So I think this looks pretty interesting: http://www.bikepacking.com/news/lezyne-mega-gps/

I appreciate that KISS applies here, and yes, I have an eTrex... but I also have an Edge 1000 for clearer routing / more functionality, and it SUCKS for bikepacking. At best you'll get 12 hours of life out of it (and that's being careful with what you're displaying etc), so if this one really does have a 48 hour life (hell, even 40 hours), then I'm really interested.

does look good and i would prefer to have an option over garmin as three of mine have just died for no reason* on rides - thankfully never in a critical moment- so i dont rate the company/product that much- speaking to others it seems I am just very unlucky.
I would like an alternative and looked at the smaller version of those but it was still a bit poor.
excellent run time if true and offline good mapping would be a nice feature.

My edge 820 can go into a sleep mode. This way I can get more then 3 long days out of it, despite routing. Can't the Edge 1000 do something like that too?

Switch off all sensors, battery save mode and no/little faffing about should help.

I'm not sure how that would work for routing. Surely the screen would be off?

(Also with no sensors etc surely you're sort of missing the point of having a high end GPS?)

Not quite...

It switches itself on when you have to make a turn. There's the same amount of guidance as in regular routing. Once you rode past the turn, it goes back to sleep automatically.

Not only bikepacking.com have looked past this when reasoning why gps x is better than others.

Give it a try. It's a game changer.

Anything that offers more choice and keeps the presume on Garmin to sort out their notorious software is a good thing. Would be interested to know if the longer run time is through better power efficiency or just a higher capacity battery, which will require a beefy power pack to recharge.

However, this appears to offer either a decent battery and big screen, or a decent, small colour screen, but not both. My Etrex 30 might be a bit underpowered and consequently slow at times, but it has a colour screen, all the functionality I need for bikepacking (zero interest in over complicating things with live Strava / tracking your mates / Skype the dog, or whatever), and I can download / upload decent OSM mapping for anywhere for free (albeit utilising a computer/memory card). Best of all, I get 48 hours from a set of Lithium AAs (with the screen on), which I can carry an abundant amount of for virtually no weight penalty (at 30g a pair), or easily find in most towns, and replace in about 30 seconds, without the faff of recharging.

Sure, I'd like a bigger, slimmer UHD screen, or better still, a HUD, that weighs nothing, lasts for weeks, seemlesly integrates with all known planning apps anywhere in the world, and has a built in tracking / Emergency SoS function. But the Etrex will do until then.

Alpinum wrote:Not quite...

It switches itself on when you have to make a turn. There's the same amount of guidance as in regular routing. Once you rode past the turn, it goes back to sleep automatically.

Not only bikepacking.com have looked past this when reasoning why gps x is better than others.

Give it a try. It's a game changer.

I don't think that would work for me, my routes don't have any "turns" (it's just a breadcrumb trail GPX).

I assume it's probably more useful for road rides than off road? Or have you got in the habit of putting in turns manually to your routes?

Unrelated, slowness / weight aside my main issue with the etrex is mounting it. There are very few good options out there (I had a RAM mount, but no idea where it's got to).

ZeroDarkBivi wrote:Anything that offers more choice and keeps the presume on Garmin to sort out their notorious software is a good thing. Would be interested to know if the longer run time is through better power efficiency or just a higher capacity battery, which will require a beefy power pack to recharge.

My Edge 820 is about 70 g. The battery is tiny. If I think I need to charge on the go I have a battery stick with me. 62 g and charges my Edge juet shy of 3x.

Screen is small but good for reading maps if needed, search and mark POIs and have routes calculated on the go.

Had an Edge 820 for 3 months early last year. It had to be returned as it would 'fail' in some way or another every time it went on a ride! Went back to my old edge 800 for short road rides. I have heard Garmin mostly sorted out the software glitches on the 820, but I wouldn't be tempted back after the trouble I had, unless they where giving them away!

I reckon the main problem Lezyne will have selling these will be the same issue that many android phone manufacturers do when competing with Apple. Nevermind getting equally good hardware/software for less outlay, the consumer hasn't got a clue what they are buying in relation to other models in the range!

Garmin Edge = Bigger number, posher unit

Wahoo = Small, Aero or Large

Lezyne = Second guess what macro, mini, mega, xl, loaded, etc all mean.

the huge fonts look similar to something Chinese manufacturers use.
less is better with product print.

Garmin maps might not be cheap; however, they are available
does Lezyne have maps?

no mention of a user replaceable battery
user replaceable batteries generally do seem a key feature for a bikepacking navigation unit.

price is low

competition is a good thing, so hopefully might make Garmin lift its game

I doubt the batteries are user replaceable, but you're right, it would be handy.

I've been reading up a bit more on this and I'm not convinced the "offline maps" are going to be much use for us. It looks like it makes a black and white version of fairly bog standard road maps.

I've seen nothing to suggest it could display anything like OS maps / includes tracks / rights of way. Would mean it'd be good for breadcrumb following, but f'all use if you got lost / needed to find an alternate route.

For bikepacking it does seem the Garmin hiking GPS’s are about ideal.
My Garmin Montana 610 might be huge, a bit of a power hog, but is brilliant for make-it-as-one-goes-along navigation

So I just bought one of these and I'm taking it to Spain for the next 5 days. I'm working on the assumption that Duncan knows what he's doing... so it doesn't really matter too much if it goes horribly wrong (I have my phone with downloaded maps on viewranger).

Impressions so far are pretty positive. I'd like to get a little screen protector or something for it though.

I'm working on the assumption that Duncan knows what he's doing...

Hmm, you've been reading Dave B's C2C report haven't you? My impression of a Swan is legendary.

So it looks like this thing may have failed at the first hurdle.

As best I can see, there's no way to load routes onto the device without using your phone. I'm waiting to hear back from customer services now because that just can't be right... it's insane.

Richard G wrote:So I just bought one of these and I'm taking it to Spain for the next 5 days. I'm working on the assumption that Duncan knows what he's doing... so it doesn't really matter too much if it goes horribly wrong (I have my phone with downloaded maps on viewranger).

Impressions so far are pretty positive. I'd like to get a little screen protector or something for it though.

Duncan’s always know what they are doing.

Richard G wrote:So it looks like this thing may have failed at the first hurdle.

As best I can see, there's no way to load routes onto the device without using your phone. I'm waiting to hear back from customer services now because that just can't be right... it's insane.

If it's like the wahoo it will also do it over WiFi. Not sure there are many places I'd be adding a route onto my GPS without phone/WiFi. Certainly less faff than cables or removing the SD card like on my garmins.

So yeah, don't waste your time. It's not even close to being ready for prime time, and its reliance on the phone makes it next to useless for bikepacking.

I've spent the last 3 hours messing around with it and I'm just about to pack it up and send it back.

In short, you can't store / load routes directly on the unit. You have to have your phone. That said, even with the phone connected I've been unable to get a route to load properly on the unit anyway (it says it's transferred, but navigation doesn't start), so it's completely irrelevant.

Downloading offline maps is a real pain too. Especially if you want them on your phone for offline routing (you can download via the website to put on the unit directly, but these don't sync to your phone).

A bit OT by now...

Richard G wrote:
I assume it's probably more useful for road rides than off road? Or have you got in the habit of putting in turns manually to your routes?

Richard,

Sorry, didn't get all of it the first time. Here goes,

I don't really ride on road. Ever. Even my commutes are mostly (and I'm not talking 51 %) off road. But we have many options of paths here in the Alps, so with guidance I can ride more fluently of needed.
I think you're talking tracks and I'm talking routes. Routes will give you navigation as a navi in a car would. Tracks is following breadcrumbs sans indication of direction. Both can be part of a gpx file, as can POI be part of it too.

I've never really seen routes (with turns) done off road. I wasn't even aware it was possible.

Do you use a particular site to output those?

Richard G wrote:So I just bought one of these and I'm taking it to Spain for the next 5 days. I'm working on the assumption that Duncan knows what he's doing... so it doesn't really matter too much if it goes horribly wrong (I have my phone with downloaded maps on viewranger).

Impressions so far are pretty positive. I'd like to get a little screen protector or something for it though.

Appreciate from the other comments made in this thread the unit is going back; however, curious why you picked this over, say, a Garmin Oregon 700

That particular GPS is 2x the cost, three times the size and a third the battery life (I appreciate that isn't really an issue with AAs, but you still need to carry them). Plus I really hate the mounts on those things (I ended up having to use a motorbike mount for my etrex).

I also didn't want a touchscreen.

Quite disappointed.

Richard G wrote:That particular GPS is 2x the cost, three times the size and a third the battery life (I appreciate that isn't really an issue with AAs, but you still need to carry them). Plus I really hate the mounts on those things (I ended up having to use a motorbike mount for my etrex).

I also didn't want a touchscreen.

Quite disappointed.

Thanks for the insight