Is there a sat Nav for bikes?
- Thread starter Cat
- Start date
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roadiewill
New Member
- Location
- Wiltshire
You can can things like that, not sure whether they are navigation or more of a digital map.
The Garmin Edge series are bike-specific. The 205/305 are more training orientated and will plot courses but do not display maps (I think?). The new 605/705 have full map displays (once you cough up for usable mapping 
) but the release date keeps slipping, although I believe a few people in the US have got them now.
The alternative is Satmap, which doesn't have the HR and Cadence functions but is out now, does use full raster OS maps (like the garmin, these are extra on the base unit price), and has a large screen.
Google either and you'll find a shed load of info.
) but the release date keeps slipping, although I believe a few people in the US have got them now.The alternative is Satmap, which doesn't have the HR and Cadence functions but is out now, does use full raster OS maps (like the garmin, these are extra on the base unit price), and has a large screen.
Google either and you'll find a shed load of info.
"The Edge 705 with Heart Rate Monitor and Speed/Cadence Sensor is expected to be available in December 2007 and have an estimated retail price of £359.99 / €549.99. This device includes an ANT+Sport heart rate monitor, speed/cadence sensor, AC charger, USB PC interface cable, bike mounts, owner’s manual on disk and quick-reference guide. Strangely enough Amazon is already taking orders for the Edge 705.
The Edge 605 has an estimated retail price of £269.99 / €399.99. It includes bike mounts, USB PC interface cable, AC charger, owner’s manual on disk and quick-reference guide. Though like the 705, it looks like you can buy the Edge 605 on Amazon as well. "
Is it worth it at that cost, lol.... does any one have one as yet or looking at getting one?
So do u have to subscribe yearly to it, i wonder........
The Edge 605 has an estimated retail price of £269.99 / €399.99. It includes bike mounts, USB PC interface cable, AC charger, owner’s manual on disk and quick-reference guide. Though like the 705, it looks like you can buy the Edge 605 on Amazon as well. "
Is it worth it at that cost, lol.... does any one have one as yet or looking at getting one?
So do u have to subscribe yearly to it, i wonder........
BentMikey
Rider of Seolferwulf
- Location
- South London
I have a Garmin eTrex Vista, it's just about perfect for my use on the bike.
roadiewill
New Member
- Location
- Wiltshire
whats wrong with a bit of adventure?
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
I don't see the need for sat nav on the bike...come on - a map and some pre planning.... It's not as though you need to be at a meeting at x time at x place in a town centre....... I have sat nav built in on the car, but wouldn't use a system on the bike.....
BentMikey
Rider of Seolferwulf
- Location
- South London
Cat said:
It does if you install a routable map, but that costs extra. Same for the 705 I believe.
Fossyant, it's definitely more useful than a map when you repeatedly have to go to unknown places. I don't know London that well, and it's much easier being able to glance down at the Garmin every few minutes than having to pull over and get clever with an A-Z.
Best bit for me is that I can just ride and not care at all where I am, and know that the GPS is constantly recalculating the best route home when I decide to stop cruising and head on back.
You don't lose out on a sense of adventure either, given the routings the GPS comes up with. Often surprising and interesting, hardly ever disadvantageous.
The Garmin eTrex works well, but just has route finding, not mapping - you can find it for just over £60.
You can get a Garmin bike bracket for about £13 (Maplin).
A nice site for converting Google map routes to download to the eTrex is Marengo GPS Route Planner.
Finally, get a cable to attach to the PC - GPSBitz are cheapest and best (about £8). You can then download your route to the computer and overlay on a map, see the profile, check speeds etc. I use GPS Trackmaker - freeware.
If you've got more cash, you can get more of the above in a package - possibly easier to use - but the above works.
You can get a Garmin bike bracket for about £13 (Maplin).
A nice site for converting Google map routes to download to the eTrex is Marengo GPS Route Planner.
Finally, get a cable to attach to the PC - GPSBitz are cheapest and best (about £8). You can then download your route to the computer and overlay on a map, see the profile, check speeds etc. I use GPS Trackmaker - freeware.
If you've got more cash, you can get more of the above in a package - possibly easier to use - but the above works.
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
OK another gadget for the bike....... TBH most of my rides are where I live and I know where I need to go..but I don't do big city navigating...no need - I commute, then go on a ride that's a loop... all well within where I know really quite a wide area.
I see the benefits for off road though.... and 'out of area'....
I see the benefits for off road though.... and 'out of area'....
Soz, didn't make it clear in my earlier post. The Garmin 605/705 use vector maps that can be used for route calcs in much the same way as a car sat nav. The only thing missing is the voice (and the screen is a bit too small). The Gramin Topo maps (at great additional cost) contain ground features and coutours but are not as pretty or as 'rich' as the OS maps on which they're based.
Satmap uses raster 'pictures' for maps, so you get OS in all its glory. The downside is that these can't be interpreted by the device to plan routes. They're just georeferenced overlays. This isn't a big limitation if you plan routes on Tracklogs or Memory map, because you'll be able to overlay your intended route over the OS map.
I've got a 705 on order because I'm planning a few lone adventures into Sussex this summer, and I don't fancy accidently finding myself on the tarmaced ribbons of death that seem to comprise most of Sussex's A-roads.
I would always carry a paper map as backup. But like BentMikey said, I don't want to be stopping every other mile to check a map if I'm not on home soil.
And I sweat like an angry publican, turning unwrapped maps into paper mache in a thrice.
And I like gadgets
Satmap uses raster 'pictures' for maps, so you get OS in all its glory. The downside is that these can't be interpreted by the device to plan routes. They're just georeferenced overlays. This isn't a big limitation if you plan routes on Tracklogs or Memory map, because you'll be able to overlay your intended route over the OS map.
I've got a 705 on order because I'm planning a few lone adventures into Sussex this summer, and I don't fancy accidently finding myself on the tarmaced ribbons of death that seem to comprise most of Sussex's A-roads.
I would always carry a paper map as backup. But like BentMikey said, I don't want to be stopping every other mile to check a map if I'm not on home soil.
And I sweat like an angry publican, turning unwrapped maps into paper mache in a thrice.
And I like gadgets
davidwalton
New Member
BentMikey said:
I agree. Given that until a month ago I had not traveled on hardly any of the roads around here, I have to rely on something that ....
a) Guides me back home when completely lost
Allows me to plan routes around the raceways there are here, ie. A127, A129, A13, A130, etc. Could only do that either by stopping all the time to read a map, or by following the GPS set to avoid such roads.Garmin units are not cheap, and to use it as a car SatNav is more expensive than that for a car generally. However, the Garmin are designed to be used outside in all weather, and those that run on standard batteries last a decent amount of time (Vista with AA 2900MAh batteries last over 24 hours use).
Yes, you do need to buy both the unit and the mapping software to have turn by turn navigation by road.
See https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=145 for the units that support mapping, plus from https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=160 the 605 and 705 models that are cycle fitness based.
wafflycat
New Member
- Location
- middle of Norfolk
