MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
I've gotten into a bit of a rut with my routes over the past few years. Riding in the Peak District, I know the local trails pretty well and have never really looked at navigation on the bike.
I'm now wanting to explore further afield, maybe even discover new routes on trail I'm familiar with, but I have no idea where to start! I'm looking for something that I can use to plan routes and find my way around them when I'm out on the bike.
I'd prefer a watch (Garmin?) rather than a handlebar mounted computer, is that feasible? Or is a computer the best way to go? Any Apps to consider? I'm thinking Komoot looks a good place to start? I pretty much mac based - any compatibility issues to consider?
Not really fussed with training/fitness, just purely for navigation. Any recommendations/advice greatly appreciated!
for navigation on a bike, you'd be better off with a proper bike unit... edge 530 or 830...
easy to transfer routes to it, and being bar mounted and out front, it's easy to follow..
cheaper than the equivalent watch (fenix) too...
I've got an edge 830 for bike stuff, and a fenix 5+ for running and sports..
is easy enough to follow routes on the wrist when running, but tbh for bike riding, the edge will suit best
DrP
I bought a Garmin Explore for this purpose.
Also treated myself to the latest TalkyToaster map and off I went to explore the local boggy hill areas .
Sits on my bars and shows me a map at all times. Can also send a route from Trailforks or upload a gpx from Strava.
Complete luxury but it does the job very well.
Another option is to mount your phone on your bars and use Open Cycle Map in ViewRanger.
Note: The Garmin basemap is based on OSM from 2017. Worth an extra £11 to update it although a free download is also available.
https://shop.talkytoaster.me.uk/maps
For navigation while riding, bar mounted is the only way really. Unless, of course, your rides are flat, and with almost no changes of direction!
Head unit is definitely the way to go for navigation - I've both, I never use the watch for routes I don't know.
Who’s the market leader in gps? Garmin, Wahoo I’ve even seen decathlon have there own brand. Do they all link with any route planning software like trailforks? Have google mapped any of the routes? Expensive bits of kit.
Wahoo on the bars with seamless transfer of routes from Ridewithgps.com paired with a smartphone using something like backcountry navigator.
The Wahoo Maps aren't super detailed but that means you can take them in at speed on rough terrain. If you want a bit more detail once in a while then maps on your smartphone screen are better than than any bar mounted gps.
Cheers all. I went for a Garmin 530 in the end, seemed like a safe option!