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Etrex Touch 35 multiple cadence sensors

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Etrex Touch 35 multiple cadence sensors

Old 07-28-20, 06:22 AM
  #1  
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Etrex Touch 35 multiple cadence sensors

I know I'm probably alone using an Etrex Touch 35 for cycling but I hate navigation units that lack replaceable batteries.

Anyway, I have a road bike and a mountain bike, both with a cadence sensor attached to the cranks. Despite the Etrex having different profiles for road and mountain bike, so far I've been unable to pair both sensors at the same time, so everytime I switch bikes I have to pair the cadence sensor again.

It's not a big deal as I usually do it while I wait for the GPS to have a good signal and I'm used to manually calibrate the altimeter before each ride anyway, as its faster than waiting for the auto calibration to kick in. Anyway, I would like to know if I'm missing something and maybe there's a way to have both sensors paired at the same time.

Thanks
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Old 07-28-20, 08:36 AM
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Are you creating a separate profile for each bike?

Not sure how the Etrex handles profiles. See if there is an option to make custom profiles.
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Old 07-30-20, 01:56 AM
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Originally Posted by Iride01
Are you creating a separate profile for each bike?

Not sure how the Etrex handles profiles. See if there is an option to make custom profiles.
Yes, I'm using different profiles for each bike. It seems as soon as I pair one cadence sensor, the other gets unpaired.

The Etrex software is different from the Edge one though.
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Old 07-30-20, 08:46 AM
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Unpaired as in you have to go through the entire pairing step sequence when you want to use the other bike? Or are you trying to have both sensors working at the same time?

If it's not holding on to the ID of the sensor for that particular bike profile then that may be something that is a limitation of trying to use your Etrex for cycling.

Garmin has their own user forums, you might get some better answers there when they get it up and running after their ramsomware attack. Don't remember if they specifically have a forum for handhelds. https://forums.garmin.com/forum.php

One might say that it's Garmin's conspiracy to get you to buy another of their products. But just as well it could be a decision to keep the programming code smaller on the limited memory and other resources of the device. And less chance for unforeseen complication that become future bugs.

I've programmed IVR's and software for call centers and phone switches for a portion of my career. Even the smallest of features can add many hundreds of lines of code just to deal with how to make it fool proof to the user even though the actual functional code for that feature might only be one line of code.

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Old 07-30-20, 12:49 PM
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The Garmin forums are a no go for handhelds. The best forums I know of for handhelds is GPS Review Forums you might try asking there.
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Old 08-03-20, 12:48 PM
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Originally Posted by Iride01
Unpaired as in you have to go through the entire pairing step sequence when you want to use the other bike? Or are you trying to have both sensors working at the same time?

If it's not holding on to the ID of the sensor for that particular bike profile then that may be something that is a limitation of trying to use your Etrex for cycling.

Garmin has their own user forums, you might get some better answers there when they get it up and running after their ramsomware attack. Don't remember if they specifically have a forum for handhelds. https://forums.garmin.com/forum.php

One might say that it's Garmin's conspiracy to get you to buy another of their products. But just as well it could be a decision to keep the programming code smaller on the limited memory and other resources of the device. And less chance for unforeseen complication that become future bugs.

I've programmed IVR's and software for call centers and phone switches for a portion of my career. Even the smallest of features can add many hundreds of lines of code just to deal with how to make it fool proof to the user even though the actual functional code for that feature might only be one line of code.
I have to go through the entire pairing process. Its fast to do fortunately.

I'm going to keep pairing it when I switch bikes. I hate the Edge line.
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Old 08-03-20, 12:55 PM
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Originally Posted by Amt0571
........ I hate the Edge line.
You hate something just because it isn't what you want?

I've had good service with my 10 year old Edge 500.
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Old 08-03-20, 01:11 PM
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Originally Posted by Iride01
You hate something just because it isn't what you want?

I've had good service with my 10 year old Edge 500.
I hate them because in my opinion they are an inferior product. I'm not forcing you to hate them too, so do whatever you want.
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Old 08-03-20, 01:16 PM
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Well I was just curious what was inferior to you about them. I don't use an Etrex while cycling because it's too big for what I want while cycling. Doesn't make me hate them just because I've no use for them.
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Old 08-04-20, 05:32 AM
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Originally Posted by Iride01
Well I was just curious what was inferior to you about them. I don't use an Etrex while cycling because it's too big for what I want while cycling. Doesn't make me hate them just because I've no use for them.
I don't like them because their software is unstable and unreliable compared to the Etrex line. Frankly, their software stability can only be defined as a POS. Period.

I've had an seen Edge computers fail mid ride too many times to count. Including loss of recorded data. That's unacceptable to me. My Etrex 35 has not failed yet. My old Dakota 20 only turned itself off a couple of times in 7 years, powered it on again and it kept working like nothing had happened.

Also hate the integrated battery. Using a USB battery while riding to charge it on long rides (and not that long when the battery is old and it's cold) is a PITA compared to replacing a couple of AA. Also, the Edge line is really expensive compared to the Etrex with equivalent features.

To be fair, the etrex handlebar mount is crap. But it's the only downside I have found.
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Old 08-04-20, 08:35 AM
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I've had over a dozen Garmin's of various sorts, Marine, Handheld, Auto, and one Edge. I've never had an issue with any of them that wasn't my misunderstanding of how something was supposed to work or me perceiving a feature differently than what it was supposed to do.

Battery life on my 10 year old Edge 500 is still over eight hours. The only mid-ride failures I've had are when I forgot to restart the timer after stopping for a period and the auto shut-off did what it is supposed to do.

If you are needing something for trekking across the country on a bike, then I'd agree the Edge isn't the thing for you. The Edge is more toward those that are cycling for fitness. And for those that need help finding their way on shorter one day rides.

Still, I don't know why you hate something because it's no use to you. I guess you must hate me! <grin>
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Old 08-05-20, 02:16 AM
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Originally Posted by Iride01
I've had over a dozen Garmin's of various sorts, Marine, Handheld, Auto, and one Edge. I've never had an issue with any of them that wasn't my misunderstanding of how something was supposed to work or me perceiving a feature differently than what it was supposed to do.

Battery life on my 10 year old Edge 500 is still over eight hours. The only mid-ride failures I've had are when I forgot to restart the timer after stopping for a period and the auto shut-off did what it is supposed to do.

If you are needing something for trekking across the country on a bike, then I'd agree the Edge isn't the thing for you. The Edge is more toward those that are cycling for fitness. And for those that need help finding their way on shorter one day rides.

Still, I don't know why you hate something because it's no use to you. I guess you must hate me! <grin>
I'm not talking Edge 500. I'm talking modern Edge devices with mapping. All I have used have crashed and lost data at least once. Same with my friends. After a couple of years of use battery runtimes are around 3 to 4h when it's cold. That's simply crap.
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