never used a gps, always paper o/s maps
i think i may buy one for touring duties so i can stop carrying bundles of paer mache round with me.
so, is there a suitable one at noyt too much money?
[i]GPS type thing for under a ton[/i]
you're not supposed to sit on it.
i saw what you did there......... 😛
that made me snort 😀
For several years I have used an eTrex H, made by Garmin. I see the have now been superseded, but I would be much surprised if they have been improved-on. It is a GPS, not a Sat-Nav, as such it does not have maps built-in.
If you google, you'll find loads of reviews I'm sure. A handlebar mount is available. I took mine on my 9-month tour, and use it basically every time I ride off a route I know.
Hi Tony, can't help mate and sorry to veer sharply off topic - but, doin a local ride from my place Sunday morn if you're interested, nowt right techy but will take in pump track in Tempy etc. probably out about 3 hours.
Steve.
Do you have one of those modern portable telephones? If so, you could do worse than just use that? They are the work of the devil and so forth but they serve a purpose.
Of course if you don't have one - Chapeau!
eTrex battery life: 20/30/40 hours [Alkaline/NiMH/Lithium]. Takes AAs
Smartphone battery life: maybe 8 hours running GPS. Takes- another battery?
eTrex is waterproof and handlebar mounted.
And it's about £60.
got an Etrex 20 from Amazon Black Friday (£90, rrp is ~£160, Amazon normal price ~£130) and continue to be very impressed by it. Its a GPS with cycle functionality rather than a GPS-enabled cyclocomputer like the Edge series (so doesnt do HRM, cadence etc). Using free OS-style maps from various sites such as talkytoaster. You can build routes on Garmin basecamp, or download other peoples, and convert tracks youve ridden into routes you can follow. Still loads of functions I havent used, more customisable than I thought (mines set to show map rather than menu as default screen), as gofaster says using AA means its easier to replace than to find a charging point out in the boonies.
Essentially the cheaper Etrex 10 doesnt display a map, just a route.
More info here (for Garmins only)
http://gpstracklog.com/compare/garmin-handheld-gps-comparison-chart
2nd hand smartphone off of ebay, any faulty htc desire for example. You don't need it for phoning people but the map and gps will work fine.
Yep another vote for the etrex 20 (like CTM I picked one up in the Amazon sale). Took a bit to get use to but really like it now...it's great to be able to refer to the maps on rides/walks now and it's more accurate than my GPS logger for Strava. Couple of niggles the main being it lags when you browse the map (Full UK OS 50k) and it needs a key lock as the joystick can be activated whilst in a bag.
Latest ST mag had a mini test of it
The question is what do you want to use it for?
If it's for navigation, then up the budget to around £140 for the eTrex 20.
If it's just for recording routes and basic wizadry, there's some good deals on the Edge 200, or the Bryton equivalent units - though the Brytons are reportedly not very user friendly.
Or there's the eTrex 10, and also some older, cheaper eTrex units.
It's worth noting that the eTrex uses AA batteries too - which last around 25 hours on the 20. So useful if you're doing multi-dayers, touring etc.
If you want it to replace maps completely then you are going to need something with mapping built in. If it's for off-roading in the UK then you are probably wanting the OS 1:50k mapping. You can download the OpenStreetMap maps but they are pretty patchy as they are "crowd-sourced".
In short - you'll not get what you want for less than £100.
You could use a basic GPS (non-mapping) and keep maps in a map case. That works pretty well for me, especially if I am using my Ortlieb bar-bag as that has a mapcase attachment on top.
Ton, have a look [url= http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/thule-merkur-garmin-cateye-and-other-bits ]here[/url]. I'm sure I can do some deal for you but you will need to raise the funds a bit too.
Ton - I've got an etrex summit for sale, £45 if you want it 🙂
http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/fs-garmin-etrex-summit-6
Coming a bit late to this thread, also looking for a decent GPS device,can this track your route off road and then download to PC?
Cheers
Dog