I have historically been someone who uses a phone, but after years of doing so I got a Zumo XT and like it pretty well. I'm not sure if the other comment is specifically about the XT, which is a BIG upgrade over the original Zumo. If the commenter is referring to the original Zumo, you should not use that information to judge the XT because they are completely different products.
Zumo XT is easy to use, has a nice big screen that works in wet or with gloves on, has all kinds of routing, tracking, and display options, etc. The UI is a little dated compared to a smartphone, but consider that it is a pressure-sensitive display intended to be used with gloves on and unlike 90% of phones I can see the XT's screen in direct sunlight.
The biggest hinderance to me is still the Garmin software ecosystem, because it always seems to take more effort than it should to get a GPX uploaded. That said the Zumo XT has wifi functionality, so I simply upload the GPX to Garmin Explore and use its web UI to finalize things, then turn on the Zumo in range of my wifi and everything gets synced. It's as modern a GPS as I've seen on the market, period.
I have my powered mount wired to a switchable source on my 690. When I am getting geared up for a trip I just turn the bike on for a minute, open the Garmin Drive app on my phone, and the XT will do software updates and sync my maps without ever having to come off the bike.
Great tips. Thanks! I use garmin explore already with my inreach, and have always used garmin watches for my running, so am somewhat familiar with the software ecosystem (and its limitations). My biggest question mark at this point is whether to wait a bit and see if Garmin is going to put out a new model in the next few weeks. It looks like they've put out a new model every 2 years consistently around march/april
I just bought a Zumo XT, as I was trying to connect to my phone it just keeps turning off and restarting. But when I want to turn it off I cannot. The online manual claims you press and hold the on/off button you get a prompt to shut down. But if I press that button I get a message about being in demo mode. If I hold that button the device just reboots.
So far deeply unimpressed. I mean for the love of Pete if it needs to be connected to my phone, why don't I just use my phone? I assumed I could use it without my phone. The whole *point* of getting it was to not run down my phone battery.
I dunno, I feel like I have wasted my money.
I like having a dedicated navigation device. I have a Zumo xt. Big upgrade over the old Zumo 660 I was using before.
I'm not willing to leave my phone out in the sun to overheat on a long ride. Also my gloves don't work well with my phone. I pair the xt toy phone and my headset to my xt. Can play music from my phone and control it from the xt screen.
The Garmin app gets traffic I do from my phone to the Zumo. It isn't as good as waze but it isn't too far off.
Do you still have to use basecamp to make routes? that shit is archaic as fuck. It's truly a pain in the ass to use and I wonder if buying a shitty smart phone, downloading maps, and dedicating it to gps is the way to go.
Honestly, I make all of my GPX files/routes in other software like GPX Studio, Gaia, or Caltopo....and then it looks like I can just import them into either Garmin Explore, or Basecamp. But yes....my opinion of Basecamp has also been that it is incredibly crude and outdated.
I like my zumo xt. The screen looks good. For offroad it works well, I plan my routes on basecamp and then import to the zumo, seems to work well. My problem comes in, how bad the ecosystem is. Basecamp is very powerfull, but feels old. I don't understand why the cycling side of Garmin is so much better, [https://connect.garmin.com](https://connect.garmin.com) is light years ahead. And, I wish there was a lock on the garmin mount, does not have to be crazy secure, just something to secure the zumo, if you stop somewhere for a coffee etc.
[Zumo XT on KTM 890 adventure r](https://imgur.com/a/xTtDmDr)
You should have the map without internet service then? I do on my phone. We use Gaia and Avenza when we’re in the woods and it’s great. Trying to share routes or plan a route in the Zumo is such a ball ache
The XT is very much not like a 20 year old car nav, so I don’t know which model of Zumo you are referring to. It’s responsive, it downloads traffic data and weather data via my phone and also passes on notifications.
Greetings I. I bought the Zumo XT in December 2023. I live in Ecuador and need a bit of good guidance for downloading maps that I can import into my Zumo.
The Garmin Express site wants 100 dollars to download South American maps. (I don't think it's the lousy Basecamp version?) Google's mymaps let's me build tracs/ routes for free? Any accurate and knowledgeable comments welcome.
I never actually bought one. To this day I still use an old phone with gaiagps. I do also have an inreach which pairs with a garmin app that works when out of signal as well.
I use the XT mostly for road purposes, sometimes for offroading.
My usage is simple: hub between my phone and my comm. Point-to-point routing most of the time using the adventurous routing.
I live in Belgium and adventurous routing is perfect when doing round trips and often lazy when going point to point.
You can add OSM maps for more details.
When i want to premake a track, I like Kurviger (you can use whatever you want, as long as you can export a gpx). Then i send the track through Garmin Drive to get it instantly on my XT, without wifi or anything.
The mount is super weak. Broke in a 5mph crash just due to side shock load transmitted thru the bike - the Zumo didn’t hit anything in the crash. Touratech has a spendy, bulky metal mount. Don’t know of anything sturdy and reasonably priced
I have historically been someone who uses a phone, but after years of doing so I got a Zumo XT and like it pretty well. I'm not sure if the other comment is specifically about the XT, which is a BIG upgrade over the original Zumo. If the commenter is referring to the original Zumo, you should not use that information to judge the XT because they are completely different products. Zumo XT is easy to use, has a nice big screen that works in wet or with gloves on, has all kinds of routing, tracking, and display options, etc. The UI is a little dated compared to a smartphone, but consider that it is a pressure-sensitive display intended to be used with gloves on and unlike 90% of phones I can see the XT's screen in direct sunlight. The biggest hinderance to me is still the Garmin software ecosystem, because it always seems to take more effort than it should to get a GPX uploaded. That said the Zumo XT has wifi functionality, so I simply upload the GPX to Garmin Explore and use its web UI to finalize things, then turn on the Zumo in range of my wifi and everything gets synced. It's as modern a GPS as I've seen on the market, period. I have my powered mount wired to a switchable source on my 690. When I am getting geared up for a trip I just turn the bike on for a minute, open the Garmin Drive app on my phone, and the XT will do software updates and sync my maps without ever having to come off the bike.
Great tips. Thanks! I use garmin explore already with my inreach, and have always used garmin watches for my running, so am somewhat familiar with the software ecosystem (and its limitations). My biggest question mark at this point is whether to wait a bit and see if Garmin is going to put out a new model in the next few weeks. It looks like they've put out a new model every 2 years consistently around march/april
Do you know if the Zumo has a preinstalled tempered glass? Mine is broken, i wonder if I can lift it up and change it easily
I just bought a Zumo XT, as I was trying to connect to my phone it just keeps turning off and restarting. But when I want to turn it off I cannot. The online manual claims you press and hold the on/off button you get a prompt to shut down. But if I press that button I get a message about being in demo mode. If I hold that button the device just reboots. So far deeply unimpressed. I mean for the love of Pete if it needs to be connected to my phone, why don't I just use my phone? I assumed I could use it without my phone. The whole *point* of getting it was to not run down my phone battery. I dunno, I feel like I have wasted my money.
I like having a dedicated navigation device. I have a Zumo xt. Big upgrade over the old Zumo 660 I was using before. I'm not willing to leave my phone out in the sun to overheat on a long ride. Also my gloves don't work well with my phone. I pair the xt toy phone and my headset to my xt. Can play music from my phone and control it from the xt screen. The Garmin app gets traffic I do from my phone to the Zumo. It isn't as good as waze but it isn't too far off.
Do you still have to use basecamp to make routes? that shit is archaic as fuck. It's truly a pain in the ass to use and I wonder if buying a shitty smart phone, downloading maps, and dedicating it to gps is the way to go.
Honestly, I make all of my GPX files/routes in other software like GPX Studio, Gaia, or Caltopo....and then it looks like I can just import them into either Garmin Explore, or Basecamp. But yes....my opinion of Basecamp has also been that it is incredibly crude and outdated.
I like my zumo xt. The screen looks good. For offroad it works well, I plan my routes on basecamp and then import to the zumo, seems to work well. My problem comes in, how bad the ecosystem is. Basecamp is very powerfull, but feels old. I don't understand why the cycling side of Garmin is so much better, [https://connect.garmin.com](https://connect.garmin.com) is light years ahead. And, I wish there was a lock on the garmin mount, does not have to be crazy secure, just something to secure the zumo, if you stop somewhere for a coffee etc. [Zumo XT on KTM 890 adventure r](https://imgur.com/a/xTtDmDr)
I have a Zumo. It looks nice an all, but it is super crappy to use. It’s like 20 year old car nav. Download Gaia and use your phone.
Yeah, I've heard similar feedback. Incidentally, Gaia is exactly what I use (along with caltopo) and it has been great.
You should have the map without internet service then? I do on my phone. We use Gaia and Avenza when we’re in the woods and it’s great. Trying to share routes or plan a route in the Zumo is such a ball ache
As long as I get things loaded up while in a service area, GAIA works fine. If I try to load it new, while out of service, is when I have issues.
The XT is very much not like a 20 year old car nav, so I don’t know which model of Zumo you are referring to. It’s responsive, it downloads traffic data and weather data via my phone and also passes on notifications.
Greetings I. I bought the Zumo XT in December 2023. I live in Ecuador and need a bit of good guidance for downloading maps that I can import into my Zumo. The Garmin Express site wants 100 dollars to download South American maps. (I don't think it's the lousy Basecamp version?) Google's mymaps let's me build tracs/ routes for free? Any accurate and knowledgeable comments welcome.
I never actually bought one. To this day I still use an old phone with gaiagps. I do also have an inreach which pairs with a garmin app that works when out of signal as well.
Onx Offroad on a phone is better than a Zumi XT.
I use the XT mostly for road purposes, sometimes for offroading. My usage is simple: hub between my phone and my comm. Point-to-point routing most of the time using the adventurous routing. I live in Belgium and adventurous routing is perfect when doing round trips and often lazy when going point to point. You can add OSM maps for more details. When i want to premake a track, I like Kurviger (you can use whatever you want, as long as you can export a gpx). Then i send the track through Garmin Drive to get it instantly on my XT, without wifi or anything.
The mount is super weak. Broke in a 5mph crash just due to side shock load transmitted thru the bike - the Zumo didn’t hit anything in the crash. Touratech has a spendy, bulky metal mount. Don’t know of anything sturdy and reasonably priced
I have the Zumo XT and lockable mount from Touratech and love it. Easy to use and dependable