Using my Garmin 520 on different bikes?
04-12-19, 12:37 PM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Using my Garmin 520 on different bikes?
Snow bird : SoCal / Alaska
SoCal- Sirrus...Alaska - Kona Rove
Have 2 profiles , Kona & Sirrus
...
on my road bikes, I put on the speed (& cadence ) sensors.
Will the distance & speed automatically
adjust when I change the profile for the
different bikes .
....
On rare , random trips, using friends bikes ,
I just use the 520,
I understand I get gps accuracy & log to the selected profile
..
SoCal- Sirrus...Alaska - Kona Rove
Have 2 profiles , Kona & Sirrus
...
on my road bikes, I put on the speed (& cadence ) sensors.
Will the distance & speed automatically
adjust when I change the profile for the
different bikes .
....
On rare , random trips, using friends bikes ,
I just use the 520,
I understand I get gps accuracy & log to the selected profile
..
04-12-19, 05:56 PM
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: South shore, L.I., NY
Posts: 6,856
Bikes: Flyxii FR322, Cannondale Topstone, Miyata City Liner, Specialized Chisel, Specialized Epic Evo
Mentioned: 18 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3220 Post(s)
Liked 2,043 Times
in
1,169 Posts
If memory serves, each cadence and speed sensor has a unique ID number that once paired, is remembered by the device.
When a sensor is active, such as wheel rotating with a speed sensor attached, the device reads that and automatically connects.
Its not dependent on you choosing a particular Activity Profile (from what I’ve seen) and just “knows” you are using a particular sensor set.
Obviously if only certain screens are set in the Activity Profile to not show cadence (as example), you may be getting data but nothing displayed. Thus you still need to change to the Activity that will display data from certain sensors. Speed isn’t one of them, the device will always use a speed sensor data and display that in the speed information.
Garmin did away with Bike Profiles at some point, I had it on an older 810, but they switched to Activity Profiles with my 1000. I renamed a bunch of activities with a bike name - Soma, Stumpjumper, Fuji, Chisel, as example. Different data screens dependent on the bike.
When a sensor is active, such as wheel rotating with a speed sensor attached, the device reads that and automatically connects.
Its not dependent on you choosing a particular Activity Profile (from what I’ve seen) and just “knows” you are using a particular sensor set.
Obviously if only certain screens are set in the Activity Profile to not show cadence (as example), you may be getting data but nothing displayed. Thus you still need to change to the Activity that will display data from certain sensors. Speed isn’t one of them, the device will always use a speed sensor data and display that in the speed information.
Garmin did away with Bike Profiles at some point, I had it on an older 810, but they switched to Activity Profiles with my 1000. I renamed a bunch of activities with a bike name - Soma, Stumpjumper, Fuji, Chisel, as example. Different data screens dependent on the bike.
04-13-19, 12:39 PM
#3
Heft On Wheels
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: South Dakota
Posts: 3,123
Bikes: Specialized,Cannondale,Argon 18
Mentioned: 13 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 887 Post(s)
Liked 560 Times
in
346 Posts
Correct, you will get all your data off GPS when no sensors paired. Its fine, just not as super accurate as with sensors but really very little noticeable difference I am sure.
What Steve said, you can make different activity profiles and name them whatever. I created a profile for all 4 of my bikes, then I customize the data screens to each bike profile.
I only have a power meter on my "best" road bike so I only have that turned on in a data filed for my one bike.
in short, you don't need the sensors to use the 520..heck you never need a sensor for basic data.
What Steve said, you can make different activity profiles and name them whatever. I created a profile for all 4 of my bikes, then I customize the data screens to each bike profile.
I only have a power meter on my "best" road bike so I only have that turned on in a data filed for my one bike.
in short, you don't need the sensors to use the 520..heck you never need a sensor for basic data.
04-14-19, 07:01 PM
#4
Member
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Sebastopol, CA, USA
Posts: 38
Bikes: 2019 Trek Madone SLR6; 2014 Specialized Langster
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 15 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time
in
1 Post
No need to create different profiles.
Simply sync up a set of sensors for your second bike. The 520 will automatically use whatever sensors are active.
I routinely swap the 520 between bikes and it takes care of it automatically.
Simply sync up a set of sensors for your second bike. The 520 will automatically use whatever sensors are active.
I routinely swap the 520 between bikes and it takes care of it automatically.
04-15-19, 12:52 PM
#5
Senior Member
Thread Starter
If use different profiles
does the 520 log an odometer reading for each one?
does the 520 log an odometer reading for each one?
04-15-19, 09:13 PM
#7
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Thanks
I keep track of my “total” stats on G-Connect,
be nice if it broke out each bikes odometer.
I keep track of my “total” stats on G-Connect,
be nice if it broke out each bikes odometer.
04-16-19, 12:58 AM
#8
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Salt Lake City, UT (Formerly Los Angeles, CA)
Posts: 1,145
Bikes: 2008 Cannondale Synapse -- 2014 Cannondale Quick CX
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 212 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 83 Times
in
54 Posts
I have multiple profiles set up on my Garmin 820: Road and Hybrid. I switch to whichever profile applies to the bike I'm riding (I have a Synapse road bike, and a Quick CX hybrid). The GPS keeps mileage totals for each profile. So does the Connect app. So I can review, on the GPS, the mileage for each profile, which for me means for each bike. The 820 is not different from the 520 or 520+ in this respect, I believe.
So absolutely you can keep track of mileage per bike. If you find that you need more than one riding profile per bike, that's fine too. You could create Road-Race, Road-Train, Hybrid-Commute, Hybrid-Offroad, and Hybrid-Casual, for example. In that case, to get the total road bike miles you would have to add up Road-Race and Road-Train (for example).
Another solution that may be acceptable to you is to put a cheap-o cycling computer on each bike. Because I sometimes loan my hybrid to my brother so he can ride along with me while I'm on my road bike, I put an inexpensive CatEye cycling computer on the hybrid bike. That way I can keep track of mileage on that bike even if it's being ridden by someone else, so that I can keep track of when it starts to become time to measure the chain, inspect shift cables, etc. Also that inexpensive computer allows him to see his speed. I don't have a cheap computer on my road bike because nobody aside from me ever rides it, and I always attach the GPS when I'm riding. If you didn't need the cycling computer for its display while riding, you could stick it out of the way on the down tube; it's just there to track overall mileage anyway, right?
So absolutely you can keep track of mileage per bike. If you find that you need more than one riding profile per bike, that's fine too. You could create Road-Race, Road-Train, Hybrid-Commute, Hybrid-Offroad, and Hybrid-Casual, for example. In that case, to get the total road bike miles you would have to add up Road-Race and Road-Train (for example).
Another solution that may be acceptable to you is to put a cheap-o cycling computer on each bike. Because I sometimes loan my hybrid to my brother so he can ride along with me while I'm on my road bike, I put an inexpensive CatEye cycling computer on the hybrid bike. That way I can keep track of mileage on that bike even if it's being ridden by someone else, so that I can keep track of when it starts to become time to measure the chain, inspect shift cables, etc. Also that inexpensive computer allows him to see his speed. I don't have a cheap computer on my road bike because nobody aside from me ever rides it, and I always attach the GPS when I'm riding. If you didn't need the cycling computer for its display while riding, you could stick it out of the way on the down tube; it's just there to track overall mileage anyway, right?
04-16-19, 08:18 PM
#9
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Thanks:
“ The GPS keeps mileage totals for each profile. So does the Connect app. So I can review, on the GPS, the mileage for each profile,”
How display a profile on G-Connect?
“ The GPS keeps mileage totals for each profile. So does the Connect app. So I can review, on the GPS, the mileage for each profile,”
How display a profile on G-Connect?
04-17-19, 11:06 AM
#10
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: South shore, L.I., NY
Posts: 6,856
Bikes: Flyxii FR322, Cannondale Topstone, Miyata City Liner, Specialized Chisel, Specialized Epic Evo
Mentioned: 18 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3220 Post(s)
Liked 2,043 Times
in
1,169 Posts
I actually asked this question of Garmin Tech. Support years ago when I owned an 810. Their response was "That would be a good function, you should write that up as a suggestion". Yeah, thanks.
I do a work around as I port my completed ride data over to RWGPS and while editing an activity, giving it specific information, will also indicate which bike I was riding (a RWGPS option). Thus I get that data, such as bike mileage in a year, offf RWGPS not the device. I really only use Activity Profiles (which are what is used on the 820 and 520 series) to configure what displays on the data screens.
04-17-19, 11:27 AM
#11
Senior Member
Thread Starter
I couldn’t figure out how to
break out the 2 profiles individually.
....
Total miles but not each bikes miles.
....
A pencil/paper & “Old school” Math.
can then take a pic of the paper to
keep a log
break out the 2 profiles individually.
....
Total miles but not each bikes miles.
....
A pencil/paper & “Old school” Math.
can then take a pic of the paper to
keep a log
04-17-19, 11:57 AM
#12
Heft On Wheels
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: South Dakota
Posts: 3,123
Bikes: Specialized,Cannondale,Argon 18
Mentioned: 13 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 887 Post(s)
Liked 560 Times
in
346 Posts
I was incorrect, I couldn't figure it out either. Garmin said you could do it by gear types on your rides. Add the different bikes to your gear profile and then after your rides assign a bike to the ride. At the end of the year or whenever you can see how many miles on that piece of gear. This must be what I was thinking. I used to do this.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
damo78
Electronics, Lighting, & Gadgets
3
02-11-19 11:33 PM
bogydave
Electronics, Lighting, & Gadgets
26
04-26-18 12:59 PM
