Cheaper GPS for MTB ? Which one ?

tobh

Hello

I am thinking of purchasing a GPS unit to use with the MTB. I've seen the Garmin Etrex for appx £60 on Amazon. Is this any good ?

I don't want to spend much more than £100. Any advice ?

T

allthegearnoidea

the etrex is a good little unit,
have a nosey on ebay as you can get the etrex legend with the mapping installed etc for around the £50 mark for a non colour screen version or £80 for a colour one iirc, great bit of kit as gives you distance, time moving, time stopped, odometer. current speed, maximum speed, average moving and overall average, along with the track and trace mapping incase you get a little lost and the compas screen,
a quick pic of the display on mine


mine's 5 years old now and works brilliantly! (although suffered a little damage when speed testing my R/C truck and rolled across a tarmac carpark!!)

can also switch it to big numbers mode where you get the distance, moving time and speed i think it is!
the bike handlebar mount is about a tenner from any gps spares shope if it doesnt come with one!

i rate mine highly! (incase you couldnt guess!!!)
(can also be chucked in the car to see how accurate your speedo is!!!!)

S_J_P

I have an eTrex Vista which I find great.

You can just use it for speed/distance measurement and retracing your routes, or for a further investment you could buy some mapping software (Memory Map, Anquet, or TrackLogs) then you can download your actual ride (complete with speed data) to the software and plot it, or you can upload routes created in the software to the GPS and use the GPS to direct you around your chosen route.

Memory Map is around £45 for southern England in 1:50,000 scale. TrackLogs sell site-centered maps of your local area in 1:25,000 scale for around £30 for a 20km x 40km area.

You'll also need to budget £12 for a GPS handlebar mount too.

One thing to be wary of is the units memory in terms of tracks, routes, and waypoints. The Vista unit I have is high up in the eTrex stable, but only has capacity for 10 "tracks" (with a maximum of 250 waypoints each) which gives the maximum flexibility for following a predefined path, and 20 routes with 50 waypoints each. I use TrackLogs software to upload my desired tracks and then use the GPS to direct me along the chosen track in either direction.

forgotrafe

I have an Extrex Summit (mono) and an Edge 205.

I'd say if you need your OS grid ref, or do very long rides, then go for an Etrex.

If you want to follow simple routes and have the benefit of a virtual partner etc. then go for the Edge 205.

It's annoying that the Edge 205 can't do an OS grid ref as I think that'd be perfect then.

Rafe

stumpyjon

Bear in mind the mapping versions require you to buy a copy of Garmin GB TOPO mapping software (£100 for the full UK on CDROM which you can load across to the unit from a PC, or about £60 for it preloaded onto an SD micro card for parts of the UK). Plus if you buy one with an upgradeable memory you're looking at another £ 12 for a blank micro SD card (2gb).

For what you want to spend go for something like the Edge 205, otherwise it can get very expensive, I think my Vista HCx plus all the accessories I needed set me back over £350, which was OK as I definitely wanted the mapping capability and it can double as a Sat-Nav but it was still more than I had expected at the start :roll: .

nicholas_yiu

This thread just caused me to spend money again

https://www.gpsw.co.uk/details/prod3877.html

Etrex legend for £69.99, it already have maps preloaded as well.

It's too good of a deal to miss....

FSR_XC

Now that is a bargain!

Milkie

Shame its an ex-demo.. I was very tempted!

I'm still tempted by the Edge 205...

S_J_P

The base-maps these units come with are almost worse than useless. They can't be relied on for accuracy and are in no way a substitute for the Topo maps or decent Mapping Software on a PC.

Price is very good though

stumpyjon

The Topo maps aren't that great either TBH, quite alot of paths just stop in the middle of nowhere, I wouldn't navigate of screen unless I already had a route loaded in. I still carry an OS map most of the time.

S_J_P

I use the GPS along with A4 maps from MM or TL utilities on the PC, you just can't beat the flexibility of a paper map coupled with the user-friendlyness of a GPS route guide.

The GPS tells you when/where to turn, and the paper map gives details of alternate routes should your chosen one be unpassable for some reason.

For £110 for the GPS, PC Mapping software, and a handlebar mount you really can't go wrong!

pocketsprocket

Decathlon are doing a GPS unit Called the Keymaze 300, selling for £69.00. Anyone know anything about these? Looks like a Forerunner clone.

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/keymaze-300-20957205/

clarkson

i still use a good old os map. can be quite amusing watching me struggle with it in the wind...

although i am looking at getting gps; my sense of direction is useless and it would be handy for when i go exploring,.

Milkie

The Garmin Edge 705 looks good....

Has anyone used it? Or know when its released..?

I want the ability to upload my routes from the edge to pc and vice-versa And log my routes/times.

forgotrafe

Garmin Edge 705 is due out Q1 this year last I heard.

But given you can now get a 205 for around £70, perhaps that's a good place to start?

Rafe

Milkie

I'd be tempted by the 205 for £70.... I can't find it that cheap tho.

pocketsprocket

clarkson wrote:

i still use a good old os map. can be quite amusing watching me struggle with it in the wind...

although i am looking at getting gps; my sense of direction is useless and it would be handy for when i go exploring,.

Perhaps if you watch what you eat before your ride, you may be ok? Less cabbage maybe?

forgotrafe

There were stacks of them on ebay before Christmas at that price, I got two (one never turned up so I claimed on courier, I wasn't being greedy!). But I've just checked and the cheapest on there now is about £100. Bummer.

Rafe

daniel_b

Milkie wrote:

I'd be tempted by the 205 for £70.... I can't find it that cheap tho.

£89 from Halfords, just ordered 2 this week, and they arrived today.

50% smaller than I anticipated.

DarkStarr

Just got a Garmin etrex legend + GB topo map for £15

can I get digital versions of os explorer for it? or is there better maps that shown bridleways and other mtb routes

S_J_P

DarkStarr wrote:

Just got a Garmin etrex legend + GB topo map for £15

can I get digital versions of os explorer for it? or is there better maps that shown bridleways and other mtb routes

How'd you swing that?? :shock:

There aren't any OS maps for the Garmin, you're stuck with the Topo series :?

Go the Tracklogs/Memory map route on the PC instead.

monkeysm8

DarkStarr wrote:

Just got a Garmin etrex legend + GB topo map for £15

can I get digital versions of os explorer for it? or is there better maps that shown bridleways and other mtb routes

That was cheap!!! I got an etrex legend for £79 off ebay laast month. I love it!!! It is sooo easy to help you navigate.