Quick Summary:
Download and install Garmin Express to always get the last updates for your Edge 810 and to take advantage of our Auto-Sync feature.
Recommended Settings:
If you want turn-by-turn directions and have base maps installed, the following settings on your Edge 810 will help (Settings accessible from Activity Profiles > (Your Profile) > Navigation > Routing:
- Activity => Cycling
- Calculation Method => Minimize Distance
- Lock on Road => No
- Avoidance Setup => Disable all (to minimize crazy re-routing)
- Recalculate => Off or Prompted
(important, or it will shortcut you back home!!! I use prompted, but almost always say no) - Sign in to your account and upload your ride!
How do I get the route onto my GPS?
For a more detailed example of how to get a route to your Edge 810, see Export Routes to Garmin Devices.
Before exporting your routes, try to limit the name to 15 characters or less as the remaining characters will get truncated.
Here’s a quick step-by-step:
- Plug in your Garmin
- On the website, navigate to your route or ride
- Otherwise, click the Export tab then click on your desired filetype, either TCX Course, FIT Course, or GPX Track
- If your computer prompts you to save the file to a specific location, place it somewhere memorable like the desktop.
- Using the Finder, My Computer or other tool on your computer, open up the drive associated with the Garmin, usually labeled Garmin
- Open the Garmin folder located inside the Garmin drive.
- Click/drag the exported file from your desktop to the NewFiles folder.
- Safely remove the Garmin (Eject on an Apple machine) and unplug it from the computer
- After powering it on click the Courses icon and locate your route
What File Format Should I Use?
The Edge 810 can use either a TCX Course, FIT Course, or GPX Track. A TCX Course has the advantage of embedding your planned route’s cuesheet. So, alongside Garmin’s dedicated navigation, you get beeps and text for each pre-planned cue entry in the cuesheet. This is especially helpful if you have custom cuesheet entries, as well as a nice double check to Garmin’s own navigation.
The downside to a TCX file for navigation is the Virtual Partner. When we create a TCX Course file for a pre-planned route, we have to embed fake timestamps on each point, which is used for the virtual partner speed on the GPS unit. As a result, you’ll end up racing against the virtual partner.
If you load a TCX Course or a TCX History of an uploaded ride on the site (a ride that you or someone else recorded and uploaded to our site) you will get virtual partner speeds identical to the speeds actually ridden along the ride. This is helpful when riding against your previous time, or someone else’s previous time.
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