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Garmin Montana 700: what a disappointment!

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Our latest purchase in terms of technology dedicated to bicycle touring and cycling is the Garmin Montana 700, heir to the model we previously owned (Montana 600). After a few months of use and especially after about a month of travel, we can only express a not very positive opinion, especially in terms of quality/price, on this device. But there are some weaknesses which shouldn't be there...

 

Below you will find a personal review of the Garmin Montana 700 after a few months of use, both on Lake Iseo where we live, and while traveling during #backtothewest. In absolute terms, the Garmin Montana 700 is a decent product, but given the price, I would say I would have expected much, much better! We bought this device after our more than positive experience with the Garmin Montana 600 predecessor.garmin montana 700 sulla bici

This review is a little more concise and less orthodox than the usual ones you are used to reading on Life in Travel because I preferred to share personal impressions immediately, without waiting for the time to write details and technical information that I generally prefer to include in a complete review. garmin montana 700 montato

Garmin Montana 700: technical features

Being traveling and not wanting to spend too much time entering information that I consider very useful, but which can also be easily found on other sites, I refer you to the official page of the Garmin Montana 700 to read the technical characteristics of this device. In the future, I will update the article by inserting the aforementioned characteristics here.

GPS reception and altimeter: so and so...

The reception of the Garmin Montana 700 is based on multiple satellite systems: GPS, Glonass, and Galileo. This should ensure excellent accuracy and the presence of an external antenna indicates a clear improvement in this regard. Indeed, apart from one occasion crossing a fairly narrow canyon, we did not have any particular positioning defects during the trip. Reception speed has never been a problem for us and even if we leave the device switched on in the morning for an extra minute before leaving, it doesn't change our lives.registrazione waypoint garmin montana 700

But the joys end there! The problems showed up with the altimeter. Although we had calibrated it at the departure from Poti every morning, when we woke up during the journey, we noticed a discrepancy of tens and often hundreds of meters with reality. The stable weather and ideal weather conditions did not justify such a mistake. So every morning we are forced to re-set the correct altitude based on our knowledge and on the level lines of the maps. The height differences indicated at the end of the day seem to be more or less correct.menu impostazioni garmin 700 montana

Connectivity, what a pain! (SOLVED WITH AN UPDATE)

Another innovation compared to the model we had previously is the ability to connect the device via Bluetooth and wifi to phones and PCs without the need to use cables. This is one of the features that attracted us the most compared to other cheaper devices.

Too bad we have never been able to use Bluetooth and the wifi is activated only when it wants! The connection does not work with any of our phones and when we try to access the aforementioned functionality, the pairing does not activate. The connection with the phone, via Garmin Connect, to upload and download tracks in progress is, therefore, a feature that has never worked and this is one of the biggest disappointments of this device.

Unfortunately, even those interested in following our tracks lose out: they will have to wait for the end of our path to be able to download them????!

Update December 2021!
At the end of November, we received a notification on the device, connected to the PC, to carry out a software update. After following the update installation procedure, uninstalling and reinstalling the Garmin Connect app, and redoing the pairing between our smartphone and Garmin Montana 700... attention, we were able to connect with Bluetooth, download the GPS tracks, and upload the ones programmed on Komoot for the next rides!

registrazione dati tecnici garmin montana 700

Software and speed: all good!

Fortunately, there are positives too. The software is little different from that present on the Garmin Montana 600 but it was already excellent and intuitive. Navigation is enhanced with bottom-to-screen mapping, with keys to switch from data functionality to screen or settings. In addition, the speed of the software is significantly improved compared to previous models: the passage from one screen to another, the operations of loading tracks or saving data are fast and efficient.

Reactive and visible touch screen

A positive point of this Garmin Montana 700 is the screen. 5 inches are a lot and if on the one hand they make the device bulky and a little uncomfortable to carry by hand, on the other hand they guarantee a large and visible screen. Among other things, once the Garmin is placed in its housing on the handlebar, for us travelers who care less about light weight, it changes little from the point of view of size and comfort to have a small 2" cycle computer or a larger one, while it makes a big difference to see a large portion of the map with decent scale.

A sore point in this regard: in the package of a product that costs € 600 no accessories are included and the stem is to be purchased separately and costs almost € 50.

supporto garmin montana 700

Conclusions

Let's wrap up this brief review of the Montana Garmin 700 and make an overall assessment. Let me be clear: this is my personal opinion based on our needs and our experiences. Until now I had always found myself comfortable with devices from the American company which, however, evidently sat on the laurels of a de facto monopoly between GPS devices for cycling and for the outdoors. I also want to clarify that at the time of writing I have not yet contacted Garmin assistance because I am traveling and therefore I cannot give an opinion on this aspect and on the possible willingness to solve the company's problems.

navigazione garmin montana 700

We have decided to make a substantial investment on this Garmin Montana 700 given the previous positive experience with the 600 and once we are done we are not completely dissatisfied with the purchase. Of course, however, for the amount spent we expected a device that was ready "out of the box" in all its components and functions. We did not expect a very inaccurate altimeter and an enormous difficulty, to the point of making us give up its use, of Bluetooth connectivity.

On balance, without being able to count on these functions, the Garmin Montana 700 remains a good model especially for the large screen and the speed of the software, but certainly not worth the price paid.

 
 
Read 11950 times Last modified on Tuesday, 07 December 2021 13:31
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  • This commment is unpublished.
    · 11 months ago
    The GPX line width cannot be changed so makes it difficult to navigate on a bike where you follow a route. The only option is a huge arrow pointing you in the direction. My suggestion is a TwoNav Aventura. I've had mine over 10 years and the line width and colour can be changed maing it easy to follow at speed.
    • This commment is unpublished.
      · 11 months ago
      Thanks for your suggestions! ?
  • This commment is unpublished.
    · 1 years ago
    Hello. 

    I also have used previous montana models and must unfortunantely agree with You. The new model 700 is not as good as the previous ones. I would add few "cons" to Your points i have had with the new model. 

    First the routing for the car is often made in a very weird way. I have set it to calcate by "minimise time" option. But it sometimes makes trips longer for up to 10 minutes. When it do not agree with the route and go by the way i know is faster, it recalculates and then the way is about 10 mins shorter. So "adventure" gps by all means...:) 

    Secondly when i navigate with it on my car mount i get only option with guidance text. I can not choose familiar "ding ding" turn warnings as with the older models. So i now constantly have James in my car speaking to me on my home roads telling me where to turn (i use guidance mostly not to miss the turns when thinking other thoughts and to tell clients when i arrive etc). And "oh boy" we argue sometimes. Again "adventure" gps slips through my mind.

    So that said. Otherwise a good gps yes! But i prefer the older models. Too bad the "on and off" switch gave up on all of them.

    Take care and wish You all the best and adventure filled roads on Your hikes. 

    Long live Bikers!

    Martin  from Estonia


    • This commment is unpublished.
      · 1 years ago
      Hi Martin,
      thanks for your very detailed feedback.

      I believe that Garmin has significantly lowered the quality of its products in recent years, but it remains one of the most popular companies and with such a wide range of products that it is difficult to find alternatives... ?
Leo

ITA - Cicloviaggiatore lento con il pallino per la scrittura e la fotografia. Se non è in viaggio ama perdersi lungo i mille sentieri che solcano le splendide montagne del suo Trentino e dei dintorni del lago d'Iseo dove abita. Sia a piedi che in mountain bike. Eterno Peter Pan che ama realizzare i propri sogni senza lasciarli per troppo tempo nel cassetto, ha dedicato e dedica gran parte della vita al cicloturismo viaggiando in Europa, Asia, Sud America e Africa con Vero, compagna di viaggio e di vita e Nala.

EN - Slow cycle traveler with a passion for writing and photography. If he is not traveling, he loves to get lost along the thousands of paths that cross the splendid mountains of his Trentino and the surroundings of Lake Iseo where he lives. Both on foot and by mountain bike. Eternal Peter Pan who loves realizing his dreams without leaving them in the drawer for too long, has dedicated and dedicates a large part of his life to bicycle touring in Europe, Asia, South America and Africa with Vero, travel and life partner and Nala.