RIP Garmin

On the second day of my cycling trip to Babbacombe recently my Garmin Edge 820 Explore gave up the ghost. Probably due to water ingress as it was pretty horrific weather that day. Having had the unit for a number of years and had the battery replaced recently, giving it a new lease of life, issues with water had happened before. It usually has a bit of a meltdown then when dry it resolves itself. However this time the unit completely died on me which was a first, so it’s vital signs weren’t looking good.

When I got back from the trip and managed to plug it into my PC it did immediately spring back to life but that was as much as it did. The screen didn’t work properly and I couldn’t turn it off either. After extensive research and faffing, I had to accept my 8 year relationship with it was over and I had to let it go peacefully. RIP Garmin.

My attention then switched to replacing it. A quick google and I was looking at £200+ for something equivalent or better. WTF?!?

My GPS needs are pretty basic. I just need the ability to record a ride, upload it to Strava and follow a map with some basic info on screen like speed, distance, time etc. That’s it. What I don’t need are endless screens of data, Strava live segments, Komoot maps, apps etc so £200+ didn’t seem value for money for me so I did some digging online trying to find something basic and cheap.

I looked at Wahoo, Karoo, Mio and a couple of other brands but the one that did jump out at me was the Lezyne Mega XL GPS. Initially it stood out because 1. Lezyne are a quality cycling brand in my opinion. They don’t make rubbish and 2. It’s massive battery life. It claims 48hrs. Wow. No more carrying a power bank as a backup power source on long rides. The unit is pretty chunky (the design is a few years old now), the maps are basic but it does do everything I need so how much was it?

I checked online and prices for new were £150-£180. I thought that was still a bit steep but cheaper than what I would be paying so I did the usual check on eBay and I found someone selling a new one, boxed, unused for £100. I decided to take a punt and offered £90 and I got it. Was it a steal?

I’ve used the unit for a few rides now, so here is a quick round up of the unit and what I think.

1. There is no getting away from it’s size. It is pretty chunky and does sit higher than a Garmin on it’s mount but no heavier than any other unit.
2. The unit will not fit in a Garmin mount and does wobble slightly at rest but you don’t see or hear it when riding. The mount is pretty solid otherwise.
3. The unit will fit into a Garmin mount with an appropriate adapter which I’ve bought
4. There is is no touch screen, only buttons which is fine and helpful in gloves
5. Battery life is incredible
6. Maps are black and white and basic but you can zoom in and they are pretty accurate.
7. During Navigation you get a beep at 100m to a turn, 2 at 50m and 3 at the turn itself. I like this.
8. You can set the unit to display in portrait or landscape mode.

The other key feature with the unit is the Lezyne Ally v2 app and GPS Root website which accompanies it. From here you can setup the device and it’s screens, create and send routes, log your rides etc. All standard stuff but the one feature I like is the tracking. You can add a list of email addresses and when you start to record a ride a link to track you (via bluetooth + data connection to your phone) will be emailed to them. Clicking on it takes them to a live map where they can see where you are. Peace of mind someone will find you if you ever have a problem.

So overall, for my needs, I think I’ve secured a solid yet cheap GPS unit that does exactly what I need. No issues so far and the feedback online is pretty positive around the battery life, water resistance and lack of crashes, something Garmin’s have a rep for. The only compromises I’ve made seem to be colouful posh maps (do I really need them? do they actually make a difference?), a touch screen (no good in heavy winter gloves) and a slightly bulkier unit.

I think I’m happy with that.

Adios