GPS for road bike

Yum

Which GPS do you recommend for bike touring ?

Ron Hardin

Yum wrote:
>
> Which GPS do you recommend for bike touring ?

I have two of the low-end eTrex and am constantly
entertained by them in breadcrumb-dropping display
(different scales).

I have two because a temporary repair of one with electrical
tape and a balled-up packing peanut is surprisingly
permanent, as a button replacement.

Breadcrumb-dropping makes its own local map, which changes
constantly, if you repeat a route.

One of them has waypoints dropped at intersections, and that
has to be the local scale display; the other has only major
waypoints like home and common destinations, on the large-
area display scale.

It's always amazing to come up on an unbreadcrumbed waypoint
in the middle of nowhere, crossing some route that has long
since disappeared.
--
Ron Hardin rhhardin@mindspring.com

On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

Bruce Graham

In article <iZOdndnSGOpsYlrdRVn-hw@comcast.com>,
Yum@hotmail.com says...
> Which GPS do you recommend for bike touring ?
>
I think it depends on how you tour. I tend to plan my tours
in advance fairly carefully using topo maps. For that I use
a small basic hiking type GPS without basemaps. I plan
waypoints and routes using OziExplorer and topo maps on the
PC, then use that package to send the routes and waypoints
to the GPS. If you want more flexibility enroute, then you
need to take a PDA loaded with maps with a GPS attached, or
take a GPS loaded with maps (I'm a bit out of date, but I'm
not aware of any GPS units with altitude data built in,
which I feel is almost essential for a cycle tour, hence the
suggestion of the PDA with topo maps and attached GPS. That
is my next project, a HP 2210 with OziExplorer CE for a
moving map topo display. I will attach my existing small
Garmin GPS so that I don't need to run the PDA all the time
- no power socket on the bike!)

Bruce Graham

Michael Pearlma

"Yum" <Yum@hotmail.com> wrote in message news:<iZOdndnSGOpsYlrdRVn-hw@comcast.com>...
> Which GPS do you recommend for bike touring ?

I use Magellan Meridian Platinum but many will do the job
just fine.

daveornee

Garmin 60C 0r 60CS are worth a look.
They have a handlebar mount available.
The level of detail and working with the available memory and how Garmin has you select the segments will determine if they will work for you.
If you have support, a PC traveling along, easy way to recharge batteries; then 60C/CS is great.

__________________
David Ornee, Western Springs, IL USA

Kyle.B.H

"Ron Hardin" <rhhardin@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:40C82132.CFC@mindspring.com...
> Yum wrote:
> >
> > Which GPS do you recommend for bike touring ?
>
> I have two of the low-end eTrex and am constantly
> entertained by them in breadcrumb-dropping display
> (different scales).
>
> I have two because a temporary repair of one with
> electrical tape and a balled-up packing peanut is
> surprisingly permanent, as a button replacement.
>
> Breadcrumb-dropping makes its own local map, which changes
> constantly, if you repeat a route.
>
> One of them has waypoints dropped at intersections, and
> that has to be the local scale display; the other has only
> major waypoints like home and common destinations, on the
> large-area display scale.
>
> It's always amazing to come up on an unbreadcrumbed
> waypoint in the middle of nowhere, crossing some route
> that has long since disappeared.

I don't get it. Can you please explain "breadcrumb-
dropping"?

Thanks,

Kyle

Pete Rissler

> I don't get it. Can you please explain "breadcrumb-
> dropping"?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Kyle

It's a tracklog. The gps automatically records where you
been. You can also save tracklogs and use them to
navigate with.

--
Pete Rissler http://web1.greatbasin.net/~rissler/
http://www.tccycling.com

kgatwork

I second the Magellan. I don't have a platinum tho, the standard meridian does just fine for me and I've loaded the topo maps and download the tracks to both mapsend topo and delorme topo 4 for post ride analysis of terrain. ( I use it to calculate the total climbing distance and total elevation climbed during my ride.)

Rick Warner

Bruce Graham <jbgraham@nowhere.com.au> wrote in message news:<MPG.1b32d9bab8987c6989711@news.optusnet.com.au>...
> In article <iZOdndnSGOpsYlrdRVn-hw@comcast.com>,
> Yum@hotmail.com says...
> > Which GPS do you recommend for bike touring ?
> >
> I think it depends on how you tour. I tend to plan my
> tours in advance fairly carefully using topo maps. For
> that I use a small basic hiking type GPS without
> basemaps. I plan waypoints and routes using OziExplorer
> and topo maps on the PC, then use that package to send
> the routes and waypoints to the GPS. If you want more
> flexibility enroute, then you need to take a PDA loaded
> with maps with a GPS attached, or take a GPS loaded with
> maps (I'm a bit out of date, but I'm not aware of any GPS
> units with altitude data built in, which I feel is almost
> essential for a cycle tour, hence the suggestion of the
> PDA with topo maps and attached GPS. That is my next
> project, a HP 2210 with OziExplorer CE for a moving map
> topo display. I will attach my existing small Garmin GPS
> so that I don't need to run the PDA all the time - no
> power socket on the bike!)
>

Your experience/information is at least a few years out of
date. There have been small GPS units with built-in
compensating barometric altimeters for at least 3-4 years
now. And they can accept downloadable topographic maps. I
have a Garmin eTrex Vista and it has these features and that
model has been around for over 3 years. There are newer
models with more memory, larger displays, color displays,
etc. available with the same features. And they are much
more rugged and waterproof than your PDA. My Vista has been
through torrential downpours without even a hiccup. My
Legend, essentially the same but less memory and no
altimeter, survive a hit-and-run that left me with two
broken arms and much of the left side of my face and both
knees scraped off on the pavement. I used the Legend for
touring Italy two years ago, and for the Pacific coast last
fall. The Vista will be with me in the Dolomites, Alps, and
lakes of Lombardia starting next week; the map set for that
region and routes are already downloaded into the unit. BTW,
some balk at the cost of the downloadable Garmin mapsets,
but it is no more than the registration cost for the full-
feature version of OziExplorer so I do not buy the argument.

- rick

Bruce Graham

In article
<bc2b2f85.0406100959.1f085ffc@posting.google.com>,
rickwarner@earthlink.net says...
> Bruce Graham <jbgraham@nowhere.com.au> wrote in message
> news:<MPG.1b32d9bab8987c6989711@news.optusnet.com.au>...
> > In article <iZOdndnSGOpsYlrdRVn-hw@comcast.com>,
> > Yum@hotmail.com says...
> > > Which GPS do you recommend for bike touring ?
> > >
> > I think it depends on how you tour. I tend to plan my
> > tours in advance fairly carefully using topo maps. For
> > that I use a small basic hiking type GPS without
> > basemaps. I plan waypoints and routes using OziExplorer
> > and topo maps on the PC, then use that package to send
> > the routes and waypoints to the GPS. If you want more
> > flexibility enroute, then you need to take a PDA loaded
> > with maps with a GPS attached, or take a GPS loaded with
> > maps (I'm a bit out of date, but I'm not aware of any
> > GPS units with altitude data built in, which I feel is
> > almost essential for a cycle tour, hence the suggestion
> > of the PDA with topo maps and attached GPS. That is my
> > next project, a HP 2210 with OziExplorer CE for a moving
> > map topo display. I will attach my existing small Garmin
> > GPS so that I don't need to run the PDA all the time -
> > no power socket on the bike!)
> >
>
> Your experience/information is at least a few years out of
> date. There have been small GPS units with built-in
> compensating barometric altimeters for at least 3-4 years
> now. And they can accept downloadable topographic maps. I
> have a Garmin eTrex Vista and it has these features and
> that model has been around for over 3 years. There are
> newer models with more memory, larger displays, color
> displays, etc. available with the same features. And they
> are much more rugged and waterproof than your PDA. My
> Vista has been through torrential downpours without even a
> hiccup. My Legend, essentially the same but less memory
> and no altimeter, survive a hit-and-run that left me with
> two broken arms and much of the left side of my face and
> both knees scraped off on the pavement. I used the Legend
> for touring Italy two years ago, and for the Pacific coast
> last fall. The Vista will be with me in the Dolomites,
> Alps, and lakes of Lombardia starting next week; the map
> set for that region and routes are already downloaded into
> the unit. BTW, some balk at the cost of the downloadable
> Garmin mapsets, but it is no more than the registration
> cost for the full-feature version of OziExplorer so I do
> not buy the argument.
>
> - rick
>

I should have mentioned that I'm in Australia and the last
time I looked I could not get topo maps for a Garmin (such
as your Vista) for this area. When they are available I will
go that way (and I had forgotten they have been available
for the US for a long time).

My current set up is about five years old. A Garmin GPS12
(heavy and limited by today's standards) and an early
version of OziExplorer with free upgrades and the Auslig or
other raster topo maps.

Sounds like you have a great trip coming up. Only time I
had a French tour (2001) I had to use scanned Michelin
maps. The only topo information was little chevrons showing
the steep grades.

Bruce

Mark

I use a Garmin ETrex, buttttttt I just put a wireless bike
computer on my bike and if I turn on my GPS the bike
computer will show 0 and does not work. As soon as I turn
the GPS off the bike computer starts to work again. Does
anyone else have this problem?

Gary

I had that problem if I placed the bike computer right
next to the Garmin Etrex Venture. But when I placed them
on opposite sides of the stem it went away. BTW, I love
my GPS. Gary

Mark wrote:

> I use a Garmin ETrex, buttttttt I just put a wireless bike
> computer on my bike and if I turn on my GPS the bike
> computer will show 0 and does not work. As soon as I turn
> the GPS off the bike computer starts to work again. Does
> anyone else have this problem?

Dave Stallard

Yum wrote:

> Which GPS do you recommend for bike touring ?
>
>

I started a thread on this awhile back in rec.bicycles.misc.
This URL should have it:

http://tinyurl.com/ywayf

Yum

Is GPS without map still useful for the purpose of
navigation ? Can it replace cue sheet ? Yes, I realize the
map feature is very attractive, but a GPS unit, map
software, handle bar mount add up to almost $400. I just
wonder how useful are GPS units like Foretrex or Geko that
don't support map. Another questions is how detail are those
maps you can use on handheld unit ? Are the comparable to MS
S&T ? I am new to GPS and never owned myself.