Author Topic: GPS  (Read 5372 times)

6527richardm

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GPS
« on: January 17, 2011, 07:07:44 pm »
Hi

I am thinking of buying a GPS and am considering the Garmin Edge 800 but have also looked at the Satmap,  both come with full UK OS mapping does anyone have any views or thought on either unit?

expr

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Re: GPS
« Reply #1 on: January 17, 2011, 08:56:40 pm »
 Hi Rich, can't comment on either sorry but Ive had a TomTom ONE Classic for a few years now which has been great. I'm not sure how this compares with the garmin etc.

What I have noticed though is the need to keep the map "up to date" which requires you to purchase maps from tom tom and depending on how much you travel will accentuate this.

I believe the nearest model to this one now is the tom tom XL  which the mother in law has just purchased.
« Last Edit: January 17, 2011, 08:58:15 pm by expr »

6527richardm

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Re: GPS
« Reply #2 on: January 17, 2011, 09:30:40 pm »
Hi Tom

Is that an in car one?

I am looking at one for the bike.

Blacksail

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Re: GPS
« Reply #3 on: January 17, 2011, 10:07:36 pm »
It depends...

The Garmin is a stunning cycle computer with an ok map. The Satmap doesn't seem to have any of the cycle computer functions but looks to have an excellent map. For riding on roads I'd go for the Garmin, off road the Satmap.

Have you considered an iphone and getting a cycle computer app http://www.londoncyclist.co.uk/maintenance/bike-apps-for-the-iphone/ , there look to be a number of very good ones out there and it has the advantage that you can use it to listen to music, take photos, use as a telecommunications device etc.

If you are worried by battery life and have a dynamo this one tucks away inside your steerer tube http://www.tout-terrain.de/2/products/components/the-plug/index.html or one with more wires than you can shake a stick at http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/busch-and-muller-e-werk-dynamo-powered-device-charger-prod21393/

expr

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Re: GPS
« Reply #4 on: January 17, 2011, 10:30:58 pm »
Hi Tom

Is that an in car one?

I am looking at one for the bike.

Sorry yes I got the wrong end of the stick, the tom tom is for the car  ::) ;D

6527richardm

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Re: GPS
« Reply #5 on: January 18, 2011, 06:29:04 pm »
The Garmin I am looking at seems to come with the same OS mapping as the Satmap and you are right the Garmin does seem to more bike specific. has anyone experience of either for route planning etc?

Blacksail

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Re: GPS
« Reply #6 on: January 18, 2011, 07:40:25 pm »
Ooh that's good, I didn't see the 800 could now handle OS maps. In that case I'd get a Garmin over the Satmap. I used to have the 705 Garmin. When I say I used to have one what I mean to say is make sure whatever you buy is very securely attached to your bike.  :'(


6527richardm

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Re: GPS
« Reply #7 on: January 19, 2011, 06:43:26 pm »
How did you find the 705 as I was leaning towards the Garmin unit but a friend has just bought the 800 and he is struggling to load routes onto it and he has already spent hours trying to get to grips with the unit and is still not really using it

Blacksail

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Re: GPS
« Reply #8 on: January 19, 2011, 08:58:45 pm »
I will start with a negative, that I really only noticed after losing the GPS. It is possible that you will become obsessed by the information that you can get out of the Garmin, measuring gradients, watching avg cadence, observing altitude, checking ETAs etc etc.. rather than just going for a nice bike ride.

My main reason for getting the Garmin was to be able to go for longer rides into unfamiliar countryside, prior to getting the satnav I would tend to stick to routes I knew, even though I love maps and navigation. With the satnav I could plan complex routes on quieter roads and could cut through towns without fear of getting lost. I used this online site to plan all my routes http://www.routeyou.com/home.en There are lots of sites and route planning software out there but this is the only one I have used I didn't have any problems loading straight to the satnav and would expect most to work easily enough with a Garmin.

example route for one of our local CTC events http://www.routeyou.com/route/view/126275/cycle-route-tour-of-the-hills-2009.en
The Garmin connect site is excellent and very simple to load your rides to, this is what the route above looks like once you have ridden it http://connect.garmin.com/activity/11350762?sms_ss=email&at_xt=4d3742b3aa1016e4,0

The next thing was discovering that you could record a ride and then save it as a route for the future, this is great if you ride with a group as you can enjoy the company without worrying where you are going and then ride it again solo without any planning. Once you have saved a route you can "race" your self over the same ride, I ended up doing this quite a lot on my commute, your opponent can be shown as a dot on a map or a profile relief view or just as a little animated picture of a bike either ahead or behind depending on how the race is going, great fun as you get to race someone with exactly matched ability to yourself.

I didn't personally have any problems getting the hang of the Garmin but there is a huge amount of things that it can do and the manual is poor, if you do get one and have a problem drop me a line as I can still remember how to get most things setup.

To summarise the 705 was a great training tool, a mind boggling cycle computer, a complete chronicler of all your rides and statistics, an excellent GPS unit and a poor map, the 800 has fixed the poor map so it now has only two downsides, it does cost a lot and it might distract you from just enjoying a bike ride.

6527richardm

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Re: GPS
« Reply #9 on: January 19, 2011, 09:43:41 pm »
Thanks for all the information it has been very useful having read your post and looked at the links I think the Garmin is the unit for me. Merlin Cycles have it on offer at the moment albeit they are out of stock. I have spoken to them and I can back order it now and get it at the reduced price and they expect stock in a couple of weeks.
I also know what you mean about information overload. I intend to use the GPS on the touring bike and I will attach the cadence sensor to my faster bike where it would have more meaning whereas on the touring bike I want to use as a navigational aid with the back up of maps.

Joe B

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Re: GPS
« Reply #10 on: February 04, 2011, 03:31:36 pm »
I use a garmin Quest. Its an old fasioned GPS but is very robust and waterproof, no longer in production it was designed for motorcycles and small boats. It picked mine up five years ago for my motorbike, it came with full European road maps but I've since added full UK OS maps and mostly use it while cycling now.
GPS units are superb for Audax rides and other such events as you can program the route on the PC in advance and then download to the GPS unit and simply follow the instructions, (in my experience though avoid relying on the satnavs autorouting for cycling).
I posted a photo of my bike wearing the quest on the photos section of this forum yesterday.
Pick one up off ebay for under £50.