I don't own a Smartphone. Would a Garmin Edge 810 be wasted on me?

[young Ed]

if you miss out on that one her's another from them
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/GARMIN-Ed...ics_GPSSystems_GPSSystems&hash=item3a9ed1bd3c

only problem is i've just realised they are american based and will ship from america but usually this isn't a problem and i have had items costing over £100 that are a lot larger and heavier than a garmin shipped to me from canada without a problem
Cheers Ed

 

[derrick]

800 here and well happy with it, does everything i need.

 

[slowmotion]

@slowmotion
have you bidded on this? i reckon it could be a very good deal

otherwise i would say go and get one from handtec, again very good deals on normally rather expensive devices and you even have ian on here saying it's good
Cheers Ed

No, I don't want to bid if it's coming from the States. It might fall into the clutches of HMRC in which case I could get a hefty bill for Vat, duty etc. It's happened to me before. I think I'll seek out a new Touring Plus.

Edit: Maybe from Bike Discount
http://www.bike-discount.de/en/buy/..._country=190&gclid=CN7I_ov468ICFc3LtAodRmsAxw

 

[steveindenmark]

Be aware of the important differences between Touring and Touring Plus.

What is it?

 

[slowmotion]

What is it?

I think one of the differences is that the Plus has a barometric altitude sensor which is more accurate than a simple GPS version.

 

[PatrickPending]

I got myself a 800 last june...tis great - open source mapping from talkytoaster for free too - recommended

 

[ColinJ]

I think one of the differences is that the Plus has a barometric altitude sensor which is more accurate than a simple GPS version.

The GPS-based elevation readings on my old Etrex are usually within 20 m of what they should be and often with 10 m. That is as compared to OS map data for local summits. (I read that GPS elevation calculation is supposed be poor, but it seems pretty good to me.)

 

[slowmotion]

Thanks @ColinJ. I'm such utter rubbish on hills anyway that I can't really imagine why I would need a super accurate record of my inadequacy!

 

[ColinJ]

I have found an old ride tracklog of mine. I'll see if I can do some graphical wizardry and superimpose the GPS elevation data against the actual OS data for the same ride to show you how close they are.

One thing the GPS data does show is a huge elevation glitch at the start of the ride. I probably didn't give the GPS time to lock onto the satellites properly before setting off. Modern GPS devices lock on much better than old ones like mine.

Graphics to follow ....

 

[ColinJ]

I am quite impressed!

You can see the big glitch I mentioned. Interestingly, the smaller lump below it is also a glitch in the OS data on my map software - I live at about 110 m but a lump at about 145 m is shown. That is probably because I am right next to a steep hill, so a few metres error in position would make the software think I was halfway up the slope!

The big climb is the Crag Vale one that I mention a lot. In fact, this is the profile of my favourite local loop.

The discrepancies on the climb are partly due to the fact that the road climbs up a steep-sided valley, so again, a few metres lateral error can fool the mapping software into thinking that I am halfway down to the river below, or the hillside above.

You can see that the plots for the summits are remarkably close.

The fast descents did catch the GPS elevation calculation out, or it could be because the last descent is under heavy tree cover which disrupts the signal to my GPS a bit. (Modern devices are far better at hanging onto satellite lock.).

 

[slowmotion]

Thanks for that @ColinJ. I bow down with respect to your hill-climbing skills and your technological savvy, both of which are severely lacking hereabouts.
I love paper maps and map reading. My only reason for considering a GPS was to enable me to take wiggly routes in new territory. If I have to dig out the map at every junction in a strange lane, it really slows me down. Besides, if it's raining, the map falls to bits. I have used paper maps on long distance routes and had a lot of fun. For wiggly ones, a GPS would save a bit of trouble, I hope.