Sat Nav on a bike.



Toby Hartley

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Dec 7, 2009
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Hi, I am new to this and I have done a bit of a search and only found something dated back about 2 years so apologies if this is a saturated topic. I am trying to find a satnav that I can use on my bike. I think i saw somewhere that there are brackets to fit a regular car satnav to my bike but the battery power only last so long and it isn't weather proof. Is there such a thing that has been designed for cyclists. I just need roads - not even cycle paths etc. Any help or advise appreciated. Thanks
 
Assuming GPS fits your idea of SatNav, Garmin has a line of cycling navigation products and many of the newer smart phones are GPS capable with street maps through Google.
 
Thanks. Not being very tech savvy, is GPS going to do the same as a Tom Tom - so can i put in the postcode of where I want to go and the GPS will take me there, turn right in 200 m etc.
 
I've never used any of those products personally, so I can't speak directly to their capabilities for audio cues or turn-by-turn directions. I know at least a couple of them do have streetmap and route capabilities. At cycling speeds, I expect it would be easier to read street signs and navigate from a highlighted route on the map, as opposed to needing audio cues and turn countdowns.

The Garmin 605 appears to be in the ballpark of what you're asking, but maybe someone else can add more info.
 
A Garmin 255 or similar model with spoken street names can be handlebar mounted using an accessory mount. These are low cost, around $150 USD, and work great on the bike. If you don't want to bother with the mounting, the speaker voice is loud enough that the unit can be carried in your jersey pocket and directional commands can still be heard.

There is a "bike mode" that tries to route you on non-major roads, but often these aren't bike-suitable. I've found that with the quick "recalculating" feature, you can just select the roads you want and rely on the unit to update a new routing to your destination.

Drawbacks include no waterproofing and a limited battery life of around 3 hours. Really not a problem if you just switch the unit on when you need to see where you are and look at a map, or need routing directions through town. This summer, having "Serena" give me voice prompts from my jersey pocket got me through Santa Fe back to the hotel without any backtracking.
 

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