Gps, Garmin type thingys. Tell me about them please.

I have the memory of a goldfish. The result of this is that I end up riding a lot of the same tracks and loops. If I do go somewhere else and am following someone I inevitably end up forgetting the majority of the route.

What is a good gps tool/gadget that I can input maps into and follow round?

i’ve got no spatial awareness, terrible memory, and my eyes don’t work.

even i can follow the squiggly black line on my edge 200…

(it’s not proper ‘mapping’ – but that kind of thing is a bit spendy)

My Bryton 50 does that for me. I either plan a route at home and follow it or go out and ride and reuse the route at a later date.

I could justify the extra for a comparable Garmin (although I acknowledge they’re a bit more “polished”) and the Bryton hasn’t disappointed.

I got an eTrex 20 and a full set of OS maps cheap from here, it’s excellent

http://gb.ioffer.com/i/2012-garmin-gb-discoverer-1-50k-full-coverage-127349741

That’s seem very cheap for the maps. Any catch?

I bought them, they work, so did my brother and a couple of other people I know of

Can’t imagine Garmin are too pleased mind 😉

I use a Garmin Edge 305. It logs where I’ve been and I save the routes for the future. I also plot routes on GarminConnect using satellite view (more accurate for off road routes) using an OS map as a reference the upload the gpx files to the Garmin. I take it from your post that you haven’t used one, so I’ll explain. You save the route as a course, then select “follow course.” A black line appears on the screen with an arrow which shows your location. As you ride the arrow follows the trail, and if you stray it bleeps and shows you which direction you need to go in order to get
back on course. If you ride the course more than once the device remembers and shows a ghost rider arrow which is you last time you rode, giving you something to compare your performance if that takes your fancy.
You can also search gpx sharing sites for other peoples’ routes and download them to your device. There is a way to add way points and notes, say for complex junctions, but I’m still finding my way through this.

I’m not convinced you need any more than that, but I always take an OS printout of the route with me as backup ( and to find bailout routes if I need them)

So, as fr as I’m concerned you don’t actually need expensive base mapping, so would recommend the Edge 200 or 500. You can pickup 305s if you look for them.

I find my edge 200 is a bit more “bike friendly” and for casual use/single day rides its great. Along with Restlessnative I bought those ioffer maps and a mapfree Garmin. I went for the Dakota 20. It’s not so bike friendly as its bulkier, needs a mount buying, takes AAs etc but is better suited then for multiday rides. If you were talking trails in woods the edge might be better as the plain arrow and line is clearer to read. If you’re out on the hill though having proper OS maps is a godsend.