Cheap bike GPS

[David Martin]

So there is this garminalike chinese GPS on eBay - http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-Holux-GR-245-GR245-GPSport-245-bike-Data-Logger-/320578173151?pt=UK_In_Car_Technology&hash=item4aa3f2b8df
At £50 is it worth a punt? My ageing QStars dongle appears to be getting increasingly inaccurate.

..d

[plum]

It's not really a GPS though is it? What I mean is it doesn't do any sort of navigation, just a data logger. Maybe I'm confusing terms.

[Wobbly John]

It may be able to count Carolines    ...



...but it doesn't appear to do mapping or directions. 

I'd say it's not worth it, if you ever want to try following routes.

If you just want a speedo that will show you, on your PC, where you have been, then £50 isn't bad, I suppose.

I'm set up with:

 a secondhand Garmin (at less than half that price) which does directions but not mapping. 

a phone that does mapping, GPS and can be charged from the dymano (but isn't weather proof  ) for less than £100 including the dyno charging bit.

[plum]

Carolines haha. You can imagine what the instructions will look like.

[Aushiker]

Holux is a known brand of GPS units.

Andrew

[Bledlow]

Not remarkably cheap, though. Comparable to other cycling GPS receivers with colour map display. £250-£300 for the Funtrek 130 models on the Holux UK site.

[phil d]

It's not really a GPS though is it? What I mean is it doesn't do any sort of navigation, just a data logger. Maybe I'm confusing terms.

It's a datalogger, not a navigation aid.  So the sort of thing that could be used to provide proof of passage on a GPS DIY audax.  As reported elsewhere I tried a Holux datalogger and could not get it to provide a tracklog that was good enough for this purpose (lacked elevation data even though it purported to record this).

If you only want a datalogger, a full (Garmin type) GPS is rather large and overkill.  But it does work!

[henshaw11]

The non-mapping Bryton units might be worth a look (and tend to be cheaper than the Garmin cycle equivalents)

There's a uk distributer for holux:
http://www.holux.co.uk/products.php

Have a search over on CC, ISTR Holux has come up in a few threads..

[Biggsy]

It's not really a GPS though is it? What I mean is it doesn't do any sort of navigation, just a data logger. Maybe I'm confusing terms.

It is really a GPS.  Global Positioning Satellite device.  But not a sat nav.  For the amount of space it takes up, though, I'd want sat nav as well.  There's also a chance of getting charged VAT +£8 collection fee if the seller doesn't falsify the customs form.

Better value for money will be a second-hand Garmin Edge or Etrex and free OSM maps.

[plum]

It's not really a GPS though is it? What I mean is it doesn't do any sort of navigation, just a data logger. Maybe I'm confusing terms.

It is really a GPS.  Global Positioning Satellite device.

Is exactly what I meant. In a lot of people's minds [mine too] GPS has become synonymous with satellite navigation, it's another hoover or band aid [well it's not but hopefully you get the point], which is how I meant it. Then it occurred to me that the OP might be using the olde worlde meaning and did literally want just a GPS based data logger with no navigation technology.