OK, so ive started using Strava to track my riding this year as id like to see how far ive gone and how much weight ive lost too.

Only thing is my phone is not 3g enabled so i bought a stand alone GPS unit to try and assist in positioning.
Results have ranged from bad to worse. 🙁

I notice that garmin do some units compatable with Strava, my question is whats the best way to track myself on strava?

The garnain bike ones range from 200 basic. 500 with a few more functions and the 800 with mapping. Depends on your budget and needs really

I’m not sure what your question is. No “stand alone” GPS will give you live tracking. As far as I know, all GPS units will create some sort of GPS file that can be uploaded to Strava via your PC. Maybe a few more details will bring some assistance?

You dont have to have 3G for strava to work. Whilst tracking your ride all you need is the GPS on your phone and the strava app, you only need an internet connection when you finish and want to upload. 2G mobile internet is adequate for this or wait till you get home and connect your phone to your wifi before uploading your ride. (assuming your phone has GPS, wifi and/or 2g)

Im not after live tracking im just after a trace of where ive been etc.
The problem im having is once i complete a ride and check my track its showing as straight lines and therefore reducing the distance travelled.

I did run it on my girlfriends Samsung phone and it was really accurate.

Frustrating thing is the GPS unit was ment to enable my iphone to locate itself via gps but it simply dosent. 🙁

Does your phone not have its own GPS?

My 205 is wildly inaccurate compared to my iphone 4.

205 told me my ave speed coming off cairn o mount yesterday was 30kph……i know for a fact i didnt drop below 50kph between the start and finish points

Modern garmins will have better gps chips in though

You need to adjust the frequency that track points are recorded. There must be a setting somewhere to do this. Was it in some sort of “power-save” mode?

I did run it on my girlfriends Samsung phone and it was really accurate.

See above. The settings on this phone must be different.

Frustrating thing is the GPS unit was ment to enable my iphone to locate itself via gps but it simply dosent.

I’m not sure what this means. Are you using Bluetooth to connect the two?

It does but its far from great, looking at my phone it uses the 3g to assist in location if the signal is lost.
But i dont seem to have the 3g working or internet access, it just says GPS lost.

But your iphone has a gps?

Older phone ones can be poor the standalone units log to file and you upload later. Impressed by the 500 the missus had but she user the cadence and hrm too.

Over a phone it has much better battery is waterproof and logs better with options for extra toys and mapping or navigation over a phone.

It will use the network to give itself an idea where it is then get some updated satellite info and lock onto gps quicker. Which iphone do you have sounds like some bigger issues there.

Sounds like you have setting malfunction on iphone.

Only issue with iphones is the battery life on 3 and 3gs

My 4 does 5 hours riding.

My garmin does 12

Hmmm so your phone’s GPS is crap and the receiver you bought isn’t very good either.I’d say your options are:
1: new phone
2: new garmin type device
3: one of these from maplins

If it does its shockingly bad, using wifi at home it can find my location but while out and about i lose the gps signal and never get it back.

Do you know anyone with strava and an iphone? If so I reckon let them take a look. Something seems wrong it could be simple. Just to check you do have mobile data and the gps turned on dont you? (Assumes iphone lets you turn these on and off)

I dont have mobile data chap.
Not sure if GPS can be turned on/ off on my iphone.

Probably need some iphone person to help you there. I have a button to turn on my gps. Its probably off by default. Also I can turn on and off mobile data so you can use data outside of wifi which will help. Can you use the Internet outside of wifi?

Is location services on ?

Sounds to me like your getting a lock on wifi and then you leave the wifi and your iphones not allowed to locate its self

Go to settings /privacy/location services

Ensure its on generally and enabled for strava.

I have an iPhone 3G but don’t get mobile reception where I ride. Gps and strava work for me. Do all iPhones have gps?