Stoopid question about GPS/Tom Tom etc

[trio25]

I don't think that exists

 

[Brock]

What you need is a wife then.

Your wives last 8 weeks??

 

[domtyler]

What you need is a wife then.

Your wife never breaks?

 

[Brock]

Your wife doesn't charge??? oh..

 

[domtyler]

A GPS with no maps is fine for me for cycling. It is NOT SAT-NAV, it just gives you a line and an arrow pointing to the direction you need to go. I have never needed more than this. You cycle along a lane, go the wrong way and the arrow is now pointing away from the line, you think, okay, next opportunity I need to go left/right, you get back to the line. A bit different from Sat-Nav, which is really for people in a rush, but on a leisure ride this is just not necessary.

 

[Gerry Attrick]

Try this link:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000RT1BFM?ie=UTF8&tag=sherlock-21

Its actually for motorcycles, but a cycle mount is available. Price makes me sweat though!

 

[davidwalton]

I've seen one of these at an exhibition. Despite the fact that the bloke exhibiting it didn't seem to know much about how it worked, I was pretty impressed. It's expensive though.

http://satmap.com/

The Active 10 is designed for use in the great outdoors: it is not an in-car system. No road navigation directions.

 

[davidwalton]

The OP is asking about GPS he can use on his bike. He doesn't want it for in-car use.

You can plan routes on the Active 10. And you can run it off AAs.

I took it from their site, ie. NO road navigation. Thought the thread was about road navigation. Something I want, but not found anything suitable.

 

[davidwalton]

The thread is about someone asking about GPS for his bike, and people suggesting and providing information on the options.

From what I understand from the distributor, and you'll also find it on the site, you can plan routes on it from point to point on the device. I believe that you can also upload routes to it, as with the Garmin. There are web sites which will plot road routes for you between two points and then convert them to a .tcx or .crs file. You can then transfer them to the device and get off on your bike.

I think you're talking about it planning road routes from only start and end points. It doesn't look like it does this.

As I said before, the Garmin Edge 205 is plenty enough for following routes on your bike without mapping on the screen, the only problem (it's never been one for me) really with being able to find your way back onto the line if you're daft enough to get lost. When cycling you're not really going fast enough to stray enough off-route for this to be an issue, but having the maps on the Satmap will get rid of the problem completely. If you can stomach the cost.

Trouble with all the 'GPS' systems, is that they are not very good with roads. I travel on roads, like most others. GPS systems don't care about roads. As a result, a lot more is involved with getting a GPS system to be a road navigation system, instead of having a TomTom type system, but smaller with much much longer battery life, plus weather proof.

A GPS system for me is a waste of money, and for everyone else that only travels by road. Perhaps there are exceptions for some sport cyclists, but for all others, a road navigation system is what is required, but built for cyclists.

Basically, the answer (for me) is not to MAKE something do the job, I want something that is designed for the job. I have no desire to pay for a system that I have to MAKE do the job.

The time when locations are by map address, and GPS systems NATURALLY follow roads for navigation and on-route mapping, plus allow you to change mid-route, then I will be interested in something that does more than a TomTom (with weather proofing and decent battery life).

 

[davidwalton]

fair enough. The type of thing that you say you want would be easier to use. I'm quite happy with something that gets you exactly where you want to go accurately (it can tell which side of the road you're on), on the roads you programme in, and only cost £65.

It's the price that did it for me. I wouldn't waste any more on something that does what I could do for the cost of a map printed off the internet and a biro. The Garmin does much more than just tell you which road to go down, and if you look at the training and on-road info it gives you, you're not paying much more than a fancy bike computer. And it has a rechargeable battery that lasts all day. And the vast majority of my riding is on the road. Id served me well over several months of 60 milers around the Midlands last year and didn't let me down once. I even have the pretty sat photos with the routes on. And it works under water!

I find working out the routes all part of the fun.

I wonder whether anyone would go to the trouble of altering the software from the in-car systems to accommodate the different needs for cyclists. They don't take account of hills. The Garmin does (if you use the right software).

If only Apple made a bike GPS eh?

I like my toys, but I like them to be the best I can afford. For £65, there is nothing to cover my road navigation requirements that would last, either battery wise or through use in our weather.

If I want to get from South Essex through London, at present, I have to use a map or 3. That, or follow the main road signs, ie. A127/A13/A12 in to London, then A40 or A4 out the other end, and hope I go in the right direction while in the middle.

Ideally, a road navigation system would get me on to much safer roads that I could choose on the route, not get me lost in the middle, and be far less stressful as a result. Coming back the next day, there would still be battery left as well, and weather wouldn't kill the unit.

Thing is, I also don't want a fancy cycle trainer/computer, just the basics.

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

the problem is th ebattery life. Somebody needs to market a clockwork gps system

 

[Brock]

the problem is th ebattery life. Somebody needs to market a clockwork gps system

http://www.solio.com/charger/

?

 

[davidwalton]

That's possible on the Garmin Edge 205. For £65. All you have to do is go to www.bikeroutetoaster.com and use the course creator. That means setting some waypoints with a rough idea of the roads you want to use, then letting it sort the roads out for you. You then upload the route to the Edge and away you go.

Not sure about the battery life TBH. On my longest 3-dayer (3 full days) I was able to stick it on charge overnight. Although there was juice left when I put it on charge, I've never timed how long it takes to run down.

No. Not good enough, and no motorist would think so. Must be able to do everything on the unit, and unit must understand roads.

The Edge 605 https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=&pID=10884 has maps and a claimed 15 hour battery life. You get turn by turn directions. If you know anyone in the States you could pick it up for £165. Mind you, you have to pay extra for the maps.

Does this do road navigation, and does it work as an independent unit? Yes, with City Navigator® street maps perhaps. If so, I will have just that bit.

There is obviously nothing on the market to just do what is required, ie. be an independent road navigation system with long battery life and weather protected?

 

[PrettyboyTim]

There is obviously nothing on the market to just do what is required, ie. be an independent road navigation system with long battery life and weather protected?

You can probably get everything but the long battery life from a motorcycle GPS system. If you were to stick a motorcycle battery into your pannier and connect it up, you'd be set.

 

[davidwalton]

Remember, we're talking about cyclists, not motorists.

There doesn't seem to be anything that meets your specific requirements at present, no.

However thousands of cyclists never get lost on roads using one of the systems available at this moment. They might not be right for you, but it would be daft to say that they're no good for anyone.

Not that they are no good, just not designed with what I want. That is not very different to what I would want with a similar unit in a car or any other form of transport. The object is to get from A to B, via C if a change my mind, or via anywhere else.

I am not one to make do. Just because thousands do use what is made available also doesn't make them ideal products for most. For cyclists, the products are designed for sports cyclists, for training, for getting overs hills and around lakes, but road navigation is not what they are intended for (just something some CAN be made to do).