Bigtallfatbloke
New Member
i look forward to it ta.
Plug for Garmin
- Thread starter redfox
- Start date
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i look forward to it ta.
I am a VERY loyal Edge 305 user and will probably soon get a 705
But for years I have used my Garmin Etrex Vista C for touring. Color maps, routing abilities (turn here, turn there, etc) and besides a bike mount - IT also WORKS perfectly as a car GPS - which is pretty cool.
It is a lot smaller than the 60
wonderful - even if the maps were a bit expensive. (it only lacks a Heart rate and cadence thing to be perfect bike GPS)
It is also good on LONG touring as more memory and normal batteries - that can be replaced. So if I am not near a PC i can save all routes and GPX files.
The 705 may finally replace it.
But for years I have used my Garmin Etrex Vista C for touring. Color maps, routing abilities (turn here, turn there, etc) and besides a bike mount - IT also WORKS perfectly as a car GPS - which is pretty cool.
It is a lot smaller than the 60
wonderful - even if the maps were a bit expensive. (it only lacks a Heart rate and cadence thing to be perfect bike GPS)
It is also good on LONG touring as more memory and normal batteries - that can be replaced. So if I am not near a PC i can save all routes and GPX files.
The 705 may finally replace it.
Bigtallfatbloke
New Member
which screen looks most like a car tom tom gizmo? I just want one of those cliped to a bike with battery power and cycle orientated guidence instead of sending me down a bloody motorway...seems simple to me....so why is all this so dam complicated for us cyclists when it's so easy for th emoron car drivers?
davidwalton
New Member
Bigtallfatbloke said:
Because for cyclists it is all an add-on to a product designed for outside pursuits or as fitness monitoring system.
The crunch is:-
Has to be Waterproof
Has to last a reasonable amount of time on batteries.
Stuff made for cars is not waterproof, and any battery time is limited.
Yeah I think the car ones generally have a much bigger screen, which means they would eat batteries like there's no tomorrow.
Found this video on youtube which gives a good idea of what it's like to operate the CSx. Note near the end of the second one how the point of interest system fails to list his nearest Mcdonalds!
part 1:
View: http://youtube.com/watch?v=ny5qRLCkCC4
part 2:
View: http://youtube.com/watch?v=WiAzYfSE12I
Found this video on youtube which gives a good idea of what it's like to operate the CSx. Note near the end of the second one how the point of interest system fails to list his nearest Mcdonalds!
part 1:
View: http://youtube.com/watch?v=ny5qRLCkCC4
part 2:
View: http://youtube.com/watch?v=WiAzYfSE12I
Bigtallfatbloke
New Member
McDonalds i can live without!...
It looks great, just the job really.
there isnt a video on U toob for the Garmin eTrex Vista HCx
...shame...you could do one when you get yours and be famous in the gps bike world!
It looks great, just the job really.
there isnt a video on U toob for the Garmin eTrex Vista HCx
...shame...you could do one when you get yours and be famous in the gps bike world!
OP
OP
redfox
New Member
- Location
- Bourne End, UK
bonj said:
Just checked the Garmin 705 product page and read this:
Just plug in detailed MapSource® City Navigator® street maps on a preloaded data card and get turn-by-turn directions on a sunlight-readable, color display as you pedal.
So the answer would seem to be yes.
I also have a 305 and it sort of does the Sat-Nav thing without any maps. You can upload courses to it and the choose to 'do' a course; where the 305 will display the course outline and your position on it, it will also warn you if you go off course. Its not as good as detailed maps, but better than trying to use a basemap.
The 705 could turn out to be the ultimate bike GPS for training/audax/sportive rides, but I wouldn't want to take it touring because the way the activity log works doesn't lend itself to mapping out long rides over multiple days and it doesn't have removable batteries.
Well my HCx arrived yesterday morning with its bike mount and Europe maps. Had a fiddle with it last night and I'm very happy. Amazing what you can get in a mircoSD the size of a finger nail. I've got up early so I can fit the mount on my bike before work, satellites can navigate me through the fog, hurrah.
psmiffy said:
Yep, Garmin Etrex Vista HCx and MapSource City Navigator Europe, preloaded on a microSD.
Having great fun working out how to use it and what it's capable of. Not the most intuitive device I've ever used though. Does look sweet on the handlebars, I hope I get over the novelty of watching my little arrow progress along the little streets on the screen before I cycle into a skip or something.
Bigtallfatbloke
New Member
..cool...the test will be if it can get one back from the pub in the dark...let me know how you get on, I'll probably end up getting the same kit.
davidwalton
New Member
Bigtallfatbloke said:
After how many drinks?
Bigtallfatbloke
New Member
..it usually takes me at least 5 or 6 before I get my wallet out
Think I'm getting on quite well with this fantastic little gadget. Found out that I can add large databases of custom 'points of interest' to my device with the Garmin POI loader app, and with the free camp site POI files on this site I've got an even more valuable tool on the handlebars for cycle touring.
