GPS for navigation – Edge 25 or alternatives

I am looking at a GPS primarily for helping navigate pre-set off-road courses and was wondering what the Edge 25 was like?

I know you can follow a breadcrumb trail with it but is it any use off-road where you can’t see the rest of the map etc?

Any other suggestion up to about £150?
The other deivces I’ve been looking at are:
eTrex 20x: I am a bit put off by the terrible mounts and although not all that interested in bike specific functionality at the moment, I may want to start using Strava in the future

Bryton 330 / 530: Only available on eBay at the moment and would really like an easy warranty route as it’s a bit of an unknown

Used breadcrumbs without maps for years. Works well enough.

There’s the Edge Touring which does have maps. Works well if you throw the manual in the bin and use the internet to help you set it up and avoid its oddness. Nice thing about having maps is if you need to bail or adjust your ride in an unfamiliar location you can still navigate easily.

Yeah the comments on the Tourings eccentricities kinda put me off but when it works it should be just what I am looking for.

Well I’ve put some time into sorting it out – and now I like it. A lot of my earlier rants were caused by using Velomaps instead of Garmin’s maps. Also, I’ve had lots of software updates in the last couple of months.

Check this thread http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/edge-touring-users#post-7786042

If you want maps, it’s by far the cheapest way to get them. And if you are in unfamiliar locations, it’s a pretty good thing to have. I’m glad I have one now – very useful for my particular use-case.

I’ve got cheap ebay Etrex mounts like this one on 3 bikes, and haven’t had any problem with them. I do loop a lanyard around the bars as well, but it hasn’t been needed yet.

I got an Etrex20x which is fine, but (annoyingly) it doesn’t show total ascent – the older version used to, but now it’s just the Etrex30x that does. The included Garmin Topo map is fine, but it also works well with Open Streetmap / Open Fietsmap.

Battery life of the Edge, etc. put me off, along with the inability to swap batteries (2 x NiMh AA rechargeables easily last all day in the Etrex).

Something with a larger screen would be nice for when you’re not following a predefined route, but these are much more expensive.

Battery life of the Edge, etc. put me off, along with the inability to swap batteries (2 x NiMh AA rechargeables easily last all day in the Etrex).

Pretty easy these days to bring a portable rechargable battery. When I did the Trans Cambrian way I started to run low, so I plugged it in when I stopped at the Spar – by the time I got back on the bike it was 3/4 charged again. As infrequently as I need to ride more than 12 hours in one go, I can manage with a second battery.

reconditioned unit? You might be able to get a 500 or 510 for less. I just got my 800 replaced by Garmin for £85. Not sure if you can buy the straight away like that. It is in mint condition as far as I’m concerned. No box but otherwise couldn’t tell it wasn’t new.

eTrex 20x: I am a bit put off by the terrible mounts and although not all that interested in bike specific functionality at the moment, I may want to start using Strava in the future

I have one

I have just got the RAM mount – £15 and adapted a cheap mount from Ebay to make it changeable between bikes
Also has space behind mount for spare batteries

Mount also takes the contact when i invert bike and forget to move GPS first which i Like

As for starva

you use Garmin express to get to garmin connect which auto syncs with strava- set from strava

Once set up you essentially plug it into the computer and then use it as an external drive then upload the route – you can do this straight to strava if you prefer with the + button and load iirc

Screen is a bit small for proper navigation IMHO and i always use my phone if i am lost

your eyesight might be better than mine – well it will but its still a small screen

battery life is circa 18 hours with proper rechargables

I’ve got cheap ebay Etrex mounts like this one on 3 bikes, and haven’t had any problem with them

Mine has fallen off twice like that once I noticed at the time the other time some walkers found it and handed it back.
Both on the CX bike offroad – perhaps its ok on a FS bike offroad but not on a rigid but personally I wont use one- even they use a n lanyard and they are recommending it

https://www.amazon.co.uk/RAM-MOUNT-RAM-HOL-GA48-Garmin-eTrex-Holder/dp/B005FRY11W

Also better for swapping between bike and cost the same as having one of those on each bike

Bit bulky ming but does have peace of mind

FWIW, I’ve used the cheapy mounts on a rigid “gravel” bike, a fat bike both with rigid & suspension forks, and a hardtail, all ridden on rough / rocky terain. I suspect the quality of this type of varies wildly, and that I’ve been lucky.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/RAM-MOUNT-RAM-HOL-GA48-Garmin-eTrex-Holder/dp/B005FRY11W

^Those do look much better, though.

The line following on the Edge 25 is alright, but I’d prefer something with maps if I was navigating somewhere new. The Edge 25 has some small but not dealbreaking annoyances, like letting my bars turn when I stopped seemed to confuse it occasionally until I started moving again.

Love the breadcrumb feature, just enough information to keep you on your toes. I plot routes using viewranger on the laptop lost it onto the GPS, then sync it with my smart phone, which I’ve got the OS maps on so if I get lost I can work out where I am.

Pretty easy these days to bring a portable rechargable battery.
…
As infrequently as I need to ride more than 12 hours in one go, I can manage with a second battery.

A portable power pack is always an option, but to use it means having a cable strung between the two and worrying about it all getting wet.

The battery life on the 25 is quoted as “upto 8 hours” – I don’t know what that translates to in the real world of “charged up last week, not a brand new battery, frequent button pressing”. I’m out for 6 hour rides fairly often, probably with a bit of faffing before, so *for me* that sounds a bit close for comfort if I was relying on it for navigation. (Not really an issue for shorter rides / not relying on it for navigation / if just collecting Strava data, etc.) – YMMV.

Again, for me, being able to swap batteries is more about “Bugger! I forgot to charge it, but I need it NOW!” than super endurance – some* people will be more organised than me.

*most.

Thanks all.

Junkyard: How does that RAM mount attach? I;d be swapping between a CX & a MTB though not likely to use it on the MTB frequently.