US GPS

[Oldun]

RIP my faithful Zumo 550... & Hail (moderately but not fulsomely) the Zumo 595LM.

A brief update after I retired my US-focused Zumo 550 after 38,000 miles and many years on four continents.

On the plus side; it was very reliable and very bike-oriented and definitely weather-proof (unscathed in serious rain in the US, Singapore, Thailand, Burma, England, you name it).

On the minus side, nothing bad until the Garmin software smurfs refused to update its maps and other non-OEM solutions were dysfunctional. Then, navigation started to suck.

The last few years I have annually updated with a Garmin map generic SD card but in the end analysis, the 550 was no longer up to it.

I still use a backup Zumo 550 in New Zealand with a NZ-based SD map. But right now I am on an extended assignment in the US and I plan to ride from LA to Daytona Bike Week in a month; so I bought a Zumo 595LM (with tire pressure monitor units).

Plus: fast start-up, finds satellites very quickly; visibly minutes faster than the 550. Reliable tire pressure monitoring. Waaaay much better screen than the 550 even in Arizona sunlight. A more responsive screen with gloves on. Traffic and map updates have proven their worth last weekend on a fast PHX-LA-PHX ride. As good fuel monitoring as the 550 but much better POIs. Finding gas stations is more reliable by far. Finding a hotel at the end of a riding day is much easier by far. Definitely better screen sensitivity with the same gloves.

Minus: the price. Jeez! USD990 with the tire monitors. And, still a screen that washes out in 'High Noon' sunlight. Limited screen real estate by comparison with automobile-centric Garmin units.

I do not use (do not like) en-route voice prompts so I cannot tell you how connecting to a smartphone works.

That said; overall: actually, a worthwhile upgrade. No regrets.

[502wingman]

Same is true for the slightly cheaper Zumo 590LM. I am using that thing in my cars/Truck and on the bike.
Connecting to the smartphone is easy and works well but I dont use it either. You can get traffic alerts and the rainradar from your phone directly on the screen. To many gimmicks for me so I am not using it but it I tried it and it works.
Just a hint: if your older Garmin refuses to update the maps because it is running out of space, hook it up to the computer and manually delete the existing maps.

[Oldun]

Thanks Wingman. I was able to update the map to the latest that works with the 550, the problem was that the original supplier of the earlier-Zumo-era maps no longer works with Garmin at all... or the other way around as it may be.

[502wingman]

Hmm, I was not aware of that and did some research.

It seems that the newer software like Garmin Express does not cooperate with and support older (Zumo)Versions. That seems to be the reason why the Map-update does not work (still considering that you have enough free space).

I found a link to the old Map-updater software that is not offered by Garmin anymore but still available on the internet. Unfortunately it is in German. Hope this helps what to look for. Good luck.

http://bikeaway.info/gps-navigation/gar ... apupdater/

This software does not install itself on the computer; it is just a *exe file. Try to find 3.1.9 version, 3.3.3 is already to "modern" and might not work.

From my own experience I also know that the old "Mapsource" software is also not compatible with the newer Garmins: they force you to go through "BaseCamp" now and I hate it. I still create routes on mapsource, copy them to basecamp to transfer them on my 590

[Oldun]

Indeed yes: Basecamp is the Ford Pinto of mapping software. And thanks for that link. I am gonna look for an older English version, appreciated.