GPS for bicycle use

[TPA]

I see that some of you guys mount hand held gps units to your handlebars. I'm interested in doing this but have little experience with them. I have an older Magellan crossover that combines hand held features with the navigation feature of automobile units, but it suffers a few problems one of which is that it is on the large side.

Anyone have a gps suggestion that will mount well on a bike, provide accurate data, provide good info off road and on, maintains good communication with satellites, color display, and is still small and compact?

All for less than about $200 US.

 

[jag]

I use a Garmin etrex Legend. I think that is the cheapest unit one can get with built in mapping. Furthermore, it seems like all the mapping enabled Garmins, regardless of price, perform essentially the same mapping and routing functons. The difference between the $100-200 Legend (there is the basic, C, Cx and HCx models maybe more) and a $200-600 automobile Nuvi is:

Legend has smaller screen, but adequate for me.
Battery life for the Legend is 2-3x that of Nuvi. (not an issue if 12V is available)
The Nuvi will talk to you the Legend writes the routing instructions, shows left/right arrows and beeps when it is time to turn.
When biking I seldom use the routing. I just look at the maps and or speed/distance data.

If your Magellan has a large graphic screen, check if there are maps for it.

 

[TPA]

Yes, it has maps, but they are inaccurate and outdated.

What are the features most people cannot live without when e-biking.

 

[jag]

Yes, it has maps, but they are inaccurate and outdated.

Does it have a data cable and PC connection? you might be able to download or buy updated maps.

However, also new maps have errors.

Another problem is that GPS maps come in two kinds (AFAIK):
1. For automobile drivers. These allow routing, but have no knowledge of shortcuts bikes can take, trails and other bike specific information.
2. For hikers: These are just digitized topographic maps. The digitization is so poor that some sheets will show trails and others not. They are mainly useful for elevation lines and to locate w.r.t. natural features, (lakes, rivers, mountains etc)

The best maps are those regular paper maps made specially for biking. Many cities put out a map with bike paths, lanes etc, and recommended (low traffic) roads. For touring there are also books and maps specifically for bikes. Unfortunately I haven't seen aby of this in digital GPS compatible format.

People have figured out the Garmin digital map format so it is possible to make and share maps, but it is tedious and one probably would have to know something about GIS. When I went to Costa Rica I was able to download a topographic map to the GPS that someone had made from freely available government survey data and put on the Internet. It nicely complemented the Garmin map, which didn't have any topographic features, only roads. Both were of course often wrong, so asking locals was often the only reliable way to connect from A to B on the map.

 

[JS Tyro]

Some of the "automobile" GPS navigation units have features for pedestrians too. This means they may have shortcuts that cyclists can use. They aren't sold just for cars but as general purpose nav devices. Look at the full feature set before buying. Note that if you live in a significant big city, the maps will have details. If you live in some small town in the middle of nowhere, the maps will not have much detail. YMMV.

 

[stl_recum]

I own a Garmin nuvi 205, bought it this spring. It has a bicycle mode, when you ask it for directions in the bicycle mode the routing is different than for automobiles.

It keeps you on the street and off of 4 lane highway.

I haven't used the bicycle mode enough to determine if it will used publish bike paths.

 

[kfong]

I have the Garmin Nuvi as well. It has a very good gps engine, I can get readings while in the house. The older style 3.5" screens are perfect for bikes. I have it attached with velco. I move it to my car when not on the bike. It's also small enough to keep in your pocket, perfect for visiting cities like Chicago. I forgot about the bicycle mode. I'll have to look into that again.