RocketsRedglare

Since I'm new here, I don't know if this has ever been discussed.

A few years a go my wife gave me a small Garmin Etrex GPS as a safety device if I ever got caught in a fog while sailing. It cost less than $100 and I never thought about using while cycling until last week, while just for the hell of it, I lashed it to my handle bars to see what would happen.

The thing worked better than I ever thought it would!. And except for its some what large size (about the size of an iPod) and no cadence feed back, its as good as any cycling computer I've ever used with no wires dangling or wheel size to calibrate. I went to the website last friday and ordered a handle bar kit.


Just out of curiosity, Is anyone else usng a GPS as a cycling computer, and are there any helpful hits on using one as a cycling computer?

Paul L.

I just got an etrex legend and think it is pretty cool. As a commuter I am always curious as to how much time is eaten up at stoplights and now I know! I am also intending to use it as a navigation aid on nightime brevets coming up (so I don't miss as many turns).

lsits

I just got the Etrex Vista C. I use it as a cycle computer (speed, duration, elevation, total ascent, time of day) and download my rides into the software that I bought (City Select). I can download a route that I've created on the software and it will give you point-to-point navigation. (Not that I need it, it's for my wife. )

It's a cool little toy.

ZackJones

I've used various GPS receivers in the past on rides. I like being able to download the track information to the topo sofware and see the profile for the route I rode. Since I have a bike computer already installed on the bars I just turn the GPS on, toss it into my jersey pocket and forget about it until I get home and then I save the track log.

TrekDen

Garmin Plus III mounted on the bars. Its usually the talk of most group rides i've been on. People just love the maps, and tracback capability. I did'nt originally buy it for the bike, but that's where it gets used 90% of the time.

Trogon

I bring my eTrax Vista with me once in a while. It's fun to capture the route and upload it to the mapping software. Also a nice verification for my cyclocomputer. I don't bother lashing it to the handlebar, I just pop it in my jersey pocket and forget about it.

SAB

I use either a Garmin GPS 60CS or Extra Vista on my bike. The benefit of having one of the more advanced units is that you get the functionality of detailed map capability. This is great for touring, or riding in unfamiliar territory. Just don't forget to bring extra batteries - otherwise you'll have no idea where you are.

oboeguy

I was underwhelmed by the performance of the Vista when I had it. We had purchased it primarily for backup while backpacking in Europe. It was very handy when we rented bikes in Dublin; we rode in the general direction that the shop said was nice, not worrying about getting back. However, for the most part I wasn't that impressed. It performed poorly under tree cover, even in Central Park here in NYC. It was sold shortly after the trip to finance a PC upgrade.

I looked into the Forerunner, a (Garmin? Magellan?) model designed specifically for excercise, but balked when I read the unhappy reviews.

platypus

I've been using a Garmin GPS V for a couple of weeks. I mostly use it for tooling around on the weekends (the street maps are fantastic for not getting lost if I venture too far from home). I don't use it as my primary computer tho. I tried that for a week, and I had too many issues with it losing miles due to spotty satellite reception. I've since gone to a cateye enduro 8 as the primary computer/odometer and I use the GPS for fun.

moonkat

I too lashed my old 2003 Magellan SportTrack Pro to my old bike stem. Just got a new ride and am looking at Garmin Vistas or even Quest for bike routing.

I am not quick enough for the velogroups cryptic two column map directions and color nav would help. Correct, would only miss cadence.

I got a Garmin 2610 for the auto but that's 16oz and no battery.

Dahon.Steve

I've been using the Garmine Legend for over a year now and won't step out into the burbs without it because I don't bring maps anymore. I think I'm using it too much because it seems to be 'burning out" and taking longer to find my location. If it should stop working, I'll go out and buy another because there is NO WAY I'm carrying maps again. Those days are over!

Bruce Lowekamp

I have a Garmin Legend (cheapest one that does maps) with the optional bike mount that I use when I'm navigating a new route. If you buy the PC map software with it, you can preprogram your route and it will tell you when you should turn (and count down the distance to the next turn). Very nice for unfamiliar routes. It does take a bit of practice to figure out how to force it to follow the route you want, since bike routes are typically not the shortest paths (hint, you can't program it to go intersection to intersection, as it will get confused).

I don't use it as a normal day-to-day bike computer, though, except to verify the calibration of my polar. I just keep the polar as a HRM/bike computer. I read somewhere people who thought that the vibration of a bike might damage the GPS over time, but don't know if that's true. My polar keeps track of moving time vs stopped time, anyway.

As someone else said, it doesn't work great under trees, but my understanding is that that is a limitation of the GPS signals themselves, and no receiver works well under trees. I was a bit disappointed that the Legend can't do elevation better, though, but I guess on my mostly flat routes elevation doesn't change much, so I'll notice a +/- 25 ft problem with elevation, but not with lat&long position.

Bruce

Paul L.

I have found I can download route and waypoints out of Delormes map products as well (into the legend) but can't download the actual maps themselves. Still, all I really need is the route so I am happy. I may eventually invest in the Garmin map software to get maps but don't see a real pressing need right now.

randolph

I use a Garmin ForeRunner 301 as my cycling computer. I ran it side-by-side w/ a Cateye 8 for several weeks and it was consistently close. I only ride on roads. I have yet to try it in an area that has heavy tree cover. Nor do I ride in urban areas with lots of tall buildings.

The 301 has an HRM, can do pre-programmed workouts (great on the trainer) and does waypoints and routes (great for riding in unknown territory).

All in all I've been satisfied with it as a cycling computer and haven't considered going back to the Cateye.

I'm not that impressed with the 3D (altitude) accuracy, but the 2D accuracy is very good. I download the tracks to a Topo program that brings in NASA DEM data to get a more accurate elevation profile.

Steve

CDR114

I use a Forerunner 201. I am interested in your comments about using some other topo software. Can you provide more details and the software and where you can obtain it. The 3D on the 201 isn't that bad for general topo features but on some rides it can be off by 50' and on other rides on the same terrain it is good to plus/minus 20'. I am looking for something that I can figure total climbing feet of the ride.

Bontrager

I have a cyclocomputer but often bring my Garmin eTrex Vista when riding in areas that I don't know well or if I'm trying to get lost on purpose.

The batteries lose contact when I go over bumpy areas depending on the batteries I use - I guess small length discrepancies.

oboeguy

CDR114, in general, how do you find the Forerunner 201? I read some mixed reviews on Amazon that put me off of it.

ZackJones

I had a Forerunner 201 and recently sold it on Ebay. It is nice for what I was using it for. I did feel the unit is rather large but once you're out running you really don't notice its size. I never used mine on the bike. I replaced it with a Polar S625X which uses a foot pod to measure distance. After tinkering with the foot pod I ended up turning that feature off. I still use the HRM for every workout though. If you have specific questioins about the 201 fire away.

randolph

I use TopoFusion for this task. You can download the tracks directly from the 201, with my 301 I have to use another utility to extract the tracks first. It is really nice software, IMO. https://www.topofusion.com. The tracks have GPS-reported altitude when you download them from the GPS, but you can replace that with DEM data.

Also, if you haven't already discovered it, this Yahoo Group is a very good resource for 201 and 301 info: https://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/GarminF/

oboeguy

Ah, good to know. I heard a big drag with the Forerunner series was the software, IIRC. Maybe I'll stop by this thread again when I get a chance to look into it all (again).

keayne

EDITED thanks for the update RocketsRedglare,

re : mounting device for a gps.https://www.nextag.com/MAGELLAN_Bike_...untzmainz2-htm

RocketsRedglare

I picked one up from Garmin. I thought it was a little pricey at $20.00. But after using it, it was well worth the price.

CommuterRun

The only reason I went to a bicycle computer from the GPS I was using was to have a cadence feature.

Of course my Garmin GPSMap 76 is pretty big and heavy for bicycle use.

Pfoot

#20? Do you mean that? What do these devices cost? I hadn't really thought about a GPS device, but I do hate maps.

oboeguy

I looked around a bit, and found that the Forerunner 201 is very affordable now, at under $150 (closer to $100, I think) from, say, Amazon. I was wondering why it was so much cheaper than I thought it was back in September and I found out why: the Forerunner 301 is now available.

The 301 appears to be the whole package, as it is the 201 + HRM, though it lacks cadence. It's also $250 and up, depending on where you look. Yikes! That's a bit much for me to spend (I think I'd rather get new wheels or something for that kind of dough). The two reviews I saw at Amazon raved about it, though, so you never know.