT on without live track engaged continues to cause disconnection issues with other BT devices paired with my phone.


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

ghettocruiser said:


> Good: Raster maps in KMZ format thrown into the "custom maps" folder will indeed display over top of whatever vector base map you are using.


Nope, not good. Once I navigated onto a raster map the 520 froze and shut down within a few seconds, and repeatedly. It did display the map correctly for those few seconds. At least it didn't wipe the track log this time.

A feature of the 4-year old Edge 800 that the 520 cannot handle.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

ghettocruiser said:


> A feature of the 4-year old Edge 800 that the 520 cannot handle.


This thing is supposed to be more like a 500 than an 800, FWIW. Any map functionality on this device was an afterthought. Original press release about this thing said it didn't offer mapping. That was added later. I'm surprised that functionality was included at all, even later.


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

To be fair, the vector mapping has been flawless so far. And practically speaking the screen is probably too small to glean much information from a raster map while riding. But it was cool to see and maybe it will get straightened out.

For the first 5 minutes of my ride tonight it was synced to the phone *and* my BT headset was actually working, then the headset cut out until I turned the BT off on the 520.

Also, I was monkeying with livetrack. When I press stop on the unit, the livetrack viewer map shows a message that signal has been lost, and it didn't resume when I pressed start again even though the 520 was still showing the livetrack eyeball icon.


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## Gabe3 (Mar 13, 2009)

the map features seem a little strange. the only way to navigate to a location is to create a location. and the only way to create a location is by using the location your currently at. it would be nice if they let you use the map to make a location, instead it has to be somewhere you've been and created a location at.

lately my 520 won't sync to garmin connect over cell data sometimes. it works fine if my phone is connected to wifi. when i hit upload on the garmin it will either say failed, or upload complete. but it wouldn't be in the connect app or strava.

even with the couple issues. I still like this thing. I love that I don't have to plug it into the computer to sync. I can see the screen way better than I did on my edge 500. in low light conditions. like shade at sunset, I could see the screen better on the 500. but when that happens, I just set the backlight to 20% or whatever. I have it set to always on. but I leave it at 0% unless I need it on like at night. then I can turn it on with just the one button on the top left and it stays on.


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

Garmin said:


> Changes made from version 3.00 to 3.10:
> 
> Improved Varia bike light network performance when using multiple lights and a radar. Update your Varia Rearview Radar to software version 3.00 or greater to take advantage of this.
> A new Radar sensor type has been added and new radar settings are available under Sensor Details that allow you to control radar tones, color overlay, and vehicle column position. These settings are available only after updating your Varia Rearview Radar to software version 3.00 or greater.
> ...


The phrase "fixed a bug" appears less often in that list than I was hoping...


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## thecanoe (Jan 30, 2007)

Gabe3 said:


> the map features seem a little strange. the only way to navigate to a location is to create a location. and the only way to create a location is by using the location your currently at. it would be nice if they let you use the map to make a location, instead it has to be somewhere you've been and created a location at.
> 
> lately my 520 won't sync to garmin connect over cell data sometimes. it works fine if my phone is connected to wifi. when i hit upload on the garmin it will either say failed, or upload complete. but it wouldn't be in the connect app or strava.
> 
> even with the couple issues. I still like this thing. I love that I don't have to plug it into the computer to sync. I can see the screen way better than I did on my edge 500. in low light conditions. like shade at sunset, I could see the screen better on the 500. but when that happens, I just set the backlight to 20% or whatever. I have it set to always on. but I leave it at 0% unless I need it on like at night. then I can turn it on with just the one button on the top left and it stays on.


Here's the routine that I use. Ride with the Bluetooth off in the Garmin 520 and my iPhone. When done with ride push stop then save ride. 
On my iPhone I turn Bluetooth on and then open the GC app. Make sure it is open and then enable Bluetooth in the 520. As soon as it connects with the phone, sync automatically starts. When done, my ride is then uploaded to strava automatically. So far do good.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## Dethshed (Nov 23, 2006)

WR304 said:


> Along with this if you have target zones enabled the problem is that if you go outside the zone a warning message appears. This was bad enough on the Garmin Edge 500 (a box right in the middle of the screen) but on the Garmin Edge 520 there is a massive black box covering half the screen if you're out of zone. It makes it impossible to read the display and stays there for several seconds at a time. I want to be able to see the display as much as possible.


this is now fixed in Ver 3.1 where you can turn-off the warnings


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## jacksonlui (Aug 15, 2015)

I've been struggling with my 520 and I've finally got a config that works well for me.
I keep the map in the mode where you can manually control the zoom with thge + and - keys. Everytime I lose my way on a new trail I zoom out to get a reference point then zoom back in.


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## davez26 (Dec 2, 2004)

jacksonlui said:


> I've been struggling with my 520 and I've finally got a config that works well for me.
> I keep the map in the mode where you can manually control the zoom with thge + and - keys. Everytime I lose my way on a new trail I zoom out to get a reference point then zoom back in.


Please school me on the setting to do that. I missed it somewhere, and I've had cussing fits on some rides that I couldn't do a zoom.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## thecanoe (Jan 30, 2007)

I found that mode but it does not have open street maps, so the trails aren't shown. Am I missing something ?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## davez26 (Dec 2, 2004)

thecanoe said:


> I found that mode but it does not have open street maps, so the trails aren't shown. Am I missing something ?
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


You may be looking for post #49, with info on upgrading the basic maps?

I found the zooming, basically during ride go to map (it has to be in that ride profile), when on map, hit the upper hr button, toggle one down to zoom level. 
I must have lost this while learning all the other features.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

The winter solstice ride brought much better news on the battery front.

12-hours with Glonass and BT off, 30% backlight about 1/4 of the way, and the 520 still had 40% battery at the end with an outdoor temperature averaging maybe 2C.

More battery % left than my old 500 (with a replacement battery) warm in my back pocket.


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## jacksonlui (Aug 15, 2015)

WHile riding and viewing the map I hit the upper right button and select zoom in/out. This brings you to a map with the ability to + or - using the lower left buttons.


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## Gabe3 (Mar 13, 2009)

thecanoe said:


> I found that mode but it does not have open street maps, so the trails aren't shown. Am I missing something ?
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


did you put the openstreetmap file on your device? btw, openstreetmap shows roads, not trails.

heres how to make a map file and put it on your device: How to download free maps to your Garmin Edge 705/800/810/1000 & Touring


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## thecanoe (Jan 30, 2007)

Im trying to get a map that looks like this. 
Dotted blue lines are trails.









Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## bikeeverywhereny (Oct 14, 2014)

I'm in the market for a GPS system as well and was looking at the Garmin 510, 810 and 1000. I have a discount with Garmin through my job and can get each unit for 45% off. That would bring the 520 to $219.00 for the bundle. Was thinking of using this device for training and races and then using my Etrex 30 on my touring bike. I've also thought about the 810 since it has the option of adding up to 100 maps which would be great if traveling to remote areas. 

The 520 has glonass where as the 510 doesn't. What I do like about the 520 is the size and that it's able to connect to Strava since I'm an active user on there. Would love some help on deciding. I'd be using this device for my roadbike for training rides and races. I travel back and fourth between NY and CA so I can also chop up maps in Open street map. Any help appreciated.


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## ewarnerusa (Jun 8, 2004)

510 does have GLONASS


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## bikeeverywhereny (Oct 14, 2014)

ewarnerusa said:


> 510 does have GLONASS


My mistake, I was referring to the 500. However, I won't be able to get the 500 or 510 anyway as where I'm purchasing only has the 500, 810 and 1000 available. Was really interested in the 520 and do not mind adding maps before my ride to guide me in any event I need spotting. While touch screen would be nice, I don't mind not having it either. In fact my Garmin etrex 30's joystick is just fine, I actually prefer that style.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

thecanoe said:


> Im trying to get a map that looks like this.
> Dotted blue lines are trails.


There isn't a problem getting those trails to show on a Garmin Edge 520. They're on Open Cycle Map and Open Street Map (they share the same underlying data). You just need to load the new basemap.

If you look at Post #49 this shows how to do it.

http://forums.mtbr.com/gps-hrm-bike-computer/garmin-edge-520-a-980371-post12188092.html#post12188092

If you're using that method then you have a choice of which to use for your basemap. Although I used Open Street Map you aren't limited to that. You could have a basemap using Open Cycle Map or Bing maps of you wanted. Click on the small plus at the top right of the map and choose your preferred map from the list.

http://extract.bbbike.org/

If you want to create routes to follow along those trails you can use the Ride With GPS website to do this. Change the map from the default (Google) to OSM using the dropdown at the top right of the map and you will be able to create a route along the trails.

Post #106 shows a planned route along a cyclepath by the Severn Bridge created in Ride With GPS where you can see the cycle paths.

http://forums.mtbr.com/gps-hrm-bike-computer/garmin-edge-520-a-980371-post12247910.html#post12247910


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

davez26 said:


> I found the zooming, basically during ride go to map (it has to be in that ride profile), when on map, hit the upper hr button, toggle one down to zoom level.
> I must have lost this while learning all the other features.


I was doing this today. I'd planned a route that ended up in a farmyard by mistake. I wound up having to go round on the main road, stop, zoom the map out so I could see for a few miles around and then head towards the course line until I could rejoin my proper route again.

The Garmin Edge 520 3.10 firmware doesn't seem substantially different to using the 3.00 firmware. It pops up "calibrate power meter?" messages at the start of rides now. I haven't had any more corrupt files after that one ride a few weeks ago fortunately. The Garmin has been ok again.

One of my friend's is getting a Tacx Vortex smart turbo trainer. His Garmin Edge 520 supports the FE-C trainer protocol, which is supposed to let the Garmin control the turbo trainer resistance. It will be interesting to see how well this works in practice.


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## reamer41 (Mar 26, 2007)

I tried to update to firmware 3.10 and got a device full error message. I removed my 95 MB openstreetmap and then updated. 

Then reinstalled the map. A little tedious but it works. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## reamer41 (Mar 26, 2007)

I've had a Edge 705 since it came out and recently broke it and now have a 520. 

I rarely used the 705 for navigating along a course, but the last time I did the unit shut it self off/crashed if I strayed too far from the course. (I decided to explore a bit.) I'd had similar issues prior times I tried navigating a course.)

Has anyone had this experience with the 520? If the thing will crash while following a course I won't even try and use that feature, but if that feature is stable I'll try and use it. I guess I can experiment and find out for myself. I'll report my findings.


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

No issues with the update but my mapping is only about 60Mb

I was following a course for the entire 12-hour ride Sunday, findings are:

-There were some strange straight purple lines appearing on the map page at various points that looked like a very over-simplified course, but there was also a purple course line that followed windings of the roads I was on very precisely.

-The 520 provided notice of upcoming turns with "left turn" or "right turn" and a distance in meters, on any screen, with a beep. Nice. The only issue was that how much notice I got varied from 100m ahead to 9m ahead (i.e. I almost missed it).

-No stability issues despite straying on and off the course many times and stopping and starting the unit on and off the course, and one power-off (it resumed the course with power on).


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

reamer41 said:


> I rarely used the 705 for navigating along a course, but the last time I did the unit shut it self off/crashed if I strayed too far from the course. (I decided to explore a bit.) I'd had similar issues prior times I tried navigating a course.)


I've been finding that the courses are stable. I haven't had any crashes. What I've been doing is continuing to follow the advice of editing the .tcx course file to have a much longer predicted time than the route will actually take. That ensures that even if you do go way off course the Garmin Edge 520 is still within the overall course boundary. This should allow it to start back up again when you return to the course again.

See the last section of post #57 and #58

Garmin Edge 520 - Page 3- Mtbr.com



ghettocruiser said:


> No issues with the update but my mapping is only about 60Mb
> 
> I was following a course for the entire 12-hour ride Sunday, findings are:
> 
> ...


The straight purple lines are because you have Turn Guidance enabled.

If you go to Menu - Courses - Course Options - Turn off Turn Guidance. This will get rid of the straight purple lines, leaving just the route that you are following. It will also get rid of the grey turn notifications at the top of the screen so you would use cue points instead for telling you where to go.

How did you plan the course? If you created the course in Ride With GPS or Bike Route Toaster you could have set a distance before turn warning for each cue point (I use 80m) before exporting the file as a .tcx. That ensures the turn warnings are where you want them to be.


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

Okay. The route was created by uploading last year's tracklog as GPX. So the purple lines are supposed to indicate... approx. direction of the next turn? It was nice to have the auto-generated cue points, even if some were a bit last-second.


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## Outlier73 (Dec 23, 2015)

I've been following this thread for some time now and picked up the 520 (and updated the base maps) based on everything I've read here. Thanks all for the detailed info and instructions! I did want to also confirm that the open cycle maps I downloaded DO indeed show the trails including trail names where available - at least where I have been riding. I've followed a number of courses as well and have not had the Gamin crash - even when exploring trails far off the course.


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

The other thing I was wondering was what qualifies as a turn (since the 520 is not basing the route off road mapping)?

Obviously, 90-degree turns were identified as such, but other places where the road forked at more subtle angles were not. The route also had a lot of round-abouts, which were kind of hit and miss. With the mapping screen up it was marked clearly, of course.

And note that this is all based on my *road* ride. This is (supposed to be?) a MTB forum, so everyone else's results may differ significantly.


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## Outlier73 (Dec 23, 2015)

Oh... Ghettocruiser, I do believe those purple lines point to the next turn and those are the 520's very basic guidance. Definitely read though the posts that WR304 wrote on this. 

I loaded up a route for one ride with guidance turned off (based on others suggestions here) and the 520 asked if I wanted directions to the course start. I mistakenly click "yes" and it created a purple line to the start of my course. Although I experienced the same bug WR304's described (when guidance is turned off and you choose "yes" for directions to the trail start, the guidance does not update when you reach and pass the course start.) So for the entire ride, I had the same purple line pointing back to the start of the course. 

So if you are going to create custom TCX courses with custom turn points, be sure to turn off regular guidance and to choose "NO" if the system ask if you want to navigate to the course start.

Now I don't (yet) create my own customer TCX course w/ custom turning points so I am toying with the idea of turning back on the 520's course guidance to see if the auto turn points are helpful or not. Right now my 520 will only provide a warning if I approach a segment or if I get off course.


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## rockdude88 (Dec 27, 2015)

Don't know where else to post this so I will start here. Has anyone had any issues with their Garmin as far as losing data. I recorded a ride today saving it after. I then shut the garmin off like normal as it was a bit of a drive home. When trying to upload when getting home it was gone. Not just that ride but everything for the past 2 months under the ride history was gone. Has anyone had any similar issue for the 520? Trying to figure out how to avoid that in the future if there is a way. I am going to try a short test run to see what happens maybe tomorrow if I have time.


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## Gabe3 (Mar 13, 2009)

rockdude88 said:


> Don't know where else to post this so I will start here. Has anyone had any issues with their Garmin as far as losing data. I recorded a ride today saving it after. I then shut the garmin off like normal as it was a bit of a drive home. When trying to upload when getting home it was gone. Not just that ride but everything for the past 2 months under the ride history was gone. Has anyone had any similar issue for the 520? Trying to figure out how to avoid that in the future if there is a way. I am going to try a short test run to see what happens maybe tomorrow if I have time.


have garmin replace the device. that should never happen.

garmin has a forum of their own: https://forums.garmin.com/forum.php

warranty: Garmin | Warranty Information


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

rockdude88 said:


> Don't know where else to post this so I will start here. Has anyone had any issues with their Garmin as far as losing data. I recorded a ride today saving it after. I then shut the garmin off like normal as it was a bit of a drive home. When trying to upload when getting home it was gone. Not just that ride but everything for the past 2 months under the ride history was gone. Has anyone had any similar issue for the 520? Trying to figure out how to avoid that in the future if there is a way. I am going to try a short test run to see what happens maybe tomorrow if I have time.


This is something that happened with other Garmins (such as the Edge 500 and Edge 510) too.

The advice for the other models was to try re-formatting the Garmin (using a Windows computer) and going from there:

http://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=125259

https://support.garmin.com/support/...caseId={e1d0c6c0-52e2-11e4-ef05-000000000000}


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## Rattus (Feb 6, 2006)

WR304 said:


> You can free up an extra 6.75mb of memory on the Garmin Edge 520 by removing any unused language files:
> 
> https://forums.garmin.com/showthread.php?321014-6-75MB-more-of-Free-Space-in-our-Garmin-Edge-520
> 
> .


I browesed to my Garmin 520 using Windows Explorer and I can see the folders and files on my Garmin but I can't see a folder called "text" and I can't see the XML language files?


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

Rattus said:


> I browsed to my Garmin 520 using Windows Explorer and I can see the folders and files on my Garmin but I can't see a folder called "text" and I can't see the XML language files?


Have you got the folders sorted alphabetically?

This picture shows the file structure of my Garmin Edge 520 (firmware 3.10) when connected to a Windows PC:










The highlighted Text folder contains the language files. It isn't a hidden folder so should be visible in between the TempFIT and Totals folders. These language files have a .gtt file extension. Croatian.gtt, Czech.gtt etc.










You can either delete these altogether, or replace them with the smaller 1kb file size versions which the original poster attached to the Garmin Forums thread. In the picture above this shows the reduced size versions of the files. You have to be logged in to the Garmin forums to download the attachments.

Here are the two zip files as public links:

Text.zip (9kb) - Edited files to replace original Garmin Edge 520 language files
https://www.tinyland.org/BikeStuff/Text.zip

Text_All.zip (945kb) - Original Garmin Edge 520 language files if you want to restore them
https://www.tinyland.org/BikeStuff/Text_All.zip


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## Rattus (Feb 6, 2006)

Thanks WR304 I was on the older firmware and when I updated to 3.10 I could then see the Text folder, strange that it wasn't available on the old firmware but it's fixed now I used your link to zip and put the edited files in just to be pedantic 

About to go for my first ride with my new 520, thanks to everyone who has contributed to this thread I will no doubt come back to it many times while fully exploring the features of my new toy.

Is anyone here using the Varia bike radar with their 520 ? In winter I avoid the wet trails and ride on the quiet country roads sometimes with an MP3 player, yep I know it's dangerous. I have tried a mirror but not totally happy with that so am considering the radar.

I actually won my 520 bundle pack in an online bike shop comp with a little poem I wrote for my entry, gotta be happy with that 
My wife was already going to buy one for me for Xmas but didn't have to


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## twentyniner29 (Dec 2, 2014)

I have a Strava url that I want to make a course on my 520. I have researched and tried 10 different things and can't get it to work. Thanks in advance. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

twentyniner29 said:


> I have a Strava url that I want to make a course on my 520. I have researched and tried 10 different things and can't get it to work. Thanks in advance.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


There are a few ways to get a course from Strava to your Garmin Edge 520.

1. If you have used the route planner in Strava to create a course (Strava Website - Dashboard - My Routes) then select the route, click on export and save the route (as either a .tcx or .gpx file) to your computer.

Connect the Garmin Edge 520 to the computer by USB and copy - paste the route into the \Garmin\NewFiles folder. Disconnect the Garmin, let it turn on and process the file (which can take a while) and you should then be able to load it as a course from Menu - Training - Courses

2. If you want to ride a route that someone else has done, and you are following them on Strava (or they don't have their account set to "Request to follow" then on their ride you will see a small "Download GPX" button on the map. Click on this and it will save the course as a .gpx file to your computer.

Connect the Garmin Edge 520 to the computer by USB and copy - paste the route into the \Garmin\NewFiles folder. Disconnect the Garmin, let it turn on and process the file (which can take a while) and you should then be able to load it as a course from Menu - Training - Courses

3. If you want to ride a route that someone else has done, you aren't following them on Strava and they have their account set to "Request to follow" the process takes a few more steps. The "Download GPX" button won't be there.

Although you can't download the .gpx file you can still use Strava Snap to download the ride as a .tcx file. (select walking and a tiny part of the route to get the download option to appear).

SNAP - Strava Needs A Polish

Once you have the .tcx file you can't simply copy-paste it to the Garmin. It won't work. The .tcx file needs loading into another website first, in order to turn it into a course (I'd use Map Bike Rides with Elevation Profiles, Analyze Cycling Performance, Train Better. Ride With GPS ). When you upload the Strava .tcx file that you just got from Strava Snap to Ride With GPS website it will save it under the Ride Log. Click on the ride and it will give you the option to "Copy to my Routes". Do this and under Routes you will now see the route.

Click on Export, save this new .tcx file to your computer.

Connect the Garmin Edge 520 to the computer by USB and copy - paste the route into the \Garmin\NewFiles folder. Disconnect the Garmin, let it turn on and process the file (which can take a while) and you should then be able to load it as a course from Menu - Training - Courses

Bear in mind that none of these methods will include any cue points. When you ride the route from Strava you will be following the line displayed on the map screen only, without any turn notifications. There doesn't seem to be an easy way around this that I'm aware of unfortunately.


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## twentyniner29 (Dec 2, 2014)

WR304 said:


> There are a few ways to get a course from Strava to your Garmin Edge 520.
> 
> 1. If you have used the route planner in Strava to create a course (Strava Website - Dashboard - My Routes) then select the route, click on export and save the route (as either a .tcx or .gpx file) to your computer.
> 
> ...


Thanks! I'll try it tonight. It's a course that was sent to me, has no download gpx tab.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

twentyniner29 said:


> Thanks! I'll try it tonight. It's a course that was sent to me, has no download gpx tab.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


If it's a Strava course link, that is set to public by the person who is sharing it, then there should be an Export button just above the map. Open the webpage of the route. Click on the Export button and it will give the option to download the route to your computer as either a .tcx or .gpx file.


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## Scott McIntyre (Oct 29, 2015)

twentyniner29, are you a Strava Premium member? The Export GPX feature is only available to those with Premium memberships. Well, you can export your own routes with the free membership, but not of others.

Alternatively, if the ride in question was uploaded to Garmin Connect, you can grab the data from there without needing a paid membership.


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## twentyniner29 (Dec 2, 2014)

Scott McIntyre said:


> twentyniner29, are you a Strava Premium member? The Export GPX feature is only available to those with Premium memberships. Well, you can export your own routes with the free membership, but not of others.
> 
> Alternatively, if the ride in question was uploaded to Garmin Connect, you can grab the data from there without needing a paid membership.


Yes I am. I was sent a segment that I am racing and there is no download gpx tab. Not sure how the segment was sent. Luckily someone else rode the course today. Installing now. Thanks!!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## twentyniner29 (Dec 2, 2014)

Got the tcx file on the Garmin. Using it to race tonight. I've never used this feature before, is it reliable in the woods? Thanks!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## XJaredX (Apr 17, 2006)

Hi all, just got a 520 yesterday, is my first dedicated GPS, and also my first HRM, and I have a question, if you don't mind:

I am using the GPS on two bikes (A Kona road bike and a Spec. fatbike) and also for HRM in a winter spin class. So I set up three profiles (Spin Class, Kona, Fatboy).

On the Kona, I will be using the cadence sensor and the HRM

On the Specialized, I will be using the speed sensor (I dunno if it's necessary but I ride very technical singletrack so I figure it will help with slow speed accuracy under tree cover?) and the HRM

(Spin bike I shut GPS off, only looking at HR)

Now, am I correct in that I can't specify which sensors to be active in the profiles? Like, if I want to use the Kona, I should go in and turn off the speed sensor and turn on the cadence sensor?

Or, should I just leave them all activated all the time in the 520's settings, and then if it doesn't find a sensor after a while when the bike starts moving, will it stop looking for it?

Thanks!


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## mik_git (Feb 4, 2004)

you just leave them all activated, it doesn't matter which profile you are using, it will pick up a sensor and just use that. SO you just add all the sensors you want to use (and keep adding as you get them), they all go into a pool of sensors, then when you select a proflie and start riding, it will look for any sensors, pick up any in range that are doing soemthing and use them.

Which is all good, except soemtimes, eg: my GF has appropriated my cervelo road bike as her own apparently, so the first few rides we went for, imy cadance was all wonky, till i figured out that I was picking up the sensor on "her" bike not mine.


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

When my 520 detected more than one cadence/wheel sensor, when I was shuffling bikes around the garage, it gave a little pop-up message to ask me which one I was riding.

Thus, it helps to name the sensors something descriptive of the bike they are mounted to.


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## XJaredX (Apr 17, 2006)

Awesome, thank you both!


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

So on Wednesday my 520 would not turn on and would not acknowledge being plugged into either a USB port or a power supply. Nothing. 

Bricked. Or so I thought.

Following "debricking" instructions from the garmin forums, I plugged it into the computer, then held down reset for 10 seconds, and then powered it on while holding reset for another 2 seconds or so. It sprang back to life in "mass storage mode". After 20 minutes of charging it, I unplugged it from the PC and it reverted to usual functionally with all my settings intact. 

No issues since then. Go figure.



Apologies if these instructions were already posted on a previous page, but I thought I would add them here in case someone is about to send a bricked 520 to a Garmin warranty centre instead of trying this 15-second fix.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

XJaredX said:


> Hi all, just got a 520 yesterday, is my first dedicated GPS, and also my first HRM, and I have a question, if you don't mind:
> 
> I am using the GPS on two bikes (A Kona road bike and a Spec. fatbike) and also for HRM in a winter spin class. So I set up three profiles (Spin Class, Kona, Fatboy).
> 
> ...


The way I do it is to have each paired sensor named individually in the sensors list. I then disable all sensors in the list, apart from the ones that are on the bike I will be using that day.

My thinking behind this is that Garmins don't like complication and trying to do multiple tasks at once. That's when things start going wrong. Keeping it simple is the safest way.

By having just the sensors I want enabled it means the Garmin won't continue searching in the background for other sensors throughout the ride. It might free up a bit of memory and processor power for other uses, along with maybe extending battery life a little.

Those are my reasons anyway.


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## kdiff (Apr 25, 2010)

ghettocruiser said:


> So on Wednesday my 520 would not turn on and would not acknowledge being plugged into either a USB port or a power supply. Nothing.
> 
> Bricked. Or so I thought.
> 
> ...


Thanks! Mine worked for about 2 minutes today then appeared to brick.

Just to clarify your instructions its hold down the power button for 10 seconds. I didn't need the computer. Pretty annoying to have it happen during my ride.


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

Holding down the power didn't work on my issue. That did work earlier when mine shut down due to riding a segment backwards on a ride.

For this problem it needed holding reset and to be plugged in.


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## kdiff (Apr 25, 2010)

I'm thinking the battery was dead on yours. Mine was fully charged when it crashed and when I got home a few (5+) hours later and reset it, it was just under 80%.


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

Battery was at about 80%


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

WR304 said:


> The Garmin Edge 520 saves battery status in the recorded .fit file for each ride that you do. If you open the .fit file in Fit File Repair Tool you can see the battery status every five minutes throughout the ride.
> 
> This picture shows the battery charge from a ride that I did a few days ago.
> 
> ...


It's winter here now, there's no snow but it's cold and icy. When we set off on the club ride this morning the Garmin Edge 520 had an indicated temperature of -3c / 26.6f on screen. It warmed up over the 3 hour 32 minute ride and was showing 2c / 35.6f by the end.

Here's what the battery status showed for today:










- ANT+ speed, heart rate and power sensors connected
- No Course running
- GPS + GLONASS on
- The screen backlight was turned off
- Bluetooth was turned off.

There are two things that are different. One is that I didn't have a Course running and the other is that the firmware of the Garmin Edge 520 is now version 3.10. I was quite surprised that despite the cold the indicated battery life is showing as better than it was before. When I get the chance to do a solo ride I'll have to try it with the same settings, plus a Course running.


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

ghettocruiser said:


> And thus ends my dream of having an speedometer dial on my bike for the first time since 1985.


No. The dream lives.



To be clear, I can't get this app to work yet, and in the pics it looks pretty... "Beta".

But now that I know it can be done...


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

So the latest word on Google play is that the garmin connect app on Android marshmallow needs to have location services running to sync with a garmin device. 

Let me put that differently: in order for your garmin device to send gps data to your phone, your phone needs to be separately collecting it's own gps data at the same time. 

Obviously this idiocy totally defeats the purpose of the live track function and will drain the phone battery in record time. For the time being garmin seems to be blaming Google. Which suggests they do not have a solution ready for roll-out, to say the least.

Kinda makes me glad I can't afford a new phone. 

Sent from my BB10 with Taptalk.


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## Scott McIntyre (Oct 29, 2015)

I was out for 2 hours last night in -8℃ temps. Started at 100% battery and was at 82% when I got home. This was with...

Backlight on at 60%
Bluetooth connected to phone
HRM and speed/cadence sensor

I really like the smart phone connectivity. I've had text message pop up on my Garmin, and it even warned me when my phone's battery was getting low. Didn't know it could do that.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

On the Garmin Edge 520 the satellite reception strength screen is hidden. In order to view it you have to open an undocumented hidden diagnostic menu.










From the Ride screen press the Power button once to bring up the brightness screen. On the brightness screen hold down the Lap button for 5 seconds. This will open the hidden diagnostic menu. Select View Satellites and you now have a screen showing your GPS location coordinates, which satellites are connected and their reception strength. The number at the bottom of the screen (10ft here) is GPS accuracy.

I'm not sure what the second number on this screen (192ft here) actually represents.

From the diagnostic menu you can also look at the detailed memory status of the device and do various other things too if you wanted.


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

WR304 said:


> I'm not sure what the second number on this screen (192ft here) actually represents.


On the old Etrex Legend it was GPS elevation. Is that a fair guess with the 520?

I actually got into this screen accidentally on a ride and had no idea how to get out of it.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

ghettocruiser said:


> On the old Etrex Legend it was GPS elevation. Is that a fair guess with the 520?


That's my bet, also.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

ghettocruiser said:


> On the old Etrex Legend it was GPS elevation. Is that a fair guess with the 520?
> 
> I actually got into this screen accidentally on a ride and had no idea how to get out of it.


That makes sense that it should be GPS altitude.

Where I was stood outdoors at the time is actually around 35 feet elevation above sea level. I had left the Garmin stood outside for a few minutes but the onscreen number stayed at 190-ish feet throughout. Possibly it might have sorted itself out if left for longer?

Whilst I was stood outside I tried starting the Garmin recording an activity (which brings up the elevation calibrated to location message, 35 feet) but the onscreen number didn't change from 190-ish feet then either.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

WR304 said:


> That makes sense that it should be GPS altitude.
> 
> Where I was stood outdoors at the time is actually around 35 feet elevation above sea level. I had left the Garmin stood outside for a few minutes but the onscreen number stayed at 190-ish feet throughout. Possibly it might have sorted itself out if left for longer?
> 
> Whilst I was stood outside I tried starting the Garmin recording an activity (which brings up the elevation calibrated to location message, 35 feet) but the onscreen number didn't change from 190-ish feet then either.


GPS elevation just isn't that accurate. I'm not surprised by that. I also do not like the "calibration" that Garmin uses on the Edge models.


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

Tried it at home tonight after the ride (i.e. after the 520 had been on for 90 minutes) and it was pretty close to my known elevation.


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## ripn (Mar 31, 2004)

Having an issue with my 520 I'm hoping someone can help me with. I use the unit with two bikes (road and mountain) and have different profiles set up for both bikes. My road bike has the speed and cadence sensor installed and I ride the mountain bike with just the head unit. On the road bike it has been flawless. Yesterday however, on a mountain bike ride the unit auto paused itself 3 times. By this I don't mean it just stopped tracking speed/distance it went to the "end of ride" screen as if I had hit the play/pause button. As soon as I noticed the issue I hit the play button and the tracking resumed as normal. Could this be a symptom of a dropped GPS connection? The trail is pretty rocky and rough in a many spots and was wondering if perhaps the jostling was some how activating the pause button? Ideas?


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

I've had this issue, but I have the 520 stem mounted on my hardtail and Two spacers over the stem, so it was pretty obvious what happened. Did you disable auto-pause? It's not a function that meshes well with slow speed woods rides.

Sent from my BB10 with Taptalk.


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## ripn (Mar 31, 2004)

I do have auto pause enabled, but slow speed and tree cover weren't issues when it stopped. On the few very steep slow climbs on this ride it worked fine. Seemed kind of random.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

ripn said:


> Having an issue with my 520 I'm hoping someone can help me with. I use the unit with two bikes (road and mountain) and have different profiles set up for both bikes. My road bike has the speed and cadence sensor installed and I ride the mountain bike with just the head unit. On the road bike it has been flawless. Yesterday however, on a mountain bike ride the unit auto paused itself 3 times. By this I don't mean it just stopped tracking speed/distance it went to the "end of ride" screen as if I had hit the play/pause button. As soon as I noticed the issue I hit the play button and the tracking resumed as normal. Could this be a symptom of a dropped GPS connection? The trail is pretty rocky and rough in a many spots and was wondering if perhaps the jostling was some how activating the pause button? Ideas?


If you look at the ride file closely, in a program such as Golden Cheetah, you will be able to see where the unit paused itself (there will be a short gap in the recording when it stopped until you restarted it). From that you can see exactly where it was on the trail. Was it on the slowest sections or the roughest sections where it was stopping?

Is it possible that your Garmin Edge 520 buttons could physically touch anything else whilst riding? If it is on a plastic aftermarket out in front mount for example, where the Garmin is sat low and very close to the stem faceplate, then on very rough ground the out in front mount could be flexing and the button hitting the stem.

I was watching this GCN video recently. If you go to 1:06 in the video watch how much the loose Garmin mount on Matt Stevens bike is bouncing. This is riding along on the road, which isn't even that rough.






.


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## jacksonlui (Aug 15, 2015)

Today during my ride the unit turned off by itself.
This is the second time that it had happened in the past 2 months.
It's really annoying. 
For the price that I've paid, this POS feels like technology of 10 years past.
(When the unit turned off it wasn't going through any rough terrain nor did anything hit the buttons accidentally.)


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## ripn (Mar 31, 2004)

@WR304: It's pretty evident on the Strava track where it stopped, but I don't believe these were rough or slow sections. I've got the unit mounted on the left side of my handle bar, and there seems to be plenty of clearance. I guess I'm wondering if it just dropped the GPS signal. If that happens, what does the unit do? Does it "end" the ride like what happened here or does it just pause?


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

ripn said:


> @WR304: It's pretty evident on the Strava track where it stopped, but I don't believe these were rough or slow sections. I've got the unit mounted on the left side of my handle bar, and there seems to be plenty of clearance. I guess I'm wondering if it just dropped the GPS signal. If that happens, what does the unit do? Does it "end" the ride like what happened here or does it just pause?


If it can't get a satellite lock you'd usually expect it to come up with a "trouble finding satellites. Continue searching? Y/N" dialogue message on screen.

When my Garmin Edge 520 dropped the GPS signal one time last year whilst riding the device kept running. It didn't pause or end the ride. The ride file was corrupted though. I had to repair the file to see the data in it. When it found the GPS satellites again the timestamps had jumped forwards several years!

Garmin Edge 520 - Page 8- Mtbr.com

Garmin Edge devices historically tend to have issues when any auto features are turned on. It's safest to not use them if you can avoid it. If you go to Menu - Activity Profiles - *your profile* - Auto Features I'd make sure that Auto Pause and Auto Sleep are set to OFF.

The Garmin Edge 520 isn't always happy when Strava live segments are enabled either. This seems to be one of the possible triggers for the device shutting down. If you have lots of segments enabled, or you have overlapping segments that it can't decide which to follow, that can cause the Garmin Edge 520 to turn off. That is a complete power off though, not just going to the Ride paused screen.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

I don't normally wear a heart rate strap whilst riding. As I was going to do a 60 minute FTP test today I thought I might as well for once.

The 3 hour ride consisted of 1 hour Zone 4 Threshold, followed by 1 hour Zone 2 Endurance pace, followed by 1 hour Zone 3 Tempo pace (Coggan power zones). It was quite a hard ride overall.










When I got home the Garmin Edge 520 came up with a recovery time onscreen of 3 days.:lol:










This graph shows the first hour riding at time trial pace. I started off ok on the climb, holding a steady 230 watts but then on the gradually downhill sections afterwards I had a tailwind. I wasn't pushing a big enough gear round to keep the power output high enough. It was only a 205 watt average for the section after the climb.

The second half of the route changed direction, so that I was riding straight into a strong headwind. This was actually better as the headwind gave a more constant resistance to work against. The second 30 minutes was more consistent with a steady 215 watt average power.

You can see on the graph how there are frequent drops in the power. This is where I was stopping pedalling every 3 minutes or so due to being uncomfortable on the bike. If I was comfortable there would have been far fewer interruptions.

Compared to the same test this time last year I wasn't going as well. Today (30 January 2016) I averaged 215 watts for an hour. 24 January 2015 I averaged 226 watts for an hour over the same route.


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## ripn (Mar 31, 2004)

@WR304: Thanks for all the input. Starva segments aren't enabled. I'll try shutting off the auto functions on my next ride and see if that makes a difference. To be clear though, it's not pausing. It's actually ending the ride as if I hit the play/pause button, with the save/discard/etc menu appearing.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

With a Garmin Edge any combination of errors is possible! 

If you still have the original .fit file of the ride there might be something in that that would provide a clue. It saves events inside it. You could pm me a link to download the .fit file (from dropbox, Google drive etc) if you want me to have a look.

The Garmin saves log files also. If they haven't been overwritten you could look to see if there is anything in those also.

If you're certain that the button couldn't be physically pressed it may be that there's a hardware bad connection in the Start/Stop button itself (which is quite sensitive), that is seeing the button register a ghost press, possibly if vibrations are coming up through the bars offroad. 

That could explain why it is stopping recording offroad, but then the same unit is fine on your road rides.


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## andersonsmog (Oct 21, 2015)

Will this sync to the mapmyride app?


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

andersonsmog said:


> Will this sync to the mapmyride app?


You can import your saved Garmin Edge 520 rides to the Mapmyride website via a computer if you want to use it as a training log.

You can also export planned routes from the Mapmyride website (GPX format) via a computer and load them onto a Garmin Edge 520 to follow as a course.

I don't think a Garmin Edge 520 will sync or connect to the Mapmyride smartphone apps however.

The only smartphone app that I know of which syncs directly with a Garmin Edge 520 via bluetooth is the Garmin Connect app. (I may be wrong on this but I couldn't think of any others).


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

This is what the event log saved in a Garmin Edge 520 .fit looks like.










In this ride a course was running. Each course point is listed. There is also an event added to the file each time the timer is started and stopped.


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## CerveloS3 (Feb 2, 2016)

*520 long pause*

I go on 8 hour training rides, and we stop for lunch for about 1 hour sometimes. How can you pause the Garmin for 1 hour without it shuting down so you can start to where you stopped for lunch? Or what can you do to start after lunch. The unit shuts down after a while.



WR304 said:


> Following on from the Garmin Edge 20 and 25 announcement Garmin have launched a Garmin Edge 520 as well. This is a replacement for the Garmin Edge 500 and Garmin Edge 510.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## Outlier73 (Dec 23, 2015)

I read through this whole thread some time ago but I don't recall seeing anything on this question. But if it was covered let me know and I'll go through the whole thread again....

Is there a way for the Edge 520 to display the trail (or road) you are on - at the top of the screen (top banner- or anywhere else)? Not sure if this can only be made to work if you load a .TCX and upload the nav points manually??? Ideally this is just an easy setting (customized page data) and the GPS can display your location (trail or road name) at any time regardless if you are navigating a course or not. 

Any advice?


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

I don't think so. It has no way to "interpret" the data on the basemap enough to know what road you are on. It just displays the map and overlays your location on it.

As for having street names in cue points in a custom pre-fabricated route... that might be possible, but there is no data field for displaying them.


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## Outlier73 (Dec 23, 2015)

okay thanks


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Outlier73 said:


> okay thanks


If you want map information, you want a real mapping GPS. Edge Touring series, Edge 810, Edge 1000, and so on. The Edge 520 isn't a "real" mapping GPS because all it does is show the map. You can't query map data, or build routes in the GPS based on that data, or anything like that. IMO, allowing the Edge 520 to show basemaps at all adds confusion to the matter, especially for new users.


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

I'm pretty happy with the minimalist mapping actually, whenever I stray off route on my commute into a maze of residential sidestreets, I have one button press to a map w/bike trails and pedestrian cut-throughs. My urban riding now involves a lot less cursing.

It's certainly a better function than the "strava live segment" debacle. Which has involved a bit more cursing...


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

Outlier73 said:


> I read through this whole thread some time ago but I don't recall seeing anything on this question. But if it was covered let me know and I'll go through the whole thread again....
> 
> Is there a way for the Edge 520 to display the trail (or road) you are on - at the top of the screen (top banner- or anywhere else)? Not sure if this can only be made to work if you load a .TCX and upload the nav points manually??? Ideally this is just an easy setting (customized page data) and the GPS can display your location (trail or road name) at any time regardless if you are navigating a course or not.
> 
> Any advice?


Post #63 was my go at explaining the differences in navigation between Garmin Edge devices.

Garmin Edge 520 - Page 3- Mtbr.com

The Garmin Edge 520 doesn't have routable maps so is fairly limited in this regard. There is no option to ask the Garmin Edge 520 "where am I?" and have it reply with an exact street or place name. (just GPS coordinates).

You can add your own custom course points to a course, with place names and alerts, that will pop up when you reach that point.

If you add a Open Street Map base map to the Garmin Edge 520 this will often have some road names (but not trail names) saved in the map which can be seen on screen as you ride also.

The screenshots in Post #91 give an idea of what this looks like when riding.

The Turn Left and Turn Right course point text in the first picture can be anything you type in (limited to 10 characters) and will appear where the course point is placed.

The second picture shows the road names that are saved in the map. These appear even when a course isn't running.

Garmin Edge 520 - Page 4- Mtbr.com

.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

ghettocruiser said:


> I'm pretty happy with the minimalist mapping actually, whenever I stray off route on my commute into a maze of residential sidestreets, I have one button press to a map w/bike trails and pedestrian cut-throughs. My urban riding now involves a lot less cursing.
> 
> It's certainly a better function than the "strava live segment" debacle. Which has involved a bit more cursing...


That's true. It's pretty much all I use a map for, also. But a LOT of people these days are coming to a device like this with the expectation that it will allow them to navigate trails the way Google Maps navigates roads on their phone.

And very true with the Strava live segments. That was a pretty terrible idea, IMO.

But I don't think that changes the confusion it creates. There's already a ton of confusion out there that device manufacturers are not doing a very good job of addressing. This thread alone is infinitely more informative than all of the resources Garmin offers with the device, as a nice example.


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

I've pumped enough money into Garmin and Strava over the years to feel quite comfortable saying: I think the "Live Segment" function was a shameless marketing ploy to cash in for both of them, and has far worse on-ride functionality than what both of them previously offered (the live segments on the Strava app and Garmin virtual partner on a course).

With the updated 3.1 firmware, I rode a segment Saturday that should have had no *GPS excuses* at all... a straight paved road up a 3% climb on a south-facing slope with almost no trees at all.

Virtual partner started and finished in the right spots, but that was as good as it got. Still had the random jumping from up to 8 seconds ahead of the KOM time (on a cold winter's day!) to up to 40 seconds behind, and everywhere in between. I had no idea at all what my pace was from the display. At the end it concluded I was 30 seconds behind, which was wrong-but-sorta close to the 25 that came out at upload.

In the trees, or on a trail... not a chance.


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## Outlier73 (Dec 23, 2015)

Thanks all for the replies. 

I did carefully read this thread before purchasing my Edge 520. The basic mapping is really all I needed (and more) so I went ahead and purchased the unit. (I basically needed something that would record my route and display my breadcrumb trail so I could find my way out of the woods and back to my car. The addition of the openstreet maps is a big bonus.)

So thanks to all of your who provided so much detailed info in advance. WR - my openstreet maps DO provide trail names in one area where I bike. The names are listed right on some of the trails so clearly are part of the openstreet base maps I installed. so I guess this depends on your base map data. 

I have to say I'm happy with the GPS (although I recently activated Stava so I guess I have some disappointment ahead) and was hoping there might be even more functionality there. Thanks again everyone for the quick answers.


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## jacksonlui (Aug 15, 2015)

So I've had my 520 for some time and being on some technical terrain as a noob I crash which has placed some not so nice scratches on the plastic screen.
Anyone have any good ideas on replacing or fixing the plastic screen?
For those who haven't, I'd recommend putting some sort of protective film similar to the ones for the smartphones.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

jacksonlui said:


> So I've had my 520 for some time and being on some technical terrain as a noob I crash which has placed some not so nice scratches on the plastic screen.
> Anyone have any good ideas on replacing or fixing the plastic screen?
> For those who haven't, I'd recommend putting some sort of protective film similar to the ones for the smartphones.


If the plastic screen isn't actually smashed you may be able to polish the scratches out of the plastic. The Garmin Edge 520 doesn't have a touchscreen display so the process for polishing out scratches in this link could work:

Repairing Scratches on a Plastic GPS Screen | Science - Opposing Views

Looking on ebay you can get screen protectors sized specifically for a Garmin Edge 520 now.

With the older Garmin Edge devices you can get spares such as replacement batteries, external cases etc from ebay too. I'd have thought that in time the Garmin Edge 520 would have spare parts become available as well.


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## jacksonlui (Aug 15, 2015)

Thanks. The scratches are pretty deep, I don't think polishing it is an option.
I was hoping they sold replacement screens. Maybe I'll just live with it. I don't really look at it that much anyways. It's there to record my ride and if I get lost I usually go for my phone.
thanks for the link


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

Have you tried contacting Garmin? They do repairs out of warranty. It might not be worth it cost wise but you could enquire to see how much a new plastic screen would cost.


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## jacksonlui (Aug 15, 2015)

Yes I've contacted Garmin via email and their automated response says it'll take up to 3 business days for a response so that puts me into next week.
I'll let you guys know what they say. Most likely I won't be able to justify the cost of replacing the shell and it'll be lessons learned. Hindsight I dont think it's worth it for what I need. I could easily live with just using strava on my phone and just carry a spare battery.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

I buffed out some pretty serious scratches on a plastic watch face years ago with my wife's nail buffing kit. 3 or 4 progressively finer buffing pads, with I think a polishing compound


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## blacksheep5150 (Oct 22, 2014)

jacksonlui said:


> Thanks. The scratches are pretty deep, I don't think polishing it is an option.
> I was hoping they sold replacement screens. Maybe I'll just live with it. I don't really look at it that much anyways. It's there to record my ride and if I get lost I usually go for my phone.
> thanks for the link


When I crashed I contacted garmin and the lady said they had a discount replacement and would work with cyclist , mine has slight chip in the case not the screen . The teather saved it . I bought mine through Amazon and remembered something about 4 year no questions asked replacement fo $40 dollars . Needless to say I added it imeadiately ..


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## AMac4108 (Oct 8, 2008)

Sorry if this has been asked or if it isn't specific to the Edge 520. I've completed 2 indoor rides on my new trainer this week and when the I save the ride and it uploads it shows a route around my house. All within a 50 ft radius of where I'm sitting and spinning. Why is this occuring? I use the Indoor Profile on the Edge that has GPS turned off. It's annoying having to go into Endomondo, Garmin Connect, and Strava and make the map of my ride private each time.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

AMac4108 said:


> Sorry if this has been asked or if it isn't specific to the Edge 520. I've completed 2 indoor rides on my new trainer this week and when the I save the ride and it uploads it shows a route around my house. All within a 50 ft radius of where I'm sitting and spinning. Why is this occuring? I use the Indoor Profile on the Edge that has GPS turned off. It's annoying having to go into Endomondo, Garmin Connect, and Strava and make the map of my ride private each time.


There are a few ways to address this.

Post #160 is about sorting this turbo trainer GPS track out in Strava, and also stripping the unwanted GPS data points completely from a turbo trainer ride where the GPS was left turned on:

http://forums.mtbr.com/gps-hrm-bike-computer/garmin-edge-520-a-980371-post12298365.html#post12298365

When you turn the Garmin Edge 520 off, and then turn it on again, the GPS will always be enabled, regardless of what profile was last used.

If you're doing a turbo trainer ride, after turning the Garmin Edge 520 on (before starting your session) you need to apply the Indoor profile again (turn the Garmin Edge 520 on, press Enter on the Ride screen, and then press Enter on the Indoor profile). This should turn the GPS off (until the next time you turn the Garmin Edge 520 off then on again where it will enable itself again).

Turning the GPS on every time is a deliberate design decision by Garmin. It adds some slight inconvenience for indoor rides but means that if you did a turbo trainer session with the GPS off one day, and then the next day a long ride outdoors, forgetting to change profile, you wouldn't get home and discover that the outdoor ride hadn't recorded a track, due to your having turned the GPS off the day before.


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

So on Saturday, I uploaded a new Strava segment before the ride started, and it seemed to be timed relative to the KOM pretty smooth. No jumping around or off-segment or anything. It reported that my time was 2:18 when Strava came up with 2:15.

Then later in the ride, I hit the same climb that I mentioned in my last post, with a segment that I sync'd back in October, and it again randomly jumped around +/- 30 seconds. So I'm now un-starring, and re-starring the segments to see if they have made an improvement that I need to refresh my segment files to notice. Stay tuned.


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## AMac4108 (Oct 8, 2008)

WR304 said:


> There are a few ways to address this.
> 
> Post #160 is about sorting this turbo trainer GPS track out in Strava, and also stripping the unwanted GPS data points completely from a turbo trainer ride where the GPS was left turned on:
> 
> ...


Thanks WR304. Took care of my problem tonight.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

If you have Garmin Vector pedals they record some extra pedalling information. This shows the Cycling Dynamics screen on the Garmin Edge 520. As you ride this should show your pedalling on the screen for each leg in real time.










This is the list of Cycling Dynamics metrics that can be displayed on the ride screens.










You also get additional information saved within the file that can be looked at post ride if it is enabled.


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## wrinklefree (Jun 17, 2005)

FYI Firmware 4.10 just dropped for the Garmin 520. Changelog below: 
Added support for Varia Vision. Pair with this sensor by turning it on and going to Settings > Sensors > Add Sensor > Varia Vision. Choose it from your list of sensors to configure its display settings and data screens.
Improved stability of ANT+ sensor and Bluetooth connections to address dropout issues.
Added the ability to automatically download software updates over Bluetooth. You will be able to download the next software update after this one by pairing to a smartphone and connecting to the Garmin Connect Mobile app. Updates can be installed when you are prompted after they download. If you choose to wait, updates ready to install can be found in Menu > Settings > About > System > Software Update.
Fixed an issue causing some manual activity uploads over Bluetooth to fail.
Fixed an issue causing GPS to be enabled on the 'Indoor' profile after a power cycle.
Fixed an issue causing course point information to appear with the 'Course Points' toggle turned off.
Fixed an issue preventing the device from transitioning back to the correct data page after showing segment prompts with the map disabled.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

I updated my Garmin Edge 520 to Version 4.10. It did the same as when I updated to Version 3.10, adding back in the three workout profiles that I had deleted and resetting some of the zone settings and units.

If you're updating an already configured unit, with paired ANT+ sensors and bluetooth, when the Garmin first starts up after its update select "No" to the Do you want to add sensors? and Do you want to pair bluetooth? questions. The previously paired sensors will still be there.

The Garmin Varia Vision is something that might be good. It still looks a bit too bulky though, similar to a Recon Jet.

In principle I like the idea of a heads up display but it's all about the details with these things. There's a dcrainmaker preview of the Garmin Varia Vision here:

First Ride: Garmin Varia Vision?Heads Up Display | DC Rainmaker


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## thecanoe (Jan 30, 2007)

Anybody else ever experience this? My ride uploaded to the GC app correctly, but, it never got to Strava. All rides before today worked. Just updated the GC app , resync'd, still no success. 








Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## jacksonlui (Aug 15, 2015)

It happened to me once in the last few months and it's annoying. I've tried manually uploading it to strava but it says the fit file was corrupted so I used a strava tool to correct it. Didn't work so I manually created a ride. I'm not sure if there is a work around for this. I'm not familiar with the fit data formats to be able to go in and find the problem.


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## thecanoe (Jan 30, 2007)

I googled the problem and it seems that the ride can take up to 12 hours to sync. Strava knows of the problem. Surprisingly it appeared on Strava tonight. It's a cyber miracle. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

jacksonlui said:


> It happened to me once in the last few months and it's annoying. I've tried manually uploading it to strava but it says the fit file was corrupted so I used a strava tool to correct it. Didn't work so I manually created a ride. I'm not sure if there is a work around for this. I'm not familiar with the fit data formats to be able to go in and find the problem.


If you have a corrupt Garmin Edge 520 .fit the Fit File Repair Tool (paid program) might be able to fix it.

http://fitfilerepairtool.info/

I had a corrupt Garmin Edge 520 .fit file a few months ago that had to be sorted out and it worked for that:

http://forums.mtbr.com/gps-hrm-bike-computer/garmin-edge-520-a-980371-post12332904.html#post12332904

.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

One cool thing that you can do with the Garmin Edge 520 is to add your own startup message on the start screen. This works with quite a few of the Garmin Edge devices. This is the dcrainmaker article about it.

Tip of the day: How to display your name and phone number on your Garmin Edge | DC Rainmaker

Plug the Garmin Edge 520 into a computer by USB, browse to it and you will find a file called Startup.txt file list.










Open this text file in Notepad and you will see there are some options.










Type in how long you want the message to show for and then type in your message. Here I set the message to show for 10 seconds and it reads "Lets Go Ride!".










Here's the message displayed on my Garmin Edge 520 screen.

According to the dcrainmaker article this works on the Garmin Edge 510, Edge 520, Edge 800, Edge 810, Edge 1000, Edge Touring and Edge Touring Plus too.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

WR304 said:


> One cool thing that you can do with the Garmin Edge 520 is to add your own startup message on the start screen. This works with quite a few of the Garmin Edge devices. This is the dcrainmaker article about it.
> 
> Tip of the day: How to display your name and phone number on your Garmin Edge | DC Rainmaker
> 
> ...


I also did it on my Oregon 450.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

It's an option that I remember reading about, probably when dcrainmaker first published that article in 2013. As I had a Garmin Edge 500 at the time I didn't pay any more attention to it.

The article came up in the results of a (completely unrelated) Google search and I noticed that it listed the Garmin Edge 520 there too.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

The Garmin Edge 520 bundle comes with a Garmin accelerometer based cadence sensor. It's Ant+ only and only works when connected to a crank.

The Wahoo RPM cadence sensor is a nice alternative, especially if you want to have cadence on multiple bikes. It transmits dual Ant+/ Bluetooth and pairs straight away with a Garmin Edge 520 via Ant+.

https://uk.wahoofitness.com/devices/wahoo-rpm-cadence-sensor.html

As it has Bluetooth also you can connect it to smartphone apps such as the Wahoo fitness and Tacx Cycling apps for indoor workouts (if you use those with a smart trainer). With an iPad Air 2 (IOS 9.2.1) the cadence sensor doesn't actually appear in the list of paired Bluetooth devices in IOS Settings. Instead you turn on bluetooth, launch the cycling app you want to use, wake up the sensor, and then add the sensor from within the app itself. Once added it gives you an onscreen cadence reading within the app. The sensor stays in a list of saved sensors within the app.

The Wahoo RPM cadence sensor has a variety of mounting options. The actual cadence sensor is just the small blue pod. It comes with some double sided 3M tape (to stick it directly to a crank), a rubber sleeve and some zip ties (to fasten to a crank) and also a shoe mount. The shoe mount was the reason for buying this cadence sensor.










The shoe mount is a clip that attaches the cadence sensor onto the velcro strap of a cycling shoe. It seems secure on first impressions and the cadence sensor registers on the shoe (the Garmin cadence sensor wouldn't work attached to a shoe in this way, only on the crank). With the shoe mount you don't have to worry about forgetting which bike the cadence sensor is on or swapping it over.


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## AaronJobe (Sep 20, 2009)

How is the 520 with navigating you through single track? I am looking for a unit that I can use navigation on trails when I am on a new system out of town. If I can load a set course of the trails I want to ride and have it tell me where to turn when I come to an intersection without slowing down to read signs.


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## matmattmatthew (Feb 17, 2007)

AaronJobe said:


> How is the 520 with navigating you through single track? I am looking for a unit that I can use navigation on trails when I am on a new system out of town. If I can load a set course of the trails I want to ride and have it tell me where to turn when I come to an intersection without slowing down to read signs.


I'd like to know this as well. I'm a cycling computer virgin and I'm finally going to break down and get a computer I can swap between my trail bike, gravel grinder and 29+ (hopefully bikepacking bike). In a perfect world I'd like a computer that can integrate with Strava and I can also upload routes from ride with GPS so I can explore new trail systems.


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## NordieBoy (Sep 26, 2004)

That's where the 810 comes in. Better map integration and navigation.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

AaronJobe said:


> How is the 520 with navigating you through single track? I am looking for a unit that I can use navigation on trails when I am on a new system out of town. If I can load a set course of the trails I want to ride and have it tell me where to turn when I come to an intersection without slowing down to read signs.





matmattmatthew said:


> I'd like to know this as well. I'm a cycling computer virgin and I'm finally going to break down and get a computer I can swap between my trail bike, gravel grinder and 29+ (hopefully bikepacking bike). In a perfect world I'd like a computer that can integrate with Strava and I can also upload routes from ride with GPS so I can explore new trail systems.


The Garmin Edge 520 is fairly limited in this respect.

Post #63 is my attempt at explaining navigation on the different Garmin devices.

Garmin Edge 520 - Page 3- Mtbr.com

If you're going to use a Garmin Edge 520 for offroad rides in unfamiliar areas you would need to have

a) The correct custom Open Street Map basemap loaded with the trails that you want to ride on (you can't fit a full countrywide basemap on as the Garmin Edge 520 doesn't have enough memory and not all offroad trails are on Open Street Map).
b) A GPS course loaded to show your exact route in advance.

If you wanted directions to tell you where to turn this would require someone adding cue points to a course. This is possible if a friendly local were to go through and make you a fully marked up detailed GPS course route to follow. You could also add your own cue points in Ride With GPS.

Just loading a route from Strava or Garmin Connect wouldn't have any cue points. With a route from Strava or Garmin Connect you would have an onscreen line to follow, but no turn notifications.


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## matmattmatthew (Feb 17, 2007)

Thanks, now I'm back to the drawing board.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

Garmin have released another firmware update for the Garmin Edge 520.

****Important Note****
*Apparently Firmware 5.20 may decide to install by itself if you have it paired to a phone. Whilst a ride is recording!!! *

To be on the safe side I'd suggest making sure you have it installed at a time and place of your choosing so this doesn't happen.

https://forums.garmin.com/showthread.php?345505-5-2-trepidation&p=817189#post817189

*Changes made from version 4.10 to 5.20:*
- Added support for Connect IQ data fields. On the Edge 520, you can have four Connect IQ data fields active at a time. To install Connect IQ data fields, manage your Edge 520 in Garmin Connect Mobile or Garmin Express. After installing data fields, they will be available in the 'Connect IQ' category when selecting data fields to put on a data screen.
- Fixed a bug preventing the Vector installation angle wizard from advancing.
- Fixed a bug causing the 'Next:' field in a workout to show incorrect information when a series of steps are repeated.

As with the previous firmware updates it will reboot and then ask you to redo your settings. Just press ok each time until you get to the pair sensors and pair Bluetooth, where you should choose No as they will still already be paired.

It will also put the three default profiles back in and resets your screen display and FTP settings so they need changing again.

The 5.20 firmware adds in Connect IQ support. This dcrainmaker video and article is a good explanation of what this does:

Garmin releases Connect IQ for Edge 520 & Edge 1000 | DC Rainmaker

As a side note I was watching the dcrainmaker video and expecting his Garmin Edge 520 to fly off the mount at any time! When pressing the buttons on the Garmin Edge 520 I think by far the safest way to operate it is to always have your thumb on one side of the Garmin, and your forefinger gripping the other side. By doing that when pressing the buttons you are holding the Garmin firmly in place with your hand.

It means that you're not putting any pressure on the plastic wings and not allowing the Garmin to twist off its mounting either. If you press the buttons on one side only, as seen in the dcrainmaker video, the uneven pressure from a button press could potentially unclip the Garmin from its quarter turn mounting bracket.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

Here's a picture showing how I hold the Garmin Edge 520 when pressing the buttons.










By having it supported on both sides when you press the buttons (which can be quite stiff) it can't twist off the mount. It also reduces the pressure being put on the fragile plastic mounting tabs of the Garmin, so they are less likely to snap.


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## kdiff (Apr 25, 2010)

Are you guys having any problems with your (Strava) segment times not updating since either two updates ago for the 520 or a recent iPhone app update? I think it was the Edge firmware update. Thanks!


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## kdiff (Apr 25, 2010)

Wow, so no one else is having issues with their segments not updating and their rides not automatically uploading after a ride? (Per usual Garmin tech support is worthless. They stopped responding once I told them all of my software is up-to-date...)


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

The Strava live segments not updating doesn't seem to be unique to the Garmin Edge 520. Apparently the Garmin Edge 1000 has the same problem.

https://forums.garmin.com/showthrea...gment-data-not-working-on-Edge-1000-FW6-and-7

There are some suggestions here but nothing firm. It sounds like this could be a Garmin Connect / Strava website connectivity issue that has to be fixed before they will work again.

I have the Strava live segments turned off on my Garmin Edge 520. Until they redesign the live segment screens, so that you can choose what is displayed whilst riding, my preference is to have my normal ride screen instead with speed, power etc displayed.

I was trying to do a good time on a byway Strava segment today and the wattage number was the one I was paying attention to onscreen. The wind direction was wrong though. My power was good but due to having a crosswind, rather than a tailwind, I was still 3 seconds slower than last week.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

WR304 said:


> The Strava live segments not updating doesn't seem to be unique to the Garmin Edge 520. Apparently the Garmin Edge 1000 has the same problem.
> 
> https://forums.garmin.com/showthrea...gment-data-not-working-on-Edge-1000-FW6-and-7
> 
> ...


All the local roadies with KOM's are the guys who go KOM hunting when it's windy (lots of straight roads through farm country). Tomorrow (with 40mph gusts) will probably be a big day for them. They only go for KOM's when they have a tailwind on those days. You mean you don't go after segments like this? ;-)


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

Harold said:


> All the local roadies with KOM's are the guys who go KOM hunting when it's windy (lots of straight roads through farm country). Tomorrow (with 40mph gusts) will probably be a big day for them. They only go for KOM's when they have a tailwind on those days. You mean you don't go after segments like this? ;-)


Considering that I had ridden for an hour just to get there, in order to try and do a good time on this 0.5 mile section of gravel byway, I thought I might as well have a go anyway, even with a crosswind.

It's quite bumpy but is still suited more to cyclocross bikes for straight line speed (the KOM was on a cyclocross bike with a tailwind) than a mountain bike. When I tried it last week I had a tailwind and was on for a good time, only there was a van going to the farm in the other direction and I had to back off to get round it.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

WR304 said:


> Considering that I had ridden for an hour just to get there, in order to try and do a good time on this 0.5 mile section of gravel byway, I thought I might as well have a go anyway, even with a crosswind.
> 
> It's quite bumpy but is still suited more to cyclocross bikes for straight line speed (the KOM was on a cyclocross bike with a tailwind) than a mountain bike. When I tried it last week I had a tailwind and was on for a good time, only there was a van going to the farm in the other direction and I had to back off to get round it.


You did it wrong. 

I did a short ride today. 5.5mi total. Mostly a relaxing ride from the house to get lunch and back. Winds were stiff from the SSW. I put a couple of segments on a stretch of road between stoplights that's open and gets buffeted by winds. It's a N-S road I use often. Today was a day that I went for the segment with the wind at my back. On my Salsa Vaya, with fenders and a rack, 700x38 tires, and a hard-sided pannier. Hehehe. I was still able to bag #2 overall.


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## reamer41 (Mar 26, 2007)

Anyone else having problems syncing to their iPhone since iOS 9.3 update? 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## shagster (Oct 30, 2012)

reamer41 said:


> Anyone else having problems syncing to their iPhone since iOS 9.3 update?
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Yes. Now you have to open the garmin connect app prior to expecting your edge 520 to establish the bluetooth connection to the phone.


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## thecanoe (Jan 30, 2007)

shagster said:


> Yes. Now you have to open the garmin connect app prior to expecting your edge 520 to establish the bluetooth connection to the phone.


I always did it that way. It sync'd with no problem. But now I'm hesitant to update iPhone software.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## Andre Mabuse22 (Mar 25, 2016)

Her Guys,

I have a Big Problem with my Garmin Edge 520.
For about 3 days it is not getting any GPS Signal at all...
There is always the first Tiny GPS bar flashing for hours without connecting to any satellite... Is there a way to fix it?? For Example a GPS Reset? I tried to reset everything else But nothing happens. All the Other functions work properly... Please help me..

Thanks in Advance!!!
Andre


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

Andre Mabuse22 said:


> Her Guys,
> 
> I have a Big Problem with my Garmin Edge 520.
> For about 3 days it is not getting any GPS Signal at all...
> ...


There are a few things to look at. If the first GPS bar is flashing, without getting any further, the Garmin Edge 520 is possibly trying to update its list of satellites.

Do you have GPS + Glonass enabled?

What firmware version does your GPS have? Menu - Settings - System - About - Copyright Information.

Under Copyright Information your Software Version, Unit ID and GPS Version are displayed. My Garmin Edge 520 is currently on Software Version 5.20 and GPS Version 3.00

In order to view the GPS status of your Garmin from the Ride screen tap the Power/Brightness button once, and then hold down the Lap button for several seconds until the Diagnostics menu appears. You can select "View Satellites" which will give a visual view of if any satellites are found. It's best to do this outdoors with a clear view of the sky.

Post #258
Garmin Edge 520 - Page 11- Mtbr.com

In order to force a reset I'd try the steps in this forum thread:

https://forums.garmin.com/showthread.php?309069-My-Edge-500-is-displaying-the-wrong-time-zone&

First of all back up all the files from your Garmin to your computer, so that you can put them back again if needed!

Connect the Garmin Edge 520 to a computer and delete the file called gmaptz.img which will be in the \Garmin folder. This contains the time zone information. Then try syncing the Garmin Edge 520 to Garmin Express again to see if it will put a new one in.

If there isn't a gmaptz.img try deleting

Garmin\Device.fit
Garmin\GarminDevice.xml

and then sync it again. What you're trying to do is force the Garmin Edge 520 to start over and create fresh files, so that when you next turn it on it will be able to discover the satellites, download the correct information and work again.

In order for it to download the latest location and time zone information from the satellites you need to leave the Garmin sat in one place outdoors with a clear unobstructed view of the sky for several minutes.


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## Andre Mabuse22 (Mar 25, 2016)

Hi,

Ok thanks, to specify my problem: I have installed v3.00 of GPS and the newest Firmware 5.20. When i am on the "View Satellites" Screen i See lots of satellites in grey, But they are not moving of flashing, seems like they are freezed...Above there is marked: "Locating Satellites". 

So, Something is wrong with the GPS Firmware, Right? I am not at Home at the Moment, (no PC) so i guess there is no Chance to solve this problem without a PC, Right? :-/


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

To be able to remove and replace the files the Garmin Edge 520 needs to be connected to a computer by USB, so that you can access the file system.

The problem is most likely with the satellite list and timezone files, not the firmware itself.

Post #115
Garmin Edge 520 - Page 5- Mtbr.com

You could try a master reset but this would wipe all the settings and saved data off the Garmin Edge 520 too. I'd want to back it up before doing this!

How to Master Reset Garmin Edge 810 or 510 - BrainChamber Blog

Post #102
Garmin Edge 520 - Page 5- Mtbr.com


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## thecanoe (Jan 30, 2007)

shagster said:


> Yes. Now you have to open the garmin connect app prior to expecting your edge 520 to establish the bluetooth connection to the phone.


So is everyone's Garmin syncing okay using this method at have upgraded to 9.3?
I usually go for a ride recording it on the Garmin. Then save ride. I turn on Bluetooth and GC on my iPhone. Then enable blue on the Garmin it it sync's within a few seconds.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

Andre Mabuse22 said:


> Hi,
> 
> Ok thanks, to specify my problem: I have installed v3.00 of GPS and the newest Firmware 5.20. When i am on the "View Satellites" Screen i See lots of satellites in grey, But they are not moving of flashing, seems like they are freezed...Above there is marked: "Locating Satellites".
> 
> So, Something is wrong with the GPS Firmware, Right? I am not at Home at the Moment, (no PC) so i guess there is no Chance to solve this problem without a PC, Right? :-/


Something else to try is to turn the GPS mode to off, and then turn it on again. If you haven't already it might be worth trying just standard GPS mode (assuming that it is currently in GPS+ GLONASS mode). In this thread about the Garmin Edge 1000 that was causing issues with the Garmin Edge 1000 being unable to locate satellites at one time:

https://forums.garmin.com/showthrea...-sync-with-GPS-GLONASS-only-with-standard-GPS

You might have to do a master reset though.


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## shagster (Oct 30, 2012)

thecanoe said:


> So is everyone's Garmin syncing okay using this method at have upgraded to 9.3?
> I usually go for a ride recording it on the Garmin. Then save ride. I turn on Bluetooth and GC on my iPhone. Then enable blue on the Garmin it it sync's within a few seconds.


Today before my ride, I "forgot" the bluetooth pairing from my phone and shut it off. Then I "forgot" the bluetooth pairing on the Edge 520 and shut it off. Next, I booted both back up and rebuilt the bluetooth pairing from scratch. For today's ride, it worked exactly like it used to prior to IOS 9.3. Even later this evening, I booted up the edge 520 to check the battery life remaining and it auto connected back to my phone just as it should (and did prior to ios 9.3).
I will be riding again tomorrow and will post and update but today's reset of the bluetooth pairing seems to have had a positive impact.


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## thecanoe (Jan 30, 2007)

I never pair my Garmin to my phone before riding. I leave Bluetooth off on both. I save the ride on the Garmin 520. I then turn Bluetooth on the phone to on, open GC app and then turn Garmin Bluetooth on. Once connected, sync starts. Is this the recommended way?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## davez26 (Dec 2, 2004)

thecanoe said:


> I never pair my Garmin to my phone before riding. I leave Bluetooth off on both. I save the ride on the Garmin 520. I then turn Bluetooth on the phone to on, open GC app and then turn Garmin Bluetooth on. Once connected, sync starts. Is this the recommended way?
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


That will work. I pair before, and then send a Livetrack invitation thru Garmin Connect to my wife, so she can track me. I save after riding for the sync.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk


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## Tyrone Shoelaces (Nov 6, 2006)

Anyone using a 520 paired up with an iPhone (iPhone 6 in my case), and having issues getting them to pair up together via Bluetooth after updating iPhone to latest operating system (i.e. OS 9.3).

My two devices were paired up and seemed to be working fine. But now since I've downloaded iOS 9.3....they won't sync. I can see my 520 listed in the Bluetooth set up screen on my iPhone but they won't pair for some reason. Super frustrating.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

Tyrone Shoelaces said:


> Anyone using a 520 paired up with an iPhone (iPhone 6 in my case), and having issues getting them to pair up together via Bluetooth after updating iPhone to latest operating system (i.e. OS 9.3).
> 
> My two devices were paired up and seemed to be working fine. But now since I've downloaded iOS 9.3....they won't sync. I can see my 520 listed in the Bluetooth set up screen on my iPhone but they won't pair for some reason. Super frustrating.


I just had a quick go with my iPad Air 2 (IOS 9.3), Garmin Connect app (3.4.0.8) and my Garmin Edge 520 (5.20 firmware).

What I'd suggest would be to turn off Bluetooth on both devices, make sure you close the Garmin Connect app on your iPhone 6 (by double tapping the Home button on your iPhone and swiping up on each app card in turn to close it), and then use the steps below to try to connect the devices again. If it works with an iPad Air 2 it should work the same with an iPhone 6 also.

*Edit:* Give your iPhone a forced reboot beforehand also (hold down the Power and Home buttons together until the device shuts down and the screen goes black. Then turn it back on normally by pressing the power button).

Order that I used just now with the previously paired devices:

1. Turn on Garmin Edge 520
2. Enable Bluetooth on Garmin Edge 520
3. Turn on Bluetooth on iPad (under IOS settings only BLE_Edge 520 showed as connected)
4. Open Garmin Connect app (BT_Edge 520 showed as connected under IOS settings now also)
5. With the iPad connected to wifi the Garmin Edge 520 should now sync automatically via the Garmin Connect app


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## Tyrone Shoelaces (Nov 6, 2006)

Thanks...followed those steps, but to no avail 

The BT_Edge 520 is showing up in Bluetooth on my phone, but it just is not connecting (this happened in Step #4)


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

So BLE_Edge 520 is connecting then?

BT_Edge 520 looks to be linked to the Garmin Connect app.

For the Garmin Connect app are you definitely on the latest version 3.4.0.8? (Garmin Connect app - More -Settings - App Info).

Did you close the Garmin Connect app fully before re-opening it? (double tap the Home button to get to the IOS app switcher and swipe up on each app card in turn until they are all closed).


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## Tyrone Shoelaces (Nov 6, 2006)

Definitely using App version 3.4.0.8. And yes, closed the app fully before re-opening.

It's the strangest thing, when going to the Bluetooth screen on my phone, it shows my Garmin as 'not connected'. So then I tap it to connect, and I keep getting message saying "Connection Unsuccessful".

My Garmin is sitting right next to my phone, with its Bluetooth enabled. 

EDIT: A quick call to Garmin got it worked out. I head to clear out the 'old' 520 in my phones memory, and then reset the phone, then basically went through the standard connection process. The phone reset was a step that we were missing.


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## reamer41 (Mar 26, 2007)

Tyrone Shoelaces said:


> Definitely using App version 3.4.0.8. And yes, closed the app fully before re-opening.
> 
> It's the strangest thing, when going to the Bluetooth screen on my phone, it shows my Garmin as 'not connected'. So then I tap it to connect, and I keep getting message saying "Connection Unsuccessful".
> 
> ...


Great! Thanks for the info. Can you clarify what you mean by 'reset the phone'?

Thanks.


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## Toldto (Aug 16, 2013)

Great thread for 520. I've read half way thru,but couldn't find mount suggestion for MTB. Pls advise. Thanks.


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## SikeMo (Mar 17, 2013)

Toldto said:


> Great thread for 520. I've read half way thru,but couldn't find mount suggestion for MTB. Pls advise. Thanks.


K-Edge Stem Mount for Garmin Computers - Fixed

Takes the place of a 5mm headset spacer.


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## Tyrone Shoelaces (Nov 6, 2006)

reamer41 said:


> Great! Thanks for the info. Can you clarify what you mean by 'reset the phone'?
> 
> Thanks.


Hold down both the power button and the 'home' button at the same time for a few seconds. Then screen will go blank, then the apple logo appears...then let go of the buttons.


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## NordieBoy (Sep 26, 2004)

Toldto said:


> Great thread for 520. I've read half way thru,but couldn't find mount suggestion for MTB. Pls advise. Thanks.


BarFly 3.0


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

Tyrone Shoelaces said:


> Hold down both the power button and the 'home' button at the same time for a few seconds. Then screen will go blank, then the apple logo appears...then let go of the buttons.


That's a good point. The old "have you tried turning it off and then on again" may be a cliche with computers and smartphones but it can often sort out the issues that are being encountered.

I should really have put that in my original post. I've edited it to include this now.

Smartphones in particular tend to be left on all the time and might not be restarted very often. My iPad is usually left on all the time also. It might get restarted once a month perhaps.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

Toldto said:


> Great thread for 520. I've read half way thru,but couldn't find mount suggestion for MTB. Pls advise. Thanks.


My Specialized Epic has a 100mm length stem. It may not be very fashionable but it does mean there is plenty of room to fit a standard Garmin quarter turn mount with the rubber bands on the stem. I have a strip of rubber under the fowards edge of the Garmin quarter turn mount, in order to angle the screen upwards slightly for improved visibility.

With a shorter stem you can either get the K-Edge mounts that fit under the stem top cap or there are also reversed mounts, which fasten to the handlebar but position the Garmin above the stem. Eg:

K-Edge Garmin Stem Mount
https://www.acecosportgroup.com/k-e...uter-mounts/garmin-stem-mount-adjustable.html










SRAM Quickview Garmin Mount
https://www.sram.com/sram/mountain/products/sram-quickview-mtb-computer-mount










You don't really want to use an out front mount as it leaves the Garmin exposed if you were to crash. You also don't want the Garmin positioned rearwards by the side of the stem, as that could potentially be hit by your knee when riding out of the saddle. Depending on your cable layout a low level out front mount might see the cables hitting the Garmin mount under full compression of the suspension fork also.


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## Toldto (Aug 16, 2013)

Thank you, guys.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

WR304 said:


> There are a few things to look at. If the first GPS bar is flashing, without getting any further, the Garmin Edge 520 is possibly trying to update its list of satellites.
> 
> Do you have GPS + Glonass enabled?
> 
> ...


Along with this there is also the EPO.bin file (Extended Prediction Orbit) which is where the the Garmin stores its list of satellites.

\Garmin\Remotesw\EPO.bin

Why your Garmin GPS is better off taking EPO | DC Rainmaker

This is a list that expires after a set time. If it has expired the Garmin won't know where to look and will try to download a fresh list from the satellites. Syncing the Garmin via Garmin Express ought to upload a new EPO.bin.

It might work deleting or renaming this file to a different extension, so that the Garmin will be forced to get a fresh file.


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## ImaginaryFriend (Mar 24, 2009)

How easily are the buttons pressed? I was thinking about just throwing it my jersey pocket and don't want the buttons to be pressed. I would rather not carry my phone (using Strava) and I don't actually care to see the screen. I just want to record the ride. My Garmin Oregon will easily go through the menus and such if I don't lock the touchscreen, even though it's the only thing in my pocket.


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## thecanoe (Jan 30, 2007)

The buttons on the 520 are not easy to press. I've put it in my pocket with no problem. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## Andre Mabuse22 (Mar 25, 2016)

Hi Guys,

Thanks for your help, i finale hat the Chance to Plug it to my Mac and i deleted the Files you have mentioned. 
Garmin\Device.fit
Garmin\GarminDevice.xml

And 

gmaptz.img 

I synced the Device with Garmin Express After it and i did a Master reset After syncing.
When i turn the device on everything Works properly But no GPS fix.
The Second GPS bar now is flashing all the Time without a GPS fix for Hours...

Is there no possibility to Reinstall everything from the beginning on the device?
Because at the beginning GPS Worked Fine...:-(


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

Andre Mabuse22 said:


> Hi Guys,
> 
> Thanks for your help, i finale hat the Chance to Plug it to my Mac and i deleted the Files you have mentioned.
> Garmin\Device.fit
> ...


As the Garmin is working connect it to a computer via USB and copy-paste the entire file structure of your Garmin Edge 520 into a folder on your computer as a backup first before formatting the Garmin. You'll need the basemap gmapbmap.img file in particular to put back afterwards.

These instructions are for a Garmin Edge 500 but I think it should be the same for formatting a Garmin Edge 520 also:

--------------------------------------

"Thanks for the reply. I did notice a corrupt file but removing the file was not sufficient to resolve my problem (but it seems like it should have been enough). I eventually did get a hold of Garmin and only re-formatting the Garmin resolved the issue. In case anyone else out there runs into this issue and searches this forum for a solution, here were the steps I had to take to re-format the Garmin 500.

To format your Edge 500: 
1. If possible, attempt to backup your data with Garmin Connect ( www.garminconnect.com/upload ) 
2. Navigate to Start > (My) Computer* 
3. If you are un-aware of your drive letter: 
a. Unplug your device 
b. Plug your Edge 500 into the computer 
c. Note the drive letter that appears 
4. Right-click on the Edge drive letter 
5. Choose Format 
6. If one of the below options is not present, disregard the instruction 
7. Ensure FAT File system is selected (should be the default) 
8. Ensure Allocation unit size is 2048 (should be the default) 
9. Ensure Volume label is GARMIN 
10. Ensure Quick Format is not selected 
11. Ensure Create an MS-DOS startup disk is not selected 
12. Click Start 
13. Wait for the device to finish being formatted (this may take between 10-20 minutes) 
14. While Waiting, Download and install WebUpdater ( Garmin | WebUpdater ) 
15. Launch WebUpdater ( Start > All Programs > Garmin > WebUpdater ) 
16. Close the Formatting Window 
17. Right-click on the device drive 
18. Choose Eject 
19. Power on your Edge 
20. Wait for the device to power on completely 
21. Plug your Edge 500 into the computer 
22. Click Next to locate your device 
23. If your device does not appear, Press Find Device 
24. If update is present, Install Update 
25. Press Next > to proceed to check for additional updates 
26. Check Time Zone Map 
27. Press Next > to install Time Zone Map 
28. Agree to the above terms to proceed 
29. Click Next 
30. Wait to see Update to Time Zone Map was a Success 
31. Click Finish 
32. Navigate to Start > (My) Computer* 
33. Right-click on the device drive 
34. Choose Eject"

Where are the TrainingPeaks Forums? ? TrainingPeaks Help Center

-----------------------------------------

.


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## Toldto (Aug 16, 2013)

I read and missed the page of how to pause 520 for a cup of coffee. 
Thanks.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

Toldto said:


> I read and missed the page of how to pause 520 for a cup of coffee.
> Thanks.


If you're stopping for a coffee stop you would press the Start/Stop button to pause the ride. This switches the display to the pause screen until you press the Start/Stop button again when you set off.

Whilst on the pause screen, with the timer stopped, you can press the back button and go to your data screens and the settings menus without needing to quit the ride.

I have one data screen setup purely as a summary (distance, time, average speed, average power, ascent etc) so it is possible to see what the ride totals have been so far, without having to save and quit the current ride.

If you're doing a long ride, and are likely to be marginal on battery, you can press the Start/Stop button to pause your ride, and then turn the Garmin off for the coffee stop. When you turn it back on the ride will still be there, (it will boot up and go straight to the Pause screen). The ride will resume once you press the Start/ Stop button. I was trying this sat outside just now and it appears to work multiple times.

Before setting off after a coffee stop it's always worth making sure your Ant+ sensors (power meter, speed sensor etc) are woken up and connected, and that the Garmin has a satellite lock.

There's also the movement warning alert that you can enable as a reminder to turn the Garmin timer back on when you start. It's amazing how often people forget to start their Garmin recording after coffee stops!


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

kdiff said:


> Wow, so no one else is having issues with their segments not updating and their rides not automatically uploading after a ride? (Per usual Garmin tech support is worthless. They stopped responding once I told them all of my software is up-to-date...)


There's a post on the Garmin forums that there is supposed to be an update for the Garmin Connect website to fix this now. There's also supposed to be an update for the Garmin Connect mobile phone app to fix that coming soon.

_"Some updates were pushed out to Garmin Connect that has allowed for PRs and KOMs to be updated on devices when syncing through Garmin Express. There are other updates coming that will resolve the issue for syncing with the Garmin Connect Mobile app. Those updates are planned to be released in the very near future. We appreciate your patience as we work to resolve this issue."_ *GFM1011 (Garmin)*

https://forums.garmin.com/showthread.php?346021-Updating-Strava-Live-Segments/page2


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## Toldto (Aug 16, 2013)

Thanks again for the detailed guideline.


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## thecanoe (Jan 30, 2007)

I got a new iPhone 6SE today and am having trouble pairing it. I followed the directions give here. In the Bluetooth section of my phone it says the BL 520 and BLE 520 are connected but not in GC or in the Garmin. Any ideas? Also in the iPhone settings Bluetooth section under " other devices" the wheel keeps spinning. Is it supposed to show the device?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

thecanoe said:


> I got a new iPhone 6SE today and am having trouble pairing it. I followed the directions give here. In the Bluetooth section of my phone it says the BL 520 and BLE 520 are connected but not in GC or in the Garmin. Any ideas? Also in the iPhone settings Bluetooth section under " other devices" the wheel keeps spinning. Is it supposed to show the device?
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


There's been another Garmin Edge 520 firmware update 5.30 and a newer Garmin Connect mobile update also 3.5.0.16. My iPad Air 2 is on IOS 9.3.1

The bluetooth pairing behaviour looks to have changed yet again.

I turned on the bluetooth on both the Garmin Edge 520 and iPad Air 2. The BT_Edge 520 and BLE_Edge 520 both showed as connected on the iPad.

There was no sign of it being connected on the Garmin Edge 520 however, which continued as searching. The iPad showed connected but the Garmin Edge 520 didn't.

I then opened the Garmin Connect mobile app. It was only then that the Bluetooth status changed to connected on the Garmin Edge 520.

With the Garmin Edge 520 on (showing as connected in the IOS Bluetooth settings) when you open the Garmin Connect mobile app, signed in with your username and password, and go to More - Garmin Devices can you see your Garmin in the list? You could try the + there as it lets you search for devices, which should hopefully bring up your Garmin.


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## thecanoe (Jan 30, 2007)

Updated to ios 9.3.1. Turn on Bluetooth and the GC app. Then turned Bluetooth on the Garmin on. Sync'd immediately. Tested it today and all is well. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Bacon Fat (Mar 11, 2016)

nevermind just needed a reset


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

If you want to rollback from the Garmin Edge 520 5.30 firmware to the 5.20 firmware there is a download link and instructions in Post #4 of this thread:

https://forums.garmin.com/showthread.php?348438-Can-t-Change-Speed-Sensor-Manual-Wheel-Size

.


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## Bacon Fat (Mar 11, 2016)

WR304 said:


> If you want to rollback from the Garmin Edge 520 5.30 firmware to the 5.20 firmware there is a download link and instructions in Post #4 of this thread:
> 
> https://forums.garmin.com/showthread.php?348438-Can-t-Change-Speed-Sensor-Manual-Wheel-Size
> 
> .


Good to know for the future Thanks


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## bbqmike (Jan 5, 2016)

I've been setting up my new 520, I went to adjust the wheel size after running auto for a few rides. (I have the separate wheel and cadence sensors on my 650 bike). It auto calced to 2110mm I wanted to put in 2216 based on my measurements, but when I do it spits back 2096?? Any ideas on this.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

bbqmike said:


> I've been setting up my new 520, I went to adjust the wheel size after running auto for a few rides. (I have the separate wheel and cadence sensors on my 650 bike). It auto calced to 2110mm I wanted to put in 2216 based on my measurements, but when I do it spits back 2096?? Any ideas on this.


It's a bug in the latest Garmin Edge 520 5.30 firmware that you can't set the wheel circumference for a speed sensor. If you look at the thread linked in post #361 this is a problem other people are having too.

https://forums.garmin.com/showthread.php?348438-Can-t-Change-Speed-Sensor-Manual-Wheel-Size

What you can do is roll back to Garmin Edge 520 5.20 firmware, which works, and then enter the correct wheel circumference for your bike sensor. Once it is entered you can either leave it on the old firmware version until they roll out a fix or update back to the 5.30 firmware again.

The correct wheel size circumference setting will be carried over after upgrading back to the 5.30 firmware, just so long as you don't change it again.


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## bbqmike (Jan 5, 2016)

Thanks, I love bugs!!


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## bbqmike (Jan 5, 2016)

I did the 5.2, change then back to 5.3 and it held the setting. I didn't even realize connect was going to push 5.3 so fast.


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## RSAmerica (Aug 24, 2012)

6.0 is out now


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Oh My Sack! (Aug 21, 2006)

I just bought a 520 last week. I was having the same wheel size issue. I queried Garmin several days ago and still haven't heard back but the 6.0 Update popped up on my screen day before yesterday and I updated. Wheel size problem is solved. Not sure about any other issues since I'm new to the game.


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## bbqmike (Jan 5, 2016)

2 rides on the 6.0 update and it seemed to function fine, it did update my wheel size calc, still on auto, but its now close to what I measured.


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## bbqmike (Jan 5, 2016)

Is there a way to disable button noise, but leave on alert tones?


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## Oh My Sack! (Aug 21, 2006)

As far as I can tell with my experience rooting through all the menus, it's one or the other. I have my tone off and I still catch the alerts since they hang on screen for so long but that would be nice to have one and not the other.


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## Bacon Fat (Mar 11, 2016)

I downloaded a route off Strava and ridewithgps to follow this weekend. Both GPX files. Neither gave me turn by turn which cause somed confusion on parts of the ride where the course doubled back on itself or at a 4 way intersection were you would be riding all the roads. I had to start down each one to see if it would say " off course" then turn around. 

I had 'turn guidance" on and "course points". Sometime as the beginning and near the end of the ride, I would see a light blue pointer that would lead the way showing me were to turn, but after a bit it disappeared.

What am I doing wrong here?
Should I use TCX maps instead?


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Bacon Fat said:


> I downloaded a route off Strava and ridewithgps to follow this weekend. Both GPX files. Neither gave me turn by turn which cause somed confusion on parts of the ride where the course doubled back on itself or at a 4 way intersection were you would be riding all the roads. I had to start down each one to see if it would say " off course" then turn around.
> 
> I had 'turn guidance" on and "course points". Sometime as the beginning and near the end of the ride, I would see a light blue pointer that would lead the way showing me were to turn, but after a bit it disappeared.
> 
> ...


You want the actual "course" download from rwgps. It is a .tcx file. Assuming the edge 520 can accept yhose. It may not. Rwgps has device specific instructions. The .gpx will only give you turn by turn with a mapping gps that has road maps. The 520 is not that. You may be able to put maps on it, but you cannot search map data. They are visual reference only.

It could also depend on how the course was set up. Don't do it well and you will miss turn prompts. Lots of variables.


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## Ducman (Feb 29, 2004)

Thanks for the help


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## Oh My Sack! (Aug 21, 2006)

3 weeks into my Edge 520. I'm loving this thing! Getting more use on it since I've been filling in with my new thing of road riding but I definitely enjoy it on the MTB, to.

Now, I would really like to interface it with the Edge Remote device on my road bike. There's info I'd like to page to while riding and pulling my hands of the bars to fiddle with it can get a bit sketchy in certain road conditions. I'm thinking that mounting it on the inside of the right rubber horns would be perfect.

Has anyone experienced using the remote with a 520 or really any of the compatible units? They list as usable on the Edge 1000 but it actually does work with the 520, et al.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

Oh My Sack! said:


> 3 weeks into my Edge 520. I'm loving this thing! Getting more use on it since I've been filling in with my new thing of road riding but I definitely enjoy it on the MTB, to.
> 
> Now, I would really like to interface it with the Edge Remote device on my road bike. There's info I'd like to page to while riding and pulling my hands of the bars to fiddle with it can get a bit sketchy in certain road conditions. I'm thinking that mounting it on the inside of the right rubber horns would be perfect.
> 
> Has anyone experienced using the remote with a 520 or really any of the compatible units? They list as usable on the Edge 1000 but it actually does work with the 520, et al.


The Garmin Edge remote is listed as compatible with the Garmin Edge 520.

https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/shop-by-accessories/remotes/edge-remote-control/prod146078.html

I know a few people who have the Garmin Edge Remote and they seem to like them.


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## Oh My Sack! (Aug 21, 2006)

Yep, had that part "figgeredout" but I was curious as to how it functioned...but I know that now. Ran up to Art's Cyclery this afternoon and scooped up a 'mote. Definitely going to be a beneficial tool on the new road bike. I have it mounted and ready. I doubt I'll use it on the mtb. Just too much risk of losing it from its captive mount and on the mountain, I see very little need to cycle pages while riding. There are plenty of stopping opportunities on the single track to play with it.

On another note, I did download 2 new apps to the 520. One was Strava Suffer Score that calcs and displays in real-time if your using Stravails Live...which i am. The second was a Climb Guage that displays the grade % and colors it on a customizable graph. I think both could be useful on either road or mtb platforms.


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## michael9218 (Dec 17, 2006)

*Chronic problems with accuracy*

I don't see any discussion in this thread on tracking errors. I'm on my 4th Garmin unit (2 500's and now my second 520 all replaced under warranty by Garmin). The latest one is also having random tracking errors and dropping heart rate after a couple hours of riding. My friends 520 is not having this issue. Very frustrating!


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

michael9218 said:


> I don't see any discussion in this thread on tracking errors. I'm on my 4th Garmin unit (2 500's and now my second 520 all replaced under warranty by Garmin). The latest one is also having random tracking errors and dropping heart rate after a couple hours of riding. My friends 520 is not having this issue. Very frustrating!
> 
> View attachment 1070536
> 
> ...


1. Where are you?
2. What is the forest cover like?
3. What is your terrain like?
4. What settings do you use? (GPS, GLONASS, recording interval, etc)
5. Cross-reference location, date, and times here to make sure it wasn't a satellite constellation issue. (open in Firefox, I am not able to open it in Chrome) GNSS Planning Online


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## NordieBoy (Sep 26, 2004)

michael9218 said:


> I don't see any discussion in this thread on tracking errors. I'm on my 4th Garmin unit (2 500's and now my second 520 all replaced under warranty by Garmin). The latest one is also having random tracking errors and dropping heart rate after a couple hours of riding. My friends 520 is not having this issue. Very frustrating!


Do you use a GoPro mounted on the bars?


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## michael9218 (Dec 17, 2006)

Harold said:


> 1. Where are you?
> 2. What is the forest cover like?
> 3. What is your terrain like?
> 4. What settings do you use? (GPS, GLONASS, recording interval, etc)
> 5. Cross-reference location, date, and times here to make sure it wasn't a satellite constellation issue. (open in Firefox, I am not able to open it in Chrome) GNSS Planning Online


Really?

It's not like I'm exploring new territory in the amazon. These are trails I ride frequently. 8 out of 10 times, no issue, then the unit goes bezerk and you see the result. Every one of the 6 hour XC races I've done this last year my Garmin's have failed. Using Flyby, others in the race with various GPS units don't have the issue. My friends I ride with, including during the two examples above, don't have issues. So it's not the terrain or the settings. After spending considerable time on the phone with Garmin tech support, you really think it's a settings issue?!

The units are set to GPS+Glonass and 1 second manual intervals per Garmin's recommendation.

I do not use a Gopro or any other electronic device.

In my race this last weekend in lap 3 my 520 had me a few hundred yards off course at the start finish. I new immediately that I had a problem since I was using the auto lap feature and it didn't reset on that lap. Next 3 laps it was fine.









At a race a couple months ago, the end of the last lap, lap 7, went haywire. Ironically, the end of the lap was out of the woods and the start finish was in a big open field.


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## michael9218 (Dec 17, 2006)

*Two 520's on same ride*

Another good example:

The race this last weekend. The first shot is my Strava file, second one is a friend/competitor who also uses a 520. His is dead on every lap. The deviation at the top is actually correct. We started the race on an access road. So that was lap one. His is set to GPS+Glonass as well, but he left the sampling on Smart mode. So in theory, mine should've been more accurate since I have it set to 1 second manual. I use the older style cadence/wheel speed sensor, he has the newer hub mounted wheel speed sensor. Not sure that that should make a difference in GPS sampling accuracy.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

michael9218 said:


> Really?


Yes, really. Does it sound like I'm f*cking joking?

It's worthwhile to know exactly what's going on in these cases. Notice that I didn't ask about your settings until lower on the list, eh? It's a factor, but not necessarily the only one or the most important one, especially when I saw the appearance of your data. I also am curious what comes up when you cross reference the screwed up tracks with the Trimble GNSS Planning tool I linked above (screenshots of the plots for number of satellites, DOPs, and Visibility would be useful). I have found correlations in most cases between erroneous readings on my own GPSes and poor satellite conditions. Also, IME, GPS receiver customer service people do NOT look at this information when dealing with customer complaints.

As for forest cover, terrain, and location, the Amazon would actually not be as bad as you think for GPS reception. The thick forest would add difficulty, but the latitude is a good one for GPS reception, and except in the upper reaches, you're not in steep mountain canyons and valleys, either.

Thick forest, northern latitudes, steep northern slopes, deep valleys, and urban canyons add multipath errors (and often outright block satellites) to GPS signals and decrease accuracy.


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## michael9218 (Dec 17, 2006)

Harold said:


> Yes, really. Does it sound like I'm f*cking joking?
> 
> It's worthwhile to know exactly what's going on in these cases. Notice that I didn't ask about your settings until lower on the list, eh? It's a factor, but not necessarily the only one or the most important one, especially when I saw the appearance of your data. I also am curious what comes up when you cross reference the screwed up tracks with the Trimble GNSS Planning tool I linked above (screenshots of the plots for number of satellites, DOPs, and Visibility would be useful). I have found correlations in most cases between erroneous readings on my own GPSes and poor satellite conditions. Also, IME, GPS receiver customer service people do NOT look at this information when dealing with customer complaints.
> 
> ...


All sounds very good and technical, but the side by side with my friends 520 illustrated below on the same course at the same time mitigates all that, eh?


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

michael9218 said:


> All sounds very good and technical, but the side by side with my friends 520 illustrated below on the same course at the same time mitigates all that, eh?


It isn't technical just so it can sound that way for no reason. It doesn't mitigate everything, no. There are an enormous number of factors that can be in play at any one time. You yourself pointed out some differences between the way yours are set up. And those are just the ones you're aware of. When I look at your track from the state park, I see a shift to the west in parts of one of your laps. That's telling me that there's some consistency to the error you are experiencing. Where is it coming from? Can't say for sure, but there IS something going on. You haven't been the most forthcoming about details, so you're not helping.


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## michael9218 (Dec 17, 2006)

Harold said:


> there IS something going on. You haven't been the most forthcoming about details, so you're not helping.


Ok, what details are you looking for?

Two 520's. One seems to work well, the other randomly fails. I've tried Smart sampling and 1 second sampling. No difference in performance. The other 520 hasn't been adjusted from the factory settings other than pairing with the wheel speed sensor.

Looking at the Strava fly by, dozens of other riders using all variety of GPS units. Most tracked well, mine fails in lap three. Other than my unit being faulty, what would explain this?


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

michael9218 said:


> Ok, what details are you looking for?
> 
> Two 520's. One seems to work well, the other randomly fails. I've tried Smart sampling and 1 second sampling. No difference in performance. The other 520 hasn't been adjusted from the factory settings other than pairing with the wheel speed sensor.
> 
> Looking at the Strava fly by, dozens of other riders using all variety of GPS units. Most tracked well, mine fails in lap three. Other than my unit being faulty, what would explain this?


Starting with the list of requests I posted above would be nice.

A few other things that you probably can't report on at this point would include how full the device's memory was. It's been pretty well demonstrated over a number of years and many devices that if the history gets too full, the device will behave oddly. I don't think anyone knows exactly what that cutoff point is/was, but it was absolutely an issue for awhile. Garmin mitigated it at least somewhat by beginning to offer the option to clear the device history when you upload activities. But if you've made use of the ability to put extra maps on the 520 and also have some courses and Strava segments and some number of previous rides, all bets are off.


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## michael9218 (Dec 17, 2006)

Harold said:


> Starting with the list of requests I posted above would be nice.
> 
> A few other things that you probably can't report on at this point would include how full the device's memory was. It's been pretty well demonstrated over a number of years and many devices that if the history gets too full, the device will behave oddly. I don't think anyone knows exactly what that cutoff point is/was, but it was absolutely an issue for awhile. Garmin mitigated it at least somewhat by beginning to offer the option to clear the device history when you upload activities. But if you've made use of the ability to put extra maps on the 520 and also have some courses and Strava segments and some number of previous rides, all bets are off.


I appreciate your patience, you seem to know a lot than I about GPS, but I still fail to comprehend how your list of requests is relevant in this situation. Dozens of riders on the same course, same day, same terrain, same satelites, etc. I've been tracking this with the flyby feature in Strava on each race where mine fails. So I don't see how the environment is a factor. It should be a factor for all.

As for my devise and the memory, ironically I cleared out the history prior to this race. I typically keep it pretty clear, deleting rides every week or so. Plus I should have plenty of memory since I followed DC Rainmakers advice and removed the global map for a local map that was half the size. I also removed the non-english language files. I have about 75mg free. Only have a couple of courses on the unit. Memory just shouldn't be an issue.

I've got Garmin analyzing the problem. They've got several of my friends rides where my unit failed and his didn't. I'll see what they conclude. In the meantime, they've asked me to go back to Smart mode for GPS sampling (last time I had this problem they instructed me to use 1 second manual sampling...). Hopefully it is something I'm doing wrong or an issue in setup, as it's just hard to believe 4 units in a row all have the same fault.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

michael9218 said:


> I appreciate your patience, you seem to know a lot than I about GPS, but I still fail to comprehend how your list of requests is relevant in this situation. Dozens of riders on the same course, same day, same terrain, same satelites, etc. I've been tracking this with the flyby feature in Strava on each race where mine fails. So I don't see how the environment is a factor. It should be a factor for all.
> 
> As for my devise and the memory, ironically I cleared out the history prior to this race. I typically keep it pretty clear, deleting rides every week or so. Plus I should have plenty of memory since I followed DC Rainmakers advice and removed the global map for a local map that was half the size. I also removed the non-english language files. I have about 75mg free. Only have a couple of courses on the unit. Memory just shouldn't be an issue.
> 
> I've got Garmin analyzing the problem. They've got several of my friends rides where my unit failed and his didn't. I'll see what they conclude. In the meantime, they've asked me to go back to Smart mode for GPS sampling (last time I had this problem they instructed me to use 1 second manual sampling...). Hopefully it is something I'm doing wrong or an issue in setup, as *it's just hard to believe 4 units in a row all have the same fault.*


That's my point (the bolded stuff). When others are getting great results with their hardware, and yet you've had several different ones and continue to have trouble. You don't have to trust that my request is going to identify the problem once and for all when I don't believe for a second that it will. It could very well be a combination of multiple factors that's illustrating a bug in the software. My point is for people to get into the habit of examining these things when they're having trouble. The point is to discourage the "This product is crap, I'm never buying one again!" BS that is pretty pervasive on the internet. That stuff is completely unhelpful to anyone when there's a mountain of people having good results with the same hardware.

There's a REASON that things aren't working well. For some people, I've noticed, they have unrealistic expectations about what the device is supposed to do, or how. That's not your problem. One of those screenshots you supplied is an absolute cluster. Other screenshots are less bad and only seem to hint at a problem. If we all are a little more analytical about why something isn't working the way it should, we can all discourage the spiteful "this product is crap" types of comments that are as far from being constructive as they could be.


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## farfromovin (Apr 18, 2009)

Just got an edge 520 with a wheel speed sensor and a K Edge stem cap mount for my MTB. Really looking forward to playing with this!


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## SikeMo (Mar 17, 2013)

All good choices. I would also get the rubber protective case and a screen guard. After a couple of crashes, I've got a small mark on my screen. Just ordered the screen guard so we'll see how much that helps.


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## Oh My Sack! (Aug 21, 2006)

I've read mostly complaints about the rubber case design so I didn't bother however, I bought the matte finish screen protector on Amazon (2 for $15) and the matte really helps when using in direct sunlight. I also found the factory "out front" mount as well as the smaller handlebar mount marginal as when your riding and need to press buttons, the mounts are not positive and allow for a lot of movement. I bought a BarFly out front set up for my road bike that also has a GoPro mount underneath and a BarFly shorty that swoops backwards from the bars and hovers over my short stem for the MTB. I almost went stem cap mount but decided I didn't want to have to remove multiple screws to get my stem loose. I assume the K-Edge locks the unit in with one way turning? Thats how the BarFly works and the detent are very positive and strong so the unit doesn't twist when actuating the buttons.


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## Oh My Sack! (Aug 21, 2006)

Btw...anybody consider a Square Trade warranty on their unit? I was thinking about it as long as I continue to use it on my MTB.


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## NordieBoy (Sep 26, 2004)

Oh My Sack! said:


> I've read mostly complaints about the rubber case design so I didn't bother.


Not had any problems with mine. Just pop it off occasionally and clean the inside of it.


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## Oh My Sack! (Aug 21, 2006)

Is yours a Garmin product or aftermarket? Art's Cyclery didn't have any to look at so I couldn't judge for myself.


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## NordieBoy (Sep 26, 2004)

Aftermarket. Cost about$3


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## SikeMo (Mar 17, 2013)

I should be getting the same matte screen guards in the mail today. The rubber case is a bit loose in its fitting, but it's better than nothing.


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## scottg (Mar 30, 2004)

I'm looking at the 510, which my LBS has in stock, or the 520. Has anyone used both and found a big advantage in the 520? My preference would be to buy from my LBS and I'm not sure what features I might miss if I bought the discontinued 510.


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## Oh My Sack! (Aug 21, 2006)

Never used a 510 but much more than I expected, I'm really diggin' the Strava Live Segment aspect of the 520 for training motivation and I know the 510 does not have that. Just my .02


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Oh My Sack! said:


> Never used a 510 but much more than I expected, I'm really diggin' the Strava Live Segment aspect of the 520 for training motivation and I know the 510 does not have that. Just my .02


Yes it does. It was added in a firmware update. I just ordered a 520. I did not want the touch screen, to be honest. The 520 has more extras though. Garmin's compare tool can give you the skinny on the differences.


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## Oh My Sack! (Aug 21, 2006)

Well, whatdyaknow? Hadn't caught that.

And ditto on the touch screen. Not interested in that on the bike.


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## farfromovin (Apr 18, 2009)

Oh My Sack! said:


> I've read mostly complaints about the rubber case design so I didn't bother however, I bought the matte finish screen protector on Amazon (2 for $15) and the matte really helps when using in direct sunlight. I also found the factory "out front" mount as well as the smaller handlebar mount marginal as when your riding and need to press buttons, the mounts are not positive and allow for a lot of movement. I bought a BarFly out front set up for my road bike that also has a GoPro mount underneath and a BarFly shorty that swoops backwards from the bars and hovers over my short stem for the MTB. I almost went stem cap mount but decided I didn't want to have to remove multiple screws to get my stem loose. I assume the K-Edge locks the unit in with one way turning? Thats how the BarFly works and the detent are very positive and strong so the unit doesn't twist when actuating the buttons.


Yeah, the K Edge stem cap has the same style twist lock mount as the stock holder.


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## Oh My Sack! (Aug 21, 2006)

farfromovin said:


> Yeah, the K Edge stem cap has the same style twist lock mount as the stock holder.


Is it "one-way" twist-lock? The BarFly only allows 90° of twist in one direction where the Garmin mount, you can spin the unit 360° in either direction with the detents holding it in its place.


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## andersonsmog (Oct 21, 2015)

So maybe this question has been asked before, but is it possible to add the maps from say, trail forks, to the navigation side of the edge? I just deleted the base maps and added open maps but I am using it for more of trail riding and it would be cool if I could see the trail I am on, or will starve segments show me that?


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

andersonsmog said:


> So maybe this question has been asked before, but is it possible to add the maps from say, trail forks, to the navigation side of the edge? I just deleted the base maps and added open maps but I am using it for more of trail riding and it would be cool if I could see the trail I am on, or will starve segments show me that?


No and yes.

Directly? no. But there are ways to convert trail networks from just about any format into the format necessary for Garmin's basemap. gpsfiledepot.com is one resource that has already-prepared maps that would take less work than converting trailforks' maps. gpx2img will also be a useful program for you if this is what you're looking to do.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Just took home an Edge 520 this afternoon and went through setting up profiles for road, mtn, and indoor, as well as connecting all the sensors I will be using, data screens, and all that. Now giving the device a good first charge.

I've been resisting a purchase of a more recent Garmin Edge because I am not a fan of the ever-decreasing battery life. That said, I also wanted the improvement in accuracy of GPS+GLONASS. I've started using Courses for road rides, and the bryton rider 310 I have doesn't do navigation at all. Plus it has a couple of quirks that baffle me. The Forerunner 310XT I've been using can handle Courses, but the ANT+ uploading to the computer is SOOOOO SLOW when I'm trying to upload a big ride, that it's rather frustrating. And to put a course onto the device, there's pretty much only one way, and that's through Garmin Training Center. And because of the ANT+ business, I've constantly gotta enable/disable ANT Agent and Garmin Express because they don't play nice together, and neither really does the same thing anymore.

The Edge 520 gives me most of what I want and offers a little bit of mapping capability, to boot.

I wanted to like the Edge 1000 because it can actually handle routing on its maps...but it's just so damn huge. I like the size of the Edge 520. Plus, I like that Garmin took away the touch screen and gave it a bunch of physical buttons. Physical buttons are a PITA for more complex functions, but I learned with my Oregon (as well as with my phone) that a touch screen on the bike can be an even bigger PITA when you bump the screen, when you're wearing full-fingered gloves, or if there's rain on the screen.

My first ride with the Edge 520 will probably be my commute tomorrow. That's assuming the storms in the forecast are spotty enough that I can dodge them on my 10min commute home. I'll have a handful of short commutes over the next couple of weeks.

After that, I'll probably get at least one ride, maybe two, on the mtb over Memorial Day weekend. Then I've got a road century that's essentially only marked with Dan Henrys on the pavement the following weekend.


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## andersonsmog (Oct 21, 2015)

I think I read somewhere that you can turn up how many times the edge 520 samples(waypoints) to improve the gps accuracy, has anybody had any luck doing that?


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

andersonsmog said:


> I think I read somewhere that you can turn up how many times the edge 520 samples(waypoints) to improve the gps accuracy, has anybody had any luck doing that?


you are given the choice of "smart" sampling, or 1sec recording. it's easy. just a setting.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

For what it's worth, I just put some topo maps on my Edge 520 using the same basic procedure listed on Post #49

I started out with a somewhat small area where the majority of my rides take place. It covers about 12 counties in Indiana, with parts from several others. It's not a huge area, but plenty big enough for most of my riding. The file was about half the size of the preloaded basemap, so I could easily go much bigger.

I used maps from www.gpsfiledepot.com. I loaded a pair of maps, layered. I used the topo map for my state, as well as the MyTrails layer, which allows me to load a bunch of actual mtb trail maps onto the device.

I've tried this with both Garmin Mapsource as well as Basecamp. The procedure for loading maps is a little different for either one, but one quirk is the same, and is absolutely essential. You can't just "save" the maps as an .img file onto your hard drive. The programs won't let you. To get the .img file format you NEED to rename gmapbmap.img for the Edge 520, you have to "Transfer" the maps to your device. Neither of these programs will let you save those maps directly to the Edge 520, however. The only way this will work is to have a memory card loaded into a card reader. Mapsource and Basecamp WILL load maps onto a memory card. I had just a regular SD card loaded into a reader from transferring some photos, and discovered this quirk quite by accident.

Mapsource and Basecamp will create a "garmin" folder on your memory card and put the maps into gmapsupp.img within that folder. What I have done is create a folder on my PC named "Edge 520 maps" so I can keep stuff somewhat organized. Within that folder, I have a folder entitled "original basemap backup" as well as folders for each mapset I create to install on the device. That way, I can handle multiple files titled "gmapsupp.img" and keep track of the areas that each one covers so if I want to load new areas, I can keep track of those areas later.

I'll be doing an 85mi ride around the city on Memorial Day as sort of my last training ride before my first century on June 4. That century will probably be around 104mi +/- in western Ohio, and I'll be doing this same procedure for that area so I can have map coverage in case I make a wrong turn, as this century will be marked on the roads with Dan Henry markings only. I actually have a course file for guidance for the 85 mile route this weekend.

Rides like this are the main reason I got the Edge 520. The Edge 1000 was slightly more attractive for these kinds of rides due to its ability to do its own routing based on its own map data, but I couldn't get over the size. I am happy with plotting a ride beforehand and loading it into the GPS. I like how RideWithGPS provides turn-by-turn notifications embedded into course files you create there.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

Harold said:


> I'll be doing an 85mi ride around the city on Memorial Day as sort of my last training ride before my first century on June 4. That century will probably be around 104mi +/- in western Ohio, and I'll be doing this same procedure for that area so I can have map coverage in case I make a wrong turn, as this century will be marked on the roads with Dan Henry markings only. I actually have a course file for guidance for the 85 mile route this weekend.
> 
> Rides like this are the main reason I got the Edge 520. The Edge 1000 was slightly more attractive for these kinds of rides due to its ability to do its own routing based on its own map data, but I couldn't get over the size. I am happy with plotting a ride beforehand and loading it into the GPS. I like how RideWithGPS provides turn-by-turn notifications embedded into course files you create there.


If you're doing a 104 mile course I'd consider splitting it into smaller sections, 3 x 34 mile courses perhaps. That way once you reach the end of a course you just load up the next one. It saves the hassle of if something wrong with the long course (such as going offcourse and then the Garmin Edge 520 losing the route) having to reload it, and then wait as it advances through every single step to reach where you are. Out and back courses in particular seem to work better when split into halves to avoid confusing the Garmin.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

WR304 said:


> If you're doing a 104 mile course I'd consider splitting it into smaller sections, 3 x 34 mile courses perhaps. That way once you reach the end of a course you just load up the next one. It saves the hassle of if something wrong with the long course (such as going offcourse and then the Garmin Edge 520 losing the route) having to reload it, and then wait as it advances through every single step to reach where you are. Out and back courses in particular seem to work better when split into halves to avoid confusing the Garmin.


I'm doing an 85mi course, but the 104mi ride will just be paint markings on the pavement.

The 85miler is just here in town, so I'm not terribly concerned about losing the course or anything. If there's a problem, regardless of where I am, I know how to get back to where I'm parking/starting and I've got a pretty good idea of how to roughly keep going where I need to go (I have loaded reasonably good maps).

I did a 60+ mile course on my Forerunner 310XT awhile back, and it followed it like a champ. Even when I had to detour from the planned course due to construction, it picked it right up when I got back on it. I'm not concerned with the Edge 520 in that regard. Since I have actual map data, I'll have a better idea of what's going on if I need to detour.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

FWIW, the Edge 520 followed the 85mi Course like a champ. Other riders were following the same course with different Garmins, and apparently they weren't getting turn notifications early as I was.

Either way, the Course worked great. Not a single wrong turn, and only once did I zone out and ignore the warnings of an upcoming turn. Caught it just in time. Used just under half the battery in 7hrs, with speed, cad, and HR sensors running, but BT off.

This was the course I followed.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/13991811

And this was the ride.

https://www.strava.com/activities/593151749


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## Jukas (Mar 30, 2016)

Just got a Garmin 520 delivered from Amazon today, with heartrate/cadence/speed bundle. Fairly immediate frustration right out of the box.. I had to reset all three of the ant+ sensors by pulling the batter, then putting it in backwards for about 30 seconds and then reinstalling it before the Garmin would see them. Only took me about 45 min of searching the internet to find that 

Now running into an issue where if I start a right, then stop the ride, I can go through the menu and tell it to 'delete ride' and I nagivate to ok on the confirmation prompt and press button 7 and it doesn't do a damn thing. The only way to resolve it is to save the ride, then go into Garmin connect and delete it there.

I haven't even had a ride with this thing yet and I'm already debating sending it back.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

Jukas said:


> Now running into an issue where if I start a right, then stop the ride, I can go through the menu and tell it to 'delete ride' and I nagivate to ok on the confirmation prompt and press button 7 and it doesn't do a damn thing. The only way to resolve it is to save the ride, then go into Garmin connect and delete it there.


If you start a ride, and don't want to save it, Press the Stop button again, in order to bring up the Pause menu. On the Pause menu below "Save Ride" is "Discard Ride". If you select this and press OK it will clear the ride without saving it.

If you have saved the ride, and then want to delete it from the Ride screen go Menu - History - Rides - Press Enter on Delete at the top of the screen, then tick the rides you want to delete before selecting Delete Ride and Ok at the top of the screen to delete.

If you have the Garmin Edge 520 connected to a computer by USB it will be viewable as a removable drive. You can browse to \Garmin\Activities and manually delete any of the historic .fit files that are in the folder. I usually clear them out every month or so.


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## Jukas (Mar 30, 2016)

WR304 said:


> If you start a ride, and don't want to save it, Press the Stop button again, in order to bring up the Pause menu. On the Pause menu below "Save Ride" is "Discard Ride". If you select this and press OK it will clear the ride without saving it.


See, that's the thing if you look at my post. When I start a ride by accident I stop the ride and can navigate to the 'delete ride' option in the pause menu but when I press Ok nothing happens. I quite literally *have to* save the ride to be able to get out of the ride as delete does not work.

To be sure I'm using the proper buttons, I start/pause the ride via button 5 (bottom right) and I use button 7 (right side top) for ok. Those are the right buttons per the manual so it seems like deleting/discarding the ride without saving should work, but doesn't.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

have you updated the firmware yet?


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

Jukas said:


> See, that's the thing if you look at my post. When I start a ride by accident I stop the ride and can navigate to the 'delete ride' option in the pause menu but when I press Ok nothing happens. I quite literally *have to* save the ride to be able to get out of the ride as delete does not work.
> 
> To be sure I'm using the proper buttons, I start/pause the ride via button 5 (bottom right) and I use button 7 (right side top) for ok. Those are the right buttons per the manual so it seems like deleting/discarding the ride without saving should work, but doesn't.


There's something wrong with your Garmin. On my Garmin Edge 520 "Discard Ride" and the keypresses described above will clear the ride every time.

It might be worth trying a factory reset of the Garmin Edge 520 to see if that will cure it.


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## Oh My Sack! (Aug 21, 2006)

Harold said:


> have you updated the firmware yet?


This^^

You should be at v6.0, IIRC. I bought mine just a few weeks ago and it updated immediately to v6.0. This is a good start.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Oh My Sack! said:


> This^^
> 
> You should be at v6.0, IIRC. I bought mine just a few weeks ago and it updated immediately to v6.0. This is a good start.


Charging it and updating the firmware should be done long before playing around with creating and attempting to discard ride files. Also thorough setup of bike and ride profiles (beyond the quick start questions). IIRC, it took about an hour for me to go through EVERYTHING when I set up my own Edge 520. It wasn't until after that, that I ever pressed the start button for a ride.


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## scottg (Mar 30, 2004)

WR304 said:


> If you have the Garmin Edge 520 connected to a computer by USB it will be viewable as a removable drive. You can browse to \Garmin\Activities and manually delete any of the historic .fit files that are in the folder. I usually clear them out every month or so.


I did not know this. What happens if you don't clear them periodically? I guess I just assumed that they automatically deleted once uploaded to Connect. I have the 510, but it appears that it works the same in this regard.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

scottg said:


> I did not know this. What happens if you don't clear them periodically? I guess I just assumed that they automatically deleted once uploaded to Connect. I have the 510, but it appears that it works the same in this regard.


You will eventually fill up the device's memory. It will start acting funny as you approach its storage limits. You can clear the history on the device itself, but it's easier to clear it out by navigating it as a USB drive.


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## Jukas (Mar 30, 2016)

Harold said:


> Charging it and updating the firmware should be done long before playing around with creating and attempting to discard ride files. Also thorough setup of bike and ride profiles (beyond the quick start questions). IIRC, it took about an hour for me to go through EVERYTHING when I set up my own Edge 520. It wasn't until after that, that I ever pressed the start button for a ride.


Sorry if this is a basic or redunant question, but how do you update the firmware? It didn't come with a disc, and the quick documentation that came with it doesn't mention anything about firmware unless some doco is missing. I almost wonder if mine was a re-packaged return, cause while all the bits and pieces are there, there's almost zero documentation.


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## Oh My Sack! (Aug 21, 2006)

Jukas said:


> Sorry if this is a basic or redunant question, but how do you update the firmware? It didn't come with a disc, and the quick documentation that came with it doesn't mention anything about firmware unless some doco is missing. I almost wonder if mine was a re-packaged return, cause while all the bits and pieces are there, there's almost zero documentation.


There is not much documentation that comes with it. You need to download Garmin Express to your computer. This is the link between Garmin Connect and your 520. If there are updates available, they will be listed and will Sync when you make the connection to your computer and tell it to sync.


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## bigdrunk (Feb 21, 2004)

Loving the 520 so far. I purchased the bundle and everything is working great so far. The menus are pretty well laid out. Just today I was kind of surprised to have the 520 prompt me for the 6.2 firmware update wirelessly.


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## Psycho1 (Aug 26, 2014)

I recently purchased the 520 set also. This little computer does more than I could ever use. So much better than Strava on my phone.


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## bigdrunk (Feb 21, 2004)

I have a 12 day MTB vacation planned at the end of the month. I already updated the base maps and uploaded the GPX files for all the trails I want to ride. I get the feeling the 520 will pay for itself just on my upcoming trip.


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## NordieBoy (Sep 26, 2004)

Remember to take a charger...


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## thecanoe (Jan 30, 2007)

Jukas said:


> See, that's the thing if you look at my post. When I start a ride by accident I stop the ride and can navigate to the 'delete ride' option in the pause menu but when I press Ok nothing happens. I quite literally *have to* save the ride to be able to get out of the ride as delete does not work.
> 
> To be sure I'm using the proper buttons, I start/pause the ride via button 5 (bottom right) and I use button 7 (right side top) for ok. Those are the right buttons per the manual so it seems like deleting/discarding the ride without saving should work, but doesn't.


Make sure you are ar towing down the blue highlighted area to DISCARD RIDE. THEN PRESS OK. I was making this mistake at first.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## Oh My Sack! (Aug 21, 2006)

Got my v6.2 update today. I need to read about what changes were made.


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## bbqmike (Jan 5, 2016)

Oh My Sack! said:


> Got my v6.2 update today. I need to read about what changes were made.


Garmin: Edge 520 Updates & Downloads

I saw the update but decided none of those updates matter and since mine is working well, I'll wait a few weeks and make sure no one reports any bugs.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

bbqmike said:


> Garmin: Edge 520 Updates & Downloads
> 
> I saw the update but decided none of those updates matter and since mine is working well, I'll wait a few weeks and make sure no one reports any bugs.


I just installed that one. I decided to go for it because it'll be nice to set the "ride type" and have it transfer over to Garmin Connect...once Garmin updates Connect to allow the "commute" ride type to transfer over at least. The rest of it is not relevant for my uses.


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## OldAZGoat (Mar 25, 2016)

bbqmike said:


> Garmin: Edge 520 Updates & Downloads
> 
> I saw the update but decided none of those updates matter and since mine is working well, I'll wait a few weeks and make sure no one reports any bugs.


I Just got my 520 last week. Updated to 6.2 before my last ride and everything seems to be working perfectly. It didn't delete/alter my profiles and doesn't look like it changed/messed with any other settings or functions.


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## michael9218 (Dec 17, 2006)

Has anyone else found a problem when uploading a new base map since updating to 6.2? I've use planet.osm to give me a better detailed map of my area. I just tried uploading a new map for an out of state ride and am getting the error "cannot unlock map". The custom base map that was on the unit when I updated to 6.2 is working fine.

Update:
It appears to be an issue with the planet.osm site. I went to the openstreetmap site and downloaded a map and it's working. So I'm not sure if something changed on the planet.osm site or if there is a new incompatibility.


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## Krypt0n1te (Apr 19, 2016)

Does anyone know if they will ever update the 520 to allow us to have "time ahead" and "distance left" as a data field input to run together with something like cadence and power? 

Sent from my SM-N910F using Tapatalk


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Krypt0n1te said:


> Does anyone know if they will ever update the 520 to allow us to have "time ahead" and "distance left" as a data field input to run together with something like cadence and power?
> 
> Sent from my SM-N910F using Tapatalk


Why would any of us know? Would be better to ask Garmin that question. Are you talking about fields related to workouts and/or targets?


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## GJHS (Jul 10, 2013)

Just got my Edge 520 two weeks ago and I'm really liking it. A ton of info on this thread, making setup and learning easy. Thanks guys


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## Krypt0n1te (Apr 19, 2016)

Harold said:


> Why would any of us know? Would be better to ask Garmin that question. Are you talking about fields related to workouts and/or targets?


I merely asked since I have no experience with previous Garmin devices. I know many of them were upgraded to be able to do this, but since day 1 Garmin will not say a word on this. It's been posted in the Garmin forums as well as Feature request forum. Sorry if the word "ever" in my question offended you.

When you are doing a live Strava segment on your Garmin it shows you the time you are ahead or behind and it also shows you how far you still need to go before the segment is done.

Many of us don't want the live map but would rather have "time ahead/behind" and "distance left" on a normal ride screen.

Thus create a screen with...
Data Field 1 = Cadence
Data Field 2 = Heart rate or Power data if you have a power meter
Data Field 3 = Time ahead/behind
Data Field 4 = Distance Left


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Krypt0n1te said:


> I merely asked since I have no experience with previous Garmin devices. I know many of them were upgraded to be able to do this, but since day 1 Garmin will not say a word on this. It's been posted in the Garmin forums as well as Feature request forum. Sorry if the word "ever" in my question offended you.
> 
> When you are doing a live Strava segment on your Garmin it shows you the time you are ahead or behind and it also shows you how far you still need to go before the segment is done.
> 
> Many of us don't want the live map but would rather have "time ahead/behind" and "distance left" on a normal ride screen.


Oh, it's a live segments field. Meh. I don't use that feature, but I see how it would be useful for those who do.

I don't see how it could be construed that I took offense to anything. I'm just a little baffled how you thought it was worth your time to ask the peanut gallery on mtbr whether Garmin had any plans to add a feature via a firmware update, when it is now clear that you KNOW that Garmin has been asked for this feature already and is mum on the topic.


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## cyclism00 (Nov 25, 2014)

Has anyone been able to use planet.osm in the last week? I just bought a 520 and it updated to 6.2, but won't take the map. @michael9218, do you have any updates to this as an issue?

Thanks.

Edit- I found an answer on the Gamin forums. Someone posted to use - Garmin OSM (ASCII) format. I'm not quite sure what all of the formats are for, but that one did work on the 6.2 FW.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

cyclism00 said:


> Has anyone been able to use openstreetmap in the last week? I just bought a 520 and it updated to 6.2, but won't take the map. @michael9218, do you have any updates to this as an issue?
> 
> Thanks.


I really prefer having topos in mine for mtb. I'm on 6.2 and loaded a new mapset last night that worked today. Though I will say that it seems to have been loading MUCH slower than previous mapsets. Not sure what that was about.


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## cyclism00 (Nov 25, 2014)

*520 issue erratic recordings*

Issue I'm having with my new 520 and 6.2 firmware.
On 2 different occasions now while tracking MTB segments with long loops, one of the loops gets thrown completely out of whack. For example, each loop might be about 6 - 7 miles, some odd reason one of the loop segments, I notices the Garmin saying GPS signal loss, then it keeps recording. When I check my ride, 2 of the loops record perfectly out of the 3, but one will have me riding in the ocean near the trail, it will show zig-zag lines and the entire recording is wrong. I do use a Garmin Wheel speed sensor and have the tracking set to 1 sec intervals. This happens on both smart/1sec interval recordings. I didn't have any issues like this with my 800 doing the same trails.

The circled areas in the 2 pictures are the "bugged" sections.

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1220284532

Any ideas or suggestions?

Thanks.


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## Oh My Sack! (Aug 21, 2006)

If your losing GPS signal and then regaining it after a significant period of time, the unit is going to paint some odd tracks like you're seeing. Are you running GPS & Glonass or just GPS? On my road bike profile, I roll with just GPS since I'm not in tree covered or steep canyon areas. On the MTB Profile, I go with both. Maybe that is part of your problem.


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## cyclism00 (Nov 25, 2014)

The signal drops for a brief second, that's it. I'm running both GPS&Glonass. I do ride both (mtb/road), I have not seen this happen yet with my road rides.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

What does the location look like? You post screen shots rather than links to activities, so we can't toggle between basemap layers to look at forest cover or terrain or anything like that. Can't see what your latitude is, either. All of those things are relevant details.

It's possible that there's a reception issue, but where you are is probably more relevant. It's entirely possible that it's a satellite coverage issue and not related to the firmware at all.

I'm on firmware 6.2 on my Edge 520 and have had no such troubles with recording. My rides lately have been in Indiana. Some in flatter parts of the state, and others in hillier areas with pretty steep, thickly forested ravines that are challenging conditions for a GPS.

I do sometimes ride in one park that for whatever reason I haven't yet identified, is where I wind up with the least accurate GPS tracks and I did ride there last week and one lap was a bit off. This has occurred over multiple devices, so the device isn't the problem there. Something else is going on.


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## GJHS (Jul 10, 2013)

I have been testing mine out now for a month, and I am impressed with this little computer. It's pretty versatile, I've used it for mapping my bike rides, in the car to follow a preloaded course, attached it to my belt to track my runs and even attached it my electric unicycle to record speed data. Next to take it hiking and see how it does tracking a course.









The LiveTrack feature works great and is a cool way to share your ride or run, especially for me since my wife is out of the country. The Garmin Connect app is great, showing you all the info you need. I like how you can see on the map where you were at each speed and elevation. What I don't like though is the battery usage of the Android app. I tried to Greenify it and it just wakes right back up, there seems no way to get the app to sleep when not in use. I have been deleting the app off my phone and loading it again when I want to use Live Tracking and all my rides then automatically upload to Connect.

Accuracy has also been good so far, better some days. If you follow it on the 520 itself while riding it will be a few feet off which is normal. The one feature that hasn't worked well for me is the elevation. It usually shows me gaining more altitude than possible here in this flat place. I blame this partially on me since you can set the correct altitude when you start your ride, I just always forget.

I got mine from Gearbest.com. They are having a sale on both Garmin bike computers. The Edge 1000 is just too much for my need and too big. If anyone is interested the coupon for the 520 is "garmin520" - $264.99 and the 100 is "garmin1000" - $479.99

I've been looking to pick up a GPS watch as well, though so far the Edge is tracking well. I need to see if I can set a running profile since all my runs come up as biking.


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## jacksonlui (Aug 15, 2015)

I turn on livetrack when I'm ready to descend since I ride alone. Love that feature 

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

You have to understand how a barometric altimeter works. It's probably more accurate than you think it is, but it will "drift" over time. For example, yesterday part of my ride involved an out-and-back section. On the way out, the high point was recorded as 1,066ft. On the way back, it was 1,091ft. This is an inherent limitation of all barometric altimeters and there are only a couple of ways to correct for it. The main one would be to do manual altimeter calibrations every few hours. That's a pain in the f'ing a$$. IIRC, Garmin uses another method, which is to use GPS elevation for calibrations. That method isn't perfect, but it DOES limit the extent to which barometric drift affects altimeter measurements. On a 7hr ride like I did yesterday, I've seen readings from devices that didn't do auto calibrations vary by a LOT more than just 25ft.


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## GJHS (Jul 10, 2013)

Harold said:


> You have to understand how a barometric altimeter works. It's probably more accurate than you think it is, but it will "drift" over time. For example, yesterday part of my ride involved an out-and-back section. On the way out, the high point was recorded as 1,066ft. On the way back, it was 1,091ft. This is an inherent limitation of all barometric altimeters and there are only a couple of ways to correct for it. The main one would be to do manual altimeter calibrations every few hours. That's a pain in the f'ing a$$. IIRC, Garmin uses another method, which is to use GPS elevation for calibrations. That method isn't perfect, but it DOES limit the extent to which barometric drift affects altimeter measurements. On a 7hr ride like I did yesterday, I've seen readings from devices that didn't do auto calibrations vary by a LOT more than just 25ft.


Cool, thanks Harold


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## TwoTone (Jul 5, 2011)

jacksonlui said:


> I turn on livetrack when I'm ready to descend since I ride alone. Love that feature
> 
> Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


I work from home so ride at lunch alone. It's a great feature for me, turn it on, my wife can keep an eye on me, she knows if I'm motionless for a long time, something isn't right.


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## GJHS (Jul 10, 2013)

Anyone, besides me, use it to draw pictures along your Livetrack ride? My wife watches my ride closely for them.


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## bigdrunk (Feb 21, 2004)

I put my 520 to the test yesterday with a 6 hour journey through dense forest and heavy snow drifts. Keeping on the trail was impossible without a GPS. My only knock on the 520 is I wish it refreshed the screen a lot faster. I had the screen zoomed into 150'. 
I constantly head in the wrong direction when hike-a-biking through snow. The battery held pretty well too! Other bad thing is my wife put my heart rate monitor in the wash. Not sure it survived.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Zooming any GPS that far is going to be of limited usefulness, regardless of how fast it refreshes the screen. I have to wonder if you should figure out a different strategy for navigating snow-covered trails. Where are you that you were encountering these conditions in late June? 

Though I do agree that it could refresh faster when navigating a course. I notice it when I'm approaching the edge of map tiles, particularly.


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## bigdrunk (Feb 21, 2004)

It was useful, believe me. I kept having to zoom in to the point to where I could pick keep with the trail. I was riding higher elevation in Bend.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

bigdrunk said:


> It was useful, believe me. I kept having to zoom in to the point to where I could pick keep with the trail. I was riding higher elevation in Bend.


My point is that other methods might work better. One option might be the compass screen, for example.


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## GJHS (Jul 10, 2013)

To update my previous post about the 520, you can change activities using Garmin connect. The Edge posts them as cycling by default, you can edit it to running and it will then show it in the running section and update the data.


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## Scott McIntyre (Oct 29, 2015)

WR304 said:


> The Garmin Edge 520 bundle comes with a Garmin accelerometer based cadence sensor. It's Ant+ only and only works when connected to a crank.
> 
> The Wahoo RPM cadence sensor is a nice alternative, especially if you want to have cadence on multiple bikes. It transmits dual Ant+/ Bluetooth and pairs straight away with a Garmin Edge 520 via Ant+.
> 
> ...


How is the Wahoo RPM cadence sensor working out with rough technical trails? I was concerned the builtin accelerometer would capture false data as you bounce over rocks / roots / jumps / etc. Same with the Wahoo RPM speed sensor.

I currently have the Wahoo Blue SC speed & cadence sensor which uses traditional magnets, but am afraid the unit will get knocked off / lost. Maybe need to rig up a tether for it.


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## michael9218 (Dec 17, 2006)

*Tracking issues may be a quality control issue...*

I wanted to provide an update to the problems I have been having with the Edge 520 and the tracking errors I was getting when mountain biking. The problem rarely was evident on road rides.

Back story; I received my first 520 in September after having issues with 2 Edge 500 units. Edge 520 randomly had tracking errors as well. After talking to Garmin and trying a few things, they sent me a new unit in January. New unit immediately had problems. After much discussion with Garmin Tech Support, including sending them the files on my unit and examples of my friends with no issues, they conceded that there was nothing else they could believe was causing the issues so they sent me yet another unit, though they said they were in disbelief that I could have 2 units be faulty.

I took the new unit on a ride this morning mounted side by side with the older unit (well actually, older unit on out front mount and new unit on stem mount). You can see from the snap shot of the ride that the older unit fails while the new unit does just fine.

It is my opinion that Garmin has a quality control issue with this unit. I'm seeing more and more people post this frustration. If you are having issue, consider that you may have a defective unit and contact Garmin.

New unit:








Older unit:


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## KingShine (Mar 17, 2015)

Hello!

I am quite new at this garmin thing... Just bought a Edge 520, i have read half of this thread and i got to ask: Is there any problem if i use the same speed/cadence sensor on 2 bike, but with different activity profile?


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## michael9218 (Dec 17, 2006)

KingShine said:


> Hello!
> 
> I am quite new at this garmin thing... Just bought a Edge 520, i have read half of this thread and i got to ask: Is there any problem if i use the same speed/cadence sensor on 2 bike, but with different activity profile?


No problem at all. In fact you don't set up the sensors in the activity profiles. You can set up as many as you like and then use them on any profile you like. When you start a ride it "finds" the sensor and begins reading it.


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## KingShine (Mar 17, 2015)

Thank you!


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## Klaser (Jul 13, 2016)

Hi,
Long time reader of this forum but just registered now, I have a question for the experts here.
How the edge 520 manages with speed sensor in outside, I mean when you have GPS signal the unit take account of data from sensor,just GPS sigal,or both ?
I made a test trying to stop suddenly and see if the speed data change right away to 0,but I still have a lag of about 2seconds,but I dont know if it is because the edge only use GPS signal outside or the lag in the sensor also take place..
Tank you


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

The screen display follows the wheel sensor. If you were to lock up the back wheel and slide down a snowy road, the 520 would register 0 mph. The tracklog, however, will log the continuing movement of the bike.


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## KingShine (Mar 17, 2015)

First ride with Edge 520 done.
Some impressions:

1. Baterry life: Had HR, Cadence and speed sensor on, Bluetooth with my phone connected, GPS+Glonass on, light at 0% and got home after 2 hours with 90% battery ( from 100%).
2. Please explain me this: On the unit, it shows that my average cadence was 80. After i synced with the app, on the phone and on Garmin Connect ( web ) it shows 71 average cadence. Funny part is that on strava is shows 81 ( like on the unit ). How is this possible? Is there any solving?
3. Same thing with Calories. On the unit and on Garmin Connect it shows 1550 Calories but on strava it shows 877.

Despite all this, i am very satisfied with edge 520. The open map that i have installed is more that i could have asked.


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## blkangel (Aug 8, 2014)

KingShine said:


> First ride with Edge 520 done.
> Some impressions:
> 
> 1. Baterry life: Had HR, Cadence and speed sensor on, Bluetooth with my phone connected, GPS+Glonass on, light at 0% and got home after 2 hours with 90% battery ( from 100%).
> ...


As far as calories go, Strava and Garvin calculate calorie burn differently. When you sync, calories do not sync to Strava, they are calculated using Strava''s algorithm.


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## KingShine (Mar 17, 2015)

Also i am having a hard time setting my Heart Rate Zones in Garmin Connect. I did the test ( Heart Rate Training Zone Calculator - Argonaut Cycle Coaching ) and got 159 Avg HR on second 10 min TT lap. Got my zones from the calculator but i'm stuck at adding the values in Garmin Connect. Can someone help?

Thx in advance


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## NordieBoy (Sep 26, 2004)

KingShine said:


> 2. Please explain me this: On the unit, it shows that my average cadence was 80. After i synced with the app, on the phone and on Garmin Connect ( web ) it shows 71 average cadence. Funny part is that on strava is shows 81 ( like on the unit ). How is this possible? Is there any solving?


Connect could be including non-pedaling time into the cadance average.


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## jacksonlui (Aug 15, 2015)

Is there way to set a reminder alarm to beep every 45m to take a salt capsule and eat?

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


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## Klaser (Jul 13, 2016)

Under your activity profile,go to alerts than time alert and set it to 45minutes...just simple as that


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## twobigwheels (Nov 24, 2014)

KingShine said:


> First ride with Edge 520 done.
> Some impressions:
> 
> 1. Baterry life: Had HR, Cadence and speed sensor on, Bluetooth with my phone connected, GPS+Glonass on, light at 0% and got home after 2 hours with 90% battery ( from 100%).
> ...


2) Is one app calculating "No Pedaling" into average (there are options in my 520)

3) Without Power Meter, you are only guessing with calorie burn, even with PM while MTB'ing it is not taking into consideration effort put forth besides pedaling


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## twobigwheels (Nov 24, 2014)

jacksonlui said:


> Is there way to set a reminder alarm to beep every 45m to take a salt capsule and eat?
> 
> Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


Off topic, but.
Is there a reason you would want to take a salt capsule while riding?


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## jacksonlui (Aug 15, 2015)

Klaser said:


> Under your activity profile,go to alerts than time alert and set it to 45minutes...just simple as that


Cool. Thx

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


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## jacksonlui (Aug 15, 2015)

twobigwheels said:


> Off topic, but.
> Is there a reason you would want to take a salt capsule while riding?


For electrolytes. Don't you use something to replenish your electrolytes? It's actually called salts icky. Not really just salt. Has a mix of sodium, magnesium, potassium, calcium, etc.. I forget what other " ..iums" they have in there.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


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## jacksonlui (Aug 15, 2015)

Autocorrect: Saltsticks

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


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## twobigwheels (Nov 24, 2014)

jacksonlui said:


> Don't you use something to replenish your electrolytes?
> 
> Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


No I don't. See 7th paragraph down in link.

"During exercise, as fluid is lost through sweating and in other ways, the _concentration_ of sodium in the body actually increases. The reason is because much more fluid is lost than sodium. One might lose around a liter of water during exercise but only lose a small amount of sodium in sweat."

"So your sodium becomes more concentrated during exercise as you sweat, not less as we've been led to believe. In other words, you don't need to replace lost sodium during exercise because the loss is inconsequential while the volume of water lost is significant."
Joe Friel

http://www.trainingbible.com/joesblog/2008/09/hydration-and-exercise-part-2.html


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## twobigwheels (Nov 24, 2014)

michael9218 said:


> I wanted to provide an update to the problems I have been having with the Edge 520 and the tracking errors I was getting when mountain biking. The problem rarely was evident on road rides.
> 
> Back story; I received my first 520 in September after having issues with 2 Edge 500 units. Edge 520 randomly had tracking errors as well. After talking to Garmin and trying a few things, they sent me a new unit in January. New unit immediately had problems. After much discussion with Garmin Tech Support, including sending them the files on my unit and examples of my friends with no issues, they conceded that there was nothing else they could believe was causing the issues so they sent me yet another unit, though they said they were in disbelief that I could have 2 units be faulty.
> 
> ...


I am having tracking problems with my 520.

Taking it out tomorrow after making some changes - new battery in Speed Sensor and Garmin recommended cleaning out history of rides and re-syncing attached devices. I am having tracking problem with two Different 520's when paired to a Stages Power Meter.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

twobigwheels said:


> No I don't. See 7th paragraph down in link.
> 
> "During exercise, as fluid is lost through sweating and in other ways, the _concentration_ of sodium in the body actually increases. The reason is because much more fluid is lost than sodium. One might lose around a liter of water during exercise but only lose a small amount of sodium in sweat."
> 
> ...


So multiple things are going on during exercise. You lose water AND electrolytes in sweat. Hydrating well DILUTES the remaining salts in your body unless you are able to recover what you sweat out. Lick your arms, maybe? Wear a plastic suit and drink your sweat?

I live and ride in a humid environment. Sweating does not cool you very well when the air is so wet already. So sweat volume increases because your body is still trying to cool itself. I go through more water when humidity is high than when it is low.

I also can tell you the very uncomfortable things that happen to my body when my electrolyte balance is off. Most relevant to riding, I get splitting headaches. They go away once I do something about my electrolytes. I am not sure which one (s) are low when I have headaches like that. It might be interesting to know. I do know that I get muscle tremors with low magnesium levels. I know this because I had to take prescription strength magnesium supplements because a side effect of medical treatment I received many years ago resulted in low magnesium. I seem to still have some lingering effects there because I occasionally still get those tremors.

Not everyone necessarily NEEDS heavy electrolyte supplementation because bodies and conditions vary widely. But low electrolytes CAN and DO happen to people and supplementing is not wrong. In fact, it can really save your bacon.

Hyponatremia IS a thing and it seems to hit endurance athletes more than othes. I typically choose supplements with lower sodium content, though. Lower sodium content works fine for me, and magnesium seems to be what I need to address most, anyway.

I started using supplements because I paid attention to my body, not because I read some articles on the internet that told me what I needed to do.


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## jacksonlui (Aug 15, 2015)

I seem to do better if I take care of my electrolytes every hr, especially in the heat otherwise I feel much more tired. Same reason why ppl drink sports drinks like Gatorade. Surprised if you're exercising and exerting yourself for several hrs you won't benefit from something like that. Maybe you're a monster and don't need stuff like this. I've tried both and replacing the calories burnt seems to help. I try to eat a little something and replenish electrolytes every hr. I drink about 2.5L of water every 2.5hrs.


Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

Scott McIntyre said:


> How is the Wahoo RPM cadence sensor working out with rough technical trails? I was concerned the builtin accelerometer would capture false data as you bounce over rocks / roots / jumps / etc. Same with the Wahoo RPM speed sensor.
> 
> I currently have the Wahoo Blue SC speed & cadence sensor which uses traditional magnets, but am afraid the unit will get knocked off / lost. Maybe need to rig up a tether for it.


The Wahoo RPM sensor was for my friend. I just had it to try out temporarily. He uses it on his road bike and tandem, rather than offroad. It seems to work better attached to a crank, rather than on a shoe mount, the data looks a bit cleaner on a crank but from the rides he's posted they're both mostly ok.

When it comes to mountain bikes and accelerometer based cadence there can be issues. I have a Power2Max Type S power meter on my current bike, which uses an accelerometer for cadence, and that's unflustered offroad. It just works without any unexpected readings.










A lot of it depends on the software and how sensitive it is though. Some accelerometer based sensors can give false readings offroad eg:

https://forums.mtbr.com/xc-racing-training/stages-power-meter-accelerometer-issues-983066.html


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

KingShine said:


> Hello!
> 
> I am quite new at this garmin thing... Just bought a Edge 520, i have read half of this thread and i got to ask: Is there any problem if i use the same speed/cadence sensor on 2 bike, but with different activity profile?


This depends on your settings in the Garmin. If you're using automatic wheel size then it can go on either bike and the wheel circumference will be set each time.

If you're using manual wheel size circumference settings, and the two bikes have different wheels/tyres you would need to remember to change the wheel circumference setting each time.

Of the two options you're usually better off measuring the wheel circumference for both bikes, writing them down, and then manually changing it under the sensor settings whenever you switch bikes. The Garmin automatic wheelsize setting can sometimes go wrong when calculating initially and cause issues. It only takes a few seconds to change the wheel circumference measurement manually in the settings.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

KingShine said:


> Also i am having a hard time setting my Heart Rate Zones in Garmin Connect. I did the test ( Heart Rate Training Zone Calculator - Argonaut Cycle Coaching ) and got 159 Avg HR on second 10 min TT lap. Got my zones from the calculator but i'm stuck at adding the values in Garmin Connect. Can someone help?
> 
> Thx in advance


When it comes to heart rate or power zones and Garmins the easiest way is to enter them manually in the device, rather than syncing them. If you're adding the values in Garmin Connect, start with the highest values, as that allows you to then move the lower values up and down to match as needed.

If you have too many zones make the highest ones far higher than you would use (eg: 240bpm+ ) so they just never register,


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

KingShine said:


> 2. Please explain me this: On the unit, it shows that my average cadence was 80. After i synced with the app, on the phone and on Garmin Connect ( web ) it shows 71 average cadence. Funny part is that on strava is shows 81 ( like on the unit ). How is this possible? Is there any solving?
> 3. Same thing with Calories. On the unit and on Garmin Connect it shows 1550 Calories but on strava it shows 877.


*Edit:* Apparently the cadence difference is due to a Garmin Edge 520 issue with selecting a different activity type when saving the ride before transferring it to Garmin Connect:

_"I did some research.
It is related to the new feature "Set Activity type" that was introduced in 6.03 BETA, and then in 6.20 official. If you select any sub-type of cycling, GC will not recognise the average cadence recorded in the FIT file, and compute its own with zeros included based on all the cadence values recorded. If you stick to the the original activity type "Cycling" everything is as before.
Conclusion: The fault is in GC, but is related to the new "Set avtivity type" feature in 6.20. I guess the problem is also present for Edge 1000.

Stig"_ *Stiivers*

https://forums.garmin.com/showthrea...om-that-on-Garmin-Connect&p=868987#post868987

---------------------

My original reply:

That's a bit of an odd one. I'd have expected it to be the other way round, a lower average cadence on the device and then a higher average cadence for Garmin Connect and Strava.

On the Garmin Edge 520 if you go Menu - Settings - System - Data Recording there are three settings Recording Interval, Cadence Averaging and Power Averaging.

These should be set to

Recording Interval - 1 sec
Cadence Averaging - "Do Not Include Zeros"
Power Averaging - "Include Zeros"

If you had Cadence averaging set to "Include Zeros" this would include the time spent freewheeling during the ride in your average cadence. This would give you a lower average cadence on the device. You usually want to have your cadence averaging display excluding freewheeling.

Strava (and I think Garmin Connect) recalculate the averages and always exclude freewheeling (the equivalent of using the "Do Not Include Zeros" setting) from the average cadence shown for your ride on the Strava website, which would give you the higher cadence figure.

When it comes to calorie differences this is down to two things - the user profile settings in different websites and also Strava and Garmin Connect using different methods to estimate calories burnt during rides. In general they're both likely to be inaccurate.

On Strava under settings make sure your weight is correct, and also go to My Gear and add a bike that is set to "mountain bike" as your default with a bike weight in. That might possibly help push the calories burnt estimate up.

On Garmin Connect under settings check your weight, heart rate zones and choose an activity level, probably a higher one. They feed into the calorie burnt estimate on Garmin Connect.

I wouldn't believe that either figure is particularly accurate though. They're only estimates and can frequently be wildly off.


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## KingShine (Mar 17, 2015)

WR304 said:


> This depends on your settings in the Garmin. If you're using automatic wheel size then it can go on either bike and the wheel circumference will be set each time.
> 
> If you're using manual wheel size circumference settings, and the two bikes have different wheels/tyres you would need to remember to change the wheel circumference setting each time.
> 
> Of the two options you're usually better off measuring the wheel circumference for both bikes, writing them down, and then manually changing it under the sensor settings whenever you switch bikes. The Garmin automatic wheelsize setting can sometimes go wrong when calculating initially and cause issues. It only takes a few seconds to change the wheel circumference measurement manually in the settings.


Thank you for this. Exactly the answer for my next question.


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## KingShine (Mar 17, 2015)

WR304 said:


> *Edit:* Apparently the cadence difference is due to a Garmin Edge 520 issue with selecting a different activity type when saving the ride before transferring it to Garmin Connect:
> 
> _"I did some research.
> It is related to the new feature "Set Activity type" that was introduced in 6.03 BETA, and then in 6.20 official. If you select any sub-type of cycling, GC will not recognise the average cadence recorded in the FIT file, and compute its own with zeros included based on all the cadence values recorded. If you stick to the the original activity type "Cycling" everything is as before.
> ...


In terms of cadence, i have the settings that u described, but seems that the unit itself and Strava displays the correct value, but the Garmin Connect gives a lower number.

For the Strava segments i have read a post from you ( from this topic ) that in order to ride a starred segment ( that is, let's say 10km away from my starting point ) i must select it from the menu, and navigate to the start of it. But, what happens with my ride before i get to the segment, and after i am done with it? How do i register those parts? Or since i hit the "Navigate to the start" it automatically starts recording?


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

KingShine said:


> In terms of cadence, i have the settings that u described, but seems that the unit itself and Strava displays the correct value, but the Garmin Connect gives a lower number.
> 
> For the Strava segments i have read a post from you ( from this topic ) that in order to ride a starred segment ( that is, let's say 10km away from my starting point ) i must select it from the menu, and navigate to the start of it. But, what happens with my ride before i get to the segment, and after i am done with it? How do i register those parts? Or since i hit the "Navigate to the start" it automatically starts recording?


The Garmin forums link above explains why the average cadence in Garmin Connect is wrong. It's a bug that needs fixing with the activity type setting. You should be able to work around it by changing the activity type to the default before saving the ride.

Strava Live segments only work if you aren't following a Course. The "Navigate to the start" message will only appear if you are following a Course so you won't have any Strava Live segments show in that ride.

If you don't have a Course loaded, but do have some Strava Live segments starred and enabled, then you would start recording your ride normally by pressing the Start button on the Garmin Edge 520. Ride to the start of the segment and it should automatically detect the approaching segment when you are close. At that point the screen should change to the Strava segment screen and a countdown begin before you start the segment properly.

The best way to test the Strava segments is to enable one that's close by so you can see what happens when you reach it without needing to travel very far.


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## twobigwheels (Nov 24, 2014)

Harold said:


> So multiple things are going on during exercise. You lose water AND electrolytes in sweat. Hydrating well DILUTES the remaining salts in your body unless you are able to recover what you sweat out. Lick your arms, maybe? Wear a plastic suit and drink your sweat?
> 
> I live and ride in a humid environment. Sweating does not cool you very well when the air is so wet already. So sweat volume increases because your body is still trying to cool itself. I go through more water when humidity is high than when it is low.
> 
> ...


Sounds like you have it under control with symptoms and a professional diagnosis.

My point was taking electrolytes blindly.


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## twobigwheels (Nov 24, 2014)

jacksonlui said:


> I seem to do better if I take care of my electrolytes every hr, especially in the heat otherwise I feel much more tired. Same reason why ppl drink sports drinks like Gatorade. Surprised if you're exercising and exerting yourself for several hrs you won't benefit from something like that. Maybe you're a monster and don't need stuff like this. I've tried both and replacing the calories burnt seems to help. I try to eat a little something and replenish electrolytes every hr. I drink about 2.5L of water every 2.5hrs.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


If you think electrolytes can be absorbed orally and help in 1 hour,,, OK.

I thought people drank Gatorade because of marketing.

Not a monster, just OG.

Yes, on calories. 1/2 cup Maltodextrin = 200 calories (from Bulkfoods.com) with 2 tbsp Orange Gatorade (2tbsp is recommended for 12oz of water) per 20oz bottle (1=color, so I know it's mixed. 2=flavor, Malto has no flavor or color).

Can't eat solids on mtb, I have a hard enough time taking one hand off the bar to grab my bottle while riding.

I usually end up drinking 3/4 to entire 20oz bottle per hour no matter what temp is.

If it works for you, great.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

twobigwheels said:


> If you think electrolytes can be absorbed orally and help in 1 hour,,, OK.
> 
> I thought people drank Gatorade because of marketing.


While it is true that digestion slows when exercising, the nice thing is that electrolytes are passively absorbed into your body. They don't need much active digestion. One benefit of electrolytes in drinks is that they are available sooner than the tablets that I tend to prefer.

Now, if only the Edge 520 could directly control an IV pump with an ideal mix of electrolytes for your specific needs and adjust it as you ride.


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## Varaxis (Mar 16, 2010)

Absorb orally? You mean like swooshing a solution in your mouth, without needing to swallow?

You being sarcastic about 1 hour thing, as if that's not likely?

Gatorade has some valid science behind it. The marketing claims are taken out of context though, and therefore can be misleading. They often conveniently leave out that the effects were noted when the athlete had being participating in strenuous activity for a prolonged period of time. Whoever believes it can offer a boost to their performance, is probably a sucker. Like most other drinks, it just stems the negative effects of exhaustion, and the context behind claims like the sports drinks giving extra power, is compared to power output when exhausted.


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## Le Duke (Mar 23, 2009)

There are multiple studies that have shown that just taking a sip of a sports drink, swooshing it around your mouth and spitting it out can have performance benefits.

I'd imagine actually swallowing it might be even better.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk


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## AustinBiker (Aug 29, 2008)

Varaxis said:


> Absorb orally? You mean like swooshing a solution in your mouth, without needing to swallow?
> 
> ...
> 
> Like most other drinks, it just stems the negative effects of exhaustion, and the context behind claims like the sports drinks giving extra power, is compared to power output when exhausted.


I'm an MD and cyclist with a huge interest in sports physiology. Sports nutrition is one of the biggest advantages today's athletes have over those of 10-20 years ago, and it gets better all the time. As you state, by 'stemming negative effects', sports drinks aid performance. Will they boost your VO2 Max or similar measures in the short term? Absolutely not. Will proper nutrition enhance recovery, allow you to train harder, and over time enhance many measures of fitness? Absolutely yes. Is Gatorade the 'best' sports drink out there? Perhaps for a small fraction of people. Most need more electrolytes than it offers.

LeDuke is correct. Sublingual absorption is far faster than gastric absorption, so swish and spit away... or swallow if you're the type 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## jacksonlui (Aug 15, 2015)

twobigwheels said:


> If you think electrolytes can be absorbed orally and help in 1 hour,,, OK.
> 
> I thought people drank Gatorade because of marketing.
> 
> ...


Yes I think I'm able to absorb it orally. I use to bonk when I first started riding with just water but I haven't bonked since taking care of my electrolytes. I take some dates as a way to add calories and it has some sugar too.

I'm glad Malto works for you. Sounds like a sugar high to me but if it makes you OG then go for it. It isn't for everyone tho especially if have diabetes.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


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## twobigwheels (Nov 24, 2014)

jacksonlui said:


> Yes I think I'm able to absorb it orally. I use to bonk when I first started riding with just water but I haven't bonked since taking care of my electrolytes. I take some dates as a way to add calories and it has some sugar too.
> 
> I'm glad Malto works for you. Sounds like a sugar high to me but if it makes you OG then go for it. It isn't for everyone tho especially if have diabetes.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


Fast guys I know use Malto. (Carbo Pro)

I should be more careful where & how I use my acronym's.

I meant OG as in "Old Guy" (52 yrs young)


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## Jukas (Mar 30, 2016)

It seems unlike the 510, the 520 doesn't have different bike profiles. I know that you can setup bikes as gear under garmin connect, and change them post ride there.. but when using sensors won't that basically co-mingle statistics?

If I want to use my 520 on both road riding and mtb what's the best way to do that? Or should I just not care, and let Stava do the the sorting & tracking of activities by bike/style?


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

The 520 has bike profiles.

They pretty much are just used to save your display settings.

Sensor settings (like wheel rollout) are maintained with each sensor. So if you use a wheel sensor on your mtb as well as your road bike, the GPS will pick that up when you ride your mtb and provide the correct distance.

Just don't move sensors from one bike to another. That will screw up measurements.


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## Jukas (Mar 30, 2016)

Harold said:


> Sensor settings (like wheel rollout) are maintained with each sensor. So if you use a wheel sensor on your mtb as well as your road bike, the GPS will pick that up when you ride your mtb and provide the correct distance.
> 
> Just don't move sensors from one bike to another. That will screw up measurements.


I use heartrate, cadence and speed sensors. I should be fine to use heart rate and cadence interchangeable between bikes and just get another speed sensors for the road bike then?


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Best to leave your cadence sensors on bikes, too


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## Big Virgil (Dec 8, 2008)

I'm having this problem with my 520, recording ascent approx 500 ft lower than "actual" compared to old ride with my Edge 350, friend with 500 and another friend using Strava on a smart phone. They were within 30 ft of each other, and my 520 recorded approx 500 ft less.

WR304 - Have you been able to correct or adjust this with the 520. I verified the starting altitude was correct, within 1 ft of actual.

Thanks.



WR304 said:


> The Garmin Edge 520 has a barometric altimeter. The four small holes that you see on the underside of the device are for the barometric altimeter and temperature.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## thasingletrackmastah (Nov 15, 2005)

WR304 said:


> These holes need to be unobstructed for the altimeter to work properly.


Wash out any mud gently with water.
Create a waypoint of your start location with the correct height.
Edges use this to calibrate the altimeter.


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## Big Virgil (Dec 8, 2008)

I'm having this problem with my 520, recording ascent approx 500 ft lower than "actual" compared to old ride with my Edge 305
, friend with 500 and another friend using Strava on a smart phone. They were within 30 ft of each other, and my 520 recorded approx 500 ft less.

WR304 - Have you been able to correct or adjust this with the 520. I verified the starting altitude was correct, within 1 ft of actual.

Thanks.

Quote Originally Posted by WR304 View Post
The Garmin Edge 520 has a barometric altimeter. The four small holes that you see on the underside of the device are for the barometric altimeter and temperature.



These holes need to be unobstructed for the altimeter to work properly.

Barometric altimeters are nothing new. They have been a feature of Garmins for a long time. Compared to using GPS elevation there are pros and cons to a barometric altimeter. The barometric altimeter can be affected by changes in the weather so isn't always perfect.

All about barometric altimeters - GPS Tracklog

With the Garmin Edge 520 you can set a starting altitude if you regularly set off from the same place. Enter the correct altitude and then Mark Location so that it will remember it for next time. I got into the habit of leaving my Garmin Edge 500 sat outside turned on for 20 minutes plus to settle before setting off on a ride and have been doing the same thing with the Garmin Edge 520 too.

Here is a comparison between the Garmin Edge 520 and GPS elevation on today's ride.



This graph shows the elevation recorded by my Garmin Edge 520 over 44 miles today. The green highlighted points are the top of the same hill. Near the beginning of the ride was heading out and I also came back past the same point on the way home. You can see how despite this the altitude values don't match. The location was the same but the Garmin Edge 520 had recorded a different, lower, value on the return journey. The weather was closing in and it was getting colder.

The Garmin Edge 520 altitude trace isn't particularly detailed, it doesn't pick up small changes or rises. Compared to the Garmin Edge 500 the Garmin Edge 520 barometric altimeter seems about the same or maybe even slightly less responsive. It's one area that isn't clearly improved from the older models.

For the entire ride the Garmin Edge 520 recorded 1558ft ascent and 1607ft of descent. If you import this ride into Strava it will use the Garmin ascent figure for the ride elevation.

Here's exactly the same route in the Ride With GPS website. This has estimated the elevation profile from GPS data. The GPS elevation estimate for the same route gives 2150ft ascent and 2149ft descent. That's quite a big difference!



The GPS elevation estimate for the same route gives 2150ft ascent and 2149ft descent.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

Big Virgil said:


> I'm having this problem with my 520, recording ascent approx 500 ft lower than "actual" compared to old ride with my Edge 350, friend with 500 and another friend using Strava on a smart phone. They were within 30 ft of each other, and my 520 recorded approx 500 ft less.
> 
> WR304 - Have you been able to correct or adjust this with the 520. I verified the starting altitude was correct, within 1 ft of actual.
> 
> Thanks.


The Garmin Edge 520 barometric altimeter can be a bit problematic. In Strava you can click the Blue Elevation? button under your ascent total to have it recalculate your ascent totals on that ride.

For dry rides I tend to just leave the ascent totals unedited. I'm not that bothered. For wet rides I'll replace the altitude data with GPS altitude in the .fit file itself as a first step before uploading the ride. Fit File Repair Tool (paid for program) works well.










This picture shows the ascent totals for a dry ride from today. This was using my Garmin Edge 520 with the 6.20 firmware. The upper part of the picture is a screenshot of the ascent total displayed on the Garmin Edge 520 itself. 3,146ft ascent.

The lower part of the picture is a screenshot of the ascent total for the unedited ride after it has been uploaded to Strava. You can see that the ascent total in Strava matches that on the Garmin 3,146ft. The ascent total has been pulled across without being adjusted or recalculated within Strava. It just takes the total from the Garmin.










This picture shows the ascent totals for exactly the same unedited .fit file opened in Fit File Repair Tool 3,412ft ascent and Ride With GPS 3,518ft ascent. I still haven't done anything to the file at this point. These two programs both recalculate the total ascent, rather than taking the total. From this the Garmin Edge 520 internal altitude calculation looks to be low. With my Garmin Edge 520 at least the ascent calculation, based on an unedited .fit file, is lower than the ascent calculation for the same file in other programs.

That's the unedited file using barometric altimeter data. If the same ride has the data replaced with GPS altitude data the totals change even more!

Original Garmin total: 3,146ft

Fit File Repair Tool GPS altitude 3,986ft ascent
Ride With GPS GPS altitude 3,846ft ascent
Strava GPS elevation correction 2,774ft ascent (I have no idea why it actually went down) :madman:

*Continued:*

What works is to correct the ascent readings using Fit File Repair Tool, so that the original .fit file has its altitude data replaced with the GPS altitude data, and then upload the corrected file to Strava. This sees Strava using the Fit File Repair Tool ascent for its total.










Here is a screenshot showing the new elevation total in Strava. I deleted the previous ride and uploaded the corrected file in its place. Strava now has 3,986ft for its elevation total, 822ft more than the Garmin Edge 520 device total of 3,146ft I had started with!

The main downside of this is that although it's very useful Fit File Repair Tool is a paid for program that costs money, rather than a free program.


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## cyclism00 (Nov 25, 2014)

Update to my issue under #440 p.18
I had Garmin on the phone, they ended up sending me a new unit, all is good now. I did the same tracks, etc on my bike without any erratic recordings.


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## scottg (Mar 30, 2004)

My 510 links to my android phone flawlessly most of the time. Yesterday however, I had a ride where the 510 shut off for some reason and, while the ride data to that point is on the 510, I cannot get it to upload it. I go to the ride on the 510 and choose to upload it, and it appears to do so but never shows up in connect. Is there something I'm doing wrong?


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## LCW (May 5, 2008)

Strictly for MTB'ing, I'm guessing the 520 is likely a better choice than the 820, due to me wearing full finger gloves, not to mention possibly mud/water getting on the capacitive screen and causing issues.

Anyone care to comment that has tried both for mtb. I don't road ride, so i don't see the 820 as being a good choice for me. The one thing it has is more internal memory which would be great if the 520 had (for more OSM base map installations).


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## scottg (Mar 30, 2004)

LCW said:


> Strictly for MTB'ing, I'm guessing the 520 is likely a better choice than the 820, due to me wearing full finger gloves, not to mention possibly mud/water getting on the capacitive screen and causing issues.
> 
> Anyone care to comment that has tried both for mtb. I don't road ride, so i don't see the 820 as being a good choice for me. The one thing it has is more internal memory which would be great if the 520 had (for more OSM base map installations).


I've not used the 820 or the 520, but I have a 510 with the touch screen and I can say that I really wish I didn't have the touch screen so the 520 would have been a better choice. It's not a very responsive touch screen and I hate the fact that I always seem to switch screens whenever I try to wipe something off the screen to make it readable.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

scottg said:


> My 510 links to my android phone flawlessly most of the time. Yesterday however, I had a ride where the 510 shut off for some reason and, while the ride data to that point is on the 510, I cannot get it to upload it. I go to the ride on the 510 and choose to upload it, and it appears to do so but never shows up in connect. Is there something I'm doing wrong?


Have you tried uploading the file manually? Connect the Garmin Edge 510 to a computer by USB, copy off yesterday's .fit ride file (it should be visible as an external drive in My Computer - Garmin\Activities with the date as the first part of the file name.)

Log into Garmin Connect via a web browser on the computer and try uploading the .fit file manually. That may work, or may give an error message if there is something wrong with the file.

It's possible that the .fit file is corrupt also. It might need repairing before it will upload. If you share the .fit file I can have a look at it in Fit File Repair Tool if you like.


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## scottg (Mar 30, 2004)

WR304 said:


> Have you tried uploading the file manually? Connect the Garmin Edge 510 to a computer by USB, copy off yesterday's .fit ride file (it should be visible as an external drive in My Computer - Garmin\Activities with the date as the first part of the file name.)
> 
> Log into Garmin Connect via a web browser on the computer and try uploading the .fit file manually. That may work, or may give an error message if there is something wrong with the file.
> 
> It's possible that the .fit file is corrupt also. It might need repairing before it will upload. If you share the .fit file I can have a look at it in Fit File Repair Tool if you like.


Thanks.....very helpful. The file must be corrupt because it didn't work, but it's really not worth the effort to send it to you for repair. I'm just happy to know what to try if it happens again.


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## brianw7 (Nov 18, 2010)

During my rides random strava segments that I have not selected keep coming up. How do I limit it to only the segments I have selected?


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## Oh My Sack! (Aug 21, 2006)

brianw7 said:


> During my rides random strava segments that I have not selected keep coming up. How do I limit it to only the segments I have selected?


I had this happen, too. Quite a number of familiar trails were popping up. When I went to Strava on desktop, I recall they had been starred though I don't recall intentionally doing that. I think that I might have at one time before I understood what "starring" a trail was actually doing since I hadn't used the feature prior to Strava Live Segments.


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## LCW (May 5, 2008)

Does the 520 do "smart recording" like the 500 did, and if so do you guys use that for recording or the 1 sec interval.

For tight twisty single track, I believe the 1 sec sampling rate is more accurate.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

LCW said:


> Does the 520 do "smart recording" like the 500 did, and if so do you guys use that for recording or the 1 sec interval.
> 
> For tight twisty single track, I believe the 1 sec sampling rate is more accurate.


It can do smart recording and no, I don't use it.


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## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

It would be nice if they could accelerate the 1 second intervals to 0.5 seconds. Perhaps that's a Department of Defense restriction.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Cleared2land said:


> It would be nice if they could accelerate the 1 second intervals to 0.5 seconds. Perhaps that's a Department of Defense restriction.


Nope. There's gotta be some sort of hardware or firmware limitation. Memory, perhaps? I dunno exactly why Garmin won't go 10Hz, but the hardware is available. It's also not unreasonably expensive.

These guys use a 10Hz recording frequency. Every 0.1sec.
PUSH | PUSH

A number of GPS dataloggers also record at 10Hz.
https://www.google.com/search?sourc...data logger 10hz&aqs=chrome..69i57j0.4416j0j4


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## LCW (May 5, 2008)

I would think it's a memory limitation thing - in the sense of garmin wanting to keep filesize small so they can cheap out on amount of memory.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

LCW said:


> I would think it's a memory limitation thing - in the sense of garmin wanting to keep filesize small so they can cheap out on amount of memory.


That may be. It could also be a processing issue. We know that Garmins process their own data to address multipath and other errors. The data we get from a Garmin is not "raw" in the sense that it is unprocessed. Processing data at 10Hz will require a more robust processor than one that processes data at 1Hz.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

LCW said:


> Strictly for MTB'ing, I'm guessing the 520 is likely a better choice than the 820, due to me wearing full finger gloves, not to mention possibly mud/water getting on the capacitive screen and causing issues.
> 
> Anyone care to comment that has tried both for mtb. I don't road ride, so i don't see the 820 as being a good choice for me. The one thing it has is more internal memory which would be great if the 520 had (for more OSM base map installations).


I find that for riding, a resistive touchscreen is better than capacitive. Yes, it's less responsive, but the touchscreen on my Galaxy S5 will absolutely flip out when my sweaty paws start rubbing all over it. Rain also causes problems. I am very happy to have real buttons on the Edge 520. I used an Oregon 450 with a resistive touchscreen for a number of years. It was okay. It worked with most gloves (bulky winter gloves were still a problem). It didn't freak out with a little rain or sweat. But I still got the occasional inadvertent activation (increasing drain on the battery), and the touchscreen itself added so much battery draw that I had to have the screen go into battery save mode (go totally blank) to keep a useable life out of it. Last fall, I did a 10+hr ride and my Oregon crapped out on me because I was pulling up the map screen too frequently, along with the occasional screen activation from bumping the device.

Those are issues I just don't have with the Edge 520. And the screen is always on, so I can see what I need to at a glance.


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## thasingletrackmastah (Nov 15, 2005)

Harold said:


> That may be. It could also be a processing issue. We know that Garmins process their own data to address multipath and other errors. The data we get from a Garmin is not "raw" in the sense that it is unprocessed. Processing data at 10Hz will require a more robust processor than one that processes data at 1Hz.


1 sample/second = 3600 samples/hour.
Max tracklog =10000 points (samples) < 3 hours...
Seems like a limitation in their own software?

But more samples does not make a device more accurate.
Better gps reception does.
Is the reception of the 520 anything like the 64 or the Etrex 10, 20 30 ?
The 810's reception is terrible, compared to my Etrex 10 and 30.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

scottg said:


> Thanks.....very helpful. The file must be corrupt because it didn't work, but it's really not worth the effort to send it to you for repair. I'm just happy to know what to try if it happens again.


You might find that the corrupt file will stop your later rides uploading to Garmin Connect too. I'd be inclined to delete at least that activity file (best to clear them all out regularly) off the device, so that the next time you sync it there are only fresh good files on there that will upload with no errors.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

LCW said:


> Strictly for MTB'ing, I'm guessing the 520 is likely a better choice than the 820, due to me wearing full finger gloves, not to mention possibly mud/water getting on the capacitive screen and causing issues.
> 
> Anyone care to comment that has tried both for mtb. I don't road ride, so i don't see the 820 as being a good choice for me. The one thing it has is more internal memory which would be great if the 520 had (for more OSM base map installations).


The Garmin Edge 820 has some features that look nice (being able to zoom and pan the map via the touchscreen, navigation, light sensor for backlight strength etc) but it also looks to be successfully maintaining Garmin's reputation for releasing buggy half finished products that need multiple firmware updates to get to a working state.

For mountain biking the Garmin Edge 820 appears to have an overly sensitive touch screen that changes display by itself when rain drops fall on it. The navigation seems sketchy and random shut downs whilst riding are a worry too.

That may be overly harsh but that's what has been putting me off getting one.


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## LCW (May 5, 2008)

I've ordered a 520, as I think it's a safer bet for MTB'ing. And with the basemap procedure from dcrainmaker, it should serve me well.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

thasingletrackmastah said:


> 1 sample/second = 3600 samples/hour.
> Max tracklog =10000 points (samples) < 3 hours...
> Seems like a limitation in their own software?
> 
> ...


Tracklog memory on edges is not limited by number of points. Only limitation on them is total history capacity in number of hours.

The 10000 point limitation only exists on handhelds now.


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## woodway (Dec 27, 2005)

Harold said:


> That may be. It could also be a processing issue. We know that Garmins process their own data to address multipath and other errors. The data we get from a Garmin is not "raw" in the sense that it is unprocessed. Processing data at 10Hz will require a more robust processor than one that processes data at 1Hz.


10hz would kill battery life which is probably the tradeoff Garmin is making by staying at 1Hz max.


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## LCW (May 5, 2008)

Received my 520 today... Hmmm... not sure I can keep... the interface and navigating it is really annoying... Might have to go 820...


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## LCW (May 5, 2008)

Is the "lap" button supposed to feel different that the start/stop (play/pause) button? It seems to be lacking detent...


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## bbqmike (Jan 5, 2016)

Is there a published description of the 7.0 update yet? I don't see it on garmins site, I'll definitely wait to install it, just curious what they changed.


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## wrinklefree (Jun 17, 2005)

bbqmike said:


> Is there a published description of the 7.0 update yet? I don't see it on garmins site, I'll definitely wait to install it, just curious what they changed.


Garmin: Edge 520 Updates & Downloads


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## bbqmike (Jan 5, 2016)

Oh My Sack! said:


> I had this happen, too. Quite a number of familiar trails were popping up. When I went to Strava on desktop, I recall they had been starred though I don't recall intentionally doing that. I think that I might have at one time before I understood what "starring" a trail was actually doing since I hadn't used the feature prior to Strava Live Segments.


I turned off live segments all together because of this, I could see segments were not starred, but still kept popping up, its really annoying to have to hit the back button to see your data instead of the segment.


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## bbqmike (Jan 5, 2016)

wrinklefree said:


> Garmin: Edge 520 Updates & Downloads


I swear I checked this before posting, lol, It was showing only 6.2 and a 6.24 beta. Doesn't look like any functionality updates, just apps..


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## reamer41 (Mar 26, 2007)

*Auto Pause*

Has anyone found that the Auto Pause doesn't work as expected? I have had mine set to 'pause when stopped' but the thing will pause when I come to a rough hike-a-bike and my speed drops to 1.5 - 2.0 mph, or so. It has failed to capture segments of activities due to this.

I have recently tried setting it to pause at a custom speed: 0.1 mph. I'll see if this improves the function or not.


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## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

I don't use the Auto-Pause on the Garmin. I let the post ride app do that.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

reamer41 said:


> Has anyone found that the Auto Pause doesn't work as expected? I have had mine set to 'pause when stopped' but the thing will pause when I come to a rough hike-a-bike and my speed drops to 1.5 - 2.0 mph, or so. It has failed to capture segments of activities due to this.
> 
> I have recently tried setting it to pause at a custom speed: 0.1 mph. I'll see if this improves the function or not.


That is how auto pause works. Has for more than a decade. Don't use it for mtb riding.


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## Le Duke (Mar 23, 2009)

Anyone use a 520 with an SRM?

If so, do you sometimes NOT get the "calibrate" option under MENU> SETTINGS>SENSORS?

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

LCW said:


> Is the "lap" button supposed to feel different that the start/stop (play/pause) button? It seems to be lacking detent...


On my Garmin Edge 520 the Start/Stop button has a little bit more of a "click" than the Lap button, which has no noticeable click at all. It's just a smooth press. My Garmin has been dropped on the ground at some point in the past too, landing directly on the Lap button. The Lap button is now permanently half recessed. It hasn't affected the function though so it still works.

The five side buttons all have a distinct "click" to them. When brand new they were quite stiff but loosened up and don't require such hard presses now.


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## RSAmerica (Aug 24, 2012)

7.0 update now Bluetooth not working! Anyone have this problem?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## wiely (Aug 28, 2014)

Jip, had to remove device and reconnect


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## brianw7 (Nov 18, 2010)

I fixed my issue - there is a little box called 'popular segments' make sure it is not selected...otherwise it picks up these popular segments as well as your starred segments.


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## reamer41 (Mar 26, 2007)

Harold said:


> That is how auto pause works. Has for more than a decade. Don't use it for mtb riding.


That is not how it worked on my 705. I used it for years mountain biking. Auto pause worked very reliably on my Garmin 705.

Less so on the wife's 810, and worse yet on the 520. Maybe the "feature" is the same on 810 and 520 -- 520 seems worse cause it's my issue now.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

reamer41 said:


> That is not how it worked on my 705. I used it for years mountain biking. Auto pause worked very reliably on my Garmin 705.
> 
> Less so on the wife's 810, and worse yet on the 520. Maybe the "feature" is the same on 810 and 520 -- 520 seems worse cause it's my issue now.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Auto pause has always had a minimum speed cutoff. If you're pushing your bike slowly enough, or even climbing slowly enough, it assumes you are stationary and that any movement is due to GPS drift.

I owned an Edge 705 and have ALWAYS disabled auto pause. ALWAYS. Let software sort that crap out later.


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## LCW (May 5, 2008)

LCW said:


> Is the "lap" button supposed to feel different that the start/stop (play/pause) button? It seems to be lacking detent...


Wasn't normal. Returned. May try an 820.


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## bbqmike (Jan 5, 2016)

I accidentally installed 7.0, I need to go find the setting to not automatically push updates. I did have to re-pair my bluetooth as well. 

Wish list: selections buttons be a consistent color, like green for ok, red for no. Ability to cancel update before it installs (during validation screen). Ability to only select alert tones and not button press tones. I'm alot less worried about installing buggy connect-iq apps onto a device with limited memory as it is..


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## RSAmerica (Aug 24, 2012)

RSAmerica said:


> 7.0 update now Bluetooth not working! Anyone have this problem?
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Got my 520 to pair to my iPhone (with 7.0) syncs now but no text message or phone call alerts.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

Who needs text or phone calls when you're riding.


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## RSAmerica (Aug 24, 2012)

Got it working had to pair 2 Bluetooth device off 520.

I tell my wife to txt me if it's an emergency, I do not answer the phone.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Klaser (Jul 13, 2016)

When riding the bluetooth connection keeps always dropping so I gave up to use sms/calls alerts for now... Never find out the source of problem (520 or android 6.0 phone ).


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## birdman86 (Jun 2, 2016)

Device was pushed 7.10 this morning, but it doesn't seem to be installing. Just goes through the validation then shuts the device off.

And last night (before the 7.1 update was pushed) it stopped syncing to Strava. My evening ride is loaded into Connect, but todays morning ride won't sync, and neither of them are loading into Strava. Anybody else with this issue? To be clear this is on 7.0.

Edit: This mornings ride is in Connect but showing up as April 9, 2019....??

Second Edit: Don't know what's going on but the device either needs that 7.1 update or I need a hard reset. Last nights ride had corrupted time data (I wonder if that's because I paused it for 20 minutes while I went in the store?) and this mornings ride being dated in the future is a known Garmin issue. Both issues were fixed by exporting the fit (original) files from Connect, using the proper tool at fitfiletools.com, then re-importing to Connect on the web portal. Must be a common issue because Strava support had an entire support page dedicated to it :madman:


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## Martin.J.D (Jun 10, 2013)

Does anyone have the original gmapbmap.img base map file that was bundled with the 520? If so could someone be so kind as to zip it up and send me a link via PM so I can download it? - A friend is trying to restore his to factory default but is missing the original gmapbmap! - I deleted mine by mistake!

Thank you in advance to anyone who can help!


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## Klaser (Jul 13, 2016)

That is funny..after my complain here, first ride with new 7.0 firmware and the bluetooth connection worked fine...never lose it,and received a call alert....


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

Martin.J.D said:


> Does anyone have the original gmapbmap.img base map file that was bundled with the 520? If so could someone be so kind as to zip it up and send me a link via PM so I can download it? - A friend is trying to restore his to factory default but is missing the original gmapbmap! - I deleted mine by mistake!
> 
> Thank you in advance to anyone who can help!


Here's a download link for my original Garmin Edge 520 basemap. It's 46.21mb in size.

http://www.tinyland.org/BikeStuff/Garmin_Edge_520_Original_Basemap.zip


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## Martin.J.D (Jun 10, 2013)

WR304 said:


> Here's a download link for my original Garmin Edge 520 basemap. It's 46.21mb in size.
> 
> http://www.tinyland.org/BikeStuff/Garmin_Edge_520_Original_Basemap.zip


You're a Gentleman! - Thank you!


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

birdman86 said:


> Device was pushed 7.10 this morning, but it doesn't seem to be installing. Just goes through the validation then shuts the device off.
> 
> And last night (before the 7.1 update was pushed) it stopped syncing to Strava. My evening ride is loaded into Connect, but todays morning ride won't sync, and neither of them are loading into Strava. Anybody else with this issue? To be clear this is on 7.0.
> 
> ...


I had one ride where part way through the Garmin lost satellite reception, and then the time stamps jumped several years into the future! I had to repair the corrupt file before it could be uploaded. It's only happened once fortunately.

If every ride that you do has the wrong date now it could be that you need to refresh the timezone files on your Garmin. You could try the steps in the links here to see if this will sort it out: 

Garmin Edge 520 - Page 7- Mtbr.com

.


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## Klaser (Jul 13, 2016)

I received a time zone update by garmin express....Yesterday with new 7.1 firmare had a issue with bluetooth again....Erased and paired the edge with cell again and hope things will work as worked with 7.0 firmware...


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## brianw7 (Nov 18, 2010)

My device what's me to install the 7.0 software - currently running 6.2. Should I let it update or are there issues with the new version?


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## LCW (May 5, 2008)

Got another 520... tried the 820 briefly. Couldn't stand the touch screen. It really is horrible. In some cases too sensitive, in other cases, very laggy (especially for scrolling). No thanks. And the display "seemed" fuzzier than the 520's. Extra layer for capacitive maybe??

Anyways, this 520 has properly feeling & working buttons, so I'm happy. 

Got it all loaded up with the OSM basemap from dcrainmaker's how-to. Should be good to go. My 500 seems to be lacking in accuracy so hopefully the 520, with both GPS & GLONASS (not to mention being newer) steps that up a notch.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

520 accuracy has been solid for me. Only exceptions have been when I fire it up after leaving work. It's usually a bit off until I roll around the front of the building, and then it gets back on track.


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## LCW (May 5, 2008)

michael9218 said:


> I wanted to provide an update to the problems I have been having with the Edge 520 and the tracking errors I was getting when mountain biking. The problem rarely was evident on road rides.
> 
> Back story; I received my first 520 in September after having issues with 2 Edge 500 units. Edge 520 randomly had tracking errors as well. After talking to Garmin and trying a few things, they sent me a new unit in January. New unit immediately had problems. After much discussion with Garmin Tech Support, including sending them the files on my unit and examples of my friends with no issues, they conceded that there was nothing else they could believe was causing the issues so they sent me yet another unit, though they said they were in disbelief that I could have 2 units be faulty.
> 
> ...


What was the length of 1 loop? Just curious on the scale. I just got a 520 and it looks more like your top plot (I did 2 laps on a short trail ~4.5 miles/lap).









Thnx


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## Jukas (Mar 30, 2016)

I wasn't paying enough attention and just updated to 7.1. Do I need to redo the custom OSM base maps or is that file left untouched during major firmware updates?


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## Klaser (Jul 13, 2016)

The map will not be affected by the firmware upgrade....


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## bikeeverywhereny (Oct 14, 2014)

Hey guys, I made a video on how to add maps to the Garmin Edge 500 with a route I recently bike toured last month. Check it out...


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

Jukas said:


> I wasn't paying enough attention and just updated to 7.1. Do I need to redo the custom OSM base maps or is that file left untouched during major firmware updates?


The gmapbmap.img basemap file isn't changed during firmware updates, so that your custom map stays in place.

There is some DRM (digital rights management) that got changed in some firmware update (not sure which one) so if you try and switch maps (even though they are the free ones) you may get a "cannot unlock maps" message if you add a new basemap

If that happens you just have to load the maps in a different format. The openfietsmap ones work and you can also use Garmin OSM (ASCII) from bbbike.org

I had that happen the other week when swapping maps round for a club tour.


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## Roots (Feb 17, 2015)

My experience after automatic upgrading edge 520 is, it overwrites my gmapbmap.img i got from Free worldwide Garmin maps from OpenStreetMap with another, empty file....and it does that every single time i sync my device:smallviolin:
any ideas how to override that?


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## jkidd_39 (Sep 13, 2012)

I am getting ready for outer bike in Moab this month.I grabbed the Moab map from the dc rainmaker article but I was really hoping to find a way to add the trail systems on their. Anyone know if they are all on and how can I add new ones??

Thanks

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G925A using Tapatalk


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## Oh My Sack! (Aug 21, 2006)

Trailforks on pinkbike likely has all the trails and you could download the .gpx files. I haven't done anything like this with my 520 yet but can we upload .gpx files to it?


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## blkangel (Aug 8, 2014)

Oh My Sack! said:


> Trailforks on pinkbike likely has all the trails and you could download the .gpx files. I haven't done anything like this with my 520 yet but can we upload .gpx files to it?


Yes


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## jkidd_39 (Sep 13, 2012)

So the img is the actual map portion and the.gpx I'd the course section?

Thanks!!!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G925A using Tapatalk


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

jkidd_39 said:


> So the img is the actual map portion and the.gpx I'd the course section?
> 
> Thanks!!!
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G925A using Tapatalk


it's a bit more complicated than that. But yes, the .img is the map. It's a Garmin proprietary format, so you can't get those from just anywhere and plop them into the GPS. In some cases you can. But in most, you have to use a Garmin program to define the area you want and prepare the file.

As for .gpx files, there are lots of ways they are used. There's the History on the device, which is full of .gpx files. Course files are handled a little differently and also need to be prepared off the device before loading them. There are tutorials for both procedures all over the web. Some of which are linked earlier in this thread. There's also not only one way to do them. It depends on the programs you're using, so a particular method will only work for the specific software described in the method.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

Roots said:


> My experience after automatic upgrading edge 520 is, it overwrites my gmapbmap.img i got from Free worldwide Garmin maps from OpenStreetMap with another, empty file....and it does that every single time i sync my device:smallviolin:
> any ideas how to override that?


Are you on firmware 7.10? There seem to be some issues with that firmware and Garmin Connect syncing affecting files and settings. Eg:

https://forums.garmin.com/showthread.php?360576-After-updating-7-10-don-t-store-activities

https://forums.garmin.com/showthread.php?360736-edge-520-resets-units-to-statue-after-every-sync

It sounds like you're encountering the same issue, although with a different file.


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## jkidd_39 (Sep 13, 2012)

Harold said:


> it's a bit more complicated than that. But yes, the .img is the map. It's a Garmin proprietary format, so you can't get those from just anywhere and plop them into the GPS. In some cases you can. But in most, you have to use a Garmin program to define the area you want and prepare the file.
> 
> As for .gpx files, there are lots of ways they are used. There's the History on the device, which is full of .gpx files. Course files are handled a little differently and also need to be prepared off the device before loading them. There are tutorials for both procedures all over the web. Some of which are linked earlier in this thread. There's also not only one way to do them. It depends on the programs you're using, so a particular method will only work for the specific software described in the method.


Thanks for the info. I got it figured. I'm ready as can be for outer bike.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G925A using Tapatalk


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

*Rolling Back to an Older Garmin Firmware*
If you want to try rolling back the firmware to an older version they are available here:

http://www.gawisp.com/perry/edge/

1. Download the Garmin Edge 520 firmware version gcd file that you want onto your computer
2. Connect the Garmin via USB and copy the downloaded gcd file into the \Garmin folder.
3. Rename the gcd file to GUPDATE.GCD
4. Disconnect the Garmin from your computer, let it reboot and then it should update the software to the older version.


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## scottg (Mar 30, 2004)

My Edge 510 frequently switches the display to the compass, and with the relatively unresponsive touch screen it often takes a few swipes to get it back to my preferred screen. Does anyone know why this happens and how to stop it? I really wish I didn't have a touch screen.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

scottg said:


> My Edge 510 frequently switches the display to the compass, and with the relatively unresponsive touch screen it often takes a few swipes to get it back to my preferred screen. Does anyone know why this happens and how to stop it? I really wish I didn't have a touch screen.


The easiest way would be to go to your profile and turn off any data screens that you don't use, so that you only have a few enabled at a time.

On a Garmin Edge 520 you would go Menu - Settings - Activity Profiles - Select Profile - Data Screens

I have 4 information screens and the map enabled, so that only those screens are visible and can be scrolled through.

The additional screens that I don't use (Compass, Elevation, Lap Summary, Virtual Partner, Cycling Dynamics and Light Network) are all turned off.

On a Garmin Edge 510, which doesn't use activity profiles, I think there's a separate data screen option in the settings menu where you choose which screens are enabled.

With some Garmins that have capacitive touchscreens (Edge 1000 and Edge 820) you can get ghost presses if rain or beads of sweat drop onto the screen whilst riding. It might be doing the same with your Garmin Edge 510, although that has a different type of touchscreen that shouldn't be affected as much.


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## scottg (Mar 30, 2004)

WR304 said:


> The easiest way would be to go to your profile and turn off any data screens that you don't use, so that you only have a few enabled at a time.
> 
> On a Garmin Edge 520 you would go Menu - Settings - Activity Profiles - Select Profile - Data Screens
> 
> ...


Thanks. The 510 does have activity profiles and I just had a few screens enabled. Yesterday I deleted all rides and then changed the data screens to cycle and it didn't happen at all.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

scottg said:


> Thanks. The 510 does have activity profiles and I just had a few screens enabled. Yesterday I deleted all rides and then changed the data screens to cycle and it didn't happen at all.


It looks like the Edge 510 has activity profiles, _and_ bike profiles.






There is also the Auto Scroll setting (Menu - Settings - Activity Profiles - (your profile) - Auto Features - Auto Scroll) which will automatically switch between the screens every few seconds. I have that turned off but that would see your Garmin changing display all by itself if it is enabled.


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## Flash (Jan 30, 2004)

I'm pretty much done with my 520. The in inaccuracies on segments, losing signal just sucks. My phone does a better job. I just don't like draining the battery. Would one of the 800 series be better at keeping a signal and accuracy or do you think it would be similar to the 520? 

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk


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## scottg (Mar 30, 2004)

WR304 said:


> It looks like the Edge 510 has activity profiles, _and_ bike profiles.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Auto scroll was disabled before, and I just enabled it so that if it switches to the compass then at least it will be for a shorter period of time. I kind of like it actually as I have one screen with a ton of info on it that I usually use all the time but the fields are small enough that they can be tough to read if they have sweat or dirt on them. Nice to have it switch to screens with bigger characters. I think I'll keep it this way and modify the fields to the way I want them better as I had only set up the other screens for one particular race and that's not what I want for daily riding. Thanks for your help.....this is way more helpful than ever looking at the manual online.


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## Klaser (Jul 13, 2016)

Flash said:


> I'm pretty much done with my 520. The in inaccuracies on segments, losing signal just sucks. My phone does a better job. I just don't like draining the battery. Would one of the 800 series be better at keeping a signal and accuracy or do you think it would be similar to the 520?
> 
> Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk


You may have a faulty unit because this is not normal... I had others garmins and can compare with my 520 now, it works fine, ask for RMA


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## Flash (Jan 30, 2004)

Klaser said:


> You may have a faulty unit because this is not normal... I had others garmins and can compare with my 520 now, it works fine, ask for RMA


Cool, thanks. I guess I'll try that. This is my second one because the first wouldn't charge.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk


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## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

Flash said:


> I'm pretty much done with my 520. The in inaccuracies on segments, losing signal just sucks. My phone does a better job. I just don't like draining the battery. Would one of the 800 series be better at keeping a signal and accuracy or do you think it would be similar to the 520?


I have never experienced issues like you've described. Call Garmin Support. I have found these folks to be very easy to deal with and they have always corrected any problem that my 510 has experienced.


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## scottg (Mar 30, 2004)

While I don't love the touchscreen of the 510, I have always found it to be pretty accurate and I assume that the gps is pretty much the same as the 520. I generally found my smartphone to be good in accuracy as well, but I tired of the battery drain and of the conflicts that happened when I used the phone for photos, texting or....you know....as a phone.


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## bbqmike (Jan 5, 2016)

Has anyone got contacts to pop up with a Android 6 phone? When I upgraded my old phone (lg g3) it stopped, and with my S7 I still only get the phone numbers when calls come in, not the contact. I have unpaired and re-paired the BT recently and the app has permission to access the contacts. My friend has his note 5 still on 5.x and it works on his 520. I have the most recent firmware (7.2 I believe, it just updated).


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## Roots (Feb 17, 2015)

WR304 said:


> Are you on firmware 7.10? There seem to be some issues with that firmware and Garmin Connect syncing affecting files and settings. Eg:
> 
> https://forums.garmin.com/showthread.php?360576-After-updating-7-10-don-t-store-activities
> 
> ...


Unit is running on 7.20 firmware now and it still overwrites gmapbmap.img (map) with blank file - every time i sync it after ride. And so i copy my gmapmap.img from computer to unit everytime after sync..i guess it is some lame method of forcing users to buy their maps..if not mere bug..anyhow, i got used to procedure..
Thank you for your help WR304.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

Roots said:


> Unit is running on 7.20 firmware now and it still overwrites gmapbmap.img (map) with blank file - every time i sync it after ride. And so i copy my gmapmap.img from computer to unit everytime after sync..i guess it is some lame method of forcing users to buy their maps..if not mere bug..anyhow, i got used to procedure..
> Thank you for your help WR304.


It's got to be a bug. What you could try is the original basemap and see if that gets overwritten too.

Here's a download link for my original Garmin Edge 520 basemap. It's 46.21mb in size.

http://www.tinyland.org/BikeStuff/Garmin_Edge_520_Original_Basemap.zip

The work around for this would be to connect your Garmin Edge 520 to the computer so that it shows as an external drive, without launching Garmin Express (Garmin Express - General Settings - untick the "Automatically Launch Garmin Express when a Garmin device box is connected"), copy off the .fit activity file for your ride and manually upload it to the Garmin website, Strava etc. That avoids using the faulty sync process.

It takes ages copying basemap files back onto the device so the manual upload will be a quicker method. It's what I do normally anyway. About the only time I use Garmin Connect is for firmware updates and creating workouts, apart from that I treat it as an external drive instead of syncing it.


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## Averbuks (Oct 24, 2014)

Guys,

Sorry if this was discussed already, but quick question. On the 520, do I need a phone with me to run the strava live segment? I am looking at replacing my fenix 2 with the edge 520, the main reason being the live strava segment. I dont like carrying a phone with me so was just curious. Thanks


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

No. Once they're loaded on the 520 they work without a connection.


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## Roots (Feb 17, 2015)

WR304 said:


> It's got to be a bug. What you could try is the original basemap and see if that gets overwritten too.
> 
> Here's a download link for my original Garmin Edge 520 basemap. It's 46.21mb in size.
> 
> ...


I have downloaded map you provided and you were right; it hasn't got overwritten at next sync..
the strange part is, none of my maps are overwritten now at sync..
all i did was putting in your map, turning off auto start of express at plugging in...and then turning on auto start (and allowing it to run in background).
All of that, what seemed to be pointless feedling with original map (which i had on device when buying it) worked to the point where the problem got completely solved and so Mr WR304, you are very kind man and i thank you for all the effort you put in helping me(us)!
Life is good


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## twowheelcossack (Aug 19, 2016)

Howdy, all. I've searched the answer to this question but haven't found an answer. Does the Garmin 520 support third party HRM monitors? I have an ANT+ monitor from Timex and am unable to get it to sync.


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## Oh My Sack! (Aug 21, 2006)

I am running a Wahoo Tickr HRM. It's Ant+ and works flawlessly with my 520. So...yes, it supports. As long as your Ant+ I believe you're good to go. I didn't know Timex did an Ant+ unit. I used one of their HRM's for a year or so and it was a proprietary system that time. I had to upgrade to a Tickr to get cross platform function.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

twowheelcossack said:


> Howdy, all. I've searched the answer to this question but haven't found an answer. Does the Garmin 520 support third party HRM monitors? I have an ANT+ monitor from Timex and am unable to get it to sync.


ANT+ is different from Bluetooth in this regard. If it's ANT+, it works. There are a couple exceptions to that with combined vs. separate sensors and the age of the head unit (it's basically an ANT+ version issue on the head unit), but generally speaking they will all work no problem.


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## twowheelcossack (Aug 19, 2016)

Thanks Harold and Sack! I'll elaborate on what I have: it is a Timex HRM, marked "digital 2.4 transmission" in front, on back is marked "2.4 ghz" and the "Ant+" logo. I have had it for four or five years and has worked well with the "Ironman Triathlon" watch well in the time I've had it. The Garmin website has troubleshooting advice for their own branded HRM but not for a third party so far as I've found. For the sake of anyone trying to fix a similar issue in the future, I will post up the results of my solution when I get it.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

twowheelcossack said:


> Thanks Harold and Sack! I'll elaborate on what I have: it is a Timex HRM, marked "digital 2.4 transmission" in front, on back is marked "2.4 ghz" and the "Ant+" logo. I have had it for four or five years and has worked well with the "Ironman Triathlon" watch well in the time I've had it. The Garmin website has troubleshooting advice for their own branded HRM but not for a third party so far as I've found. For the sake of anyone trying to fix a similar issue in the future, I will post up the results of my solution when I get it.


www.thisisant.com


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## RSAmerica (Aug 24, 2012)

Anyone download software version 8.0? If so any problems?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## twowheelcossack (Aug 19, 2016)

twowheelcossack said:


> Thanks Harold and Sack! I'll elaborate on what I have: it is a Timex HRM, marked "digital 2.4 transmission" in front, on back is marked "2.4 ghz" and the "Ant+" logo. I have had it for four or five years and has worked well with the "Ironman Triathlon" watch well in the time I've had it. The Garmin website has troubleshooting advice for their own branded HRM but not for a third party so far as I've found. For the sake of anyone trying to fix a similar issue in the future, I will post up the results of my solution when I get it.


Well, my solution was to simply buy a Garmin branded HRM. I needed the HRM feature on my ride today and didn't have time to futz with Garmin support. The unit would recognize that there was an ANT+ HRM near (the heart icon would blink onscreen) but I only got the Spinning Wheel of Eternity when I tried to pair it. That's as far as I got. Harrumph.

Edit: RS America: I did a full software update Friday and had no issues today. Unit performed well using the basic features including the aforementioned HRM.


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## NordieBoy (Sep 26, 2004)

Been using Garmin, Bontrager, Wahoo, Suunto, PowerTap HRM's with my 25, 810 and 920XT no problem.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

twowheelcossack said:


> Well, my solution was to simply buy a Garmin branded HRM. I needed the HRM feature on my ride today and didn't have time to futz with Garmin support. The unit would recognize that there was an ANT+ HRM near (the heart icon would blink onscreen) but I only got the Spinning Wheel of Eternity when I tried to pair it. That's as far as I got. Harrumph.
> 
> Edit: RS America: I did a full software update Friday and had no issues today. Unit performed well using the basic features including the aforementioned HRM.


Although in theory all ANT+ devices are compatible they don't always work together.

With the Garmin Edge 520 there was an issue with some versions of the Wahoo Tickr heart rate strap not working with it:

https://forums.garmin.com/showthread.php?321128-Wahoo-Tickr-HRM-problem

It's possible that your Timex heart rate strap falls into the same category of not compatible. If something like a particular model of heart rate strap doesn't work there's not much you can do really, as there usually aren't firmware updates available for heart rate straps (with some exceptions eg: Scosche).

Switching to a known model of heart rate strap that is definitely compatible, as you have, is the easiest fix.


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

Never had an issue with the ticker syncing to the 520, the biggest ongoing problem I had was the chest bands from various manufacturers not lasting more than a few weeks. Garmin's was the worst for this, and I see they have redesigned it yet again. The Timex strap I had lasted by far the longest of the 4 brands I've tried.

However, I did notice that the more stuff I had sending BT signals (which on the Ticker cannot be turned off), the bigger the chance that my 520 would lose the link to my phone. I never was able to conclusively prove that the Ticker BT noise was the cause, but it remains a suspect.


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## WR304 (Jul 9, 2004)

My Garmin Edge 520 has mostly worked ok without any serious issues. In the last couple of weeks it's had two worrying episodes.

On one ride I was following a course. After about an hour of riding I reached a junction with a cue point and the Garmin shut down. It turned off all by itself and then rebooted itself. I hadn't touched any buttons on it. There was an error log entry that seemed to be about a missing icon for the cue point.

It then worked ok for about a week.

On Thursday however I was out for a ride. It's winter here so it was three hours in 3c /37f temperatures with rain and mud all over the Garmin. During the ride no problems and 60% plus battery remaining at the end.

When I got home I saved the ride, turned the Garmin off, had a shower, cycling kit in the washing machine, cleaned my bike, had something to eat etc and then an hour or so post ride sat down to have a look at the ride file on the computer.

The Garmin wouldn't turn on. It was just dead with no response pressing the power button. Holding down the Lap button whilst connecting it via USB (to force mass storage mode) did nothing. There was no response at all.

What eventually brought it back to life was this. 

To perform a master reset:
1.Power device off
2.Press and hold Lap and Start/Stop
3.Power device on while still holding both buttons
4.Continue holding buttons when Garmin "splash" screen appears
5.Release buttons when Garmin "splash" screen disappears

I held the power, Lap and Start/Stop buttons down together, for a good 10 seconds or so, and then there was a line across the screen and it started booting up! I released the buttons when the Garmin screen appeared (as I didn't want to lose any data or reset it) and it turned on so I could get the ride file off. 

That's got me worried though, as to whether it was a temporary glitch or if this Garmin is on the way out.


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## jon123 (Oct 11, 2009)

Just got a 520 after 6 years with my flawless 500.

I've only had a couple rides but really like it so far. The wireless syncing is AMAZING, I've found a couple of Connect IQ apps I really like and I also really like being able to see who's calling -- and whether or not I actually need to stop and get my phone out of my pack and call back ie. wife 

I haven't been able to get the text feature to work, even though it has text enabled. It's not make or break -- the phone feature is much more important to me -- but if there is a way to get it to work I wouldn't mind having it. Any help there would be appreciated.

When I first got the 520 I immediately updated to version 8.0. This morning I got a notification a new update was available -- I believe it was 9.1

I did it but haven't tried it yet; hopefully a ride later today. I was impressed it could update wirelessly, as opposed to being wired to a laptop. I had assumed software updates would require a wired connection (that's how I did version 8).

PS

WR304: Your advice on this thread is beyond helpful. I've been reading along for a few months


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## Jukas (Mar 30, 2016)

I've noticed with my 520 that the calories burned count is drastically different in the garmin, vs how it displays in Strava once the ride imports. For example today I did a 16mi ride, and on the Garmin it said over 2300 cal burned. When I import the ride into Strava it's less than half.

Now I don't expect either to be 100% accurate, as I don't have a power meter, so it can only estimate date based upon factors like speed, distance, time, and heartrate, but I wasn't expecting such a huge difference. 

Anyone else experience this? Should I just go with the more conservative estimate from Strava, (though sub 1300 cal seems low for a 2hr 45min ride)?


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## blkangel (Aug 8, 2014)

Jukas said:


> I've noticed with my 520 that the calories burned count is drastically different in the garmin, vs how it displays in Strava once the ride imports. For example today I did a 16mi ride, and on the Garmin it said over 2300 cal burned. When I import the ride into Strava it's less than half.
> 
> Now I don't expect either to be 100% accurate, as I don't have a power meter, so it can only estimate date based upon factors like speed, distance, time, and heartrate, but I wasn't expecting such a huge difference.
> 
> Anyone else experience this? Should I just go with the more conservative estimate from Strava, (though sub 1300 cal seems low for a 2hr 45min ride)?


Yes everyone experiences this. Garmin and Strava calculate calories differently so they will always be different. And both will tell you that the way they calculate calories is correct. I use Garmins calories, seems more accurate to me.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

I don't pay attention to the calorie computation. They are worse than inaccurate. Measuring calories burned during exercise is more inaccurate and less consistent than measuring elevation change.


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## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

I have monitored my caloric burn rates on both Garmin Connect and Strava and the two incorporate slightly different algorithms. From the best that I have been able to determine is that none of the used algorithms use elevation or climb gradients, bike weight or your size. Your overall total weight is in the equation. The predominate factor in addition to weight is your heart rate. If your heart rate is not included in the equation, then the output or caloric burn is just an estimated linear guess.

Additionally, I have noted that in my personal case, Strava places a predominate emphasis on the duration than does Garmin Connect. That meaning that for me, Strava indicates a greater calorie burn for the same ride than Garmin Connect does. In fact, I have no clue what my actual calorie burn is.

The below formula (algorithm) has multiple variables that can be tweeked to satisfy your expectations.

*Calories Burned = [ (age in years x 0.2017) + (weight in lbs. x 0.0904)+ (heart rate x 0.6309) - 55.0969] x duration in minutes / 6.5*

This formula seems to be in the ballpark for me.


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## Jukas (Mar 30, 2016)

Cleared2land said:


> I have monitored my caloric burn rates on both Garmin Connect and Strava and the two incorporate slightly different algorithms. From the best that I have been able to determine is that none of the used algorithms use elevation or climb gradients, bike weight or your size. Your overall total weight is in the equation. The predominate factor in addition to weight is your heart rate. If your heart rate is not included in the equation, then the output or caloric burn is just an estimated linear guess.
> 
> Additionally, I have noted that in my personal case, Strava places a predominate emphasis on the duration than does Garmin Connect. That meaning that for me, Strava indicates a greater calorie burn for the same ride than Garmin Connect does. In fact, I have no clue what my actual calorie burn is.
> 
> ...


Interesting.

When I look at the ride in Garmin Connect it says 2,561 cal and Strava says 1,058.

I wrote a quick python script to allow me to plug in variables into your formula.

age = int(40)
weight = float(183) # Should this be naked weight or kitted up?
heartRate = float(155) # avg heart rate taken from garmin connect, should this be max?
duration = float(133) # duration of the ride in minutes
caloriesBurned = ((age * 0.2017) + (weight * 0.0904) + (heartRate * 0.6309) - 55.0969) * duration / 6.5

print("Formula value for calories burned is {:,.2f}".format(caloriesBurned) )

Which gives me "Formula value for calories burned is 1,377.14"

So assuming I entered appropriate numbers for weight and hr Strava _seems_ the closest to accurate, and Garmin is way over-estimating how many calories I burned.


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## gckless (Aug 25, 2016)

Anyone tried using the Edge 520 with a Virb Ultra 30? Just wondering what sort of camera control you would have, compared to the app on Apple or Android devices.


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## 6thElement (Jul 17, 2006)

bbqmike said:


> Has anyone got contacts to pop up with a Android 6 phone? When I upgraded my old phone (lg g3) it stopped, and with my S7 I still only get the phone numbers when calls come in, not the contact. I have unpaired and re-paired the BT recently and the app has permission to access the contacts. My friend has his note 5 still on 5.x and it works on his 520. I have the most recent firmware (7.2 I believe, it just updated).


I gave my wife her 520 gift early today, it updated to firmware 10.0. She has an S7 Active and it only showed numbers, not the contact name over the Bluetooth.

Did you ever find the solution?


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## jon123 (Oct 11, 2009)

6thElement said:


> I gave my wife her 520 gift early today, it updated to firmware 10.0. She has an S7 Active and it only showed numbers, not the contact name over the Bluetooth.
> 
> Did you ever find the solution?


I didn't realize there was a firmware update until I saw this.

Doesn't the 520 typically notify you when there's an update? I know it did with my last one -- to 9.1

Or do sometimes you have to go to Garmin Express to check?

My 520 was telling me no software updates available, but when I checked Garmin Express 10.0 was available


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## 6thElement (Jul 17, 2006)

No idea on the firmware, I'm on an 800 and don't use it with Garmin express. This was brand new out of the box festivus gift for my wife.

Worked out the issue with contact names, the Garmin app was asking for permission to access contacts.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

I generally use Express, and am told when updates are available. I use the app much less commonly, but I have received firmware update notices there, too, IIRC.


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## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

Isn't Garmin Express is the only way to update your Garmin?


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## NordieBoy (Sep 26, 2004)

Cleared2land said:


> Isn't Garmin Express is the only way to update your Garmin?


The wifi capable ones can usually update without Express.


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

Went for a winter stroll over the weekend and noticed that the 520 thermometer is no longer reading 3-4C below the real temperature.

So I tested it, and it's now bang-on.

Anybody else see this? Was that a firmware fix? I'm still on v9.1

I now see that "incident detection" has been added in firmware v10.00. While I'm skeptical of the value of this based on what I've read about the 820, I gotta admit: the fact that they are still adding NEW FUNCTIONALITY to a 1.5-year old device has me impressed. 

Group Live Tracking on the 520? Never say never, I guess. I saw someone had a crude version of it working on a connect-IQ app.


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## Rattus (Feb 6, 2006)

My 520 has stopped recording and ended the ride asking me if I want to save while I was still riding without me pressing any buttons twice out of three rides since I have updated to the 10.0 firmware. It never did that before, has it happened to anyone else? I don't care for collision detection, I wonder if I can roll the firmware back to the last one that wasn't buggy.
I also find if I update the firmware on the Garmin from my phone bluetooth connection it semi bricks the Garmin and takes ages to get get it unfrozen.
IMO Garmin are good with hardware but terrible with software, they should just give up with Garmin Connect and hand over to Strava.


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## 6thElement (Jul 17, 2006)

Rattus said:


> My 520 has stopped recording and ended the ride asking me if I want to save while I was still riding without me pressing any buttons twice out of three rides since I have updated to the 10.0 firmware. It never did that before, has it happened to anyone else? I don't care for collision detection, I wonder if I can roll the firmware back to the last one that wasn't buggy.
> I also find if I update the firmware on the Garmin from my phone bluetooth connection it semi bricks the Garmin and takes ages to get get it unfrozen.
> IMO Garmin are good with hardware but terrible with software, they should just give up with Garmin Connect and hand over to Strava.


Has your device still got free space or is it full of old rides?


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

My 520 did a wireless firmware update over the bluetooth connection when it went to v9.1. My 5-year old BB10 phone has a pretty dodgy BT radio these days, so in hindsight it was probably a bad idea, but it did indeed work. 

But rather than tempt fate, I plugged it into my PC for the v10.0 update last night to pre-empt any wireless upgrade antics the 520 might attempt.


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## gckless (Aug 25, 2016)

I just bought a 520 last night, and I believe it came with firmware version 10.0 already downloaded on it, it just had to be installed. Looking back through this thread, it seems they've had at least three major updates since September (was 7.X then). I don't know if that's good or bad. Normally I would say I'm glad the company is still developing and supporting it, but Garmin's not known for their awesome software, so I feel like they're just fixing mistakes a little at a time. Apparently not too great at that though either lol.


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## Klaser (Jul 13, 2016)

I would say that is not true in this case, of course some bugs had to be fixed but since 7.X version to the current one, lot of new features and improvements were introduced , you can check them here :
Garmin: Edge 520 Updates & Downloads


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## ban (Jul 24, 2004)

I'm having battery issues with my 520 in the last few weeks, has anyone had the battery draining faster than usual? I don't know if it's a software or hardware issue but I've made a hard reset and it's the same...my unit is one year old....


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## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

Going from a 510 to 520, I really noticed the shorter battery duration. Although this was already widely known before making the change, so no surprises. I do miss the battery performance of the 510.


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## Klaser (Jul 13, 2016)

Battery duration may vary a lot depending on different settings in the same unit , screen bright , bluetooth connections , GPS + Glonass (instead of gps only) , and others...
I have no issues with 10h of use till now (and battery shows 30% after that)


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## ban (Jul 24, 2004)

my problem is that now it spends double than a few weeks ago with the same settings and same ride....I know that it depends on some different things but the ride conditions are the same and it drains twice faster than before....just an example...one month ago, the battery went from 100% to 93 in 1 hour ride, today's ride was from 100% to 84% and it was the same ride


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

ban said:


> my problem is that now it spends double than a few weeks ago with the same settings and same ride....I know that it depends on some different things but the ride conditions are the same and it drains twice faster than before....just an example...one month ago, the battery went from 100% to 93 in 1 hour ride, today's ride was from 100% to 84% and it was the same ride


no battery lasts forever.

but it's also possible that a firmware update changed battery usage.

For my purposes, I keep BT off and backlight off unless I specifically need them, as those two things are going to create notable additional power drains when used. I do use ANT+ sensors, so that's always on. I haven't been using mine very heavily lately, as I hate road riding in the cold, and it's not quite been cold enough most days for mtb rides.


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## MattMay (Dec 24, 2013)

I had this issue with my 510 as well. Sudden short battery life with no setting change. I got the standard "many things affect battery life." Bit the bullet and sent the unit in for repair...$80 since it was out of warranty. Garmin doesn't actually repair, they send you new/refurbished one. Problem solved, but not elegantly.


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## ban (Jul 24, 2004)

My unit has just one year with more or less 120 km per month..I don't think it's a severe usage of it...as it's still on the warranty period I will send it to Garmin after Christmas


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## Kenric (Jun 15, 2015)

Has Anyone found a solution to the auto pause pausing while coasting? I use my 520 for Mtb and its been driving me crazy lately while I've been trying to hit some PR's on the DH parts of the trails, i can hear the thing pausing while doing 40 to 50 km/h on the down. I even stopped using the cadence sensor and deleted it from the 520, at first it seem to help a bit but still get this auto pause when I coast. 
around the first part of 2016 we did a long group ride, me and a mate wanted to do the 100k challenge of strava and by the time i completed the 100k he had like 104kms on his Polar bike comp. along with a few other ones that were using non GPS bike computers. so all those un real auto pause while coasting on on the downs added up to around 4 kms at the end of the ride.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Kenric said:


> Has Anyone found a solution to the auto pause pausing while coasting? I use my 520 for Mtb and its been driving me crazy lately while I've been trying to hit some PR's on the DH parts of the trails, i can hear the thing pausing while doing 40 to 50 km/h on the down. I even stopped using the cadence sensor and deleted it from the 520, at first it seem to help a bit but still get this auto pause when I coast.
> around the first part of 2016 we did a long group ride, me and a mate wanted to do the 100k challenge of strava and by the time i completed the 100k he had like 104kms on his Polar bike comp. along with a few other ones that were using non GPS bike computers. so all those un real auto pause while coasting on on the downs added up to around 4 kms at the end of the ride.


turn off auto pause.


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## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

I leave Auto-Pause off on my Garmin and let the Post Ride software do the paused and moving time.


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## Bordeauxman (Jan 16, 2009)

For the Garmin 520, is there a BACKLIGHT ALWAYS ON option for riding in the dark? My apologies if this has already been discussed.


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## basso4735 (Oct 7, 2007)

Bordeauxman said:


> For the Garmin 520, is there a BACKLIGHT ALWAYS ON option for riding in the dark? My apologies if this has already been discussed.


Yes there is under the backlight timer setting.

I usually use 20-30% always on for night rides.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## bbqmike (Jan 5, 2016)

Kenric said:


> Has Anyone found a solution to the auto pause pausing while coasting? I use my 520 for Mtb and its been driving me crazy lately while I've been trying to hit some PR's on the DH parts of the trails, i can hear the thing pausing while doing 40 to 50 km/h on the down. I even stopped using the cadence sensor and deleted it from the 520, at first it seem to help a bit but still get this auto pause when I coast.
> around the first part of 2016 we did a long group ride, me and a mate wanted to do the 100k challenge of strava and by the time i completed the 100k he had like 104kms on his Polar bike comp. along with a few other ones that were using non GPS bike computers. so all those un real auto pause while coasting on on the downs added up to around 4 kms at the end of the ride.


Do you have a speed sensor on the wheel? this fixed my distance accuracy, and helps autopause work much better, although I leave it off 90% of the time. If I'm going out for a few hours with planned stops, etc I like the autopause, but the rest of the time I leave it off. (I just setup different profiles, one has it on, the other its off).


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## bbqmike (Jan 5, 2016)

6thElement said:


> I gave my wife her 520 gift early today, it updated to firmware 10.0. She has an S7 Active and it only showed numbers, not the contact name over the Bluetooth.
> 
> Did you ever find the solution?


I have not, I am on the newest garmin and VZ s7 updates. I feel like something changed in andriod 6 with contacts because my car radio also doesn't match 100% of the time, even though only 3 people ever actually call me these days


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## 6thElement (Jul 17, 2006)

bbqmike said:


> I have not, I am on the newest garmin and VZ s7 updates. I feel like something changed in andriod 6 with contacts because my car radio also doesn't match 100% of the time, even though only 3 people ever actually call me these days


Garmin Edge 520 - Page 13- Mtbr.com

Solution was the Garmin phone app was asking permission to access the phone contacts - needed to say yes.


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## bbqmike (Jan 5, 2016)

6thElement said:


> Garmin Edge 520 - Page 13- Mtbr.com
> 
> Solution was the Garmin phone app was asking permission to access the phone contacts - needed to say yes.


I just checked and the garmin connect app had permissions to everything except sms text, so I enabled that, but I don't have the device here to test. This might be a case where a full uninstall and reinstall could potentially work. Thanks.


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## thecanoe (Jan 30, 2007)

I don't have a computer, just an iPad. My 520 is about a year and a half old. It is working fine and syncs with my iPhone 6 correctly. I've never updated the software in the Garmin. Number 1) should I? Number 2) Do I need a computer or is there a way to use my iPhone?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## bbqmike (Jan 5, 2016)

6thElement said:


> Garmin Edge 520 - Page 13- Mtbr.com
> 
> Solution was the Garmin phone app was asking permission to access the phone contacts - needed to say yes.


I got it working, but had to remove the BT connection from the phone and garmin, re-pair the two. Now the contacts are coming through,


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

ghettocruiser said:


> Went for a winter stroll over the weekend and noticed that the 520 thermometer is no longer reading 3-4C below the real temperature.
> 
> So I tested it, and it's now bang-on.


Nevermind. All the apps and stuff I had loaded and running were heating it a bit. Which also explains some recent battery drain issues. When I tested it with all the recent add-on software off, it was still 3-4C too cold.


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## scottg (Mar 30, 2004)

I have a 510 and suddenly it will no longer connect to my android phone via bluetooth. I have unpaired it and tried to reconnect with no success. I also tried to pair it to my ipad and the ipad could not detect it at all. The issue arose when I had not updated it for a while. Then I tried updating it to see if that would work and had no success. Any suggestions?

Edit.....got it to work. Never mind.


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## Maizie88 (Apr 29, 2014)

Wow this looks seriously so cool! Would make my commuting around the big city way more interesting.


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## gckless (Aug 25, 2016)

Just ordered a K-EDGE gravity top cap mount. Still not sure if I made the right choice versus the adjustable stem mount, but I think I'll like this one better. I may end up getting the other just to compare. I'm not a fan of the out front mount, and I'm a bit OCD so for some reason the 520 sitting on the left side of the bars bothers me.

Anyone else using a K-EDGE mount?


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## Dethshed (Nov 23, 2006)

I ordered a pair of the K-Edge top cap mounts but returned them in favour of getting the K-EDGE MTB STEM MOUNT which places my 520 right on top of the clamp area of the stem which is ideal.
Having it on the top-cap meant the 520 was a bit too close to me

Fergal



gckless said:


> Just ordered a K-EDGE gravity top cap mount. Still not sure if I made the right choice versus the adjustable stem mount, but I think I'll like this one better. I may end up getting the other just to compare. I'm not a fan of the out front mount, and I'm a bit OCD so for some reason the 520 sitting on the left side of the bars bothers me.
> 
> Anyone else using a K-EDGE mount?


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## gckless (Aug 25, 2016)

Holy battery life Batman!

Went on my first long ride with the 520 today. Started with 100% battery, using GPS+GLONASS and one ANT+ speed sensor connected. No BT or wifi on. Rode 2 hours and 8 minutes, ended with 88% battery. I consider that damn good.


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## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

^^^ Not as good as the 510 was though. Generally speaking, I'm not as pleased with the 520 battery life compared to the 510.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Cleared2land said:


> ^^^ Not as good as the 510 was though. Generally speaking, I'm not as pleased with the 520 battery life compared to the 510.


Yeah, same here, though I didn't have an Edge 510 to compare to. Just my preference for battery life. I like more, so when I do multi-day trips, I don't have to worry as much about recharging. With the 520, I can get about 2 days of riding usually before I need to start thinking about recharging.

Thankfully, I just picked up my new teardrop camper yesterday, so for multi-day ride/camping trips, I should have few worries. My camper has solar panels to keep its own battery charged up.


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## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

Harold said:


> Thankfully, I just picked up my new teardrop camper yesterday, so for multi-day ride/camping trips, I should have few worries. My camper has solar panels to keep its own battery charged up.


You know where you need to do an update and post photos. I'll be lookin'. A little narrative and thoughts would be in order too.


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## zx6rpete (Sep 21, 2008)

Lots of stuff about mapping in this big thread but I can't seem to confirm if the 520 or 25 has basic "bread crumb" mapping? The only thing I care about is starting at a trailhead and have it track my route and let me see where I'm at in relation to my starting point. I have no desire to load maps and am just interested in having GPS track of my progress. Thanks.


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## bbqmike (Jan 5, 2016)

My 520 set off an emergency alert twice last ride, is there some g-force trigger in there now? It did it once when I loaded up the front over a hill, and second time when I tossed the device on my front seat in the car.


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## Oh My Sack! (Aug 21, 2006)

Not sure on the 25 but the 520 lays down your track and is visible when you scroll to the map window. You can save it, use it to create a route, return to start, etc. 

I'm thinking that this is such a basic function of gps' since the beginning way back, it's perhaps not even mentioned.


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## Oh My Sack! (Aug 21, 2006)

bbqmike said:


> My 520 set off an emergency alert twice last ride, is there some g-force trigger in there now? It did it once when I loaded up the front over a hill, and second time when I tossed the device on my front seat in the car.


Ahhhh...that must be Incident Alert from Garmin Connect. I haven't set it up on mine, yet because I wanted to read how it worked and just haven't got around to it.


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## gckless (Aug 25, 2016)

Software version 11 is out. I don't have space to update because of the maps I have loaded, and now I can't sync with Connect because I can't update. Great. Looks like I need a new map pack.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

gckless said:


> Software version 11 is out. I don't have space to update because of the maps I have loaded, and now I can't sync with Connect because I can't update. Great. Looks like I need a new map pack.


Move them to a computer. Install update. put them back.


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## Oh My Sack! (Aug 21, 2006)

gckless said:


> Software version 11 is out. I don't have space to update because of the maps I have loaded, and now I can't sync with Connect because I can't update. Great. Looks like I need a new map pack.


D'oh! Interesting. Just last week after seeing this thread, I started having some hiccups with my 520 not linking to Beacon or Live Track and then not auto-uploading to Strava. I was trying all kinds of combinations to make it work. I updated to v10 last week and then had to uninstall Connect, then reinstall, and it started working...till it didn't. The last issue seemed to be between Connect and Strava as it would upload my ride to Connect but it wasn't making it through to Strava. A few more tweaks and it's all working fine.....NOW there's another update? :lol: Time to plug in, I guess.


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## gckless (Aug 25, 2016)

Harold said:


> Move them to a computer. Install update. put them back.


Ya know, after I posted that I thought about it and was going to try what you said. I don't know how much more space is taken up by the new software though. I know it's 15MB, not sure how much additional from the last one. Definitely going to try it first regardless.



Oh My Sack! said:


> D'oh! Interesting. Just last week after seeing this thread, I started having some hiccups with my 520 not linking to Beacon or Live Track and then not auto-uploading to Strava. I was trying all kinds of combinations to make it work. I updated to v10 last week and then had to uninstall Connect, then reinstall, and it started working...till it didn't. The last issue seemed to be between Connect and Strava as it would upload my ride to Connect but it wasn't making it through to Strava. A few more tweaks and it's all working fine.....NOW there's another update? :lol: Time to plug in, I guess.


Lol, well hopefully it will fix some problems. Ya know the weird thing is that Garmin Express told me there was an error syncing with Connect, but then my ride made it over there and synced with Strava. It wouldn't load a new course to the 520 though. I dunno.


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## gckless (Aug 25, 2016)

Harold said:


> Move them to a computer. Install update. put them back.


This did work by the way. For anyone in the same boat, you have to actually update the software by unplugging the device from the computer (should prompt for update at that time), then reconnect once it's updated and reload the maps. It loads a "GUPDATE" file on there that was 15MB for this version for the update, which is then deleted when the update occurs. Then you're free to drop the maps back in there.


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## jon123 (Oct 11, 2009)

I did the update last night and all looks good and went fast. 

I use the Varia smart tail light and there were a couple of useful changes in the 520's data screens for that.


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## Raleighguy29 (Jan 7, 2014)

Any one know how to use the apps you can down load into the garmin. I've down loaded the one you can use to down load routes from mtb protect but can't figure out how to use it 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## gckless (Aug 25, 2016)

Raleighguy29 said:


> Any one know how to use the apps you can down load into the garmin. I've down loaded the one you can use to down load routes from mtb protect but can't figure out how to use it
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Figure it out yet? What app is that?


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## Raleighguy29 (Jan 7, 2014)

gckless said:


> Figure it out yet? What app is that?


No I haven't

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

It seems Raleighguy doesn't want to tell us what app that he has the problem with. Name of app and/or the developer might help to offer help.

I've been unsuccessful in searching for an app that he might be having difficulty with. The closest app might be routeCourse, but I don't know.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Cleared2land said:


> It seems Raleighguy doesn't want to tell us what app that he has the problem with. Name of app and/or the developer might help to offer help.
> 
> I've been unsuccessful in searching for an app that he might be having difficulty with. The closest app might be routeCourse, but I don't know.


Funny he's so quiet in here. He's usually a pretty chatty guy. Guess he's been busy at Windrock bike park and then posting vids about it on Facebook.

I haven't bothered with any of the app stuff on my Edge 520, so I'm no use in this discussion, except to heckle Raleighguy29.


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## Raleighguy29 (Jan 7, 2014)

Cleared2land said:


> It seems Raleighguy doesn't want to tell us what app that he has the problem with. Name of app and/or the developer might help to offer help.
> 
> I've been unsuccessful in searching for an app that he might be having difficulty with. The closest app might be routeCourse, but I don't know.


Sorry I've been busy at work since I've. Been back haven't had time to dick with it. I'll get it posted soon.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

Yepper, we understand. Life usually has its priorities. However, work is over-rated.


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## gckless (Aug 25, 2016)

Anyone know how to mark points on a ride to reference later? I know you can mark locations, but you can only view those on the Edge, and is sorta cumbersome to use for my purpose. I want to map trails, so I'm trying to mark the points where trails split. I don't know any function that does this so far. I've emailed Garmin, but wondering if anyone here has figured anything out.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

gckless said:


> Anyone know how to mark points on a ride to reference later? I know you can mark locations, but you can only view those on the Edge, and is sorta cumbersome to use for my purpose. I want to map trails, so I'm trying to mark the points where trails split. I don't know any function that does this so far. I've emailed Garmin, but wondering if anyone here has figured anything out.


an edge of any sort is not the sort of GPS you want for that. you frankly want a handheld. you can run waypoint averaging on them to improve the accuracy of the recorded point so you can use them as control points.


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## Raleighguy29 (Jan 7, 2014)

Cleared2land said:


> It seems Raleighguy doesn't want to tell us what app that he has the problem with. Name of app and/or the developer might help to offer help.
> 
> I've been unsuccessful in searching for an app that he might be having difficulty with. The closest app might be routeCourse, but I don't know.











Here's the app I was talking about. Any help would be great

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## gckless (Aug 25, 2016)

Harold said:


> an edge of any sort is not the sort of GPS you want for that. you frankly want a handheld. you can run waypoint averaging on them to improve the accuracy of the recorded point so you can use them as control points.


Yeah, I was afraid of this.

Garmin emailed back and said it wasn't possible through Connect, but was possible with BaseCamp. I haven't tried it yet, and honestly I never really use BaseCamp. I think I'm just going to resort to marking the trailheads with the GPS track, go in a little circle or purposely go past the trailhead a couple meters or whatever. That's probably easiest, since I'm creating trails from the Strava track anyway.


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## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

*Garmin Basecamp video*

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3fmNBCL9R4#t=91


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## gckless (Aug 25, 2016)

Update 11.10 available. Changes are:

Fixed issue causing elevation to be incorrectly offset.
Fixed minor issues related to Connect IQ.



Has anyone done more testing with the smart vs. 1-sec recording interval? 1 second should be more accurate, but I saw some posts early on in this thread that showed it actually caused a few errors.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

gckless said:


> Update 11.10 available. Changes are:
> 
> Fixed issue causing elevation to be incorrectly offset.
> Fixed minor issues related to Connect IQ.
> ...


Which post specifically? I have used Garmins for YEARS. Especially when I was running (and using the same GPS for both activities), and especially with my handheld (Garmin Oregon 450) I'd switch between smart and 1sec. It was consistently the same result. Smart is great for walking or running pace, but it's a hot mess when you increase the speed on twisty trails. You probably won't notice it if you live out west and your trails tend to be more open with longer, straighter sections. I don't live there and my trails don't look like that.

My local trails look like this:









If I want my track to actually reflect what I've ridden and not look like I have a crayon to a 1yr old, then I'm going to use 1sec recording. Is it perfect? Of course not. I got caught in a storm the other day, and when I downloaded my ride, I noticed that right about when the rain started, my GPS track lost a degree of accuracy. It happens. But based on what consistently happens every time I use smart recording, no, I won't ever use it for a bike ride. There's no disadvantage to it.


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## gckless (Aug 25, 2016)

Harold said:


> Which post specifically? I have used Garmins for YEARS. Especially when I was running (and using the same GPS for both activities), and especially with my handheld (Garmin Oregon 450) I'd switch between smart and 1sec. It was consistently the same result. Smart is great for walking or running pace, but it's a hot mess when you increase the speed on twisty trails. You probably won't notice it if you live out west and your trails tend to be more open with longer, straighter sections. I don't live there and my trails don't look like that.
> 
> My local trails look like this:
> 
> ...


Well that's good to know. I actually used it on this past ride and it seemed good, so I'll be using it from now on. But it does lose track over simple things, and I don't think it's related to the recording interval. For example, I'll come to a "T" trail intersection from the left, turn down the trail to the bottom for about 5m just to mark it, then turn back around to continue right, and now I'm in a different spot. It's not a straight line, kinda looks like this "--__". It happens quite a bit. I'm going to play around with it a bit to see if maybe the satellite setting makes a different or anything like that. Right now I'm using GPS and GLONASS, which should be the most accurate.


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## Roots (Feb 17, 2015)

Hello Edge520 users! 
Does anybody know if it possible to use maps (smaller parts of them) from 
OpenTopoMap Garmin-Edition
on Edge520 unit?
Details there are superb and i think there is no single trail missed on it - at least around my home..it would be a very useful trail guide...
I was able to use maps from 
Free worldwide Garmin maps from OpenStreetMap
Any input would be much appreciated and pardon if question is stupid/been talked over before...
Happy riding!


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Roots said:


> Hello Edge520 users!
> Does anybody know if it possible to use maps (smaller parts of them) from
> OpenTopoMap Garmin-Edition
> on Edge520 unit?
> ...


You can use either. The important thing is that you need to prepare the map areas you wish to put on your device in a program like Basecamp or the older Garmin Mapsource first. Getting the file onto the Edge 520 takes more work, though, than a specific mapping model like an 820 or 1000. Earlier posts in this discussion cover that part of it.


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## Roots (Feb 17, 2015)

Hey, i managed to get the map into basecamp but it is not detailed as one seen on page OpenTopoMap Garmin-Edition...
i guess it will be even less detailed on garmin520...no contour lines (separate file that needs to be imported in basemp and merged in gmpabmap.img for 520?).
..it is a question for basecamp forum...still need to learn, how to make custom area map in basecamp, so it would be small enough for garmin520...will need to do some more browsing and see if i manage to get map as detailed on garmin520 as seen on page.
But i guess i want something that is not possible for garmin520.

Thank you Harold.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Roots said:


> Hey, i managed to get the map into basecamp but it is not detailed as one seen on page OpenTopoMap Garmin-Edition...
> i guess it will be even less detailed on garmin520...no contour lines (separate file that needs to be imported in basemp and merged in gmpabmap.img for 520?).
> ..it is a question for basecamp forum...still need to learn, how to make custom area map in basecamp, so it would be small enough for garmin520...will need to do some more browsing and see if i manage to get map as detailed on garmin520 as seen on page.
> But i guess i want something that is not possible for garmin520.
> ...


I don't know anything about the sources you're pulling data from, but it's not too big of a problem to add multiple map layers to the file you wish to load onto the Garmin. I do it on mine.

However, I'm using data from gpsfiledepot.com and the topo map files are usually all-inclusive when it comes to contour lines, streams, roads, POI data, etc. Some of that data is a little out of date (like the roads), but it's all in one file. I layer that file with a file that contains nothing but trail data. Basecamp lets you select areas from multiple map layers, and it puts them into a single output file that you can load onto the Edge 520.


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## Roots (Feb 17, 2015)

Sadly gpsfiledepot.com does not cover my country, Slovenija (Slovenia)...so i find it useless to even bother with "multilayering/combining/exporting" in basecamp with other regions in order to learn.
It seems i am running out of options/ideas other than buying original garmin topo for my region and see...i guess i'll skip that.
Thank you a lot for your input.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Roots said:


> Sadly gpsfiledepot.com does not cover my country, Slovenija (Slovenia)...so i find it useless to even bother with "multilayering/combining/exporting" in basecamp with other regions in order to learn.
> It seems i am running out of options/ideas other than buying original garmin topo for my region and see...i guess i'll skip that.
> Thank you a lot for your input.


You might be able to make those maps yourself. gpsfiledepot has a tutorial to teach you to do so. The biggest factor is whether your government makes the data you'd need to use to make them easily, freely, and publicly available. Some governments don't make that data freely available, so you have to pay for it from private companies that produce their own data (like with the Garmin maps).

I'll be honest, my wife and I are beginning to talk/plan out a trip to Europe, and trying to decide where to ride, and Slovenia has come up in more than one discussion as a potential place to ride.


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## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

Harold said:


> I'll be honest, my wife and I are beginning to talk/plan out a trip to Europe, and trying to decide where to ride, and Slovenia has come up in more than one discussion as a potential place to ride.


Not to hijack this thread, but I would be interested in some of your plans for Europe. What do you intend to do about bikes? Send yours along or rent?


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## Mookie (Feb 28, 2008)

Just as an aside I noticed that the 520s are selling for $250 right now at all the usual outlets. That's about $50 off so not a bad deal.


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## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

I too have noticed all of the Garmin's on sale at various sites. It has me thinkin' that some changes are coming.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Cleared2land said:


> I too have noticed all of the Garmin's on sale at various sites. It has me thinkin' that some changes are coming.


This seems to be an annual thing for them, whether changes to that specific model are coming or not. The 820 was new, what, last year around this time? I expect that the 1000 is set for an update this year.


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## Mookie (Feb 28, 2008)

That's good to know. I'll have to keep my eyes open for deals in the future.


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## Roots (Feb 17, 2015)

Harold said:


> You might be able to make those maps yourself. gpsfiledepot has a tutorial to teach you to do so. The biggest factor is whether your government makes the data you'd need to use to make them easily, freely, and publicly available. Some governments don't make that data freely available, so you have to pay for it from private companies that produce their own data (like with the Garmin maps).
> 
> I'll be honest, my wife and I are beginning to talk/plan out a trip to Europe, and trying to decide where to ride, and Slovenia has come up in more than one discussion as a potential place to ride.


Seing those nice maps on OpenTopoMap Garmin-Edition makes me think it is impossible i'd be the first one to explore combining their maps and edge520...i think i've read somewhere our government made data freely available, but their maps, i have been able to find, don't come even close in details (trails on detailed topo) as seen on OTM Garmin..and honestly, setting edge520 to work with OSM maps is peak of my "mapping capabillities" - where is me making maps etc...
If you plan to visit Slovenia, you might be surprised over our preserved and diverse nature (from alps to adriatic sea in 1,5h car drive), endless options for all kind of MTB. Renting a good MTB for two days costs cca 40€ here in capital city, Ljubljana...and frankly first really fun trail starts 2 min from my LBS door...
I'd be honoured to show some of my favorites to you.


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## bbqmike (Jan 5, 2016)

My 520 is giving me a lot of GPS errors lately. I did a reset, then rolled back from 11 to 9.10, GPS off, then back on as gps only, tried between gps +glonass etc. Here is a pic of it sitting on the counter. Last couple of rides have had at least one section with a bad error, in trails I've ridden with the unit for almost a year and had no issues. 








Another other tips before I call garmin? I need it for a race this weekend, then I can send it back in if needed.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

bbqmike said:


> My 520 is giving me a lot of GPS errors lately. I did a reset, then rolled back from 11 to 9.10, GPS off, then back on as gps only, tried between gps +glonass etc. Here is a pic of it sitting on the counter. Last couple of rides have had at least one section with a bad error, in trails I've ridden with the unit for almost a year and had no issues.
> View attachment 1137412
> 
> 
> Another other tips before I call garmin? I need it for a race this weekend, then I can send it back in if needed.


Frankly, that map shows squat because there's no scale. So there's no way to tell how much it's drifting.

Checking atmospheric conditions can be worthwhile. There are a couple places you can check, but they're not exactly device-agnostic.

GNSS Planning Online
https://www.trimble.com/gnssplanningonline/

Both require Microsoft Silverlight to run, and won't run on Chrome. I can't get them to run on Firefox or MS "Edge" on my computer, either. But if you can figure out how to get either site to run, it'll show you how atmospheric conditions affect GPS reception/accuracy. They're really cool tools to use to start understanding some external factors that affect GPS accuracy, and they can be pretty useful to use as ruleouts when you're having accuracy problems. Check the time/date/location of your problems, and rule out some potential causes.

You say you did a reset. Was it a hard reset or a soft one? There's a difference, and the hard reset is the most helpful.

Calling Garmin is never a bad idea on something like this. They'll probably walk you through a number of things you've already done, anyway (and if you tell them, they'll ask you to try again).

I'll say that it's unlikely to be a firmware issue. I'm on the most recent firmware and haven't had any accuracy problems. Nor has my wife with her 520 that she just got recently.


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## bbqmike (Jan 5, 2016)

So I didn't realize there was another procedure for a reset, I did a hard reset, and did the same test, sitting on the counter and this is the result:








I'll test it on the trail now and see how that goes, thanks! I had assumed a firmware rollback would have cleared out all of the settings, but I was wrong.


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## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

*A little contrast provides some perspective to a structure.*


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Cleared2land said:


> View attachment 1137531


My monitor is on the outs....

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


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## scottg (Mar 30, 2004)

I just got an Edge 520 to replace my 510, which I lost. The 510 used to shut itself off automatically after a period of time when not recording an activity. I can't figure out how to make the 520 do that - it just stays on indefinitely, wearing down the battery. 

Not a major deal I suppose but I used to just hit "save" on the 510 and then left it alone to do its thing and shut itself off so it would be nice if I could do that on the 520. Anyone know how to do that?


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## bbqmike (Jan 5, 2016)

Each profile has a "auto sleep" setting under the Auto section, I cannot currently find the setting to change how long that interval is. I'm on the newest firmware.


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## scottg (Mar 30, 2004)

I tried selecting auto sleep on the one profile I have on the device and it still didn't shut down. I don't actually want it to just "sleep". I want it to automatically just shut off completely if it's just sitting there after I've saved and uploaded my activity. My 510 did that.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

scottg said:


> I tried selecting auto sleep on the one profile I have on the device and it still didn't shut down. I don't actually want it to just "sleep". I want it to automatically just shut off completely if it's just sitting there after I've saved and uploaded my activity. My 510 did that.


My 520 does, too, so long as it's not plugged in. It's never a setting I've messed with, TBH. After a bit, it pops up a warning saying it'll shut off in 15sec or whatever, unless you tell it to cancel.


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## scottg (Mar 30, 2004)

Harold said:


> My 520 does, too, so long as it's not plugged in. It's never a setting I've messed with, TBH. After a bit, it pops up a warning saying it'll shut off in 15sec or whatever, unless you tell it to cancel.


Thanks....turns out there is no setting for it. After chatting with Garmin Support I did a factory reset and got it to work....finally. Just have to set up my activity profile again I guess.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

scottg said:


> Thanks....turns out there is no setting for it. After chatting with Garmin Support I did a factory reset and got it to work....finally. Just have to set up my activity profile again I guess.


I figured a factory reset would set you right. Makes me curious how yours got disabled in the first place, though.


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## Oh My Sack! (Aug 21, 2006)

Jumping in on this....I vaguely recall my 520 going into auto shutdown a time or 2 when new when I was messing with and learning the ops. It's never done it since, though. So to confirm....the 520 does, in fact, go into auto-shutdown? And doing a full factory reset fixed the issue of NOT automatically shutting down? I'm completely up to date on updates but never have done a reset. I think I need to as I have noticed some anomalies with tracking correctly, an issue that has previously been discussed.


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## scottg (Mar 30, 2004)

Something I'm doing in the setup has messed it up because I do a quick setup without bothering to set up everything and it works - then I set it up fully and it stops working. Now I'm doing one item at a time to try to isolate the problem. 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk


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## Scott McIntyre (Oct 29, 2015)

*Incident Detection*

Question... What triggers the incident detection? I tried to test it by riding along and jumping off my bike, letting it slam onto grass. No incident detected.

Not sure if the system uses the accelerometer of the 520 or of the cell phone connected to it. My phone was in my jersey pocket and did not experience any impact obviously.


Incident Detection was enabled on my 520
Garmin Connect Mobile was running on my phone
Phone and 520 were connected via bluetooth

I just want to test the system to ensure it sends texts to my emergency contacts.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Scott McIntyre said:


> Question... What triggers the incident detection? I tried to test it by riding along and jumping off my bike, letting it slam onto grass. No incident detected.
> 
> Not sure if the system uses the accelerometer of the 520 or of the cell phone connected to it. My phone was in my jersey pocket and did not experience any impact obviously.
> 
> ...


There is no accelerometer in the Edge 520. It's likely using your phone.


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## Procter (Feb 3, 2012)

It might also look for a period of time with close to zero movement (that's how I'd do it). Did you leave it for a few minutes?


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## jacksonlui (Aug 15, 2015)

The incident detection is pretty cool. Had the misfortune of activating it 3 times in the last few months. It's loud and makes you forget the pain because you jump up out of your failure to hit that cancel button so it doesn't text for help...  I remember clipping my grips on an extended tree limb going 25mph. I tumbled and started making weird groaning noises only to realize that the incident alarm which made me jumped up and hit it forgetting how much pain I was in.


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## Scott McIntyre (Oct 29, 2015)

Procter said:


> It might also look for a period of time with close to zero movement (that's how I'd do it). Did you leave it for a few minutes?


Not a few minutes. Maybe 30 seconds.



jacksonlui said:


> Had the misfortune of activating it 3 times in the last few months.


Did it trigger immediately, or after a period of time?


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## Oh My Sack! (Aug 21, 2006)

Yeah...what triggered it? I haven't used the feature on the 520, yet. I use the RoadID app and it triggers on 5 minutes of inactivity and gives you 60" to deactivate before sending the messages.


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## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

*From Garmin's web site...*

https://support.garmin.com/faqSearch/en-GB/faq/content/oEpWr9PRch7e4swMZAilU8

Incident Detection feature

When paired with a compatible mobile device*, devices that have Garmin's Incident Detection feature have the ability to send an alert to your emergency contacts in the event of an accident.

Sensors embedded within the device are used to determine if there is an impact. Any paired sensors such as a speed sensor or cadence sensor will be used as well. All of this information is combined and the device will determine if an incident has taken place.

In the event of a triggered incident detection, the device will display a screen notification giving indication to the rider that an incident has been detected. If no incident has occurred the rider has up to 30 seconds to dismiss the notification in order to avoid a false report from being sent. If an incident has occurred the device will use a paired mobile device to send a message and last known location to emergency contacts that were previously set up through the Garmin Connect Mobile app.


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## Oh My Sack! (Aug 21, 2006)

Thanks for looking that up, C2L. Think I'll enable it on mine. It's obviously based on accelerometers. Of course my phone has one but I also run a Cadence and Speed sensor on my bikes. I think I got it covered!


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Cleared2land said:


> https://support.garmin.com/faqSearch/en-GB/faq/content/oEpWr9PRch7e4swMZAilU8
> 
> Incident Detection feature
> 
> ...





Oh My Sack! said:


> Thanks for looking that up, C2L. Think I'll enable it on mine. It's obviously based on accelerometers. Of course my phone has one but I also run a Cadence and Speed sensor on my bikes. I think I got it covered!


I'm not sure it means that. Note that the statement is pretty vague about what sorts of sensors. It's worth noting that incident detection was not a feature that existed for the Edge 520 when it was released. That came with a firmware update later on.

I'm not seeing anything official from Garmin. Probably a bunch of trade secrets involved, but this Garmin forum thread helps:

https://forums.garmin.com/forum/int...-aa/147462-garmin-edge-520-incident-detection

So if you want to test it, start a ride and shake the device.

Also worth noting: while searching for answers, I found a new Garmin model - the Edge 1030. It mentions the built-in incident detection, and further specifies that it's designed for road use. Makes me wonder if riding chundery mtb trails will trigger the incident detection.

https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/567991

I also found this:

https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/571552

Which is stated to be compatible with the Edge 520, though I'm not sure how.

Also a new mount:

https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/pn/010-12563-00


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## jacksonlui (Aug 15, 2015)

Scott McIntyre said:


> Not a few minutes. Maybe 30 seconds.
> 
> Did it trigger immediately, or after a period of time?


It triggers immediately. If you have a slow fall it doesn't trigger. So if you fall off an edge it won't help. It seems to know when you've gone from high speed to no speed. It doesnt know if your bike flipped over. Ive done that while hitting a square edge and endo'd at low speed and was anticipating the alarm but there was none. I think my garmin was too busy laughing tbh.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


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## davez26 (Dec 2, 2004)

I have had 2 (well 3), incidents. I was cruising the bike path, hit a left hander hit gravel and a split second later, I remember the ground and a loud sound. My wife got the message and called me. Worked as advertised. 
Another time the bike was rolling a little and crashed to pavement- detection picked it up. 
The third time...I was bad. I was getting ready to ride in the bike park for some lessons, dropped it and kicked the unit into the car trying to catch it. I went to start the ride, apparently during the countdown, and it wasn't doing what I wanted, so i restarted it. Apparently, it was in the midst of the countdown, and since it never got acknowledged, it sent the message. One time ever, I left my phone in the car, since no answer, my wife called the PD to find me. Awkward! Records showed that I had a deceleration for 101 mph...
Anyway, I use both Road ID and Edge for tracking for my wife's sake. I don't use the RoadId time countdown because it sucked when I took a break. 
Whatever Edge uses, I will take what I can get to let my wife know that I am safe with or not.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## jacksonlui (Aug 15, 2015)

Poor lady. You're gonna give her a nervous breakdown 

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


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## Scott McIntyre (Oct 29, 2015)

I was finally able to trigger / test it. At the end of a ride I popped my 520 off it's holder and shook it violently. Shortly after it started beeping and my phone started chiming. I let it time-out and it sent a text to my emergency contacts. Then, from the Garmin app on my phone, I was able to send a "I'm OK" message afterwords.

For some reason I had assumed that the "I'm OK" could be sent from the 520, but you can only do it from the Garmin app on your phone.


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## 6thElement (Jul 17, 2006)

Harold said:


> https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/567991
> 
> I also found this:
> 
> ...


This cable required for a 520 with the battery pack:
https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/pn/010-12562-01


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

6thElement said:


> This cable required for a 520 with the battery pack:
> https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/pn/010-12562-01


Good catch. Kinda annoying that it needs a proprietary $20 cable and that you can't use it in the special out front mount. I think I'd be more apt to just use whatever usb battery pack I find.


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## davez26 (Dec 2, 2004)

jacksonlui said:


> Poor lady. You're gonna give her a nervous breakdown
> 
> Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


She loves me, and worries alot. While upset, she is glad that she can track me, and that the system works at all.
I had some 'splainin' to do when I triggered it in the parking lot!

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk


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## jacksonlui (Aug 15, 2015)

I went otb this week and the garmin went nuts. Lol. It loves me.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


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## thecanoe (Jan 30, 2007)

Is the battery replaceable in a 520? I'm not getting the same battery life as when new. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

thecanoe said:


> Is the battery replaceable in a 520? I'm not getting the same battery life as when new.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


yes and no.

easest method would be to call garmin and get a service request going to have a new battery installed (they will probably send you a refurbished unit to speed turnaround).

cheapest would be to DIY. would probably look something like this:


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## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

^^^ Changing the battery....

That's slow enough that it should be achievable by most.


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## Klaser (Jul 13, 2016)

Since upgrading from 12.20 to 12.30 firmware, my 520 seems to be more slow in loading rides and courses in the unit , just coincidence ?


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Klaser said:


> Since upgrading from 12.20 to 12.30 firmware, my 520 seems to be more slow in loading rides and courses in the unit , just coincidence ?


When I connected mine and my wife's to the computer after a ride a few days ago, they wouldn't "connect" to Garmin Express. Express kept erroring out on me with the sync, even though it successfully updated both devices. The rides were there, though, and I had to upload them manually. First time anything like that has happened to me. Haven't done any more rides since, so I'm not sure if it was a fluke or if this is a new "feature" from the new firmware.


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## Klaser (Jul 13, 2016)

I not shure but last few rides when I try to send my rides to connect, I have to do it 3 ou 4 times till I get sucess, it fails 2 ou 3 times always...Maybe the same thing you are experiencing... I am thinking in roll back to 12.20 firmware to see if the problem is after all this new firmware, but wanted to check here first...


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Klaser said:


> I not shure but last few rides when I try to send my rides to connect, I have to do it 3 ou 4 times till I get sucess, it fails 2 ou 3 times always...Maybe the same thing you are experiencing... I am thinking in roll back to 12.20 firmware to see if the problem is after all this new firmware, but wanted to check here first...


I was thinking of trying to do the upload with my phone, but that honestly takes longer than just manually pulling the file off the device when it's already plugged into my computer. even when it's worked well. I might try it next time just to see if that's also an issue.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

FWIW, I did a ride yesterday that I had to break into 3 separate files because it included shuttles and a small road trip from one riding area to another. Everything uploaded from my phone and the Connect app super quick.

Tried with Express on my PC when I plugged the gps in to charge, and bupkus. It errored out again on both mine and my wife's GPS. Problem appears to be with Connect. Going to go check the Garmin forums.


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## davez26 (Dec 2, 2004)

I hadn't given it much thought, but I have been fighting having to re-add my phone and having to do manual uploads for maybe the last month or so. 

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk


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## the mayor (Nov 18, 2004)

Connect and Express have been getting worse.
I have a Edge 705....Express won't recognize it ( started a few months ago)...so I have to drag and drop my files into Connect.
Connect has been getting weird errors.....Starting today, all my rides are now titled (null) and when you click on a ride in the calendar, instead of showing a thumbnail of the ride, it shows a satellite view of where the ride started from.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

davez26 said:


> I hadn't given it much thought, but I have been fighting having to re-add my phone and having to do manual uploads for maybe the last month or so.
> 
> Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk





the mayor said:


> Connect and Express have been getting worse.
> I have a Edge 705....Express won't recognize it ( started a few months ago)...so I have to drag and drop my files into Connect.
> Connect has been getting weird errors.....Starting today, all my rides are now titled (null) and when you click on a ride in the calendar, instead of showing a thumbnail of the ride, it shows a satellite view of where the ride started from.


So because of this comment, I decided to take a look at Connect to see if it's doing anything weird. Everything was uploaded from my phone perfectly fine when I connected them a couple days ago. At least on my end, the only place I'm having trouble is with Express. I checked the Garmin forums and it looks like some folks have intermittently been having problems with Express and a bunch of different devices since September. My problems only appeared a week or so ago, so I have no idea what's up. Nobody from Garmin has put out a solution, and forum users have thrown out a couple of suggestions - neither of which even applies to the Edge 520. Everybody else has tried uninstalling/reinstalling Express with no effect.


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## the mayor (Nov 18, 2004)

Harold said:


> So because of this comment, I decided to take a look at Connect to see if it's doing anything weird. Everything was uploaded from my phone perfectly fine when I connected them a couple days ago. At least on my end, the only place I'm having trouble is with Express. I checked the Garmin forums and it looks like some folks have intermittently been having problems with Express and a bunch of different devices since September. My problems only appeared a week or so ago, so I have no idea what's up. Nobody from Garmin has put out a solution, and forum users have thrown out a couple of suggestions - neither of which even applies to the Edge 520. Everybody else has tried uninstalling/reinstalling Express with no effect.


The Garmin Forums haven't been very effective for a while. Garmin C/S used to jump in and answer....I don't see that anymore ( but I don't go there often )

I just looked at Connect. On the Calendar....all my rides are titled (null), but when you click on it and it opens a thumbnail, it calls the ride "untitled" and still shows a satellite pic of where the ride started from. I might root around and see if there are any new settings to change. 
Or maybe....they hired a bunch of new, sloppy coders.
I guess you get what you pay for.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

the mayor said:


> Or maybe....they hired a bunch of new, sloppy coders.


Wouldn't be the first time. I think I remember making a similar comment years ago after Garmin bought Motionbased and started to migrate everything over to the new "Connect" website.

Sounds like your issue is different from mine, though.

My bike is going to be out of commission for a little while, because I'm having some spoke nipple disintegration problems and I need to get it relaced. Shame, because it's gorgeous fall weather right now.


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

Garmin Express hasn't successfully got anything off my old 310XT in months. Everything else I just plug into USB.



Harold said:


> My bike is going to be out of commission for a little while, because I'm having some spoke nipple disintegration problems


offtopic

Brass or Al? I have this pet theory that some oddity of the galvanic series has been wasting my "heavy duty" brass nipples over my "fragile" Al nipples in the presence of road salt.

/offtopic


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

ghettocruiser said:


> Garmin Express hasn't successfully got anything off my old 310XT in months. Everything else I just plug into USB.
> 
> offtopic
> 
> ...


I stopped using my old 310xt years ago because it was SUPER FLAKY with Express. A major criteria for me because of that was something I could physically plug in to pull rides off of manually in case Garmin's (or whoever else's) software got flaky. No more wireless-only data transfers for me.

brass, actually


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## ghettocruiser (Jun 21, 2008)

Garmin Express updated on Monday, and on the third attempt it pulled an entire summer worth of running off the 310XT. 

Which for me isn't all that much, but still good to have it.


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## Cleared2land (Aug 31, 2012)

I back up all of my activities onto my computer just in case of whatever...


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

ghettocruiser said:


> Garmin Express updated on Monday, and on the third attempt it pulled an entire summer worth of running off the 310XT.
> 
> Which for me isn't all that much, but still good to have it.


Good to know. I'll go ahead and update Express.



Cleared2land said:


> I back up all of my activities onto my computer just in case of whatever...


Yeah, can't do that so easily with the 310xt. It HAS to connect to the computer via an ANT+ dongle, and ONLY that way, and requires the software it works with to also function correctly. IME, the data transfers get super flaky from time to time and occasionally takes days to pull a ride off. It's why I bought the Edge 520. I think data transfers are a really bad application of the ANT+ protocol. Bluetooth is far better for such things, and even it can be flaky.

Edit: The Express update did the trick. Interestingly, after updating, Express found some kind of invalid empty log file on both of my devices in the Garmin/debugging folder and instructed me to manually delete it. After doing so, sync worked a treat. That's certainly better than the previously vague "there was an error during sync" message that gave no clue about what caused the problem.


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## jacksonlui (Aug 15, 2015)

Is there a way to get turn by turn directions on the 520? 

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

jacksonlui said:


> Is there a way to get turn by turn directions on the 520?
> 
> Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


Build a course on a real computer using a tool like Ride With GPS or similar that puts turn cues into the .tcx course file. The Edge 520 cannot build a route on its own. If you want that functionality, you need a full mapping model like the Edge 820, 1000, or whatever else is the top end model out there.


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## Oh My Sack! (Aug 21, 2006)

^^It's real easy to do. I have a metric ****-tonne of routes that I built for many areas on my road rides and they are all saved on Garmin Connect as "Courses". IIRC, it was something I sat down and practiced and went nuts with and I used "Ride with GPS" to do it.


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## 6thElement (Jul 17, 2006)

Harold said:


> Build a course on a real computer using a tool like Ride With GPS or similar that puts turn cues into the .tcx course file. The Edge 520 cannot build a route on its own. If you want that functionality, you need a full mapping model like the Edge 820, 1000, or whatever else is the top end model out there.


Even with a high end model you're still better off building a route beforehand on a computer.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

6thElement said:


> Even with a high end model you're still better off building a route beforehand on a computer.


True. On-device routing depends pretty heavily on the maps loaded onto the device. No matter what, those maps are never perfect, so the routing will get screwy in one way or another.

At least if you build the route yourself, you have more control, and if the routing gets screwy, you can only blame yourself.


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## Psycho1 (Aug 26, 2014)

If you build your route on Strava and make it a favorite. Then there is a garmin app that will make it available on your unit now. Realy easy. No more conversion or anything

Sent from my LG-H901 using Tapatalk


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## Scott McIntyre (Oct 29, 2015)

Psycho1 said:


> If you build your route on Strava and make it a favorite. Then there is a garmin app that will make it available on your unit now. Realy easy. No more conversion or anything


Interesting. This looks to be the one: https://apps.garmin.com/en-CA/apps/945c964a-314b-41fa-9a13-32a1f7931335

And here's a article about it: Strava routes on your Garmin Edge - the easier way &#8230;


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## jacksonlui (Aug 15, 2015)

Scott McIntyre said:


> Interesting. This looks to be the one: https://apps.garmin.com/en-CA/apps/945c964a-314b-41fa-9a13-32a1f7931335
> 
> And here's a article about it: Strava routes on your Garmin Edge - the easier way &#8230;


Thx. Looks good

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think the Strava route creation system inserts turn notifications the way the RideWithGPS system does (to get those notifications, you save your route as a .tcx, not a .gpx). I find neither method to work great on mtb trails (because of the near-constant "off-course" notifications from the Garmin, because of the inherent inaccuracies of trails that such routes are built off of), but I find the turn notifications to be pretty essential to the proper function of the system.

Story time: I did an 80+ mile road ride a few years ago with a pretty good-sized group of folks. Someone else organized everything and planned out the ride. Published the route for download to your GPS on Map My Ride's system. I noticed a lack of turn notifications, and I wanted them for my own course. I knew I'd be significantly slower than everyone else, since my road bike is a steel touring bike, and I'm just not a fast rider. I wanted to ensure I had optimal wayfinding, since I knew at some point I'd be on my own.

I shared my course I created in RWGPS with the other attendees in case they wanted the turn notifications, too. Many were sharp and onto obscure back roads. A good distance into the ride, after I (and a few others) had split off the back, one such turn (and a lack of good notifications) had created a major problem. Folks who used the original course got VERY late notifications of the sharp turn, and they'd been going too fast to make it. It created just enough confusion in their little pack that it created a pileup. One of the riders in that group got injured in the wreck and had to go to the hospital. My little group came upon her while she and another rider waited for the ambulance, and we asked what happened. When I build a road course to follow, I make sure I get the turn notifications placed far enough before the turn that I have time to adequately signal my turn and make sure I can execute it safely, whether I'm in a group ride, or simply riding solo among traffic. That distance doesn't matter as much on the trail, but sometimes it does (like when you're hauling on a fast downhill and your turn is on a fast section, you want to know it's coming so you can safely slow down and make it).


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## Oh My Sack! (Aug 21, 2006)

I have only done street routes on Strava Routes. I just went in a played with it for some local trail routes. Immediate junk! :lol: Anytime a trail comes near a roadway, it goes off trail and will only snap to the roadway grid and takes you off trail, then routes you back to trail by a myriad of roadway turns to some arbitrary point on the network. Most of my networks aren't _that_ close to roads but this is a less travelled rural road that happens to come in within 100' of the trail for only about 50' of exposure.


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## Psycho1 (Aug 26, 2014)

Oh My Sack! said:


> I have only done street routes on Strava Routes. I just went in a played with it for some local trail routes. Immediate junk!  Anytime a trail comes near a roadway, it goes off trail and will only snap to the roadway grid and takes you off trail, then routes you back to trail by a myriad of roadway turns to some arbitrary point on the network. Most of my networks aren't _that_ close to roads but this is a less travelled rural road that happens to come in within 100' of the trail for only about 50' of exposure.


You have to turn on manual mode to prevent that. I notice it does that when I'm trying to map a way that is not "legal" I don't use the turn by turn. I usually study my route and know for the most part where I'm going. I use the map in case I forget. If I'm lost I use Google maps on my phone while I'm stopped..

Sent from my LG-H901 using Tapatalk


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## cyclism00 (Nov 25, 2014)

Anyone notice terrible battery life since the 12.5 firmware? I seem to be able to only get 2.5 -3 Hrs out of a 100% charge now. I don't use any IQ apps and always disable bluetooth.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

cyclism00 said:


> Anyone notice terrible battery life since the 12.5 firmware? I seem to be able to only get 2.5 -3 Hrs out of a 100% charge now. I don't use any IQ apps and always disable bluetooth.


Unfortunately, I haven't ridden outside since the 12.5 firmware hit. I've only been on my trainer since then, and I don't use my Garmin for that. I connect my sensors directly to my computer and use a service like Zwift or similar.


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## Klaser (Jul 13, 2016)

Saturday I went to a MTB ride, (no bluetooth, only HR sensor ), but following track most the time (not navigation, just the track over the map ) and the battery life was miserable...After 5h I had less than 15 % off battery... One fellow rider, with a brand new 520, same ride,and for sure not with last firmware, had 74% of battery in same point,altought he was only using data fields...
Today in a road ride , 3 sensors, no bluetooth, very cold weather, in 3 h ride may battery went down till 54 %....
I dont know, since firmware version 12.20 I never liked the newer ones, thinking in downgrade to 12.20 just to see if would make any difference..


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## thasingletrackmastah (Nov 15, 2005)

like this:
http://gawisp.com/perry/edge/Edge520_1220.gcd


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## Oh My Sack! (Aug 21, 2006)

^^ WTF was that? ^^ :skep:


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Oh My Sack! said:


> ^^ WTF was that? ^^ :skep:


12.20 firmware that the previous user requested. though you've got a good point that the guy who posted it gave zero information on what it was or how to use it. He got it from here:

Index of /perry/edge

I found that link and some descriptions of how to use the file here:

https://forums.garmin.com/forum/int...i-update-the-firmware-manually-via-filesystem

Also, there's a method described in there with a program called "Wireshark" to find the relevant firmware file on Garmin's servers so you don't have to download from somewhere unknown.


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## Oh My Sack! (Aug 21, 2006)

Oh, sorry. It opened when selected on my phone and all I saw was a bunch of gibberish code.


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## thasingletrackmastah (Nov 15, 2005)

Harold said:


> 12.20 firmware that the previous user requested. though you've got a good point that the guy who posted it gave zero information on what it was or how to use it. He got it from here:
> 
> Index of /perry/edge
> 
> ...


Thanks Harold.
I should have made it more clear.
Here's some more information:
https://forums.garmin.com/forum/int...10-aa/94834-how-do-you-downgrade-the-software
With all the flaws Garmin introduces in almost every update, this info becomes very usefull for almost every Garmin user...

Perry is a trusted source for all Garmin firmware.
Just go trough the pages, find your "last known good version" and download it.
Connect to your device and place it as gupdate.gcd in the Garmin folder. (rename it from Edge520_1220.gcd to gupdate.gcd)
Reboot your device and confirm the downgrade.
NOTE: Most settings can/will be lost after a downgrade, so make sure to write down your personal settings or make print-screens.

Enabling screen capture on the 520:
https://www8.garmin.com/manuals/webhelp/edge520/EN-US/GUID-0222B83B-39C2-4537-9A4D-AD8688F2CD26.html
After this you go trough all your settings, making screen capture of each page.
You make a screen capture by pressing the lap-button for 5 sec..
https://forums.garmin.com/forum/into-sports/cycling/edge-520-aa/117305-screenshot
Screen captures are saved on your Garmin in a scrn or screenshot folder on your Garmin.

After a downgrade, Garmin Express or Basecamp will try to update your device again.
You can prevent this by editing the value <SoftwareVersion>xxx</SoftwareVersion> in GarminDevice.xml file on your device and set the verion number real high.

enjoy...


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## Oh My Sack! (Aug 21, 2006)

Anybody with a 520 had it die?

I'm at a loss and really pi$$ed. Mine has been functioning flawlessly for a couple of years. I'm very disciplined about my procedure of saving and watching for the dialogue showing my rides are uploaded to Strava and then I always shut it off to save battery life. I have no reason tobelieve that I did anything different the other day when I rode but I got on my bike today and hit the "on" button and recieved no familiar tone that it launched. After checking and trying to fire it up, it wouldn't. I figured I must have left it on by mistake and it ffdumped the battery so when I got home, I plugged it in and after a couple hours of being plugged in, still absolutely no function. Black screen, no beep when pressing the the on function key.

Anyone have any thoughts on what it could be? Fried battery? I know some have replaced their batteries in these. I'm more pi$$ed because I responded to an add on craigslist to a girl that had a brand new 520 in an unopened box that was given to her and she only wanted $175. I told her I'd take it figuring a good backup or use on another bike. A buddy was thinking about buying one so I figured he'd be better suited to it so I gave it up to him for the price. He hasn't even used it yet so maybe I can twist his arm to get it back!


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## Oh My Sack! (Aug 21, 2006)

Oh My Sack! said:


> Anybody with a 520 had it die?
> 
> I'm at a loss and really pi$$ed. Mine has been functioning flawlessly for a couple of years. I'm very disciplined about my procedure of saving and watching for the dialogue showing my rides are uploaded to Strava and then I always shut it off to save battery life. I have no reason tobelieve that I did anything different the other day when I rode but I got on my bike today and hit the "on" button and recieved no familiar tone that it launched. After checking and trying to fire it up, it wouldn't. I figured I must have left it on by mistake and it ffdumped the battery so when I got home, I plugged it in and after a couple hours of being plugged in, still absolutely no function. Black screen, no beep when pressing the the on function key.
> 
> Anyone have any thoughts on what it could be? Fried battery? I know some have replaced their batteries in these. I'm more pi$$ed because I responded to an add on craigslist to a girl that had a brand new 520 in an unopened box that was given to her and she only wanted $175. I told her I'd take it figuring a good backup or use on another bike. A buddy was thinking about buying one so I figured he'd be better suited to it so I gave it up to him for the price. He hasn't even used it yet so maybe I can twist his arm to get it back!


N'er mind. Snooped the Garmin Forum and tried a bunch of potential fixes with different key combinations. One was to hold the button for a solid 10 seconds. It started and appears to be functioning fine. Crisis and Replacement averted!


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## scottg (Mar 30, 2004)

I lost a Garmin Edge 510, and now the 520 I replaced it with is broken. Instead of forking out even more cash I'm trying out a 500 that I got for free from a friend who couldn't live without the auto-sync feature. 

What features other than that might I be missing compared to the 520? Seems like it doesn't use glonass, so maybe the GPS isn't quite as accurate? I really just have used the 520 for ride tracking and very little for any navigation other than a bit of use of the trailforks app. Thanks in advance.


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