Am still toying with purcase of a GPS system, but not sure how much I’ll really use it. I can see it’s purpose with road routes.

Most of my MTB is around the local (Wyre)forest which I know and I have the occasional trip out to purpsoe built centres. About 3 or 4 times each year I’ll go ‘proper mountain biking’ around routes in Wales, etc.

I am ok using a map & compass and I’m not really bothered about data relating to height gained, calories burned, etc.

So (please), those of you who already have a Garmin (or any other such system), how often do you really use them for anything other than a Cateye or other small computer could offer i.e. distance travelled, time laspe, etc.

Thanks

you don’t say what YOU want it for.

Sounds like a standard (cateye) bike computer is enough for you.

I use it (Sat Map) all the time for recording where I’ve been, how far, fast, and for following routes and exploring new areas.

The other alternative is just to get a Smart Phone. Plenty of apps out there that give you all that pointless information, and buying the right app you can get full UK OS maps.

They do eat battery though so you couldnt use on an all day ride.

I use a Garmin Forerunner 305 (watch type) and find it very useful mainly for an accurate speed/distance/heart rate/calories record.

Yes you could use a wireless cycle computer but I find it useful to look back over time to see how I’ve improved over particular sections and you can’t download data to a PC from a cycle computer.

It’s more accurate for calories than a cycle computer and it has the benefits of giving a backup if you get lost or unsure which way to go.

That’s what I like – whether it’s useful for you is another matter.

I use it (Garmin) all the time for recording where I’ve been, how far, fast, and for following routes and exploring new areas.

It means I’ve got an accurate record of how much work I’ve done or how idle I’ve been each month.

I was a pretty late adopter and only got a GPS at christmas (a garmin 800) and i’ve been really pleased with it so far.

All the data like height gained, average heart rates, average speed broken down into laps, cadence etc quickly becomes addictive to follow. It is a great training tool in that respect.

The GPS guidance function i’ve found useful but i’ve not really tested it out to its full capability off road yet (as in used it to follow a route i’ve plotted in an area i’ve never been to before).

I use a GPS smartphone running Viewranger. Its quite handy. I can download routes and its quicker/easier to use than a map and compass. Especially good when exploring for following random bit of singletrack that aren’t on the map but look like fun. Mine will happily run all day, too.

I use a garmin etrex Vista HCx – brilliant on road/off-road rides where I have no prior knowledge of the route… turn by turn accuracy on very minor roads by just following a tracklog generated with either bikehike.co.uk or Tracklogs software. Batteries last a long time and I have a piece of software that will then tag any photos with their ‘exact’ location (using a comparator of the time stamp on the tracklog and the photo I guess). So several uses really…. depends on what you want to do with them really.

I use mine on longer more trails type rides and find it very useful. For route finding I use an old geko 301 still although I do have the memory map app on my iphone which I also take along if I want to actually check the terrain.

I’m a bit old skool, but I quite like the “dumb” nature of the basic geko. I plan a route at home on memory map and download a route with waymarks at every path junction or decision point and use the upcoming feature screen:-

It tells me when to look out for a next turn and what direction it will be- all the info I need. I can read it at full speed whilst being bounced around which I think is the major downfall of the small screened map based outputs when strapped on a set of bars. Ultimately it allows me to ride places I’m not 100% familiar with a good pace without canstantly stopping to check a real map or tiny map on a screen and is monitarily virtually worthless now so don’t care too much about if it might get trashed in a fall. If you rarely ride where you don’t know it is probably not really worth it.

(*Also have Memory Map sw on pc)
I’ve just gone from basic Etrex (which gives Grid Pos, tracking and direction pointer on a preloaded route, to a Satmap (rolling OS50,000, tracking, routes, dancing, singing etc etc). I found the Etrex sometimes not quite accurate enough (in areas of busy tracks/multi junctions) etc etc you could go wrong blindly following the arrow,however in combination with OS Map and grid ref you can sort it out. I really thought I’d love the rolling OS but I don’t, possibly as the area size displayed is very limited and possibly after about 40 years of reading OS50,000 full size I might be ‘habitualised’ or something (and poss as the map can be twisted, moved, etc etc very quickly) and you can see distant reference points and line the ‘world’ and the map up.

Ultimately I will always have a map and compass anyway, the Etrex sometimes helped out (ie New Forest, where no decent reference points, NW Highlands – so many bleeding peaks it was impossible to be definite) and the Satmap was bought for Scotland as I am doing all new routes and don’t want any disasters, but to be honest I don’t think I need it.

Both can be uploaded (via .gpx etc files) routes from the tinternet, which is a definite advantage.

I actually find memory Map the most useful thing, you can get the route distance and profile immediately so you can easily size it for you (*track conditions excepted)

Given your points I’d certainly try before buying esp satmap as they’re jolly expensive…

Thanks all.

Guess I think I’ll try and get out with someone who has one to see just how effective they would be for me …. or not …

Perhaps there’s a market there for rentals ? A sort of ‘try before you buy’ and money off scheme if you do ?…

I like mine for new routes, it was great in the alps for finding the hidden stuff. They are good for sharing routes and finding the best contours for cheeky trails in the woods. Best thing about them is geocaching with the kids though.

I use Memory Map on a smartphone 25k maps 10m accuracy, and I still get lost, but if it wasnt for it I’d probably be wandering the moors somewhere right now chewing my shoes for sustenance.

Ideal for planning a new route, and discovering how plain wrong OS maps really are.

convert –

I use an old geko 301

301? Get you and your fancypants schmoovygroovy modern GPS! 😉

Been using a Geko 201 for (ahem) many years and absolutely love it, for all the reasons given above. What I’ve quite liked is, over the years, building up a scrawl of tracks of routes ridden across the face of Memory Map:

(Including a couple of cheeky tracks of airliner flights…)

It does really shine for touring rides into the unknown on hitherto unseen roads as it stops all that faffing about with maps at junctions: you just go where the route you’ve uploaded into it takes you. I do find that I quite often have to remind myself to just ‘trust the other me who plotted all this on the computer; he wouldn’t have wanted you to go astray’!

Top tip: batteries.

I have used a Garmin GPSmap 60CS for years cost me a fortune £350 might have been more. No interest in recording anything all I want to do was not get lost AND not have to keep checking my map. Using Anquet maps you could download (and store on your computer) a route onto the GPS. That included a week touring. Now this old GPS had no actual map new ones do But I still want to download a route to it. This will mean I can decided the route in advance and with the aid of the actual map change it if I so please. My main problem is Anquet does not work on the new Garmins (at least not yet). Untill they do (and if they do)I see little point in changing. Also if it is a long ride (60+ miles) it would be difficult with such a small screen to work out a big change to the route??????????? So unless Garmin provide some software which allowes you to do this reasonably quickly (remember dowloading 100 plus grid reference would to put it mildly would be time consuming)

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dandelionandmurdoch – Member

convert –

I use an old geko 301
It does really shine for touring rides into the unknown on hitherto unseen roads as it stops all that faffing about with maps at junctions: you just go where the route you’ve uploaded into it takes you. I do find that I quite often have to remind myself to just ‘trust the other me who plotted all this on the computer; he wouldn’t have wanted you to go astray’!
Exactly how did you upload routes onto your Garmin?????

Yay for the Gekos!!

I have a 301 too and it’s still my mainstay for “out there” walking and biking. Particularly useful on longer trips as you can take a stack of AAA batteries with you, something these fancy rechargeable units can’t match.

I think it’s only recently been discontinued – and there’s nothing else in the Garmin range to really replace it.

brandeberryj – I upload routes onto my Geko using Anquet. I usually upload them as Tracks though – that gets around the limitation on number of waypoints per route.

What version of Anquet are you using? I thought they supported all the new devices? If not, save it from Anquet as a GPX file and then you can use something like bikeroutetoaster.com. Import it and use the Garmin Communicator plug-in to save it to your unit.

Geko 201 here

Mostly sat in back-pack & used for those..” I know I’m on this map somewhere” moments.

Use it with MemMap.

It does everything I want, small, lightweight, runs on AAA batts. It’s not the most sensitive of receivers but it works well enough for me…even with one of it’s corners now ‘missing in action’.

I use my Satmap all the time so I can have variety in my rides, otherwise I need to ride a route several times to memorise it so I can keep a decent rate up going round it, and then I still might forget it if I ride somewhere else.

Got an Etrex Summit and it worked really well with a couple of tracks loaded from Memory-Map when we did a couple of days riding round the North york moors.
I was following the breadcrum/stick man and only went wrong the once where I missed a turn when travelling at high speed on some rough stuff.
I think the simple screen graphics without a background map works really well for when you are on the bike.
Only gets used on these sort of outings, though, as I am not interested how slowly I am going on my local runs.

I had an Etrex Vista, cost me £300+ new. Not entirely waterproof. I “upgraded” to a Geko 201 because it’s lightweight and more importantly simple to use on the bike and you can swap the batteries over.

If I am using the GPS and I upload a route the night before. Print off maps from Memory Map 50k to A4 sheets (1:40k scale works well for me), I can wip out a map and check my position as quick as fiddlying around with buttons on a newer GPS. Oh an compass and proper map in the pack.

I don’t solely rely on one element but a combination of all three depending on how lost or if I need to change the route.

I go for the smart phone option these days, my GPS hasnt been used in years. The main annoyance was only 100 waypoints and the GPS receiver is terrible with any tree cover. a ride around the devils punchbowl was unfollowable.