Best GPS

duplicate12

What's the best GPS for cycling?

Big question, I want something

1. easy to use

2. that i can preprogramme routes into from software or OS coordinates

3. that i can put way marks in so can use record exploratory routes

4. compact

5. easily readable screen

6. waterproof

7. 8 hour plus battery life, rechargable would be good

8. bike mount

9. cheap

any info gratefully received

richa

Garmin Edge 205 (£135) & Tracklogs software (£19).

khumbu8000

I'm trying out the Geko 201
it is £75
Fugawi maps £45

Basic but just right for cyclists

khumbu8000

I didnt know tracklogs was so cheap.

Beware some GPS are more for training than navigation.

ColinJ

duplicate12 wrote:

What's the best GPS for cycling?

Big question, I want something

1. easy to use

2. that i can preprogramme routes into from software or OS coordinates

3. that i can put way marks in so can use record exploratory routes

4. compact

5. easily readable screen

6. waterproof

7. 8 hour plus battery life, rechargable would be good

8. bike mount

9. cheap

any info gratefully received

I use a Garmin Etrex, the bottom of the range yellow model. I have navigated over 2,000 km by it now and have it has been totally reliable. I paid about £75 for it to a dealer on Amazon Marketplace.

Taking your points one at a time:

1. I find the Etrex easy to use, except that the buttons are difficult to press when wearing long-fingered gloves. That probably applies to most other devices too though.

2. I use Memory Map to plot my routes and upload them to the Etrex. Note - the Etrex uses an old-fashioned (slowish) serial connection. You need to buy a serial lead to do this - I got mine off eBay for about £10. If you don't have a serial port on your computer, you'd need a USB to Serial convertor which would be quite a bit extra and still wouldn't go any faster than the original serial connection.

3. The Etrex can display 6 character labels for each waypoint. I usually reserve the first 3 chars to number the waypoints for referring to a route sheet for extra info. The other 3 chars are used for extra info which comes in handy such as -L (left), -R (right), -E3 (3rd exit at roundabout), -SO (straight On/Over), that kind of thing. If you are loading multiple routes into the Etrex you need to make sure that you use unique waypoint labels otherwise the GPS starts relabelling them or possibly even overwriting them.

The Etrex can store upto 500 waypoints spread over upto 20 routes with a maximum of 125 in any given route. I find that a 200 km audax typically takes about 200-225 points so I split the rides into two halves.

NB Some companies are still selling the old version of the Etrex on eBay so watch out! That has a limited number of routes and waypoints - you'd want the one I have, as described above.

4. The Geko is really nice and compact. I looked at that but chose the slightly bigger Etrex because of improved battery life (see point 7). The Etrex is still only about the size of a chunky mobile phone.

5. I find the Etrex screen okay. It has a greyscale screen - black, dark grey, light grey, very light grey. You can adjust the contrast to suit you. I've been able to read it by headtorch in a snowstorm and in bright sunlight and everything in between. My eyesight isn't perfect, so if I can cope, you probably could too.

6. The etrex is waterproof. I've not had any problems with snow and rain. I've never tried dropping it into a river (or flooded high street!) though. It's probably as waterproof as any cheap GPS unit.

7. The Geko takes 2 AAA batteries, the Etrex takes 2 AA which are much more long-lasting. That was what decided it for me. I could easily get a 200 km audax out of one set of NiMH rechargeables on the Etrex, but not on the Geko. You can probably get 8 hours on the Geko in warm weather, but the cold affects rechargeable batteries and you might only get about 4 hours out of the Geko in the winter, but about 12 on the Etrex.

I think both devices draw around 100 mA of current. I bought some high capacity (2,700 mAh) NiMH AA cells from a dealer on eBay and did a soak test on my Etrex GPS - sure enough, I got about 27 hours out of one charge.

NB - NiMH tend to self-discharge fairly quickly when not in use, so always recharge your cells just before a ride.

8. The Geko and Etrex both have bike mounts available. I prefer the Etrex mount because it is easier to get on and off to change batteries. Both cost extra (about £10). The Etrex mount is nice and solid. Even on bumpy roads, I don't fear the device falling off. I did detect a slight rattle from it though, so I wedge a little piece of cardboard in to cut that out.

9. The Etrex is one of the cheapest decent cycle GPS units. Note that the bike mount and serial cable add about £25 to the cost though. If you shop around you ought to be able to get GPS + mount + serial cable + NiMH cells for about £100. My Memory Map software was quite expensive because I chose to buy 1:50,000 OS coverage of the whole UK. You can use other software just as easily though.

Other comments about the Etrex:

The serial connection is a bit of a drag. It takes about 3 minutes to download a tracklog from a 200 km ride from Etrex to PC. It takes about 1 minute to upload a 100km route from PC to Etrex. It's not a show-stopper, but a USB connection would be better.

The basic Etrex will only follow pre-determined routes, it doesn't have any mapping capability. That suits the way I ride. I plot my route at home and follow it on the bike. I don't need a digital map on the road and would find it a distraction.

I use the 'breadcrumb trail' to navigate by. There is a navigation arrow page, but I find it confusing close to turns.

The one feature missing from the Etrex that I would like is an audible alert when approaching turns. A couple of times I overshot turns because I was talking to someone and forgot to look at the GPS screen. It only takes a few seconds to spot the mistake though, and it is easy to backtrack.

I've not got lost in 2,000 km of audax and solo rides, whereas friends not using GPS have - I'd really recommend them to every rider. Always carry a paper map 'just in case' though.


Is that enough info for you ?

Greenbank

I'd second everything from Colin J above.

I got a Basic (yellow) eTrex for about 60 quid from www.blokesstuff.com

Delivered within two days too (by Royal Mail not some rubbish courier company).