Martin, my first thought is that this is a Garmin issue. Perhaps you could detail which Garmin unit you use and how you get the tcx file onto the unit? 

I am not a Garmin user so can't help but perhaps another user can. If it is a Garmin issue, a more Garmin-specific forum may be more helpful. 

Hi Hobbes. It could be a Garmin issue. The unit is a 1040. Anyway this will involve a lengthy explanation so bear with me. Firstly a course is created on the website. There are now two options.

1. Send to the unit via Garmin Connect. This removes the cycle.travel cues and replaces them with Garmin cues.

2. Download to a Windows computer and paste into the unit. This adds Garmin cues, generated by the unit itself, but keeps the cycle.travel cues. Let's focus on this.

On the unit turn-by-turn directions can be switched on or off. If they are on you see the Garmin cues. These appear at the top of the screen when approaching a turn. If the turn-by-turn directions are off then the cycle.travel cues appear at the bottom of the screen. The distance from the turn at which this happens can be set while downloading the tcx file. However, the instruction only appears on the screen for a couple of seconds. I would like to make it longer, preferably until the turn is complete. Now it is possible that this is something that can be set on the unit but, if it is, I don't know how. Given that the distance from the turn when the cue appears is set on the cycle.travel website then I wonder if there is also a setting for when it disappears.

Cheers, Martin 

Actually, on further investigation there are some unusual things happening here. When I download a tcx file from cycle.travel and paste it into the New Files folder on the Edge I get the following message: Do you want to copy this file without its properties. The file (name) has properties that can't be copied to the new location.

I tried doing the same thing with a downloaded tcx file from RWGPS and there was no message.

When I get a chance I will ride both courses and see if there is a difference. I did ride the cycle.travel version this  morning and there were no turn directions with or without the turn guidance switched on. All the climbs popped up though on climbpro.

I wonder if Garmin have changed something relating to pasted files on the newer models 40s and 50s and haven't told everyone they should have.

Martin, in the absence of someone more knowledgeable, I have a thought:

CT gives two options to download a TCX. I assume you are downloading a 'course'. Have you tried the 'activity' option, ignoring Connect and pasting that version of the route?

Also, I'm curious. The length of time that the message is displayed - is that based on distance travelled or time? If you stop when the message appears does the message stay displayed? 

FWIW, I use a Wahoo and use the TCX course. I'm not particularly interested in TBT directions but love the 'notes' feature. On my unit it is possible to view upcoming TBT instructions (and their distances). If such a feature is available for you it might be a kind of workaround, or at least a forewarning of upcoming turns.

In my case, the TBT instruction stays displayed until I am passed the point - a PITA at times as I treat a planned route as a guideline and regularly wander off course, the last instruction staying on the screen.

Hi Hobbes.

I'm pasting a course. I'm sure that is the correct option.

Good point about whether the display is based on time or distance. I will check properly next time I'm out, but my initial thought is that it's time. That probably suggests that the place to alter it is the unit. I don't know if this is possible, but will investigate.

Of more concern is what is happening with a pasted cycle.travel file. As I mentioned previously when pasting there is a message about properties which does not appear when pasting a file from RWGPS. This morning I rode a 15 mile course twice using pasted files from cycle.travel and RWGPS. The RWGPS version behaved as I would expect. The cycle.travel  version was ok on the turns, but elevation was all over the place. On a perfectly flat section climbpro popped up and told me I was climbing 108000 feet at an average gradient of 220%. I think the properties message is involved here.

Like you I can switch on turn directions on the Edge. This works fine, warning pops up 0.1 mile before the turn and disappears when the turn is completed. However, to do this it uses cues generated by Connect or the Edge itself. It ignores the cycle.travel cues. Since the Garmin cues are not as good as those from cycle.travel I am trying to avoid using them by pasting the file and switching off turn directions. 

It's not a problem if I have to go back to using the Garmin generated cues. They work but don't seem to be as complete as those from cycle.travel. It is, though, something that I should be able to do and I think that something unexpected is happening with pasted files. The length of time that the cues are visible is a separate issue and I'll see if I can find anything on the Edge that helps.

Just to let you know what the Edge does: if I go off course it tells me pretty quickly and then calculates ways to get me back on the course. There are a few options as to how it does this. If I stay off course for long enough it eventually calculates routes to the end point. This is actually a very helpful feature.

To add to the above: A long trawl through the Garmin forum reveals that it is not possible to customise the time that the direction appears on the bottom of the screen. Like many things Garmin, folk have asked to be able to do this and have been ignored.