Any bent-specific answers to my GPS question?

[Auntie Helen]

I've posted a thread about wanting a GPS for my trike in the general Accessories & Clothing area (here: http://www.cyclechat.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=22410) but would be very happy if any of you had any trike-specific recommendations...

 

[Riding in Circles]

I sell the Garmin range, they have some very good cycle specific units, personally I like something that measures cadence as well as the usual stuff.

 

[Andy in Sig]

I think everybody would like a GPS as they are a great gadget. They are also unjustifiable if you are touring in heavily signposted N Europe. I've survived up to now with guide books/maps and a high quality yachting compass, the latter being necessary because usually if you wander off route you know which direction you've gone or when you come to a "wrong" village you can look at your map to see which direction the road you need goes and confirm you've got the right one with the compass. OTH if money's no problem ...

 

[Auntie Helen]

I'm not into the gadgetry so much but I do like to have an accurate record of my miles/max speed/avg speed etc. My bike's little Lidl-supplied computer seems to work reasonably well but I occasionally take my car's satnav with me as a double-check and I like to have the maps on it for when I get lost (which does occasionally happen). It's not that money's no object (as it is) but I think a GPS might be a useful addition to my bike's arsenal. I will do a bit more investigation but it seems that the decent stuff (Garmin) is closer to £250 than £150.

 

[BentMikey]

I have a Etrek Vista Cx, and I use it quite a bit. It's invaluable to me in London because I often don't know the area well, and thanks to the GPS I'm happy to go offroute and explore. I've learnt a lot more of London because of it.

 

[xpc316e]

My colleague used one for his LEJOG to avoid carrying maps, and fell in love with it. I'll get the make and model for you and post details.

 

[Auntie Helen]

That would be helpful, thankyou xpc316e. I've been doing a bit of research, mainly on the Garmins, and there seem to be quite a few reviews out there in the Internet world which dislike parts of them (faulty examples, weird software glitches etc) which makes me a little nervous. Other reviews say how great they are. It's hard to separate fact from fiction and to know how common the faults are. I'm veering towards the Garmin Edge 605 but still not absolutely sure...

 

[ufkacbln]

Also posted on the other thread.....

Depends whet you want from the Unit....

The GPS part is performance wise about the same across the units, it is how this is dealt with.

The Edge is a nice piece of kit, and shows a simple line route which can be followed, simply turn as you reach the change in the line, it is the depth of recording withheart rate, altitude, and others that make it a GPS assisted bicycle computer. The bad news is that it records in unique format which can be a problem with some navigationg software, and require third party conversions.

The ETrex is similar, in its basic form the mapping is similar to the Edge but will beep and indicate turns... With the more advanced there is basic mapping.

The ETrex and most others record in a standard format compatible with most mapping software

The "ultimate" at the moment and the only one which uses Ordnance survey is the SatMap Active 10.

Note that in all cases the mapping is strictly controlled and not transferrable.... so you need to calculate in maapping costs as well.

It is possible to plan on Bikely or other free route planners and download/ display on Google Earth or the free routing However to get the best you will need to get Tracklogs / Anquet / Memory Map to map on the PC.

My advice would be to get into a shop and look / handle these units - see what fits your needs best and then give some strong hints.

Finally - mounting is personal, but all are "handlebar based" and need a handlebar orientated mounting on the bike... I use a SpaceGrip for this- however boom based makes the unit too far away to see the mapping or detail.... try readingthe small print on the frame label and you will see what I mean. YOu also find yourself contorting in awkward positions to operate any controls....

On the Catrike and Street Machine I filed out a rubber bung and fitted the unit to the ridged unit of the Mirrycle (I see you have these fitted!) whch places it in an ideal position to initially see, but secondly to operate the functions.

 

[xpc316e]

Hi Auntie Helen. My colleague got his from www.satmap.com and he's most pleased with it. The satmap does not do the turn by turn stuff that car sat navs do, but you load it with OS maps and off you go. He uses his to just jump on his bike and go where his fancy takes him, going down any particular road that looks attractive. It can be loaded with maps of either 1:25,000 for walking, or 1:50,000 for cycling. He has gone seriously off-road in the Peak District on his MTB and has never seen the need for the larger scale maps. I intend to get one when finances permit, as he is so pleased with his. One can buy bike specific mounts etc. and the units that both he and his brother own have been reliable. It sounds to me that you would be looking to use it in much the same way as he does, to explore the countryside without any fear of getting lost and without having to carry maps.

 

[bonj2]

maybe i'm missing something here but does a gps care how many wheels the vehicle it's navigating hs got?

 

[BentMikey]

maybe i'm missing something here but does a gps care how many wheels the vehicle it's navigating hs got?

Perhaps only from the point of view of having maps with vector/routing information on them (i.e. those that do GPS-internal routing by roads). Then it's important, because routing decisions will be very different between car, bus, and bicycle, for example. Each has options that the other modes don't have, and might often result in very different routes.

 

[Auntie Helen]

I think a cycle-specific GPS might be more willing to let me cycle down the NCN routes that aren't allowed for cars; a car GPS would make me go round them which would be annoying.

I'm not sure that I can justify the cost of one of these to Santa, though, if the maps are extra. If I could get something decent that I can use out of the box for £170 I'd probably go for it but it sounds like that's my base cost, then I have to add in extra mapping, which looks pretty pricey from here.

I appreciate all your helpful comments though, folks, and if anything else strikes you I would be glad to hear it!

 

[ufkacbln]

I think a cycle-specific GPS might be more willing to let me cycle down the NCN routes that aren't allowed for cars; a car GPS would make me go round them which would be annoying.

I'm not sure that I can justify the cost of one of these to Santa, though, if the maps are extra. If I could get something decent that I can use out of the box for £170 I'd probably go for it but it sounds like that's my base cost, then I have to add in extra mapping, which looks pretty pricey from here.

I appreciate all your helpful comments though, folks, and if anything else strikes you I would be glad to hear it!

I haven't said this - right!

Memory map does a demo version with a demo low detail road map. This is more than adequate for working with the GPS and then saving the results in a format that is usable with the Bikely or Google Earth programs.

I could never ever suggest such abuse of a free download and am slapping myself on the back of my legs as I speak!

 

[xpc316e]

If you go to Amazon.co.uk and search for satmap, there are 23 product reviews. Most people seem to praise its OS maps, although there are gripes with early versions of software (now sorted).

 

[ufkacbln]

The SatMap is certainly the way to go, but expensive.......