GPS for touring?

mrbez

Hi Guys,

I am planning on riding from London to Italy next year.

Are there GPS's available that will allow me to plot this route, following roads that are legal to ride on?

I would then like to take the GPS with me and follow it as you would do with a Tom Tom?

Thanks.

mercurykev

A Garmin Etrex Vista HCX with City Navigaor Europe maps will do what you want. Good bit of kit that run on AA batteries and is rugged and waterproof.

psmiffy

I use a Gamin Vista with the City Navigator maps and its a great tool - and would do what you want

But I am pretty sure that plotting London to Italy would be an awfull lot of waypoints - something to do over the winter - if you go for it report back on how it went

I have cycled to Italy a couple of times but I like to make it up as I go along and use maps

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?o=RrzKj&page_id=144153&v=2j

mrbez

Thanks for the replies guys.

So to summarise, if I buy one o these with the city maps, I could in theory set it off from current location to Italy, and it would plot the route for me?

Also, would it allow me to go via certain routes, as I would like to go France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland and then onto Italy.

mrbez

Also, will this have preloaded camp sites on it, or would I have to locate them and plot them myself into it?

daviesee

If it works anything like the 705, you could put in the address of your next campsite in the morning before you leave and it will calculate the route for you.

You could plan your stops and save the addresses in your "Favourites" folder.

Easy.

Maybe?

mrbez

I guess a GPS would be much easier than just maps alone then.

As I am doing this trip for charity, and will probably be alone with no support vehicle.
Hopefully I can get somebody else along for the trip too.

daviesee

mrbez wrote:

I guess a GPS would be much easier than just maps alone then.

As I am doing this trip for charity, and will probably be alone with no support vehicle.
Hopefully I can get somebody else along for the trip too.

Easier but riskier.

I would still pack a few A4 map prints in case of emergencies.

iPete

Take maps! Managed to get to Rome without GPS, admittedly we ended up on a Motorway on the second day for a short stretch and got lost a fair few times!

p.s. I just did London to Rome, so if you want to ask any questions about routes, kit, camping etc drop me a PM ....

-Pete

andymiller

mrbez wrote:

Thanks for the replies guys.

So to summarise, if I buy one o these with the city maps, I could in theory set it off from current location to Italy, and it would plot the route for me?

Also, would it allow me to go via certain routes, as I would like to go France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland and then onto Italy.

Definitely don't trust the GPS to plot your route for you. There are supposed to be cycle-friendly options, but I've never found them to work - and the GPS sends me off up the main road instead. also the Garmin mapping information is not completely reliable in both Italy and France I've come across places where there is an unsurfaced road (or worse a footpath that is completely unrideable).

I would recommend plotting your route on mapping software (lots of options) with a waypoint at important junctions. the information on campsites isn't bad but it's not wonderful either. Again unfortunately there's no substitute for a decent guidebook (eg Guide Routard for France or the various Italian books with listings of campsites) - or research before you go (or using wifi etc along the way).

For France, the Michelin 1:400,000 maps are useful as a complement to a GPS (and they highlight the scenic routes - I've always found their recommendations very reliable). For Italy I'd recommend the Touring Club Italia 1:400,000 maps which come on nice light, but waterproof paper. They also highlight scenic routes. (Although Michelin are good too).

priory

is it possible to do a route on google maps(relatively easy and free) and download that into a gps machine?

daviesee

I've used bikeroutetoaster.
Free and it works.

Try it a few times with dummy runs first to see how it works.

There is a few debates on the web about which is better, TCX or GPX so prepare for a learning curve.

incurab1e

we used mapmyride.com for an endtoend3peaks this year - generally its good but check the gradient maps. It plots the shortest routes avoiding highways, which sometimes means it'll take you OVER some ridicuhills (25%+!!) to save a couple of miles. Plot each day and check out the big gradients, see if you can get around them.