Which bike GPS?

[smifffymoto]

I'm looking for a simple to use GPS to map rides and also to help us not get lost.No1 son wants to start MTBing and I need to get back into it to get fitter.
I'm going round in circles looking for a damn GPS.Real world advice needed to help choose it.

[scubadude]

If you already have a smartphone plenty of apps are more than sufficient for basic mapping and speed/time recording- Strava, MapmyRide etc.

If you want to buy a proper bike one the basic Garmin Edge200 does almost everything.


(I use strava on my phone and have a basic wired Cateye cycle computer for current speed and cadence)

[Dixie]

At the other end of the scale is the Garmin 800. Can be bought for about £200 (you can get maps for free.)

I was never that sold on them until I bought one. Very handy, I haven't got lost since.

[upsidedownmark]

If you don't know where you're going and need a map, the garmin 800/810 are basically it (and the new 1000, but you'll need a mortgage)

If you want to follow routes you've already got, without a basemap (imagery), then the 500/510 will do fine.

[bakerstreet]

I would advise just buying a Garmin 800 and then you will never need to upgrade. I have one and its an amazing bit of kit. I bought the Garmin maps from Amazon for £20 and they work fine, but I only do road stuff with it. You will need more detailed maps for off road/trail riding

[smifffymoto]

Thanks chaps,will have a proper look at the 800 and go from there.

[richardxjr]

I'll probably be on my own here but a navigational gadget isn't really necessary, especially when starting out. 1:25000 OS maps are lovely, routes can be found whilst sitting on the bog, highlighted and memorised and the map stashed in a pack.

Personally I ride bikes to get away from all that electronic bks.

[S6PNJ]

How about a treking type GPS? I used to use a Garmin Oregon 300 (base model) which was also compatible with heart rate and cadence sensors and had a bike mount as well. It had a full colour display, touch screen and mapping etc. Slightly bigger (and hence heavier) than an Edge device, but it ran on 2 AA batteries giving 20hours use.
I also have an Edge 705 which is the previous version of the Edge 800 and that is another possibility. Again, full colour but not touch screen.

A second hand Oregon or Dakota (very similar) will be circa £60-80 on eBay, an Edge 705 will be £80-100. An Edge 800 will be £150-220 (second hand/refurbished to new)

Food for thought?

[smifffymoto]

Agreed but off the beaten track in France means you may not see or hear anybody for days,not a prospect my wife relishes.
I have just had a quick look at the cost of maps,they vary a lot.Any body got any other websites other than Garmin to purchase maps.

[richardxjr]

IGN Carte de Randonnée, again 1:25000, I plan whole weeks' riding trips using these. www.ign.fr
There are UK eBay sellers of these too.

Off road you can use the GR paths, clearly marked in red. The region/s will probably have extensive routes arranged and signed for you too.

[JEA1K]

I couldn't ride without my Garmin now but probably more to do with monitoring HR on a long ride so I know I'm not overdoing it! I have an Edge 510 and its not been exactly trouble free ... it shat itself a couple of weeks ago for the 3rd time ... to the point of having to reformat the unit. Factory restore would not even work and I was thinking it was time to return it.

On the 510 you can use the basic GPS 'breadcrumb' for directions but its not full mapping.

Also, and as someone who works with a variety of electronic products, at first its really not simple to set up and make your way around .... Garmin need to work on this especially with the ease in which mobile phone's are used.

Would I buy another one ... probably, although I'd be temped to get an Edge 810 to see if a model higher up the range is more reliable.

I wouldn't bother with the Garmin 200 ... its very basic.

[Mr Will]

I'd use a smartphone for navigation and a dedicated GPS for tracking/speed/cadence/etc personally, but other some prefer to only use one or the other.

[yellowjack]

richardxjr said:

I'll probably be on my own here but a navigational gadget isn't really necessary, especially when starting out. 1:25000 OS maps are lovely, routes can be found whilst sitting on the bog, highlighted and memorised and the map stashed in a pack.

Personally I ride bikes to get away from all that electronic bks.

Be careful, Richard! If you go too far, you can easily end up falling off the edge of a 1:25k map.

Seriously, though. I love paper maps, especially for route planning. But they're awfully expensive if you need a lot for different areas.

I had a big bunch of 1:50k Landrangers, covering all the parts of UK where I'd served/lived, and more importantly, they were free (perk of the job). Then my wife 'helpfully' slung out all the maps that were more than ten years old (it was most of them)

"They were all out of date" says she. "But contours and roads really don't change that much" says I, which, for cycling purposes, is true. "It doesn't matter now. The recycling bin was emptied midweek" says she.
Suffice to say, we argued, I lost, and several times since, when we've holidayed in these areas, she's said "what happened to the maps you used to have for down here?"

Anyway. Response to the OP's question? I have the Garmin Edge500. Bought from ebay (paid too much, the new price fell shortly after ) and works fine. I just use it to record my mileage and routes, and then viewing the routes on Strava later gives me little ideas for tweaking/extending future rides. What would I recommend? Probably an Edge800 (or 810), simply because it has the visible mapping the OP mentioned, and navigation is more intuitive when laid over a map (the 500 has a breadcrumb trail function, but I didn't really get on with that). For touring, this would negate the need for bundles of paper maps, but would make you dependent upon facilities to charge the unit. Swings and roundabouts really. The 800 didn't appeal when I bought, because I thought it was 'too big', but there have been times when I wished I'd had one for the mapping. I get by fine with my 500, and to be honest, a wired Cateye computer was fine for many years before that, too, but if I were starting out afresh with GPS then I'd tell myself to bite the bullet and grab an 800/810 right from the off.

[smifffymoto]

Great,keep it coming.
I don't have a phone,smart or otherwise so that's out of the equation and I honestly can't risk paper maps as they can be difficult to guide emergency services to your exact location if your riding partner(son) can only navigate his way to the fridge.

[upsidedownmark]

Maps for free - have a look at http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2013/05/download-garmin...

In summary - there are ways of getting free 'openstreetmap' maps on board. I don't know how good the openstreetmap support is off road however. If you're buying maps you'd want to make sure you got the OS/mountainbiking ones, rather than anything road based

[richardxjr]

If you really are in the middle of nowhere, you do need a paper map and compass, and know how to use them. Even if only as a back up. Their batteries never run out and they never lose a phone signal. And you need a mobile phone too.

Edited by richardxjr on Thursday 17th July 14:08

[daddy cool]

I had an Edge 200 for a couple of years - for the money its excellent. Downside for mountain biking is that the GPS trace updates every 5 seconds. On a straight section its fine, but on a long sweeping berm it sometimes thinks you havent moved - over the full ride it will show a slightly shorter distance, and a less detailed trace on endomondo/strava. Im exaggerating slightly - it really depends what kind of accuracy you want/how serious you take it.

A while back i picked up an Edge 800 (with cadence & HR sensors) for a bargain price and absolutely love it. GPS updates every second so the trace and distance is more accurate. Cadence sensor has really improved my road riding. It came with the European road maps, but the official Garmin 1:50 OS maps (which come with the Trail bundle) can be found on the "Bay full of Pirates" - you'd just need to buy a 4GB micro SD card. Obviously you wouldnt catch me doing that.

[smifffymoto]

I know what you're saying Richard but in France you don't have to be in the middle of no where to be completely isolated and up the creek without a paddle.We always carry a phone and a whistle(old fashioned I know) just in case we need to call the Cavalry,SAMU/SMUR,Gendarmerie or Pompiers.

[richardxjr]

smifffymoto said:

I don't have a phone,smart or otherwise so that's out of the equation

smifffymoto said:

We always carry a phone and a whistle(old fashioned I know)

Is confused! Nowt wrong with old fashioned

The answer is Garmin 800 if you have to.

And a paper map

[Mr Will]

smifffymoto said:

I know what you're saying Richard but in France you don't have to be in the middle of no where to be completely isolated and up the creek without a paddle.We always carry a phone and a whistle(old fashioned I know) just in case we need to call the Cavalry,SAMU/SMUR,Gendarmerie or Pompiers.

Worth pointing out that even a cheap smartphone can give you your precise GPS location on a high-detail OS style map without a data connection or even mobile phone signal. You can even get fully waterproof ones these days,