Gps….Which Way To Go?

[Tonto21]

I’m looking into a GPS unit for primarily a mountain bike, things I’ve no doubt have moved on since I last used one, 20 years ago. Basically I’m looking for a; simple, reliable, PC transferable system, a screen I can read without my glasses and with usable Thai map data.

Anyone own one of these puppies? Or in your opinion are they not worth the dosh, used for a while and ended up leaving it at home.

I would like to hear your input on the different GPS systems, and the must come with's or can do without features.

Thanks

Tonto21

[coldfusionPaul]

for decent cycling GPS there's really only garmin. your requirement for a map means really only edge 605/705 or if you can wait for the october release of the edge 800 (which reviewers seem to really like).

i use my antique forerunner for every road bike ride i take (even training ones, it has very good training functions) to record the ride details & for waypoints, etc for new routes or when i improvise. it's saved my bacon a few times when i couldn't recall which turn i'd taken.

the choice here is pretty limited & of course painfully expensive.

[Tonto21]

for decent cycling GPS there's really only garmin. your requirement for a map means really only edge 605/705 or if you can wait for the october release of the edge 800 (which reviewers seem to really like).

i use my antique forerunner for every road bike ride i take (even training ones, it has very good training functions) to record the ride details & for waypoints, etc for new routes or when i improvise. it's saved my bacon a few times when i couldn't recall which turn i'd taken.

the choice here is pretty limited & of course painfully expensive.

Hi ‘coldfusionPaul,’ yes……Expensive, I hear that, ha ha. I did a little looking around on the net last night, having not used one for a long time, the features and technology can be a little blinding, (for a fossil) but I would like one, as much for safety, I ride alone a lot, (no mate’s) and sometimes end up deep into Mae Taeng, always found my way home, but have ended up more times than I care to remember popping out of the jungle miles, and I mean miles from home, ha ha. I did like the look of the Edge 205 and 305, they looked OK, but that’s why I posted this topic…..What do I know!

If I was to negate the mapping, and cost of this feature what would you recommend I look at.

Thanks

[coldfusionPaul]

antique forerunner, 201. on the plus side:

• discontinued product so should be dirt cheap online
• has a "map" mode for navigating (ratty-looking sketch map) that works well enough to get home
• pretty rugged (dropped off 2nd floor onto lawn & still works, dropped bike on top of it changing flats a few times)
• bike mount works well though i still use the wrist strap around the handle bars
• menu/buttons are easy to use while on the bike, the display is mostly visible in sunlight
• still works w/garmin connect website & others that i use like http://www.plus3network.com/

down side:

• not really waterproof (though none of the garmin products are, ipx7 standard doesn't include "running" water like say rain) but plastic bag & rubber bands help
• captures positions every 9 seconds up to 3000 points, can't be changed & no real workaround. overwrites beginning of ride after 3001st point, (wrecks my brevet routes) but summary data is not effected
• the one i have uses a serial port, if that's an issue the garmin 301 has a USB connector.

i was holding out for the 705 price to drop but it never really has. so waiting on the 800.

[chrisl567]

Hi

i use and edge 705 with maps for Thailand with no problem although some of the roads are not roads but that just adds to the adventure and i can always find my way home when in the middle of nowhere !!!!

all downloadable and then save routes to run again or to share via Garmin connect

would not ride without it on my own as exploring is part of the fun but need to be safe

I also use it in the car as well as a backup especially when going to Bangkok

Chris

[Tonto21]

Good info,

Thanks guys

[PaulHamon]

Garmin 60CSx is the best for allrounder... IMO, I have the Garmin EDGE305 also, but the 60CSx is just a better overall unit.

[coldfusionPaul]

the Garmin 60CSx isn't really a cycling GPS & seems kind of expensive to be used as one. how did you mount it on your bike?

[PaulHamon]

the Garmin 60CSx isn't really a cycling GPS & seems kind of expensive to be used as one. how did you mount it on your bike?

Got 60CSx for $230 from Amazon, new.... A lot cheaper than the $400plus I paid for my Edge305 when I purchased it.

I guess it depends on the kind of cycling you want to do... 1 month trip from Hua Hin to KLwas hard work with the EDGE, but doing the same with 60CSx is alot easier.

60CSx has bicycle mount avaliable, no Candence or HRM like the Edge, but I never found myself using them after the inital attraction wore off.

Want kind of Cycling GPS is less than $200 ($30 was for the 2 x bicycle mounts)...

Paul

[coldfusionPaul]

an older forerunner 201 can be had for $100US or so. excellent training/tracking functions but no map except a crappy stick figure one but as i said above, works well enough to get you where you're going & back.

i've mounted a couple of "regular" garmin GPS (GPSmap 60 & eTrex) on bikes & both of them eventually ended up w/problems (most often the on/off switch, began turning themselves on & off on teh bike or in my desk drawer). i was told because the of constant vibrations.

i don't think you can really compare an edge w/out maps to the 60C w/maps, if that's what you meant. by the same token the 60C sucks at training. besides the 60C is like 6"-7" long, seemed kind of big to slap on a bike.

i'd still recommend a GPS designed for cycling over one that's not, though i'd rather have maps than not (waiting for the 805 to come out, at worst 705 price might drop).

[sarahsbloke]

Please note

The screens are not readable under the open sky.

You would need to get off the bike and hide your head and the GPS under your shirt, etc. to read it.

Edited May 9, 2011 by sarahsbloke

[PaulHamon]

Please note

The screens are not readable under the open sky.

You would need to get off the bike and hide your head and the GPS under your shirt, etc. to read it.

I can read mine fine, sometime a little glary on the 305, but most of the time fine!

I have half a dozen friends all with versions of the 60 and we use it for off road trail marking and also touring... don't know of any problems... one of the reason I got it.

But I have had 2 other friends with new edge 705 and had lots of problems with them, and to send them back to garmin for fixing/replacment...

As for size, it's only 2 big if you think it's 2 big... I like the features... I can compare the 305 and the 60 because I'm giving my opnion on what suits ME best.

Paul Hamon

[coldfusionPaul]

it's too big for a road bike, doesn't matter what i think too big is. most cycling GPS are 3-4" tops not 7". geez.

[pampal]

I have used my 60Csx on my mountain bike and motorcycle for the last few years. Works well. I use it with a RAM mount.

Edited May 13, 2011 by pampal

[PaulHamon]

it's too big for a road bike, doesn't matter what i think too big is. most cycling GPS are 3-4" tops not 7". geez.

Does it really matter what the size of other production on the market are? Are we just talking size or do FEATURES count?

Mine 60csx is 5" if you don't include the antenna or 6" if you do.

And those extra GRAMS, I know that I've got about 5000 plus of them on my belly that would make me go faster, don't think my GPS matters!

You can use it on any bicycle, if you wanted. No Problems!

[Bourney0]

I've been on a round-the-world cycling tour for two years with my brother. I have the Edge 705 and he has the Etrex Vista. The Etrex mounts to a handlebar with it's own proprietary mount. Both are very readable in broad daylight with no backlighting (which you may use at night - it's included). The Etrex is a better value for navigation, in my opinion. However, if you want training statistics and a more sleek package go with an Edge.

The Edge 800 seems to have a couple of cool additions but it's not a major upgrade over the 705 and some people have complained about the 'touch' layer on the screen adding glare and cutting contrast, but I doubt it's really a huge trade-off.

You can load legitimate open source maps onto these GPS units for free from OSM. I've been using them for months and while they don't have 100% of the roads out there they definitely have enough--perhaps 90% in most countries, including Thailand. Link: http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/OSM_Map_On_Garmin/Download (I like the maps from Lambertous).

[InSiSongkram]

Why not just add Garmin mobile XT to a cheapish phone that supports it and mount it on the bike? As it talks seeing the screen is not an issue?

[T_Dog]

A buddy and I use a 60CSX to plot out tracks for rides. Our last trip two weeks ago was from the Hmong Lodge off the Mae Sa valley road past Wat Prae Ba See Roi and then into Mae Taeng. We had almost 20 km or riding with no people or structures, 75 km total, lots of climbing and hike-a-bike, all mapped out with a downloaded map and waypoints from Google Maps and Google Earth.

The 60CSX is a fantastic machine and mounts easily on a bike, but it is considered old technology these days. (The mounts are expensive though... 1500 baht in Thailand and much cheaper overseas.) Here's a review I copied from the web a while back ago as I am considering getting an Oregon. The map display is much better on the Oregon.

-------------

I have an Oregon and 60csx, and personally I think there is no comparison. The Oregon is much, much, much better hands down. I have not experienced any accuracy or reception problems myself. There were a lot of complaints initially, but Garmin has come a long way with firmware updates and addressed pretty much all of these. You might visit the GPS forum at Groundspeak. I don't do geocaching myself either, but the people over there are very picky about accuracy. You will find a lot of 60csx fans there, but also a rapidly growing number of Oregon fans who do not find any problems with accuracy.

If you are interested in maps and geography, you may eventually want to make your own maps, like me. Here you will really find a huge difference. I've posted screenshots below from my own map. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. These maps show the same area, at the same zoom level. Which one conveys more information and looks more attractive? These are pixel-for-pixel images. The Oregon screen is 240x400 with millions of colors. The 60csx screen is 160x240 with 256 colors.

Another little difference which has not been discussed much is the fact that the 60csx has no capability to take a screenshot 'on the fly'. On the Oregon (as well as Nuvi series), you can enable screenshot mode which will let you grab an image at any time as you use the GPS. On the 60csx you need to connect it to your computer and run Garmin's clunky Ximage program just to capture what the screen shows.

The chipset in the Oregon is (AFAIK) the most powerful in the whole Garmin line. When it comes to zooming or scrolling the map, the Oregon is way, way, way faster than the 60csx. It is also faster than my Nuvi 205 which also uses a similar Cartesio chipset. This can make a significant difference depending on what you're doing. My own maps are very data-intensive, and the 60csx can nearly choke on these when drawing the screen.

I have no personal experience with the Colorado, other than playing briefly in the store. The screen does appear a bit brighter than the Oregon since it's isn't a touch screen. Resolution is the same. The chipset is slower. The scroll wheel doesn't thrill me. "Typing" waypoint names, searches and coordinates with that wheel or the cursor button on the 60csx is a real excercise in frustration. This is also where the Oregon shines. The Colorado strikes me as sort of an odd model which was a transition between the 60csx and Oregon. You can find some discounts on it however.

IMO, the 60csx is certainly a classic and a standard by which other handhelds have been judged. It is rugged, attractive and functional. It feels good in your hand. But it is showing its age, and the screen is just not up to the standards I expect in today's world. Keep this in mind when you consider how it will stack up 3 years down the road.

[OriginalPoster]

Why not just add Garmin mobile XT to a cheapish phone that supports it and mount it on the bike? As it talks seeing the screen is not an issue?

I'd worry about rain wrecking the phone. The standalone Garmin units seem pretty much immune to that problem.

[Bourney0]

I'd worry about rain wrecking the phone. The standalone Garmin units seem pretty much immune to that problem.

Yes, the Garmins are pretty water resistant. Another advantage is that the battery life of a Garmin is typically 12-15 hours, whereas a smartphone with the GPS in operation and the back light on will not last nearly as long, so I've heard.

[Digitalbanana]

I just use a smart phone in a water proof bag usually attached to my body rather than the bike frame. I can install multiple GPS software's (they are all easy to find on the net) such as street turn by turn navigation, general mapping and sports related software. Besides that I can make a phone call in an emergency. I never look at the screen which is mostly off as I ride since I need maximum alertness on the road. I take a spare battery for extra long rides, but long rides for me aren't common in the tropics as I don't cycle between 10am and 3pm.

[burgdawg]

..for mounting your GPS to your motorbike or mtn bike, use the RAM mounts:

www.rammounts,com

and you can check out many goodies at www.gpscity.com

Yes, they ship overseas.

The heart of the Ram system is a squisable hard rubber ball, 1" in diameter. You mount a ball (variety of mounting methods) to your steering stem or handlebars.

There is a specialized snap-on clip that attaches to whatever GPS unit you happen to purchase. In my case, Garmin GPS Maps 60CSx.

From www.rei.com $219, The 60CSx has ceased production for 3 months now, so if you are fence sitting, better get one soon! They will soon be unavailable.

On the back of the 60CSx clip or harness(from gps city), you attach via screws a "diamond plate with ball."

Now you have a variety of Ram "arms" that can be adjusted and swivel as the go-between your bicycle mounted ball and the ball on the back of your GPS unit. Secure and strong and adjustable. Easily removeable to take the unit with you and not leave on bicycle.

More complicated to explain with words. Just view the excellent pics and "how-to vids" at gpscity.com

If you leave your unit on all the time during a ride, you'll get 18-22 hours per set of batteries, depending how often you use your backlighting function, which eats up battery life. Leaving unit on will also create a "bread crumb trail" or track of your path. This can then be uploaded to your computer to see where you went on you trek.

I usually turn my unit on, take a "mark"(waypoint) and enter a brief description and shut unit off. When I'm making a crucial turn or wish to denote something, boot unit up and take another waypoint, shut down. By doing this method, I get 2-3 months out of a set of AA alkaline batteries.

Note: the Thai Maps v11 is bilingual (if you have a Nuvi, etc.) Bilingual is NOT supported by 60CSx. Only English. Keep this in mind if you are fluent in Thai and can read Thai script.

Compare both the 60CSx and 62st, world's apart. If you plan on using the 12v power port from your motorbike or cigarette lighter from your car, the 60CSx is the better way to go. A superior , stout rubber plug to supply power. Use a slight smear of dielectric grease in ALL your connections. The dielectric grease (any auto store) increases waterproofness and seals out dust. You have to buy this power cord separate, about $9 USD.

The 62st power port is enacted through a mini-USB port. This is an inferior system as the cord tends to drop out of the mini USB port due to minor vibrations. I have mates with all sorts of foolish-looking rubber bands and inner tube bands with cut holes to stabilize this lousy connection.

Garmin is a weird company. If you were forced to live in the middle of Kansas, you would be jaded as well.

They do not do customer surverys, nor carry over improvements from one series to the next. "Flying blind" is putting it mildly.

I'll post some pics of my motorbike and mtn bike set-up in a few days. The more you use your unit, the more functions you will be surprised by.

If you are a new user and wish to become more proficient with your GPS unit. sit as passenger on a road trip in car, or sit by window on bus. You will get the sat signals and be able to play with your unit without endangering yourself or others.

Static use of a GPS doesn't do much. The unit comes alive once underway. You have to become well-versed with all the various pages and options at your command.

Edited July 16, 2011 by burgdawg