# Any Reason you can't just use a TomTom?



## Xiorell (22 Oct 2011)

I mean, propper cycle gps/satnav is bloody expensive...
...Could you not just use a normal TomTom if you're just riding on normal roads?

I know there'd be a battery life issue but say for example, you're off out on a long trip along unknown roads and get yourself lost. Rather than faff about with maps, could you not just have an old tomtom one in your luggage/saddle bag and fire it up for a bit while you get yourself sorted out?


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## potsy (22 Oct 2011)

I've done just that a few times, battery life is not great so use it in short bursts or if seriously lost to get you pointing back in the right direction.


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## numbnuts (22 Oct 2011)

I tried using my Garmin car satnav, but couldn't see the screen in bright sunlight


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## snailracer (22 Oct 2011)

Drawbacks:
- Colour LCD washes out to invisibilty in daylight, may also reflect glare from sky
- Not waterproof
- Lack of practical mount (vinyl pouches make the screen even harder to view)
- Battery life
That said, I sometimes use my Tomtom - the audio instructions and bicycle routing option work OK. I even have a way to import tracks into it, extremely fiddly so I won't explain it here.


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## Ellis456 (22 Oct 2011)

You can yes, I do, have a handlebar mount I got from ebay a few years back thatw as meant for a mobile phone but holds my tomtom fine, I have replaced the internal battery and now get around an hour and a half if the brightness is turned down.




For making it weather proof you can buy these sat nav slip on things like for motorbikesm you can see the screen yet its kept dry. And for glare you can buy a sunshield.


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## jefmcg (22 Oct 2011)

I had TomTom on my old phone, and used it regularly. I've got an android now, which has google navigation which is designed for cars: very handy.


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## 3tyretrackterry (23 Oct 2011)

yes you can 
get a motorcycle sat nav like a quest or streetpilot they run on batteries i have one and it is great does all that i ask and more ebay is your friend here


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## chillyuk (23 Oct 2011)

I tried my Garmin on the bike a while back. I travelled 10 miles home and not once did it pick up a satellite. In the car over the same route it works perfectly. When I first moved to Harlow I sometimes took it with me when walking and it sometimes picked up where I was and I could check the map. I think you have to be moving at faster than walking or (my) cycling speed for it to work properly.


PS, I don't make a habit of taking my SatNav for a walk! It was when I first got it and before the novelty wore off


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## smokeysmoo (23 Oct 2011)

chillyuk said:


> I think you have to be moving at faster than walking or (my) cycling speed for it to work properly.



Not so with a Tom Tom, I regularly put mine on my office window sill to get a signal so I can plan my route if I've got an early start the following day. (this is for driving to meetings etc so I can just jump in the car at stupid o'clock, turn it on and go, I don't use it for cycling). Point being it picks ups a GPS fix without being in the car everytime


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## Fab Foodie (23 Oct 2011)

Any reason you can't use a map  

OS map, compass. Cheap, needs no batteries - bugger in the wind and rain though!
Can also make colour copies of the bits of map you need and use that. It's what I do on longer trips, can fold/ shove the copies wherever, up your sleeve etc.
Not as convenient as a Satnav/GPS, but cheapo and workable.
Maps have the added advantage that they give a better appreciation of the terrain and the layout of the area. 

I know it's not the answer to your question, but it's an alternative view!


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## potsy (23 Oct 2011)

Do you also take your sundial to keep track of the time ff?


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## Sara_H (23 Oct 2011)

As someone who jas zero sense of direction, I could really use some cycle satnav type thing.

I have tried out the bike hub app, but on a test in my own city I found the routes it took bizzare, it seemed slow, the instructions were difficult to hear and not clear. In short - it was no good!

As others have said, paper maps are an option, but for someone like me with poor sense of direction, it means stopping every two minutes to get the map and compass out!


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## Fab Foodie (23 Oct 2011)

potsy said:


> Do you also take your sundial to keep track of the time ff?



I move with the times potsy, Officially certified mechanical Swiss Chronometer for me!


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## Fab Foodie (23 Oct 2011)

Sara_H said:


> As someone who jas zero sense of direction, I could really use some cycle satnav type thing.
> 
> I have tried out the bike hub app, but on a test in my own city I found the routes it took bizzare, it seemed slow, the instructions were difficult to hear and not clear. In short - it was no good!
> 
> As others have said, paper maps are an option, but for someone like me with poor sense of direction, it means stopping every two minutes to get the map and compass out!



I find my Tom Tom's like that as well!

Ok, my view is that if you need Satellite Navigation to get around on a bike, it's worth investing in the proper device for the Job.


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## Maz (23 Oct 2011)

You _could _use a TomTom, but you might end up taking the Motorway...


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## Shut Up Legs (23 Oct 2011)

snailracer said:


> Drawbacks:
> - Colour LCD washes out to invisibilty in daylight, may also reflect glare from sky
> - Not waterproof
> - Lack of practical mount (vinyl pouches make the screen even harder to view)
> ...


... and all these (and more) is why the bicycle satnavs are more expensive. They have to be durable, waterproof, run for long periods, be visible in sunlight, etc. etc. You pay for what you get (or is it 'you get what you pay for'?).


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## betty swollocks (23 Oct 2011)

I have 'Navigon' installed on my iphone. Navigon has a cycling option. You feed in your destination and it will find minor roads to get you there.
Last year I cycled to Scotland navigating this way. Dimming the screen completely and just and listening with a single earphone in, gave it a decent battery life. Stopped at a pub lunchtimes to top up the charge though.
Had a map for back-up, which proved unnecessary.


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## Glow worm (23 Oct 2011)

betty swollocks said:


> *Stopped at a pub lunchtimes to top up the charge though.*
> Had a map for back-up, which proved unnecessary.



Good excuse for a pub stop! 
I use this Memory Map device for long rides. The gadget was pricey, but hey I figured, only the value of about 4 tanks of petrol that I was saving anyway. I used it to get to Amsterdam and back and it was great, battery life is about 7 hours and you just download O.S. maps or equivalent abroad. I love maps but found I was spoiling so many of my treasured OS maps by getting them wet. Its also a PITA to keep stopping to unfold and look at them.

It does seem a pity you can't use your own wheel power to charge such GPS devices like how dynamo lights work- someone must have figures out how to do this though I haven't seen any in use.


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## Fab Foodie (23 Oct 2011)

Glow worm said:


> It does seem a pity you can't use your own wheel power to charge such GPS devices like how dynamo lights work- someone must have figures out how to do this though I haven't seen any in use.



Oh but you can ....


http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/busch-and-muller-e-werk-dynamo-powered-device-charger-prod21393/


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## BlackPanther (23 Oct 2011)

This Summer I cycled from Doncaster to Milton Keynes. I knew my route as far as Melton Mowbray and printed/laminated maps form there onwards. I bought the cheapest satnav phone I could find (a nokia 5230) in case I lost my way. I camped 'roadside' in Tilton on the Hill, and around 20 mins after setting off the next morning I used the sat nav function for the first time, because the maps I'd printed weren't 'zoomed in' enough. I came across a couple of T-junctions where the signposted villages weren't on my maps!

It also helped me through Northampton centre and on to the right road back out. The phone only cost around 60 quid, worked perfectly, and when I arrived I'd had the phone on for around 12 hours, with the sat nav on for over 2 hours (on dim setting). I had about 1/4 battery life left. I suppose at a push you could maybe recharge in a McDonalds on route?

It came with a holder that I managed to fit on the bike, and I had a clear plastic sandwich bag on standby for if it rained. Cheap and effective.


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## jefmcg (23 Oct 2011)

Fab Foodie said:


> Oh but you can ....
> 
> 
> http://www.sjscycles...rger-prod21393/



or http://www.thinkbiologic.com/products/reecharge-power-pack


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## Xiorell (23 Oct 2011)

Fab Foodie said:


> Any reason you can't use a map
> 
> OS map, compass. Cheap, needs no batteries - bugger in the wind and rain though!
> Can also make colour copies of the bits of map you need and use that. It's what I do on longer trips, can fold/ shove the copies wherever, up your sleeve etc.
> ...



I've no objection to regular maps at all, when me and the misses are going somewhere in the car we normally use a normal map the whole way.

But sometimes, you just can't be arsed lol


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## snailracer (24 Oct 2011)

victor said:


> ... and all these (and more) is why the bicycle satnavs are more expensive. They have to be durable, waterproof, run for long periods, be visible in sunlight, etc. etc. You pay for what you get (or is it 'you get what you pay for'?).


AFAICT, bicycle and motorcycle satnavs are more expensive mostly because they are niche items serving a tiny market, not because the components are much more expensive.

For me, the main drawback of the car satnav is the colour LCD display - if you could buy them with the older greyscale transflective displays (commonly found on GPS "trackers" and really old mobile phones), they would be visible in daylight, cheaper and use less power.

The waterproofness can be sorted with a ziploc freezer bag. Replaceable batteries are a bit of mixed blessing - yes you can buy more on the way, but they are bulkier & heavier for any given amount of energy.

I'm not sure any device is tough enough to survive a crash - the car satnav copes by being cheap to replace .


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## jonny jeez (24 Oct 2011)

Xiorell said:


> could you not just have an old tomtom one in your luggage/saddle bag and fire it up for a bit while you get yourself sorted out?




Better still download Google maps onto your phone, works for me whenever I'm lost...shows my current position, provides live directions and is very accurate...and simple to use.


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## the dragster (13 Dec 2011)

i use a garmin nuvi sat nav on my bike it helps when in countryside.


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## cyberknight (13 Dec 2011)

jonny jeez said:


> Better still download Google maps onto your phone, works for me whenever I'm lost...shows my current position, provides live directions and is very accurate...and simple to use.


I have an app on my phone where i download maps onto the pc and then convert them into phone maps that are stored on a memory card, this way i do not incur data charges as i have downloaded and converted a big area that i am likely to cycle in and it came to about 50 mb.


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## fossyant (13 Dec 2011)

I'll stick with my 705 - great gadget !


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## John90 (13 Dec 2011)

fossyant said:


> I'll stick with my 705 - great gadget !


 
I concur, although the 'find places' facility is a bit eccentric in my view and mine has a tendency to switch itself off occasionally (this after a couple of years use, which for high tech gadgets is about par I guess).


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## Davidc (13 Dec 2011)

I'm mainly with FF. I do use a Garmin Foretrex 101 as well which gives me NGR if I need it.

I have taken an old Navman iCN 501 with me. With the screen illumination off it lasts about 6 hours and the voice instructions are useable. On a universal handlebar mount it's OK in dull weather and lasts about 4 hours. Too big and the maps aren't designed for bike rides so I don't bother.


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## tudor (14 Dec 2011)

Bike hub, anyone?
http://www.bikehub.co.uk/featured-articles/bike-hub-app-reviews-and-some-answers/


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## jdtate101 (14 Dec 2011)

If you just want GPS and route mapping, I suppose a car GPS would work (if you could weather proof it). The main reason why I use a Garmin 800 is the ANT+ capability for HR and cadance info. That's part of the extra cost you pay for a cycling specific GPS unit.


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