This is for a friend, she wants a GPS “to stop her getting lost” so something with mapping, directions, basemap etc and she’s asked me – the idea being I tell her what she needs, she gets her parents to buy it for her for Christmas.

Unfortunately, I don’t really know much about biking GPS’s – I’ve got an old Garmin Edge which is fine for me but doesn’t do what she wants. Middling budget (up to £300 at a push, which looking at GPS’s online is a middling budget 😯 ) so what’s out there that’s good?

As an added bonus it would be easy to use and idiot proof – this is someone who can’t find her way out of a paper bag… 😉

Over to the all-knowing STW folk…

Loads of people will tell you the Garmin Oregon or Dakota are good, but actually I find the user interface superficially friendly, but borderline hostile once you actually try to use it, though I guess I’m spoiled Mac brat generally.

Personally I prefer the Satmap Active 10, but it’s over budget. The Memory Map units are quite awful, avoid. If she has a smartphone, ViewRanger is very good, coupled with a waterproof case of some description for the phone.

There’s also the Lowrance thing running Quo software, but again, it’s clunky and hard to use ime.

with…

http://talkytoaster.info/ukmaps.htm

I have the 705 but doesnt sound like that would be needed, bit ott heart rate and candance and colour screen, but equally plenty of people use the etrax device if i recall.

Bit of a bump for the weekday crowds…

For navigation, I use a “Garmin eTrex H” (discontinued but widely available on eBay for about £70) plus Memory Map software for my PC (bundle of 1:50000 maps in digital format – costs about £40 for a UK region, e.g. Scotland in my case).

You plot your route on Memory Map on the PC, and then import it onto the Garmin as a tracklog. You then just follow the tracklog on the Garmin (it appears as a “breadcrumb trail” – there is no actual base map on the Garmin).

You can get a handlebar mount for the eTrex as well – I use one (obviously).

I find it works a treat – if you just want to be able to navigate, I can’t see why you would want anything more than this