Virtual Partner

Anyone here actually found Virtual Partner useful ? 

Yes it can / could be useful if it worked consistently, I do Audax club rides, longer distance , non-competitive but with a time limit for the entire course (which can be 200, 300, 400, 600, 1000, 1200kms) and for each of intermediate control points spaced 70-90kms apart, Up to 600kms the limits are based on 15kph elapsed ie the clock is always running whether you are riding, eating, sleeping or taking pictures. If the VP is doing a consistent 15kph then your time ahead (hopefully) tells you how much time you can spend at any control, eg if you get to the place you hope to get some sleep at and you have 4 hours ahead then you have to be back on the bike pedalling in 4 hours. Get most important for the longer distances, 600kms over 40 hours, 1000 over 75 hours and 1200 over 90 generally, The trouble with the VP is that sometimes it follows the kph set in the VP screen, sometimes it follows the speed derived from the course file which can be set in GC but more random in other route planners and sometimes it has the % of previous ride / route, I would prefer if it was just always using the speed from the VP screen as the Audax required speed changes from 600 to 1000kms and again over 1000

Because of these inconsistencies there are some IQ connect fields, eg "Time in Hand", which calculate this independently of the VP.  I don't need to see the VP on the map though.

All I can say is I'm awestruck by your ability to do this kind of riding.  

Garmin, please allow us to disable the VP on edge 530 and other devices.

I am all for software features, but come on, this one is basically an anti-feature for myself and every single person I know who uses a Garmin. PLEASE make it optional as software features are inherently meant to be!

Does anyone at Garmin reads this forum?

They do occasionally but these are 99% self-support forums.  

There is a way to make suggestions through a form https://www.garmin.com/en-US/forms/ideas/ but who knows if anyone takes any notice of those.

Personally, I'd be surprised to see much more in the way of enhancements or otherwise for the 530/830 now - They have been on the market for four years next month and must be due for replacement soon (then again, I thought the same 12 months ago!)

The VP is a very useful feature to have on a Garmin and over the years I have used it extensively on long distance endurance rides to help me keep the pace etc and see how I am doing.

It is also a very useful part of training as you have "Someone" to race against on a created course were you have inputted a speed to maintain to get round the course in a certain time. It is an ideal feature to use in a Time Trial as a pacer. Or its even better to ride a course, then save the history file as another course and the VP will religiously follow how you rode the course the first time, slowing down, stopping, and speeding up on the flat and hills. I have had some brilliant exciting finishes to a course when I have been neck and neck with the VP and just managed to beat it by a few seconds. When I do, I then create another course from that history file, so the next time, once again I have to beat the VP which in actual fact is myself.

But, when I am not using it, I never see any issue with it whether it is being displayed or not, it does not distract from anything, And if you do not want to see it, set the VP a ridiculous very fast speed or an extremely slow speed so that you never see it.

There are far bigger issues that need resolving with a 530 than the VP.

If you do have an issue with it, then you have to ask yourself, "why am I using a training device" when in fact something like a Garmin Etrex would be more suitable for someone who just's wants a cycle computer with a Satnav built in and is not into training or racing etc. Overall it is a feeble nonsensical complaint over a non existing issue.

I don't think so and if they do they don't care about our problems. Several bugs keep existing for years. For now I know most workarounds and I don't expect any help from Garmin.

I use my Edge for training and I know my own goals. I don't give a sh.t about the VP so it should be nice if it could be disabled. For now I use the workaround to set the speed of the VP very high so it doesn't annoy me.