I am deciding wether to buy a bike GPS or a GPS watch.

Its mainly XC stuff that I do with a bit of road in the winter and some hill walking, I would like it to plot on a map where I have been and also my HR.

So far the forerunner 610 is my favourite, what are your experiences?

Edge 200 does the basic speed/distance, logs your route and doe sth evirtual parter training thingy, edge 500 does all that and can be used with HR/Cadence/Power sensors, edge 800 does all that + mapping.

I don’t really see the point of using a foreunner on a bike, you can’t see it as your riding, Ok for logging I suppose, but there’re cheeper options if that’s all you want.

For hilwalking, I think it is very useful to have some sort of mapping. So I would go for something like the Etrex 30 or Dakota 20. These will work with a heart rate monitor. And they’re also very useful for on a bike.

Dakota 20 would be my suggestion. I use mine for XC and for hillwalking. I already have an Edge 705 for road duties or I’d use it for that too.

Takes AA batteries, so easy to carry a couple with you and you can buy more if you’re out on multi-day routes.

Check battery life for the watches.

I bought a 200 and even though only paid £90 for it I wish I had bought a 500. They can be bought for 170 with hrm and cadence.

Bought a 200 and was very pleased with it. Was on offer at Halfords with the £30 cash back. I ride fixed a lot, so cadence is always known. HR I go by feel.

If I was feeling flush, I’d now probably opt for the 500. I don’t like touch screens, so the 800 would be a non-starter.

Battery life on a forerunner 310XT is 20hrs, but its not swappable, so you’d need some way to re-charge if you were doing multi-day hill walks.

These were the best battery life (same as 910XT) but they may have been beaten by the new Fenix – but that is significantly compromised as a bike device.

800 Trail bundle with wrist strap

Bit bulky on the wrist but covers all bases

If you are not going to use it for navigating, only plotting onto a map Google Earth after you have been hill walking then any of the smaller Edge GPSs or the Forerunner are fine. I have put my Edge 500 in my rucksack pocket and taken the data off it later.

I also don’t see the problem with the running watches as a bike data logger, unless you want cadence or power output information. They can be strapped onto the bars pretty easilly and if you are going to do some running with it then it is the best option. Holding an Edge is possible while running but a bit of a pain.

If you really want to navigate in the hills with it, then, like Druidh says, i would (and do (gpsmap 62st)) go for a handheld with a handlebar mount for the bike. I do concede that the handhelds can be a bit bulky and you would need two bike mounts, which Garmin sell for silly prices for what they are.

Different strokes for different folks.

The Dakota is a good unit, and does what you want, with the optional HRM.

The bar mount is appalling though, make sure you use a lanyard as well.

I love my Edge 500. I bought it thinking it was a bit of a toy, but I now have to have it with me for all my riding and log it all. I also use it for navigation – you follow a breadcrumb trail but that’s good enough. If you do ever venture off route, it soon becomes obvious and you can quickly join back onto it.

It’ll work in a backpack or pocket, so you can take it walking or running and it’s survived several downpours and a stint in the washing machine!

Thanks for the feedback, just had a look on wiggle at what has been sugested;

Edge 200
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/garmin-edge-200-gps-cycle-computer/

Edge 500
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/garmin-edge-500-red-with-premium-heart-rate-and-cadence/

Edge 800
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/garmin-edge-800-gps-cycle-computer/

Etrex
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/garmin-etrex-30-gps-hand-held-unit/

Dakota
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/garmin-dakota-20-gps-hand-held-unit/

The only thing that I dont like about the bar mounted GPS’s is they seem a bit vunrable for MTB?

How good is the mapping on the 500?

Calum

Nav on the 500 is next to nil. You can upload a breadcrumb trail to it but it is pretty difficult to follow accurately off road and there is only guidance on whether you are left or right of route.

Edit: Sorry, just read Traildog’s comments and it obviously works for some people. But, there are much better options for navigation.

Cheers Angus 8)

Agree, I’ve navigated with a 500 on the road ok but would be difficult off-road.

Never had a problem with it mounted on the stem of my mtb though.

I would like it to plot on a map where I have been and also my HR.

if that’s all you want to do and you want a watch type, the 110 will do it for around £105 inc HRM
It’s really a running watch but as you don’t want many features, it’ll work just fine.

If the breadcrumb route is ploted well enough I have never had any problems following it off road and even if it is out slightly you can usally tell where you should have gone. I have done 50 miles routes off road in places like the Isle od Wright with out any problems. I use a very worn Edge 305 and am thinking of upgrading to a 500.