Can "Auto-Lap by Position" do this?

Auto lap by position just starts a new lap at a certain position.  You have to tell the unit where that position is.  It won't automatically define it from any loops you do.  You can start doing loops in the middle of a ride and manually start the auto lap by position to record each loop as a lap.

Thanks very much.  As you can probably tell, I'm new to bike computers.  It wasn't until you alluded to it that I realized there was even a lap button on the Edge 530.  That certainly helps clear some things up.  

So if you have Auto Lap by position set and you start a ride and let's say 15 miles into the ride you are going to do some loops....you would simply click the lap button to start and then those laps would be recorded based on the position of where you started....right?  So after the loops are done do you need to stop the "lapping" by hitting the lap button again?

What if you ride on and go to another spot where you might do laps with some others.  Can you hit the lap button again and have the auto lap function engaged a second time on the same ride?  

I guess what is confusing me a little is that I only noticed the auto lap function when I did strictly loops.  I never even had to hit the lap button.  I started on a loop, started the ride, and it immediately started recording laps.  I'm assuming the same will happen when you go on a ride when it is not a loop.  The Garmin probably just accepts it as one big loop, the entire ride.  But if I wanted to truly track some loops inside that ride, I can do so by pressing the lap button?  I think?  I probably just need to go test all this. :)

Look at the manual page 20 for information on how to set up auto lap.

https://www8.garmin.com/manuals/webhelp/edge530/EN-US/Edge_530_OM_EN-US.pdf

I don't use the function myself so I don't know all the details.

Thanks.  Garmin does a good job of providing information around how to change the settings, but I don't think they do a very good job of explaining exactly how they work or how these functions can be used. 

I just went out and tested it and from what I can tell, when you start a ride, it actually considers this the start of a lap.  Almost like you hit the lap button as well.  So if you are starting in a loop then you are all set.  Now, if you are in a loop and want to change where the Garmin actually records each lap, then I'm not sure that is possible because when you press the lap button later on in the loop, the Garmin will see it as 2 separate loop points on the same loop, the one when you started the ride and now this second one. 

Basically, as far as I could tell, pressing the lap button (and having "auto-lap by position" enabled) sort of dropped a pin on your route at any given time.  When you pass over that pin, the lap resets itself again.  

So ultimately, this is sort of a good thing in a way because it would allow me to start a ride and then the first lap would start, which shows up in your data, but isn't really important.  Once I reach the spot where we are going to do laps, I could then hit the lap button and the Garmin would know I'm starting a lap there.  Each time I passed over that same spot, it would move on to the next lap. 

Now when I'm finished doing laps then I could continue riding.  The Garmin would still keep tabs on the final lap, but again, that would just be data you later throw out since you aren't technically doing any laps at that point.  It just keeps going. 

THEN if I go to another location and start doing laps again, I can follow the same process and hit the lap button at the beginning of the lap and it will record laps as it should there as well.

Once again, after the final lap, the count will continue to move forward thinking I'm still in a lap until I finish the ride. 

I don't really like having all the extra lap data in there, but at least it can accomplish what I want.  If anyone knows a better way, please let me know. 

2 features, lap on start of ride position, if your doing some sort of lap racing, when you start your activity you might start it at the finish line, the mark and lap position is similar by pressing the lap button at certain locations like if your doing intervals on a loop so you press lap at the start of the interval and then again at the end point after that you can concentrate on the interval and in a way its a segment.