Bike computer/ GPS thingy for a layman.

Up till now I’ve been using my phone for either tracking or for following a route I’ve downloaded with komoot.

Works fine for anything under ~5 hours, but after that the battery life is entering the danger zone of <20%,especially if I’ve taken photos or looked something up (usually after getting lost).

Thinking second hand.

Something that I can download and follow tracks on or it clocks where I’ve been.

I don’t have a cadence sensor or power meter (that would just be depressing).

What ya recommend?

At a basic level they all seem to work. With increasing screen and map detail with price

Even trail of bread crumbs is worth having. That’s the route visually with no map. So it’s hard to look past Garmin to suite your budget. I have heard of good deals for refurbished in eBay

I started with a suunto watch used for £65 mounted on the bars with a fat bit of foam. No map but it still basically worked with the odd dive for my phone. The main limitation is that model needed a pc to load a route

I now have a Garmin watch with maping and a Hammerhead karoo 2. Both worth well but at 4 or 5 times the price

For simplicity and ease of use, I’d go Wahoo Elemnt Bolt.

Very simple interface. Love mine. Been using it for years now.

While I’m a big fan of bike computers if the only thing you’re short on is battery life then would plugging in a decent battery pack be an option?

Cheap, cheerful and works well with great battery life – bryton 320 or 420.

Easier to use, better app and shit at heights? Garmin 530.

The Wahoo system is really easy to use (all from your phone so need to use a computer) and I find the mapping good and easy to sync from other apps. Buttons instead of touchscreen is easy. I’ve had the original bolt and the v2.

But I expect the Garmins/Hammerhead etc are just as good.

I’ve gone back to Garmin recently after  having a pretty successful dabble with Lezyne specifically because they’re cheap and have good battery life.

Garmins are (IMO) on the pricey side but they are ubiquitous, quite intuitive to use and do the job well.

The Garmin software can sometimes be incredibly frustrating. I don’t know if the others are any better.

For following a route that you’ve created elsewhere, Garmin 530 works well but it’s not great for navigating (as in looking at the map and figuring out where to go). I imagine most devices of similar sizes are the same.

With Garmin, the menus and settings are awkward and using buttons to navigate the device can be annoying.

Apart from the battery life, I don’t think you can beat a phone for navigating to be honest.

I’m considering ditching my Garmin in favour of a cheapo second hand Android in a waterproof case.

If the battery dies, or the cheap gets broken, you’ve still got your phone if you need it. Can always chuck a small portable charger in your bag for longer days.

I use my phone with a power bank in a top tube bag on MTB, Gravel & Road bikes. I’ve used Garmin head units & Fenix 3 before but prefer the phone for navigation(bigger screen) & can get multiple rides from the phone & battery before I need to charge.

i use komoot & have no problems.

I do the whole phone and battery pack thing too, mainly because I don’t like spending cash and had everything I needed but also I don’t really like the small screens of dedicated nav systems.

If you’re worried about battery life, during a ride…

1/ Turn the brightness down on your screen

2/ Put the phone in Aeroplane.mode

Yeah, I think after mulling it over that the most sensible option is a decent battery/power bank and my phone…..

Always going to have my phone on me regardless of whether I’ve an extra GPS or not. Have a Fenix watch so could always use that (although the battery takes a beating when used as a GPS thingy).

Plus, I can use the phone to look up alternative routes, which ironically I can’t easily do using a GPS thingy.

Cheers.