Garmin 200 / Mio / What small GPS or GPS tracker?

Was thinking of starting to log my rides (and maybe my runs) so wanted a small GPS that would upload to most modern sites, Google/mapmyrun/strava etc etc.
I have a suunto T3 watch, but to get GPS would require a bike pod AND a run pod.
can the 200 or the small Mio be put in a pocket and ran with as well as mounted to a bike?

are there any others out there that could do it?
The Forerunner looks appealing but a little big on the wrist and have heard battery life is terrible, despite the quotes on the tech. blurb.

I reckon the 200 would be ok in your pocket. Cant you use your phone? (listen to music on it at the same time)

…can the 200…be put in a pocket and ran with as well as mounted to a bike?

it’s what i do with mine…

(i think there’s a wrist-strap adapter you can by – turning the 200 in to a watch)

I used to have a smartphone, but i found it far too bulky for runs and rides and it got wet and stopped working for a while, and now turns off randomly….

There are loads of small GPS tracker devices out there eg:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/tag/gps%20logger/products

I use one for photography, so I can geo-tag all my photos at the end of the day.

There’s a new Garmin GPS watch called the Fenix out right about now. It’s expensive – £360 I think – but looks like a large conventional watch, feels unobtrusive on the wrist despite the size and does a pretty comprehensive GPS gig with it. May be more than you need if all you want to do is track stuff.

http://sites.garmin.com/fenix/?lang=en&country=GB#begin

Mine is the Holux M-241

These get great reviews i-GotU

@footflaps = looks like i should have been thinking out of the box a bit more, great link!

I think the GPS loggers are fine, if that is all you want, but what I’ve found cool with the 200, is that when I’m on the road bike, I use it like a basic bike computer, on the bars, giving me speed, distance etc, plus it’s dead easy to drop a route into it, including turn directions and follow that. When I’m on the mtb or running, I just stick it in the bag, or in my pocket and use it as a basic logger.

For around £75, it’s good value to me compared to £40 or so, for something that will only track.

Fenix looks nice, but can it do OSGB or other coord systems?

hold the phone – the 200 gives directional navigation????

EDIT: and if so, where can i get one for 70quid!

I recently got a Navin Minihomer from ebay for £19.50 delivered. Works absolutely great, long battery life too. Bit fiddly setting up the software initially but nothing too bad.

Yup.

I load up routes through BikeRouteToaster. Select ‘Add Course Point Warnings’ on the Summary page when creating the route, choose how many metres in advance of the junction you want to be warned, say 100m, then it counts down in minutes and distance to that turn, beeps when you hit that distance before the turn, and at the turn itself.

Of course, it’s only a breadcrumb trail, as there is no basemap, but I’ve used it for plenty of big rides, in completely new parts of the UK, where without it I’d have been dragging a map out every 10-20 minutes. I don’t mind that so much on a mtb, but it sucks on a road bike IMO

…cheapest i can find for UK retailer is 109quid inc delivery….

When you say “it’s only a breadcrumb trail” does that mean you can actually see if you are on the trail?

Like this:

It warns (beeps and a warning banner appears) if you go off the trail, and then zooms out as you go further away from the route. The standard view shows about 2-300 metres, however it will keep zooming out as you go away from the route, so you can see where you are in relation to the trail.

Its not perfect, but it’s fine for what I need.

As for price, Halfords were doing a deal on them a while back, which brought the price to £75, which could then be dropped £2-3 by using Topcashback/Quidco etc. Not sure if that deal is still going.

If you’re looking at the Garmin 200 – also checkout the Bryton 35.

Suunto Ambit. Similar to Garmin Fenix but with more detailed fitness analysis.

I’ve just bought a watch strap adaptor for my edge 200 so I can use it for running too.

i knew it! – details please?

(yes, i’ve tried googling it)

It’s a garmin quick release mounting kit for a 310xt. I paid about £15 on eBay.

010-11215-02

Of course, it’s only a breadcrumb trail, as there is no basemap, but I’ve used it for plenty of big rides, in completely new parts of the UK, where without it I’d have been dragging a map out every 10-20 minutes. I don’t mind that so much on a mtb, but it sucks on a road bike IMO

Yep use the same fucntion on my Edge 500 and have used it to navigate Lejog and London to Amsterdam

I’ve used my edge for Nav on road & trails and it gets the job done. Possibly better than a detailed map as there arent the same distractions. £106 from Halfords, British cycling membership with get you 10% off and there is a Quidco deal on that that means it’ll pay for itself. Shame you didn’t decide earlier when there was the cash back deal on. My edge 200 cost me £55 after discounts. 😉

The Forerunner looks appealing but a little big on the wrist and have heard battery life is terrible, despite the quotes on the tech. blurb.

I’m not sure what model Forerunner you are referring to? I have a Forerunner 110, it is pretty slim – about the size of ‘normal’ sports watch, so not too noticeable when running. I’ve not really tested the battery life, but it easily lasts for 5 hours.
Though it has no navigation features at all, it just tells you the speed/distance/time/heart rate. Plus it will record a track, which you can then upload to whatever website.

There’s also the new Forerunner 10, which is a bit cheaper and smaller. Though it doesn’t do heart rate.

Holux 1200E. Tiny. Does nothing but log. you can plug it into your pc at home and export to GPX. Cost £25. battery lasts 11 hours on mine. chuck it in your bag or pocket while riding. charges from usb. memory store about 2 weeks riding when logging every 3 secs riding all day ie about 100,000 points

C

I use a Garmin Forerunner 210 to log my runs and rides and it works very well- nothing too fancy but very easy to use if you just want to get it and go.

Not noticed any issues with battery life at all.

what higher-end units give you the ability to see if you ‘ahead or behind’ a previous log/one downloaded of the web (strava type stuff?) which would be good for training…

for now, I think looking at it the 200 is the way to go, but not at the budget i want, so i’ll either have to wait for a sale, or go for one of those simple loggers off amazon/whats described above.

what higher-end units give you the ability to see if you ‘ahead or behind’ a previous log/one downloaded of the web (strava type stuff?) which would be good for training…

for now, I think looking at it the 200 is the way to go, but not at the budget i want, so i’ll either have to wait for a sale, or go for one of those simple loggers off amazon/whats described above.