GPS devices

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  • TimeEventParadox
    TimeEventParadox Posts: 26
    The 205 only gives you a line and compass direction to follow, but it's more than enough for road riding. Bikehike usiing Garmin plugin just drops it straight into the GPS, it's far better than the Garmin software supplied, which is frankly very poor.
    If you see the candle as flame the meal is already cooked.
  • japsy
    japsy Posts: 78
    suzyb wrote:
    I believe the Garmin Edge 705 and 605 allow you to download maps from your PC to them.

    But do any of the cheaper Garmins allow you to do that. Or are there any other devices that will allow you to download (off road) maps to follow.

    The edge 500 will allow you to follow a route created by routing websites (eg bikeroutetoaster) and also previously ridden routes uploaded by other users. There is no mapping software, it will tell you when to turn etc and if you are off course. It will not recalculate routes.
  • rich_e
    rich_e Posts: 389
    japsy wrote:
    suzyb wrote:
    I believe the Garmin Edge 705 and 605 allow you to download maps from your PC to them.

    But do any of the cheaper Garmins allow you to do that. Or are there any other devices that will allow you to download (off road) maps to follow.

    The edge 500 will allow you to follow a route created by routing websites (eg bikeroutetoaster) and also previously ridden routes uploaded by other users. There is no mapping software, it will tell you when to turn etc and if you are off course. It will not recalculate routes.

    The advtange with the 705 though, is that if you do go of course, you can always look at it on the map screen to make a change if necessary.

    For example, I did a road ride last week out in the Chilterns and discovered that part of the route I'd plotted actually went onto a road that was all rocky and kind of like a bridle path. I could simply look at the map on the 705, follow a different road and then rejoin the course at a point where it was back to smooth roads.
  • prj45
    prj45 Posts: 2,208
    FeynmanC wrote:
    Can the Dakota do "on the fly" route calculations...I believe the 705 can (with the road map package). E.g. Route me from here to this address, without the need to preplan the route on PC and then upload it?

    My 705 and UK maps sometimes comes up with some hilarious routes when I ask it to do on the fly navigation, taking a 12 mile detour avoiding roads that it would class as highways that are dual carriageway 30s for instance.

    I asked it to take me to Guildford railway station the other week, that was hilarious, I've never seen so much of Guildford, housing estates an' all!
    Photos - Blog - Bike
  • japsy
    japsy Posts: 78
    Rich_E wrote:
    japsy wrote:
    suzyb wrote:
    I believe the Garmin Edge 705 and 605 allow you to download maps from your PC to them.

    But do any of the cheaper Garmins allow you to do that. Or are there any other devices that will allow you to download (off road) maps to follow.

    The edge 500 will allow you to follow a route created by routing websites (eg bikeroutetoaster) and also previously ridden routes uploaded by other users. There is no mapping software, it will tell you when to turn etc and if you are off course. It will not recalculate routes.

    The advtange with the 705 though, is that if you do go of course, you can always look at it on the map screen to make a change if necessary.

    For example, I did a road ride last week out in the Chilterns and discovered that part of the route I'd plotted actually went onto a road that was all rocky and kind of like a bridle path. I could simply look at the map on the 705, follow a different road and then rejoin the course at a point where it was back to smooth roads.

    As I said, the edge 500 does not recalculate routes - I was trying to answer the OP's original question.
  • suzyb
    suzyb Posts: 3,449
    And you have.

    It seems like the 500 may do enough for my purposes. It will record the routes I do when out, allow me to save them to my PC then download them back to the Garmin if I want to follow them again.
    Whippet
  • japsy
    japsy Posts: 78
    suzyb wrote:
    And you have.

    It seems like the 500 may do enough for my purposes. It will record the routes I do when out, allow me to save them to my PC then download them back to the Garmin if I want to follow them again.

    Cool. In this situation, it will also tell you if you are faster or slower than your previous time as you go along (and by how much), if that is important.
  • prj45
    prj45 Posts: 2,208
    japsy wrote:
    Cool. In this situation, it will also tell you if you are faster or slower than your previous time as you go along (and by how much), if that is important.

    Lethal!

    Recommend you turn that option off as fast as you can, I've used it a couple of times and nearly killed myself, you're most competitive when racing yourself!
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  • salsajake
    salsajake Posts: 702
    have ridden with an edge 205, where you follow a black line between dots, and also a gps showing full colour OS mapping. The latter was a nightmare because it was hard to follow the detail of the route. As they don't work like car gps's, so you can't just select another route if you get lost, I would say stick to a simple gps showing a line to follow, and spend the money on decent mapping software instead - I use memory map and it truly is excellent. You can also print the map and stuff it in your pocket of course, so you still have the detail of what is around you. In my experience having that detail (or what limited part of it shows on the screen is utterly pointless and actually confusing.

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