Garmin Hack - Easy Route and GPX File creation for Garmin Zumo XT and other devices

[@simpleslikethat]

Tried this out on a 3000+km ride last week through the north of Thailand, and it was a game changer for me...Hated Base camp...garmin connect following roads and then a bit of free hand, back to follow roads...amazing...never put a foot wrong.

[@twowheeledadventuresuk2739]

That's good to hear, thanks for letting us all know - safe riding

[@andywalker2992]

Brilliant, fantastic catch to be able to use Big Screen to plan road and greenlane combined routes. However did find a slight issue, if your route has to take in a motorway for any part of the route, it will not allow you to route it on the M-way - as pedestrians and cyclists can't use them. It does try to get to find a path, so just undo the that bit and replan. So the route planning tool is smart in Connect! One can work around it, but I can live with that. Well done.

[@twowheeledadventuresuk2739]

I tried using Garmin Explorer earlier which some use, but got bored of that way in no time!

[@darrenlegallais1974]

Brilliant mate…. The option to change snapping format on the fly is really good… very well explained 😊👍🏼

[@robindalton1790]

Brilliant video pal, just tried it and easy route planning, I struggled a bit getting the route on my sat nav but sorted it in the end, thank you :-)

[@twowheeledadventuresuk2739]

Great stuff, really good to know it helped - thanks 🙏

[@robgreaves2633]

I never thought of using Garmin Connect despite using various Garmin kit over the last 10 years (bike computers watches and now a Garmin 700 and having a Garmin Connect to push stuff though to Training Peaks) I've been using Map My Ride which also does the road routing thing (alongside the green road map) and then downloading the GPX file and then downloading it onto my 700 - def have a go on this next time I plan a route - thank you

[@creatamax16]

LEGEND!. Just what i was looking for. Thanks for taking the time to make this video so useful!. Cheers!

[@yawningcat]

Thankyou so much for this, I was on the verge of throwing base camp with my zumo out of the window 😂

[@twowheeledadventuresuk2739]

Glad it’s helped

[@shaunmayland9473]

Mike , great explanation and a hitherto unused way of creating accurate routes, best go buy a Garmin satnav now …. your vids cost me money 😀👍

[@twowheeledadventuresuk2739]

I promise not to tell the Mrs if you do - your treat with the sausage rolls next tho!

[@markbanjodaniel]

Legend Mike ! i'm new to green lanes (only followed orange arrows !) so i'm keen to get in to plotting routes. do you recommend the Zumo xt for green lanes or do you think the phone and app is the way to go ?both have their merits i guess. i like the idea of a dependable satnav on the bike and phone in pocket. just wondering if the zumo is up to the job. cheers fella.

[@twowheeledadventuresuk2739]

Defo OS map app on iPhone, it doesnt work as well on android. Ive done miles and miles of laning now and the OS map app has never let me down. I'm gonna do a vid soon comparing zumo to phone app - I hate a busy cockpit and only want one device in front of me, not only does a phone navigate well on and off-road, but it's also a phone, a music centre, an internet hub, a games console, a back-up camera, a tracking device etc etc. The only instance where I can see the XT getting the gig is if I go and ride in Europe.

[@twowheeledadventuresuk2739]

Oh, and the OS map app desktop does have a snap feature, so you can easily create long road sections when planning. That's makes a massive difference - just another reason why I love OS map app.

[@twowheeledadventuresuk2739]

Oh.... I have a second phone, an iPhone 8 plus, I just use on my bikes for nav, my normal phone stays in my pocket, I use my normal phone as a wifi hub, so the bike phone doesnt really need data to use it if going that way.

[@markbanjodaniel]

@@twowheeledadventuresuk2739 it’s a great feature . I was quite daunted at the thought of planning a route , but the OS map features and having the GRM on another page really makes it a pleasure . I’m thinking the phone and app might be the way to go then . Just one more question , what mounting hardware have you found the best for off-road Mike ? After racing for years and ignoring green laning adventures , I didn’t realise how much enjoyment I was missing out on !

[@PeterDuff-n1q]

Awesome, much easier, using in NZ. Cheers

[@mattdulwich]

Great video Mike, could you possible do a video on how you can modify the TET GPX file, I have been able to break it down into each section, but the great western trail section for example is 858 miles long, it won’t download onto the OS maps app. I’ve tried editing it, but haven’t got a clue what I’m doing! Im sure a lot of people would find a video on editing existing GPX files a great help.

[@twowheeledadventuresuk2739]

I will have a think and do a bit of research 🤟 not something I ever do to be honest

[@MrSTAdventures]

Absolutely bang on, thanks so much for sharing. Subscribed 👍🏻

[@gerardpiper9869]

Hi interesting video will attempt to try this out over next day or so cheers ole ged boy

[@marktaylor4277]

Helpful video thanks. With another app I recently tried getting a road/byways route onto my Rider 550 - but it just reroutes me around the off-road sections, not really what I wanted. Someone once sent me a .gpx file of a road trip we were taking and upon loading into my device I was presented with two tracks, the normal one you'd expect and another labelled 'exact'. I googled 'exact' but didn't find any answers about it, does anyone know what this is and more importantly, does this exact route follow off-road sections? Thanks.

[@twowheeledadventuresuk2739]

The device might not like going off-road, so say Tom Toms don’t do green laning but a Garmin Zumo XT will. So exact might mean the exact route the GPX files is and then a second route created which avoids the off-road bits.

[@bosscat8951]

Great stuff Mike, love it

[@mattyaztec]

Been wondering what sat nav to get had my heart set on the zumo someone told me it doesn’t work off road then I looked at Montana and I didn’t like it at all but now I’ve seen this my decision is made. Happy days this is also handy as I have garmin connect already as I have one of their watches

[@mattyaztec]

Update got my zumo just done this and it worked. Quality

[@markbanjodaniel]

@@mattyaztecdoes it recognise the green roads and byways once sent to the zumo ? My TomTom rider just goes off on one if I point it in the direction of a lane !

[@marcelolupinucci945]

Good Morning. Question. Did you used BaseCamo software from Garmin for transfer the GXP file to GPS? I m very familiarize with the etrex family product and want an upgrade of the screen. Thanks in advance.

[@twowheeledadventuresuk2739]

No - when I use my Garmin Zumo XT I transfer the file from my Mac to my Garmin using the Garmin Drive app, if sending them to my phone to use on a different navigation app I just airdrop them to my phone

[@chralber2000]

Thanks for this explanation. Why is Garmin not migrating to basecamp to Garmin connect? so strange when seeing your tube. question way use OS maps and not gaia? (ps did you try android file transfer for you garmin it works for my drive 55 but it I agree its a pain

[@twowheeledadventuresuk2739]

I don’t have android , only have an issue with basecamp, Garmin drive is fine and never heard of gaia

[@jbx00594]

Thank you, it works great.

[@ridgebackrhodesian]

Brilliant. Thank you.

[@simpleslikethat]

Dynamite...hate basecamp. look forward to trying this out soon

[@HippoDrones]

You know the OS mapping app has snap to track if you use the regular map rather than the pro mapping, it works great and you can swap into and out of the pro map while creating the route, to check the type of lanes etc, you just have to swap back to the regular map to use the snap tool.

[@twowheeledadventuresuk2739]

I could kiss you, I didn't know that! That is a top tip - thanks mate

[@HippoDrones]

@@twowheeledadventuresuk2739 Hahaha... it is how I create my routes. Yours is a better option for those travelling outside of the UK though!

[@twowheeledadventuresuk2739]

@@HippoDrones if we all share the love mate we’ll all enjoy what we do so much more, every day is a school day and hopefully this is what we can bring via or channels, fun and knowledge 👍🌈🥳

[@HippoDrones]

@@twowheeledadventuresuk2739 🙂

[@PatrickHonorez]

i can't see maps in Connect... bu all I have from Garmin is a gold watch and a Zumo. Any suggestion to make that part appear ?

[@twowheeledadventuresuk2739]

No idea, maybe watch another tutorial on Connect

[@carlesimmonds1008]

If you are using an existing account you probably don't have the correct things selected on setup. I had the same issue but set up another account with a different email address set up the way Mike explained and it all worked as advertised

[@antonystinson3079]

Hate basecamp the explore app not compatible to xt only thru drive app is too confusing I’ll give this a go!

[@davedean5283]

Top tip👍