what's the most useful/best thing you have bought?

[young Ed]

I have a very old Garmin Etrex which doesn't have a mapping facility. The map is used by my MemoryMap software on my laptop at home. I plot the routes on that and save them as GPX files which I then upload to the GPS. I follow a 'breadcrumb trail' on the GPS screen when out on the road.

That system works really well until there is a change of plan! Usually, all is well, but just a few times in 8 years I have encountered diversions and had to improvise.

I know that you can get OS maps for many GPS devices these days, but I don't have experience of them.

save your pennies and get a garmin edge touring or even the 800 you won't regret any penny of it!
i got the edge touring and love it aside from having the maps etc it is just much more bicycle friendly and with the 800 you have the HRM and cadence
Cheers Ed

 

[young Ed]

you need to get the edge touring of even 800
they are just so much more bicycle friendly and with 800 you have HRM and cadence
and of course you can just punch in where you want to go and it takes you there. no more manual route plotting ;D
Cheers Ed

 

[numbnuts]

If I can't say "bike" it will have to be my camelbak

 

[ColinJ]

you need to get the edge touring of even 800
they are just so much more bicycle friendly and with 800 you have HRM and cadence
and of course you can just punch in where you want to go and it takes you there. no more manual route plotting ;D
Cheers Ed

I don't care about heart rate - I ride by feel, and whatever I am capable of at the time!

Cadence - I choose my gears/cadence by feel too.

I like manual route plotting, and I don't trust a computer to come up with routes as good as the ones I come up with! I know where to ride to get away from the traffic, such as roads which should be busy, but aren't, or roads which shouldn't be busy, but are! I also know how the wind tends to blow, and check weather forecasts. I know about long-term road works. I know where the good views and photo-opportunities are.

I'll stick with the old device until it packs up and see what is available (and I can afford) if/when that happens.

 

[Doyleyburger]

Edge touring. Although only used it once
Great to have the info it gives me in front of me

 

[Doyleyburger]

I agree @ColinJ .
No need for cadence or heart rate stuff. Never had it so won't miss it. The touring is basic enough but still gives you the info you may need. Mapping is an extra on it that I'm sure I will use at some point

 

[young Ed]

I don't care about heart rate - I ride by feel, and whatever I am capable of at the time!

Cadence - I choose my gears/cadence by feel too.

I like manual route plotting, and I don't trust a computer to come up with routes as good as the ones I come up with! I know where to ride to get away from the traffic, such as roads which should be busy, but aren't, or roads which shouldn't be busy, but are! I also know how the wind tends to blow, and check weather forecasts. I know about long-term road works. I know where the good views and photo-opportunities are.

I'll stick with the old device until it packs up and see what is available (and I can afford) if/when that happens.

fair enough i guess it is because i am a lasy bum and don't want to plot out the route of about almost 2000 miles next year for lejog and back again!
what etrex device have you got and how do you import the bread crumb trail? just we have one and i could do that for walking/hiking
do you put a marker at each turning then?
Cheers Ed

 

[Sharky]

Chain whip has been useful over the years.

 

[Smurfy]

White Lightning dry lube. No more mess!

 

[redcard]

My heated bodysuit

 

[ColinJ]

fair enough i guess it is because i am a lasy bum and don't want to plot out the route of about almost 2000 miles next year for lejog and back again!
what etrex device have you got and how do you import the bread crumb trail? just we have one and i could do that for walking/hiking
do you put a marker at each turning then?
Cheers Ed

No way would I consider letting a GPS route a LEJOG for me! I would be researching the hills, the traffic, the scenery, accommodation and so on. I would be a total control freak about it, and I would use Google Streetview to check every metre of the route before riding it!

I have the oldest and simplest yellow Etrex. The one that they replaced with the Etrex H.

I used to plot my rides as 'routes' and place waypoint markers at the turns. Once I got used to it, I decided it was enough to plot them as 'tracks' which is handier because the tracks memory on the device is bigger than the routes memory - much less faffing about.

My MM software has an 'export to GPS' function. The GPS uses an old-fashioned RS232 serial port connection, but I use a USB-RS232 converter cable because I don't have an RS232 port on my laptop.

 

[young Ed]

No way would I consider letting a GPS route a LEJOG for me! I would be researching the hills, the traffic, the scenery, accommodation and so on. I would be a total control freak about it, and I would use Google Streetview to check every metre of the route before riding it!

I have the oldest and simplest yellow Etrex. The one that they replaced with the Etrex H.

I used to plot my rides as 'routes' and place waypoint markers at the turns. Once I got used to it, I decided it was enough to plot them as 'tracks' which is handier because the tracks memory on the device is bigger than the routes memory - much less faffing about.

My MM software has an 'export to GPS' function. The GPS uses an old-fashioned RS232 serial port connection, but I use a USB-RS232 converter cable because I don't have an RS232 port on my laptop.

wild bivying all the way so accommodation is no real planning! might spend the hours though and plot it road by road for each day
Cheers Ed

 

[ColinJ]

wild bivying all the way so accommodation is no real planning! might spend the hours though and plot it road by road for each day
Cheers Ed

Well, you don't want to be bivvying in a shopping centre in the middle of Birmingham or Manchester, so you'd want to make sure that you didn't end up there at the end of the day!

The GPS could send you don't some horrendously busy dual-carriageway when there is a lovely scenic minor road nearby which you could have used.

I think half the fun of long rides is planning and anticipating them. I started planning my coming March forum ride at the end of last year!

 

[young Ed]

Well, you don't want to be bivvying in a shopping centre in the middle of Birmingham or Manchester, so you'd want to make sure that you didn't end up there at the end of the day!

The GPS could send you don't some horrendously busy dual-carriageway when there is a lovely scenic minor road nearby which you could have used.

I think half the fun of long rides is planning and anticipating them. I started planning my coming March forum ride at the end of last year!

how long is this forum ride?
Cheers Ed

 

[Smurfy]

Well, you don't want to be bivvying in a shopping centre in the middle of Birmingham or Manchester, so you'd want to make sure that you didn't end up there at the end of the day!

The GPS could send you don't some horrendously busy dual-carriageway when there is a lovely scenic minor road nearby which you could have used.

I think half the fun of long rides is planning and anticipating them. I started planning my coming March forum ride at the end of last year!

I was almost tempted to put 'Paper Maps' as the reply to this thread, as I still use them a lot, and I find them much easier for searching out minor/quiet roads than a computer screen.