"Harry (Lincoln, Nebraska)" <
[email protected]> wrote
> On Wed, 2 Jan 2008 07:05:46 -0600, "Jon" <[email protected]> wrote:
>>[...]
>>Cyclometers can be accurate, reliable, and cheap. And their battery
>>life is measured in months or years, not hours or days.
>>
>>I like GPS receivers and use a general purpose mapping GPS when
>>touring or riding new routes. It is the mapping/routing capabilities,
>>however, that make it most useful for those purposes for me, not
>>the speed and distance capabilities.
>
> I use a good old El-Cheapo CatEye computer on my trike. Cost...about
> 20 bucks. If it get stolen the so what. I am not out a ton of money.
> Battery life is FAR FAR longer than the "one day" thing you are
> reffering to.
For me, it's not an either/or. Mapping GPS is an adjunct. All my bikes
have inexpensive cyclometers. I don't my GPS use it for most "regular"
rides. I carry my GPS on a neck strap rather than attached to the bike.
> I'll stick with a Rand McNally atlas, gas station maps ((where
> available)) and my own sense of direction when I travel on back roads.
I find the GPS maps to be at least as and often more accurate and
up-to-date than printed maps. Sometimes, on-line maps such
as at Google, Yahoo, Mapquest, etc., will have more up-to-date
data. GPS map data is available for update only about once a year.
Paper maps are generally updated no more often than that.
One big advantage paper maps have over GPS maps is size. And
vice versa! %^) It's more difficult to get an overall perspective of an
unfamiliar area using a 2 inch screen. Details become unclear or
disappear at higher "zoom" levels. On the other hand, very detailed
maps for enitre regions or countries can be loaded onto small
memory cards.
> I believe in this....when riding a bike one is NEVER lost.....they are
> simply going a "little out of the way"...........
>
> Usually more fun that way too.
Non-deterministic routing certainly can be interesting. %^) And exploring
backroads can be rewarding in many circumstances. But sometimes you
need to get from point A to point B in a specific timeframe. Hard to beat
good maps, compass, cyclometer, GPS, and informed advice for doing
that. For me, it's not either cyclometer or GPS, paper maps or GPS,--
I use some or all in conjunction.
Again, relative to simple cyclometers, the tradeoffs for speed and distance
GPS devices doesn't make them attractive to me. Comparing non-mapping
GPS devices vs cyclometers, the GPSs:
+ require no calibration for speed and distance
+ are not bike specific
+ may log position data for later download
+ may have better displays
- require time to aquire satellite fix and may lose fix
- require more battery power
- are more expensive
- are more complex
- are no more accurate (than a reasonably well calibrated cyclometer)
- are less automatic
Mapping GPS devices have all those pluses and minus, and are even
more expensive! But they do much more than speed and distance.
Jon
