Mission Control with a Garmin or Wahoo

[Gobuckeyes2002]

Hello all I apologize if this has already been addressed but I have searched google and can’t seem to find the answer so I thought maybe the forum could help. I have a Turbo Vado SL and would like to buy either a Garmin 830 or 1030. I have been using my phone mount and the mission control app but haven't been able to find an app that I like to display my stats as well as navigation. My concern is that I still want to sync my rides to mission control. Does anyone know if the Garmin will sync to mission control if I leave my phone at home while riding? I don’t need it because I have a watch with cellular.
The second question I have is will the Garmin display assist level and battery from the SL motor on the screen? Thanks in advance.

 

[Jimbo08]

I have a Garmin Explore, and so far have not found a way to get data back and forth. I have a K-Edge mount for the Garmin. Need the phone anyways for emergencies, but it can stay in my pocket as Garmin flashes incoming calls/text messages.

 

[GrayFox]

Hi, last week I bought a Vado SL 5.0 and it came with an 'unwired' turbo display console. I have an older Garmin Edge 810. I removed the TDU and found that the Garmin fit into the holder without a hitch.

If the fake channel is enabled in Mission Control then the battery level can be displayed on the screen.

If the fake channel is disabled then my Garmin will be able to display all of my power stats (but not the battery level).

Note that all you have to do to see the battery level is look down at the leds on the top bar, ditto for the assist level,

My garmin also picked up speed and cadence from the bike.

I store all of my rides ( about 730) on Garmin Connect. The Garmin can do a upload to Garmin connect automagically.

If you are a Strava fan things might be a bit stickier...

 

[JonFox]

Hello GrayFox,

With fake channel disabled, does your Garmin display your watts separately from what the bike contributes? In other words, total output might be 400 watts - could you see that you were providing 150 watts and the bike provided 250?

Thanks!

 

[GrayFox]

Hello GrayFox,

With fake channel disabled, does your Garmin display your watts separately from what the bike contributes? In other words, total output might be 400 watts - could you see that you were providing 150 watts and the bike provided 250?

Thanks!

That is not clear up me, maybe one can turn off assist and see what happens...

 

[Nubnub]

The second question I have is will the Garmin display assist level and battery from the SL motor on the screen? Thanks in advance.

When/if you get a garmin you can check out Ebike Field from the garmin app store. That will enable a field that can display the assist level and battery % on the garmin. For a modest donation, the author will also enable some premium features. The one I've found most useful is that it will record the assist level and battery discharge thruout each ride recorded on the garmin. There are some additional descriptions and screen shots at the author's page ebikeapp.jancapek.cz

 

[GrayFox]

When/if you get a garmin you can check out Ebike Field from the garmin app store. That will enable a field that can display the assist level and battery % on the garmin. For a modest donation, the author will also enable some premium features. The one I've found most useful is that it will record the assist level and battery discharge thruout each ride recorded on the garmin. There are some additional descriptions and screen shots at the author's page ebikeapp.jancapek.cz

Many, but not all Garmin's can use the App Store, my 810 cannot, sob...

 

[abercrombie]

Using this thread to compare and contrast Mission Control, Wahoo, and Garmin using the eBike sensor on my Specialized Creo. I import everything into Strava.

TLDR: Garmin works best when connected to the eBike sensor, and most accurate in moving time, distance, and elevation.

NOTE: Everything reviewed below may change with a software or firmware update to the bike or computer vendor.


Wahoo
I come from the Wahoo ecosystem, so I was alarmed that the Wahoo would not auto-stop at any breaks or stop signs. So, while I'm crushing Strava KOMs in my area, my average speed was in the low teens on my initial rides. Even worse, the distance was noticably short of what it registers via my Analog bikes using GPS. So, while my analog bike registers this route as a 24 mile ride over GPS, when connected to the eBike sensor it recorded it as 21.1 miles. The Wahoo displays everything great, the Battery Level, Mode, Power & Cadence but the above bugs were too much.



Garmin
Ordered a Garmin 130 Plus, which is their lowest price offering yet sufficient for my needs. The power and cadence shows up without additional effort and used the Connect IQ download to display battery & assist mode. Garmin also does not Auto-Pause the display time so it's not limited to the Wahoo. Fortunately, it seems like Garmin Connect has the actual moving time in the background that correctly imports into Strava, so my average speed is correct as well as distance and elevation. Garmin has been crowned my designated Creo computer.



Mission Control
Total distance and ride time were in the ballpark of being correct on MC, but it had its own set of bugs. On this same ride, the phone GPS inaccurately tracked a 5 mile stretch so that it appeared like a straight line suggesting a loss in signal. Elevation was also incorrect, suggesting this ride was up a mountain of 3540 feet while both Garmin & Wahoo recorded it as in the mid 800 feet. MC info indicates that data is based on ones respective Phone GPS, but my iPhone tracks GPS and elevation correctly with my Apple Watch 3 so I'm attributing these errors to MC. Yes, it did auto-stop but the moving time was 1:28 vs Garmin 1:21, the latter which seems more accurate. Lastly, while my Wahoo heart rate monitor paired with Mission Control, no HR data was pushed to Strava.

 

[richiebike]

I'm getting that same straight line, which ruins an otherwise good map display. Fortunately I also have a Garmin which works perfectly. Does anyone have a fix? Thanks.

 

[BEC111]

This thread, especially Abercrombie’s reviews, describe my confusion about computers and my Vado SL. I’m using MC and Strava via my Apple Watch. I’ve been using the Strava/Watch combination to track my rides since it includes my heart rate.

MC won’t sync with my watch for heart rate info, though it tracks cadence and power utilization. I wish I could get both, but the two sources don’t merge and I don’t want or need to saved rides foe each actual ride.

So, is there a way to combine bike data and heart rate data into Strava (or Ride with GPS though that’s not as good for t(e health monitoring I’m trying to perform)? Preferably with my Apple watch as it would be redundant to get a separate HRM. I’d rather not buy an additional computer but there might be an advantage to that route compared to carrying an $1000 phone on my handlebars.

 

[Sunshine2021]

Hi, last week I bought a Vado SL 5.0 and it came with an 'unwired' turbo display console. I have an older Garmin Edge 810. I removed the TDU and found that the Garmin fit into the holder without a hitch.
……

My garmin also picked up speed and cadence from the bike.

Hi GrayFox

I have a similiar setup: Vado SL 4.0 / Garmin Edge Explore . I would like to display the cadence of the bike on my Garmin.
Could you give me a hint what I need to do to set it up correctly.

Thank you !

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Hi GrayFox

I have a similiar setup: Vado SL 4.0 / Garmin Edge Explore . I would like to display the cadence of the bike on my Garmin.
Could you give me a hint what I need to do to set it up correctly.

Thank you !

@Sunshine2021: I have read the Explore is not e-bike compatible right now but that feature should come in one of the coming software updates. (This information is from 20th of February 2021).

 

[Sunshine2021]

Hi @Stefan Mikes
Using „Ebike Field“ from ConnectIQ I was able to connect my Edge Explore with my Vado SL. It shows the battery % and the assistance level. ( I found a German website explaining how it done - I can provide you the link if you are interested).
Inspired by your article about advantanges of spinning I wanted to display the cadence as well but unfortunately have not succeed so far.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Hi @Stefan Mikes
Using „Ebike Field“ from ConnectIQ I was able to connect my Edge Explore with my Vado SL. It shows the battery % and the assistance level. ( I found a German website explaining how it done - I can provide you the link if you are interested).
Inspired by your article about advantanges of spinning I wanted to display the cadence as well but unfortunately have not succeed so far.

Disable Fake Channel? Or Enable it?

 

[kahn]

That settles it. We need a bike made by Apple - all simplified. None of this futzing around trying to get things to communicate with each other. One simple Apple Ibike for a mere $30,000!!!

 

[Sunshine2021]

I enabled „fake channel„ and set it to „cadence“. On the Garmin I saw a new sensor which I connected. I tried to add it to a new training page but it doesn‘t work … Guess I need to do some more fiddling .

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Guys. With an SL ebike, a smartphone (that costs less than Garmin 830), BLEVO app, Mapy.cz app, a power bank, and Polar OH1 heart rate monitor...

...I feel I need not to struggle with any Garmin

 

[mschwett]

perfectly happy here with my iphone on a quad lock, no power bank, no blevo, no garmin, using mission control and one of any/many apps for mapping if the route isn't well known. no battery issues up to 6 or 7 hours of riding, at which point my internal biological battery is toast.

export to strava automatically on ride completion (don't use strava on the phone at all) and all the collected data, except motor power, but the stats reflect the accurate rider contribution.

 

[Sunshine2021]

Which iPhone version is it?

 

[BEC111]

perfectly happy here with my iphone on a quad lock, no power bank, no blevo, no garmin, using mission control and one of any/many apps for mapping if the route isn't well known. no battery issues up to 6 or 7 hours of riding, at which point my internal biological battery is toast.

export to strava automatically on ride completion (don't use strava on the phone at all) and all the collected data, except motor power, but the stats reflect the accurate rider contribution.

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I do something similar. I need to track my heart beat, but since I own an Apple Watch didn’t want to get yet another device for that purpose. I finally sprang for the big bucks and got BLEVO which works for it all: bike, heart beat and all. Had to do a kluge to get constant heart monitoring by running Ride With GPS, on the watch though.

If I remember to turn off all the other apps on the phone the battery lasts about 2 to 3 hours. I carry a battery bank just in case. Still too many devices, but . . .