GPS?

09phillt

Hi I;m looking to get some sort of navigation aid to use on my road bike after Christmas, and I wondered what I should look for. I'm 17 and therefore have practically no money so I;m hoping for a not-so-expensive price. I know I won't get the same quality as if I spent more, but shucks. I was lloking at this, http://www.datakits.co.uk/store/viamich ... anguage=en

Any opinions on what I should do? Thanks.

GavH

Before I invested in a 705, I used my Garmin 101. All I used was an OS map and I plugged in to the 101 the Grid Ref of the various junctions I would encounter. I named them in line with whether I needed to turn Left or Right or go Straight. Not ideal, but it kept me right 99% of the time. At £75 (what I got my 101 for) it represents a bargain compared to the 705, but on the other hand, the additional features of the 705 make it well worth the money IMHO.

16mm

Maps and route cards? If you're setting off from home you'll soon learn the roads within an hour or tows riding

Pokerface

Well, I'm nearly 40 and ride 6 days a week. Money isn't a consideration, and yet have never used a GPS system on my bike. Just seems somewhat pointless.

Save your money for something worthwhile for your bike and just get out there and ride.

(just one man's opinion of course)

Buckled_Rims

Navigation aid for a 17 year old? Er, how about a cheap £1 road map. When i was 17 years old I didn't even have a map and regularly cycled over 30 miles away from home.

Sorry, if it's purely for local navigation then you're losing the plot. If you want a device for measurement of performance that's a different thing.

At 17 you should have a free mind and "just" go and be damned. It's when you've turned over 50 like me and need all the help you can ,you rely on from technical units

thinbo

what kind of phone do you have?
A large proportion of phones these days have GPS built in, you just need some software.
I use googlemaps and mytracks (free on android and iphone).

The latest version of googlemaps for android has google navigator which is like a conventional satnav.
I use mytracks to track my rides, it will give you average speed elevation gain etc etc.

it's all free providing you have a compatible phone.

cougie

No need for GPS at all. Cyclists have got by just fine for decades without it. When I was 16 I did a point to point 140 mile ride just by scribbling down a few basic directions and putting them in my back pocket. Zero cost -so well within your budget.

Just ride.

09phillt

Just so you all know I plan on riding for over a month around Britain for a charity event, with no real destinations.

andrew_s

09phillt wrote:

I'm 17 and therefore have practically no money.

Take yourself down to your local publishers clearance bookshop, buy last year's road atlas for £4, and learn how to navigate.
Satnav/GPS are a good timesaver if you know what you are doing, but if you don't, this sort of "brain-dead prat follows satnav into river" headline is the sort of thing that happens.

Me, I use an Etrex HCx as a "where did I go" recorder.
Apart from that, all I need one for is as navigation in and out of strange towns. I put the pointer on the town centre or the correct road on the outside of town, poke the "take me there" button (having told it I'm on a bike), and follow the instructions until I get to the town centre/edge.

cougie

If you have no destination then why would you need a gps ?

keef66

@ Buckled Rims; where do you get your road maps for £1??

last time I bought a 1:50,000 OS map I had a heart attack when I was told how much it cost.

Mind you, the OS website is free to browse and print little bits.

Pokerface

The GPS you linked to isn't really for a bike. Although they may sell some sort of bike mount - it's really for a car. Of course, you could just carry it in your pocket if you get lost.

antfly

Pokerface wrote:

Well, I'm nearly 40 and ride 6 days a week. Money isn't a consideration, and yet have never used a GPS system on my bike. Just seems somewhat pointless.

Save your money for something worthwhile for your bike and just get out there and ride.

(just one man's opinion of course)

Haven't you got an Edge 500?

Pokerface

antfly wrote:

Pokerface wrote:

Well, I'm nearly 40 and ride 6 days a week. Money isn't a consideration, and yet have never used a GPS system on my bike. Just seems somewhat pointless.

Save your money for something worthwhile for your bike and just get out there and ride.

(just one man's opinion of course)

Haven't you got an Edge 500?

Yes. But that doesn't count as a GPS. No maps on it! I bought it to use with my Powertap, not to direct me on my route. It uses GPS for speed readings but that's not really the same thing as a GPS for maps.

(I was waiting for someone to point that one out!)

antfly

Okey dokey.
OP, forget about sticking a big gps on your bars. You could use a cheaper Garmin without maps but you can plan routes on your pc and upload them and get turn by turn directions. You can also ask it to take you back the way you came.Or use a smartphone.

cougie

A smartphone with GPS doesnt have very long battery life in my experience. Six hours or so with the GPS on all the time.

antfly

Six hours isn't bad, you can carry spare batteries of course. It's just a suggestion seeing as he said he's skint.

cougie

Photocopied map in the back pocket would be the cheapest of all options then and he'd learn to mapread ! ;-)