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Do you use the speed sensor?

colin-campbell
over 3 years ago

I had not bought a "bundle" since the Edge 800, but when the 1030 Plus was announced, I decided to buy the bundle version.  I'm still using the heart rate monitor from the Edge 800 - I'm on my second strap.  So I thought might need a new HRM, and that the speed sensor might come in handy. 

Many of my rides pass under a freeway, and I lose the GPS signal while in the tunnel.  The Edge generally shows a frozen distance as I exit the tunnel, and after a few seconds, the distance jumps by 0.08 - 0.10 km.  I thought that using the speed sensor might give me a more accurate result.

I'm thinking of how to test this theory.  Since I still have an Edge 1030, I thought I'd ride with both the 1030 and the 1030 Plus.  I'll only pair the speed sensor with the 1030 Plus, and compare the resulting ride distances.  Is there a better way to see what the effect is on distance and speed?

  • +1 over 3 years ago

    The speed sensor will improve your situation. Tunnels are a problem when only using GPS for speed. Also a problem in heavy tree coverage. Speed will fluctuate all over the place

  • +1 over 3 years ago in reply to cheracogoff

    I rode today with my 1030 and 1030 Plus active, and the 1030 Plus seeing the speed sensor.  The results were inconclusive, because I wasn't able to get to the tunnel, due to a flat tire.  But the 1030 Plus showed 44.38 km vs 44.12 on the 1030.  On the other hand, the 1030 Plus showed 2 hr, 2 min., and the 1030 showed 2:04.  The 1030 Plus showed more ascending, 361m to 333m.

    I'll try again tomorrow.

  • +1 over 3 years ago in reply to colin-campbell

    I do not really understand this test of the speed sensor. As long as the speed sensor is connected properly it delivers much more reliable values as GPS. It's all just a question of the correct circumference of the wheel.

  • 0 over 3 years ago

    I find using the speed sensor to be more consistent and accurate. I love that it self calibrates to the wheel circumference.

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to rexdiamond

    The speed sensor does not self calibrate. You need to input a wheel circumference.

  • +1 over 3 years ago in reply to cheracogoff

    With the Garmin speed sensor you have a choice. You can manually input the wheel circumference or have the 1030+ automatically calibrate the wheel.

    calibrate.

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to rexdiamond
    rexdiamond said:
    I love that it self calibrates to the wheel circumference.

    But you have to keep in mind that the automatic calculation of the wheel circumference by GPS is done over and over again and always more or less deviates from reality. In any case, it is better to set the value manually than use „Automatic“ as fixed setting.

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to mcinner1

    I prefer the automatic. It compensates for air pressure and load. How many people do a full load test and manually calibrate their speedometers before each ride, and then repeat after the air pressure increases as the tires warm up?

    Auto calibration is fine for probably 99.9% of riders. 

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to rexdiamond

    Sorry, my response somehow dropped a few words. What I meant is that the sensor does not auto calibrate very well and if you want accuracy it is best to do a manual calibration.

    About two years ago, I saw that my regular ride of about 53 miles was showing a difference distance of about 1/4 to 1/2 miles on the last few rides. I spun the wheel and saw that the Garmin was not showing any speed. The GPS speed is what the sensor would be set at without calibration.  I replaced the battery and the correct distance returned.

    But, do I really need that kind of accuracy? I don't care if it is a mile or so off but the speed sensor is needed when I'm in a area with heavy tree coverage.

  • 0 over 3 years ago in reply to cheracogoff

    Personally I've found the auto calibration to be very accurate with my Edge 1000. The trail I ride most often has accurate mile markers. Over my 40 mile route I usually don't vary more than a tenth of a mile and mile marker measurements are accurate as well. While it continuously updates the value it doesn't jump all over the place. It usually is within a couple of hundreths. Maybe that's not good enough for people that are into extremely accurate measurements, but is certainly good enough for most riders. I haven't had the 1030 long enough to determine if it's accuracy is as good, but I hope it is. I certainly won't manually calibrate before each ride to improve accuracy. 

    One thing you can do for simplicity is try the auto calibration and if it's accurate then input that value manually for a fixed calibration.