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Anyone got one of these? How do they shape up and what's the bike mount like?
Wondering how they compare to the 800 for bike use. I've been using a 650 but liking the look of the eTrex's:
[b]Physical buttons[/b] - strike me as a better idea in a world of full finger gloves (rather than the 800's touch screen)
[b]Screen size[/b] (probably about the same as the 800? but higher res than 650)
[b]Navigation[/b] presumably much better than the Edge which lacks 'trackback' amongst other things
[b]Batteries[/b] AA's. meh. Edge rechargeable lasts well enough.
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Batteries AA's. meh. Edge rechargeable lasts well enough.
AA's, that's why they're good! Especially when away somewhere or on a multi-dayer!
If the eTrex had a built in bike computer like an Edge, it would be perfect for me.
So what bike computer functions is it lacking?
My old mono eTrex Legend give me time/distance/current speed/max speed/moving average/overall average. Edge 650 seems to give me fewer options (though in a layout that's better on the bike)
I have had a 30 for around 6 months-when it first came out.I bought it for walking & biking because I liked my old legend. Joystick is good but not very tactile if using it on the fly-too easy to just flip it rather than press down to select so often miss selects-fine when standing still though. My compass keeps losing calibration-a known problem I think. I had to calibrate it every 30 mins or so on a walk when it started indicating I was going in the wrong direction. Basecamp software is bobbins-slow & crashy, especially if used with 1:2500 birdseye maps. zoom ratio on said maps very limited-you may be better off with 1:50000. Map refresh surprisingly slow compared to a phone application. Bike mount O.K.-only secured with zip ties so can slip around a bit. A spray of furniture polish makes it much easier to mount/dismount.
GPS is very accurate and the unit is weatherproof, batteries last 15 or so hours if used carefully. Screen good in sunlight. Very customisable with different dashboards for different activities. Garmin usually iron out problems but it seems to take a while.
I do actually like it-hopefully any bugs will soon be resolved with software updates.
I live in the Netherlands and bought one for finding the local routes. It is clearly a navigation device but you can show data fields on the map screen so it depends what info you want to see. I have a forerunner 205 which i use for the basic stuff, but it can all be seen on the etrex
Physical buttons - work fine and are well sealed, no problem using them in thick winter gloves. Agree about the joystick being a little sensitive but i just stop if i need to change anything.
Screen size - i normally have about 500m of a 1:25k map showing and it is perfectly clear. It is quite a "deep" unit so sits quite high compared to an Edge, but not as huge as an iphone.
Navigation - spot on, did the Big Ryde on the isle of wight with just the base map and got round fine. Over here i have the 1:25k and it is very accurate, both tracking your route and following one from someone else.
Batteries - AA rechargeable, last way more than the 5 - 6 hrs i would normally be out for and it is easy to carry/buy spares.
Bike mount - a clip than runs tp to bottom over the batter cover and clips at the end. I have mine mounted on the stem and there is some slight rotation but no worse than any other Garmin mount i've used. Have crashed a few times and it has held.
Hope that helps
Chris