The Garmin 1040
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Ted Shwartz
May 16, 2023, 8:34:21 PM5/16/23
to randon
Hello
My trusted 1030 is getting a little old, and a little finicky. I have been thinking about upgrading to the 1040.
My question to the group is the 1040 Solar worth the extra dollars over the non-solar version?
Four wheels move the body, two wheels move the soul
All the best,
Ted Shwartz
Eric Nichols
May 17, 2023, 2:40:44 PM5/17/23
to randon
I used a 1030 for several years, including one or two battery refreshes, then switched to a 1040 Solar last year.
Overall, the longer battery life is the biggest difference, but the 1030 was already pretty good to begin with. Whereas a 1030 would last through any 200k and most 300ks, the 1040 Solar is good for any 400k and would probably last through a sunny 600k and maybe even a sunny 1200k.
There is
one downside to the 1040 Solar, and that has to do with screen brightness. To make the entire screen into a solar panel,
the apparent contrast of the screen has been slightly reduced. To my eye, it makes the screen a little harder
to read during those intermediate-to-low light conditions, such as cloudy days,
early mornings and late afternoons. Once
conditions are dark enough such that the backlight takes over, it’s not an
issue. It’s also not such an issue in bright sunlight.
Overall
I’m pleased with the 1040 Solar, but it was an expensive piece of kit. If my eyesight were worse or I didn’t ride
multi-day brevets I might conclude it’s not worth the price difference. But for my needs, it’s a nice improvement because
it reduces range anxiety during longer events.
Tailwinds,
Eric N
ed bernasky
May 18, 2023, 8:58:45 AM5/18/23
to randon
1040 Solar here, wish I did better research before buying. There are a lot of bugs and the course Navigation is unreliable. WRT to battery life, I suspect I could do a 1200k in sunny weather w/o charging. I did a 400k with 6 hours of night riding and was only down to about 70%
On Tuesday, May 16, 2023 at 8:34:21 PM UTC-4 Ted Shwartz wrote:
jinu...@gmail.com
May 18, 2023, 5:02:30 PM5/18/23
to randon
The latest update has definitely increased overall frame rate on the device. Navigation is great (as long as the rwgps route is good) but that's been the case for all GPS devices. Battery saver is very good and the large size increases the size of the buttons.
ed bernasky
May 20, 2023, 9:13:08 AM5/20/23
to randon
Hi, could you share your navigation settings please.
These are my settings:
Activity Profiles>Road>Navigation>routing
I have popular routing = off
Routing mode = Road cycling
Calculation mode = minimize ascent (naturally)
Lock on Road = Off
Avoidance setup = all (I've experimented here, seems not to matter)
Course Recalculation = Prompt only
Route Recalculation = Prompted
Navigation>Courses
Turn Guidance = on
Off Course Warning = on
The Nav Menu choices are quite different than my 1030. I'm now running FW version 16.13 downloaded a week ago. It has fewer issues than the earlier version but I have either selected the wrong menu choices, my unit is defective, or the SW is kludgy. One issue that seems to confuse it is the advance turn warning that I put into the FIT file in RIDEWITHGPS. I have used 150m or sometimes 200m due to the speed of my recumbent. On the 1040, this causes accuracy problems in the turn by turn nav and especially with the data field, "Distance to Next" or at the very least, the function is different than in the 1030. The times that I have been misdirected was when there there a few turns in close proximity. I am experimenting with a variety of setting in a very unsystematic way, but I have something like 100K miles on an Edge and never had such odd Nav problems (there are many other issues, just addressing Nav here).
On my old 810 when going off course on a brevet, I would get a 1 second "off course" message and a couple beeps and then there would be no indication of being off course, unless I somehow decided go pull up the map. Bonus miles were not infrequent. On the 1030, when I missed a turn, the "off course" message would stay illuminated on my main screen and would beep. I never went off course more than a few hundred yards with the 1030 and it never misrouted me. Bonus miles were trivial.
With the 1040 Solar, if go off course, the message is less than one second and there is a popup screen with two options, "Pause Nav" and "Re-route" both of which are useless at O dark 30 on a brevet in the middle of nowhere.
If you pick re-route, it will give you some crazy untenable route and will never simply say, take a "U-Turn" like in previous versions. You could be 250m from the course and it could give you some odd 5+ mile route to rejoin the route somewhere else (which is a rando rules issue).
My Garmin 1040 solar has sent me down the wrong road many times. On a brevet, it sent me down a wonderful descent (twice actually). Upon retracing and rejoining the first time, I saw other randonneurs sailing past on the proper route (they did take a wrong turn). Thus, the RBA provided brevet RIDEWITHGPS file was probably not the issue. I've had it 2 weeks and have ridden it only 478 miles, so, maybe it is like a Brooks B17 and needs some break-in time.
I am actually downplaying how awful it has been. I realize version 17.26 FW just came out but am reluctant to troubleshoot new bugs.
eppho...@yahoo.com
May 20, 2023, 9:27:20 AM5/20/23
to randon
Hi Ed, where are you finding these settings ? My Garmin more often then not wants to go the opposite direction. Its not a downloaded route issue as I use the same route on my Wahoo. I only use the Garmin for a backup.
For example I was running later then planned on a 400k and of course the battery on my Wahoo died. So I turned on the Garmin. I was about 320 k into the event. The Garmin just wanted to return the way I came. I then tried the go to the start option and it also wanted to return the way I just come.
Some times it works but then its near impossible to read it in sunshine. This requires regular stopping in shade to read it.
Eddie Dunne
Robert Sexton
May 20, 2023, 10:10:38 AM5/20/23
to ed bernasky, randon
Ed,
My experience with re-routing via the garmin, and seeing other peoples' experience is that you're better off with that feature disabled.
The world is full of map errors, and you're often better off looking at the map and deciding for yourself how best to get back onto the purple line of hope.
The garmin cue sheet is easily fooled by small mapping errors, but the route line on the map is something you can trust.
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Robert Sexton
ed bernasky
May 22, 2023, 6:28:29 PM5/22/23
to randon
Making the various settings on the 1040 is more complicated than my ability to describe, please see the instructions on pages 28-36 of the attached.
Note: I confirmed that a large advance turn warning put into the Fit file from RIDEWITHGPS can confuse the Nav but it seems only if the turn coincides with a climb where the Climbpro window poops up.
The 1040 has only been out a year, I am sure it will eventually be ok...I have a lot of issues with it that others already reported to Garmin, so, I am just being impatient but I am worried about making wrong turns on my 600k this weekend but have my fingers crossed.( and the the cuesheet with light ready)
Eric Nichols
May 23, 2023, 2:29:59 PM5/23/23
to randon
As others have noted, the written cues on any bike GPS are only as reliable as the base map they were made from, and to a lesser extent, on the skill of the route maker.
Best practice is to make your course in advance, on a large screen, using a variety of base maps. I like using the OSM Cycle Map and Hybrid Satellite maps, at a minimum. Using both tends to reduce errors. The great thing about using OSM maps is that if you find an error in the map, you can fix it, which benefits you and everyone else.
Another good practice is to follow the line on the map, rather than the course guidance instructions. Suppress things like ClimbPro that take up valuable screen space during critical moments. That way, when you approach a five-way intersection, rather than wondering which of the two left turns you need to make, you already know it's the one at 10 o'clock, not the one at 8 o'clock.
Whenever possible, avoid using automatically generated navigation, such as navigate to start, navigate to end, or navigate back to course. They are rarely as smart as a person on a bike who can read the map and see where they need to go.
Set the turn notification distance so that it is longer for rural routes, shorter for urban routes. That way you're less likely to be notified about the second turn before you've completed the first turn. Better yet, just follow the line on the map. It never fails.
There was some mention of GPX vs. TCX files. For most cycling-oriented GPS units, the TCX or even better, the FIT file, will you give more useful information (like elevation profiles). FIT files are more compact so they transfer more quickly.
Eric (self-professed GPS nerd)
ed bernasky
Jun 2, 2023, 8:52:08 AM6/2/23
to randon
The 1040 "Distance to Next" is now worse than useless, at least on my version of FW and maps they provided. The distance is incorrect and the popup is almost always wrong. My favorite 1030 feature is gone.
The elevation lags are mildly annoying but receiving warnings like "RR danger" or a more general "Danger" after the fact is not so cute.
When I arrive at a control, the screen freezes. I have to know which way to go until the 1040 eventually finds the route again and that could be a mile down the road, at which point it may announce "Control". This isn't latency in my world, it is lame.
Losing the Varia connection and resetting to a different flashmode gets annoying as does losing sensor connections like the PM.
Ghost routes are back from the past. Delete all your old files and routes might be a good idea before starting an important brevet.
On a recent 600k, my 1040 told me to turn left whereas all the other riders on a nav system other than 1040 had the correct turn. We all had the same Fit file. So, the idea that the plethora of reported 1040 bugs might be due to user error is not completely correct. My advice to other non-experts out there with a well functioning 1030, 830, etc. who might be thinking of moving to a 1040 Solar? Just buy the battery upgrade instead or wait until the bugs are ironed out. This could months before the 1040 is out of Beta. I follow the Garmin bug reports and the frequent FW updates, unfortunately, the lists of fixes are cryptic and often new bugs are inserted. Following breadcrumbs on a map is not really a solution but something I now find myself doing quite often with the 1040, making me think I should just have a 15 year old etrex strapped to the bars.
On Monday, May 22, 2023 at 6:28:29 PM UTC-4 ed bernasky wrote:
Felkerino
Jun 2, 2023, 3:54:41 PM6/2/23
to randon
Your unit may have corrupted memory. Garmin Support has worked with me in the past on units that don't work as expected. I had a 1030 (out of warranty) that wouldn't stop acting up and they sent me a refurb that worked fine. I had an earlier unit (520?) that was crashing and they sent me a new one when I contacted them within the warranty period.
Probably not related, but I'll add this. A Garmin support person told me a safe approach is to upload GPX routes from third party sources into my Garmin Connect account, let GC process the route, and then sync that file to my unit. That method, while adding a step, has worked reliably with accurate turn-by-turn navigation on the Garmin 1040 nonsolar, 1030, 840 and 830. We have dual units running on our tandem so that's the reason for all the Garmins in our house.
I don't tinker with proximity warnings and custom cues, and I turn off automatic rerouting. Note, I still rely on printed cue sheets for brevets as a companion to my Garmin.
Ed Felker
Washington, DC
David Markun
Jun 13, 2023, 11:16:35 AM6/13/23
to ed bernasky, randon
Ed,
Thank you for your deep dive into Garmin Edge 1040 settings. I am also in the position of trying to get that device to work for my needs (which overlap with yours -- I'm about 8 weeks into getting ready to use a new 1040 for transcontinental cycle touring).
I learned about a new setting recently as I tried to explain some differing behavior that I saw among various courses I rode. That setting is "Course Points" (on/off) and is set with the three-dots menu after loading a course.
I used FitFileViewer.com to examine the contents of the .FIT files that behaved differently, which led me to learn that Course Points make this difference.
With this setting On, and a course that includes course points at each turn, I lose the navigation feature I most love about the 1040: its Turn Guidance map pop-up which comes up at, conveniently, approximately the distance you like to edit advance warning into your FIT files. This pop-up draws on the map in bold white an arrow showing my route through even complicated maneuvers like left-then-immediate-right-then-immediate left. I get a beep to tell me it has popped up, then two beeps after closing half the distance to the first turn in the guidance.
So, there seems to be some incompatibility between Course Points, at least some kinds of Course points, and the turn guidance mode most useful to me. Ed, you might be better off letting the 1040 calculate your advance turn warnings for you.
Below for reference are my navigation related settings:
Activity Profiles>Road>Navigation>Map
Auto Zoom = off
Orientation = Track Up (though I've experimented with North Up)
Appearance -- I have Popularity Map = On
Activity Profiles>Road>Navigation>Navigation Prompts
Map
Activity Profiles>Road>Navigation>routing
I have popular routing = off
Routing mode = Mixed surface cycling
Calculation mode = minimize time
Lock on Road = Off
Avoidance setup = none
Course Recalculation = Prompt only
Route Recalculation = Off (Still experimenting with this)
Navigation>Courses
Turn Guidance = on
Off Course Warning = on
Best regards,
David
Lee Legrand
Jun 13, 2023, 7:34:15 PM6/13/23
to David Markun, ed bernasky, randon
That is expensive. Ouch!
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