Guide

GPX to TCX: how to get turn prompts on a bike computer

Five minutes. For riders who load a line and hear nothing at the junction.

A GPX file carries a track. Your bike computer draws the line and shows where you are. What it often does not do is beep before a turn, because the file has no course points. A TCX course can carry them.

What a GPX holds

A GPX track is a list of positions with time and elevation. It answers "where does the route go". It does not tell the device where the turns are, what kind of turn each one is, or where the summit sits. Some devices guess from the shape of the line. Others stay quiet.

What a TCX course adds

A TCX course holds the same track plus course points. Each point has a position, a name and a type: left, right, sharp left, summit, water, danger. The device uses those points to beep, show an arrow and count down the distance to the turn.

On a long route, the points also mark where the day starts and ends, which helps when a course has several stages loaded at once.

Turn prompts from a track, without street names

A conversion tool can find the turns from the geometry: a change of heading over a short distance becomes a left or right point. The result is a prompt that says "right turn in 80 m", not "turn right onto Market Street". On a quiet gravel junction, the arrow is enough. In a town with three roads at the same angle, read the line and the signs.

Loading a TCX on a Garmin

1. Connect the device by USB. It appears as a drive.
2. Copy the .tcx file into the NewFiles folder. Disconnect safely.
3. On the device, open Courses and pick the file. Let it convert before you start.
4. Alternatively, import the course in Garmin Connect and sync the device.

Loading a TCX on a Wahoo

1. Open the ELEMNT app and go to Routes.
2. Import the .tcx file, or upload it to your Wahoo account and sync.
3. Open the route on the device and check that the cue list is there before you ride.

When the prompts do not appear

• The device may not support course points in imported courses. Check its manual for the model.
• The file may have more points than the device accepts. Garmin caps a course at about 200 course points.
• The route may be loaded as a track instead of a course. Pick the course entry, not the track.
• The file may use a point type the device ignores. Left, right and summit are the safe ones.

Keep the GPX too

Carry the GPX as a fallback. If the TCX will not load, the GPX still gives you the line. On a multi-day trip, one file per day keeps the device fast and makes a wrong turn easier to fix.