Anyone used one of the new OS GPSs yet? Quite tempted by the new model for bike packing – full OS 1:50,000 plus I’m hoping it’s easier to use than my Garmin.  Only downside is it’s not AA batteries.

https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/shop/os-trail-bike-gps.html

Haven’t used one and at the price not something I’d consider. Have you thought of getting Viewranger on your phone? £25.00 P/A and all the offline maps you want. Case & Quadlock mount if you want it physically mounted to the bike.

Thanks for that but I definitely want something separate from my phone (which viewfinder and is maps already).

OS basically OEM these units from a Spanish company called TwoNav (previously CompeGPS). I am massively cynical that they will sell enough units to sustain the partnership against competition from Garmin, Wahoo etc… It feels to me as if a senior exec got talked into the idea. If it was me I’d go for something more established for that level of cash.

No, but I’d certainly consider it. I basically use os maps for exploring on my bike and already  pay a subscription for their software. My ageing Garmin 800 with os maps does the job but scrolling around the screen with gloves on is a pain, so a device with buttons appeals. I guess the satmap devices are the closest competitor for this and probably worth a look too.

Useful, thanks. Why is it so difficult to produce a bike gps that shows os maps and routes at a reasonable price?

Have a look at satmap , expensive (check out both gps and map costs) but you might get an older 10  or 12 cheap as they’ve brought out a new 20 model

mine was expensive but 7? Years on still on same battery pack and still works all day, had to get 1 £40? I think service as joystick rubber wore out and irritatingly they don’t seem to sell spare parts like that

+1 for Satmap if you want an intuitive, Ordnance Survey mapping GPS. I haven’t used the latest one, but the Satmap 12 stomps all over Garmin in terms of usability and also the quality of map reproduction.

One of the reasons OS map GPS units cost more is that Ordnance Survey mapping – a sort of semi-government / semi-commercial quango agency – is expensive to buy. And you have to buy the same maps in different formats for different apps and GPS brands, but that’s something else again.

Finally, the drawback of OS mapping relative to a simple thing with arrows is that it’s hard to use on the move, it’s just difficult to read a map of any sort while riding. Sometimes that’s a minor thing, at others it’s slightly irksome. Depends on the route you’re following.

Another Satmap user here. Started with 10 about 6/7 yrs ago & now use a 12.  Echo what BWG ^^ says about reading whilst riding but I don’t mind stopping occasionally to check. I originally bought the Satmap mainly for hill walking and it is a great bit of kit especially switching between the 1/25 & 1/50 maps. Expensive yes, but worth it imo,

I love Ordnance Survey maps but they don’t work too well on small screens – especially at cycling speeds. That’s why I have both OS and OSM maps on my Garmin Oregon and just select whatever is most appropriate at the time. It’s 3 presses to change between them so easy to do when stopped.

For whats it worth, all i do is use the OS app on my smartphone with offline maps thanks to buying the physical map (cheap from Blacks) & getting tbe digital download. Then i just mount my smartphone to the stem with this…

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/900-waterproof-bike-smartphone-holder-iphone-6-id_8373705.html

Fits my Oneplus 3 perfectly and very waterproof. Its been brilliant…i just sit down in an evening, link up bridlways etc into a route in the os app, then off i go the next day