What GPS?

[Frenchie]

My requirements and thoughts.

* I don't want to spend £300+.
* I want a GPS to focus on my riding, from a planned route that I would have uploaded, for club or sportive type rides, not "touring".

Taking my proposed usage into account and the fact that my new race bike doesn't yet ahve a computer I have thought of this:

   Garmin Edge 500 with Heart Rate and Cadence Only £223.99


What do you think? What else would you advise? Will I miss the map feature/screen?

I realise it doesn't have a map

[Jord]

I'd find the extra for a 605/705 and have the ability to add maps. I sold my 705 and purchased an Oregon 450 - in my opinion the Oregon is a better unit but if you do want a very bike specific unit the 705 is a brilliant piece of kit.

On the 500 you would just be following a dotted line on an Audax type ride.

Others will be on soon with a different view 

[border-rider]

Mapping is very useful indeed

Have you seen this thread ?

Help a Luddite choose

[Frenchie]

Have you seen this thread ?
Help a Luddite choose

Cheers.

PS Not an audaxer (these days); far more a club/sportive rider, so I mainly want to plot/download my route and go. The HRM seems a plus. Would I really need the map I wonder... ?

[border-rider]

I think the audax requirements are probably much like sportive/club - I plot routes  and download them to the GPS, and then follow them for my own day rides also just as you suggest.

I really would use mapping though.  It's very useful to see what's going on at junctions etc

[MSeries]

Without a map you;ll get a wiggly line and if you are lucky on a different screen an arrow pointing to the next waypoint

[Frenchie]

The jury's out for the Garmin 705 it seems then... (a bit over my planned price bracket) Anything else I should consider?

[border-rider]

eTrex Legend HCx seems to be a favourite.  Maybe a bit dated now, but about £140

No cadence or HRM though.

[F2H]

eTrex Legend HCx seems to be a favourite.  Maybe a bit dated now, but about £140

No cadence or HRM though.

The Dakota 20 is a more up-to-date model (if that matters to you) and can also be used with cadence and HRM as optional extras. The main unit can be had for under 300 quid but the extras will probably take you slightly over.

[Auntie Helen]

I think that Frankly Frankie was also planning to sell his Dakota 20

[frankly frankie]

'sGone. 
2 very happy cyclists have swapped GPS's's's   

[Jord]

I'd recommend the Oregon 450 but it is quite big compared to the Dakota and 705. It is ideal if you also use the GPS for other activities - it is fine in the car and for walking ect. I found the routing on the 705 useless for the car.

If you want to track your training nothing can get close to the 705. It has the virtual partner for regular runs/time trials, heart rate and cadence as well as the ability to add a power tap if required.

Horses for courses and all that.

[Greenbank]

Money no option: Edge 705

You may not need the maps but they're nice to have, it's a lovely little unit. The free routable OSM maps work well. Can be found for under £300.

Within budget: Edge 500

It is a lovely little thing, but it's really comes into its own with a Powermeter (SRM, PowerTap, Ergomo), without one it doesn't give you much more than the Edge 305 except for things being a bit easier to use (nicer screen, much larger internal memory, data files transferred directly as it appears as an HDD, etc).

Cheap: Secondhand Edge 305

Lots available on eBay as people upgrade to 500/705/other. Same ability to upload a route and have it point you in the right direction with an arrow, but less expensive. Same ability to record speed, position, cadence and HR.

For all of them remember that you get one GSC10 (speed/cadence sensor) with the GPS. Each extra bike you want to use it on will cost at least £24 or lots of time shifting them from one bike to another.

[Panoramix]

'sGone. 
2 very happy cyclists have swapped GPS's's's   

Disagreeing can yield a very positive outcome indeed!!!

Frenchie, if you want I will give you my impressions on the Dakota after the BCM (this week end).

So far I agree mostly with Frankly Frankie points in his review but I see the drawbacks he has experienced as annoyances rather than deal breakers.

I found the etrex difficult to use (not very logical) or at least not fitting well with my way of thinking.
I think that the Dakota ticks all your boxes plus others (Map, follow track, HRM, cycle computer) and it does geocaching rather well for a fun day out in family. Also there are profiles so you can have 2 or 3 different configuration depending on what you are doing.

[bikenerd]

I manage both on road an off road rides with an Edge 205 - just following the squiggly line that I plot in bikehike.co.uk and download directly to the unit.

I did write some simple software that allowed me to put "warnings" before junctions - which I also use to indicate surface changes on off road rides.

Works well and cost me £90!

[JT]

I manage both on road an off road rides with an Edge 205 - just following the squiggly line that I plot in bikehike.co.uk and download directly to the unit.

Same here. Bikehike for off-road and Marengo just for routes/waypoints.

[Jord]

I think that the Dakota ticks all your boxes plus others (Map, follow track, HRM, cycle computer)

But does it download the heart rate data?

[frankly frankie]

AIUI, yes.  It's included in the tracklog.  Allegedly.

[Jord]

AIUI, yes.  It's included in the tracklog.  Allegedly.

I know on the Oregon you can view the cadence and heart rate on the unit but it does not seem to download the data. Unless I'm doing something wrong. I've sold my cadence and heart rate monitor with the 705 as to be honest after the initial few rides it was just not that important to me so I can't double check it.

[frankly frankie]

I've seen a snippet of GPX output - can't remember where I saw it - which definitely included both HR and cadence for each recorded trackpoint, tagged as <Garmin Extensions> so probably only readable by Garmin software or by inspecting the text. 

[Greenbank]

Dasmoth's post here: Help a Luddite choose

[frankly frankie]

Code: [Select]

<gpxtpx:hr>180

Code: [Select]

</gpxtpx:hr>
scary!  

[Greenbank]

Heh, how about:-

          <Trackpoint>
            <Time>2009-09-22T19:57:47Z</Time>
            <Position>
              <LatitudeDegrees>51.4523757</LatitudeDegrees>
              <LongitudeDegrees>-0.1928119</LongitudeDegrees>
            </Position>
            <AltitudeMeters>12.6343994</AltitudeMeters>
            <DistanceMeters>1953.6729736</DistanceMeters>
            <HeartRateBpm xsi:type="HeartRateInBeatsPerMinute_t">
              <Value>202</Value>
            </HeartRateBpm>
            <SensorState>Absent</SensorState>
          </Trackpoint>

(Zooming in the google maps satellite view of that Lat/Lon should explain why. Device was a Garmin Forerunner 405.)

[Panoramix]

Code: [Select]

<gpxtpx:hr>180

Code: [Select]

</gpxtpx:hr>
scary!  

180, would nearly be a recovery rate for a rower!

[dasmoth]

Code: [Select]

<gpxtpx:hr>180

Code: [Select]

</gpxtpx:hr>
scary!  

The top of a gentle-ish climb.  I think I have a relatively high HR_max for my age.