Still confused about bike gps stuff..

[CopperBrompton]

That's a good setup. If you don't need tide timetables, then the Vista HCx will give you the same functionality with greater battery life (25 hours vs 18 hours) in a lighter unit.

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

ok thanks..

If you don't need tide timetables, then the Vista HCx will give you the same functionality with greater battery life (25 hours vs 18 hours) in a lighter unit.

...well i dont need tide time tables, this unit is cheaper but are you sure it does the same stuff just as well? Will it work with city europe navigator dvd mapping so i can plan routes on a PC as well as on the GPS unit?

 

[MockCyclist]

BTFB, did you have a look at the Garmin website? You can compare models and the eTrex Vista seems to do all the 60CSx does, bar tide tables; and you've got to buy your own sd card, but I think you'll be upgrading to a 2gb anyway.

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/compare...ompare&compareProduct=8703&compareProduct=310

I've never seen a Vista but one thing I would say about the 60CSx: When mounted on the bike, all the buttons are accessible from the front and are clearly labelled. The Vista seems to have side mounted buttons and for me that would spoil it.

 

[NickM]

...I've never seen a Vista but one thing I would say about the 60CSx: When mounted on the bike, all the buttons are accessible from the front and are clearly labelled. The Vista seems to have side mounted buttons and for me that would spoil it.

Not a problem if you make yourself a GPS mount from an old Cinelli Spinaci (or its 3TTT equivalent, the Tiramisu). You just cut off a straight section of tube and mount it in one clamp, with the original rubber plug in each end. Then you mount the Garmin bracket on the tube.

It is quite rigid enough for button pressing on the move, lifts the GPS up to where you can see it and press all its buttons easily, and allows you to have the GPS above the stem, where it is out of the way.

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

Ther eis some confusion between myself and the dealer as to which city europe version I need. The cheaper one (SD version) or the DVD version at £50 more . Both come with Garmin Mapsource Trip & Waypoint Manager Software and he says that means I can plan a route on the pC and upload to the GPS and vice versa...I am not convinced he knows wtf he is talking about...but I dont want to pay for something I dont need. I have to get it right as I leave soon.
Any thoughts?

 

[MockCyclist]

He's probably right, sort of.

Garmin Mapsource includes Trip and Waypoint Manager which includes a basic European map. Just motorways and trunk roads, no minor roads and no streets in towns. In fact only major cities are marked.

As I understand it, if you buy the sd card mapping you can't get that onto your pc. But that doesn't stop you using the basic inbuilt pc mapping that everybody gets with MapSource, to plan a route on your pc, then upload it to your gps where the route would be overlaid on your fully detailed maps.

Likewise you could plan a route using Bikely or whatever and then upload that to your gps. You still need MapSource to do the actual transfer ... it all sounds very complicated but once you've used it a bit it's straightforward.

So yes, you could manage with the sd card mapping if you are content with not being able to use that on your pc.

 

[yello]

You don't need mapping software on a PC to route build; there are a few web sites (e.g. www.mapmyride.com) that allow you to plot a route and save it on your PC as a gpx file. That file can then be sent to GPS using a free sofware tool like GPSBabel.

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

ok..so let's say I went for a Garmin etrex vista hcx and the european city navigator sd card maps and a mount..like this:

1: Garmin eTrex Vista® HCx @ £167.99 £167.99
Garmin Large Rail mount motorcycle Etrex Vista/Legend C Series @ £14.99 £14.99
Garmin City Navigator Euro Maps @ £79.99 £79.99




.it'd be cheaper..and you say i could pretty much use google maps or map my ride or bike route toaster etc to plan a ride then save that file and upload that file to the etrex?
Do I really need the dvd option of cicty navigator then...it seems well expensive?

If I can sit on my pc and plan a route in google maps etc, save a file then upload it to the etrex that would probably do me for what i need I reckon...is that totally possible?
I have been trying all day to get straight answers from Garmin and the two dealers...all of whom seem to have had some kind of brain amputation today....except Garmin who dont answer the phone...ever it seems.

Also how easy would it be to plan a route and upload to the etrex in a cycber cafe on tour?

I have to decide tonight and order tomorrow latest, as I need time to learn how to drive the new toy before the off.

 

[yello]

If I can sit on my pc and plan a route in google maps etc, save a file then upload it to the etrex that would probably do me for what i need I reckon...is that totally possible?

Totally. It's what I do with my 305 and, before that, my Etrex Legend.

In fact, I had TrackLogs on my PC but preferred Mapmyride! It was less pfaffing to get the gpx plot to the GPS!

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

I think I may end up spending more on the GPSmap 60 csx, but getting the city navigator sd card version and doing any PC route planning in mapmy ride and uploading it...I assume that works to?
Th eetrex vista looks like asmall screen and the display isnt so good to my eyes...also there are several videos of it on you tube showing problems with it freezing up.

[rant] why on earth do garmin make it do dam hard to buy their products??...I mean all i want to do is give them some cash...and they (and their dealers) seem to go out of their way to make it as hard as possible to get clear and accurate information prior to purchase. It seems they just rely on the consumer to be more knowledgeable than they are, really it's a nightmare for any gps 'novice' like em. It's so easy to buy the wrong product on line[/rant]

 

[CopperBrompton]

You can do it without the City Navigator maps, but personally I'd say they are worth the money. Mapsource is a superb bit of software for route-planning. You are also entitled to a second unlock code free of charge, so if you decide to get a second GPS (eg. for a car) or to upgrade, you can use the same maps on that without having to buy them again.

Ben

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

..hmm..starting to lose sleep over all the options...I guess this is the bit where being a 4x4 driver has it's advantages....easy, cheap tom tom with no power limitations etc...oh well...
this morning I am back to thinking 'sod it...I'll lay out the cash and go with the 60csx, DVd europe navigator packages....at least it will do what I need and hopefully fairly easily (i.e no farting around on different mappy type sites etc)
The battery lif eis a concern though...18 hours is sure to be less in reality I reckon....so then I'm into lugging batteries around, spending a fortune on them as I ride, or buying a solar battery charger add on for my free loader.

My head is telling me to get the best I can stretch to, then try to recoup the cash for my new road bike after my tour somehow....my heart is screaming DONT FORGET THE BIANCHI!!

 

[rich p]

Here's a thought. Why not buy a map and tour with an element of "where life takes you" spirit and buy the bianchi too. I'm pretty certain that I'd get a lot more pleasure out of a new road bike than out of a gadget telling me where to go!

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

That is where i have been for a few months in my own mind Rich. I went all through this GPS thing once before and resolved that the best thing was to go with paper maps. However...that was just for Germany, where I will be riding with a German national cyclist (with maps!). When we split in Basel (or Freidrichshafen) my options include riding down to Montpellier from there on me tod. I have adequate paper maps for that section for th eout of town stuff. It is the getting through towns like Lyon etc that worry me (I still get lost in Chelmsford !)
So this sat nav thing is for the latter leg of the trip mostly.
I have to say here that things in my life are so up in th eair right now that I may just keep going and not come back...in which case the sat nav thing is a must have I reckon and the bianchi become irrelevant....I thought about leaving the sat nav purchase until I get to southern germany when I will know more about what is happeneing...only thing is getting hold of an english version of the garmin in Germany at a similar price as I wont be able to buy online over there.

I'm pretty confused and mixed up generally at the moment.

 

[NickM]

GPS, once mastered (to the necessary limited extent - I did it, and I have no interest in technical stuff for its own sake, purely as a tool), is incredibly liberating and IMO adds more to the cycling experience than a new bike is likely to do.

Just not needing to stop and ponder the map at junctions is wonderful, especially if like me you have 51-year-old vision. Staying away from main roads, but making steady progress towards your destination, is most excellent. Having confidence that you will not get lost is great. And you can "get lost" on a whim if you want to, and the GPS will get you unlost when you've had enough.

I have had great success with a Legend Cx, Tracklogs for UK route planning and Garmin mapping (on the PC) for trips to the Continent. I use the compass arrow screen. With a little experience, it is easy to interpret what it wants you to do at almost every junction.

I find the Garmin mapping a bit hard on the eyes for route planning, certainly compared with Tracklogs OS Landranger PC mapping; and it does not distinguish (in the version I have, anyway) between fairly busy B-type roads, quiet minor lanes and farm tracks. So for Europe I prefer to do the planning on paper maps (I still like maps), and then create the route in software. This works well for me because I tend to do centre-based tours, so don't have to buy lots of paper maps. Web-based mapping might be a viable alternative for planning, but like BTFB I am disinclined to mess about learning how to use umpteen different bits of software.

One other caveat: the instruction manual provided with a Garmin GPS is IMO simply not good enough for such an excellent and sophisticated device; I find it poorly organised and inadequately indexed. But there is plenty of cycling-specific guidance to its use on the Web, and plenty of advice available here and on other forums.