Electronics, Lighting, & Gadgets - Time for a GPS or just a new computer? Decisions, decisions...

I love maps, since I have no sense of direction, I'm addicted to online mapping sites, and my bike computer (a Trek 8i) just died. So... GPS time? Will a budget of $200-300 get me anything decent? (I can kick in a little more if it's for something really cool.)

Stuff like cadence and heartrate isn't important to me. If I do look for a GPS, it'd have to be Macintosh-compatible, preferably with an SD card or USB transfer function. Durability is important as well; I'm pretty rough on equipment.

Thanks!

Add me to the list of people who love maps. I went with a Garmin Vista in hopes of simplifying the navigation part of biking. However, I quicky learned that in order to get from A to B, I need to spend quite a bit of time ahead of time preparing for the ride, i.e. locating good roads to bike on. If you think you can just plug a start and end point into the device and go, you may be dissapointed.

Before a ride, I pull out my maps (some are bike specific), plug the routesinto the desktop software and D/L to the GPS. When properly planned, the GPS is great for telling you where to go so you can concentrate on more important things, like the scenery :D

Keep it simple and cheap and just get a new computer. A cateye with the simple features you want. Leave the gadgets at home when you go cycling.

I use my GPS for biking, road trips (especially to places where I'm unfamiliar with the local roads) as well as hiking and plotting Jeep trails. To me, buying a GPS is worth it because it satisfies so many functions, but if all I was doing was biking, I'd probably just get a cheap computer instead.

LOL
You have an electronics \ gadgets forum where the recommendation is to forgo the gadget?

Anyhow, I have a garmin edge 305 and am pondering a garmin etrex vista for the same reasons.
I may start running out of room on my bars soon. :p
The more gadgets the better!

I use a Palm TIX with Cetus GPS software. The Palm does not have a GPS receiver so I use a Routee M2000 Bluetooth GPS from Dealextreme.com to provide that. Cetus software allows you to copy maps from online map sites like google maps and Yahoo maps. You may also scan paper maps and load them on the SD card in the Palm TIX. I can also access the internet and e-mail with my Palm as well. This makes it very easy to upload pictures and video via e-mail by simply putting the SD card from my camera into the Palm and upload them from a Wi-Fi hot spot. I purchased my Palm TIX on sale at Best buy for $199.99 and the Bluetooth GPS cost me $61.68. I know thats pushing your $300 upper limit and adding a 2-gig SD card so you can have lots of maps available would most likely push you over that $300. The Palm is useful off the bike as well so you should consider it more than just a GPS unit. Here are links to the stuff I use.
http://www.palm.com/us/products/handhelds/tx/
http://www.palm.com/us/images/products/handhelds/tx/PR_tx_device.jpg
http://www.cetusgps.dk/
http://www.cetusgps.dk/images/screenshots/about.gif
http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.10614
http://www.dealextreme.com/productimages/sku_10614_1.jpg
I use my dynamo to power and recharge both the Palm PDA and the GPS unit when required.

I love maps, since I have no sense of direction, I'm addicted to online mapping sites, and my bike computer (a Trek 8i) just died. So... GPS time? Will a budget of $200-300 get me anything decent? (I can kick in a little more if it's for something really cool.)

Stuff like cadence and heartrate isn't important to me. If I do look for a GPS, it'd have to be Macintosh-compatible, preferably with an SD card or USB transfer function. Durability is important as well; I'm pretty rough on equipment.

Thanks!

No need to get rid of the maps.

However, if you're tired of doing the same routes, or want to start exploring without fear of getting lost, then a GPS is the way to go. On Ebay, the older Etrek Lengend (non-color) version is going for less than $100.00 dollars. Add the Garmin Software and you still under $200.00 dollars. Don't forget to get 15 minute charger from Energizer and your set! You really need the charger because you'll go thorough loads of batteries.

The good news is the fear of the unknown is now gone. I look forward to this summer of traveling on routes never gone before. Look for trains and buses (Greyhound) that will take you far away. I know it takes time to make routes but this is the fun part. The library of rides you create will become priceless.

I love maps, since I have no sense of direction, I'm addicted to online mapping sites, and my bike computer (a Trek 8i) just died. So... GPS time? Will a budget of $200-300 get me anything decent? (I can kick in a little more if it's for something really cool.)

Neil, I've been using the Garmin 60Csx this year (handheld unit); I just start it, throw it in the pack and take it out if I need it. There's also a handlebar mount. With the new 3D map units coming out, I'm sure these will push the older units' price down.

Here's a sample motion-based link; however I still think bikely is more widely used.

http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/invitation/dashboard.mb?episodePk.pkValue=3934567

"Older" GPS:
https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=145&pID=310

New handheld unit coming out:
https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=145&pID=11022

New handheld unit coming out:
https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=145&pID=11022

REI have Colorado
http://www.rei.com/product/754440

Everybody, thanks for the advice! I now know some of what I'll be looking for. Important to me:

Mac compatibility - I'd rather not use my wife's laptop just for the GPS, and bootcamp on the Mac is an ugly option, even if I could run it (I have a G5).
Color screen - easier for me to read
Battery life - the oprion to use AAs or rechargables is appealing
Durable - I'm pretty rough on equipment
Within my budget of NMT $300
Uses SD or micro SD cardsThe Palm Pilot option is tempting, since I used to have a Palm IIIc and loved it. But it seems like too complex; I'd rather just grab one box and go, like I do now with the bike computer.

This thread (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=380573) is discussing some of the same issues, and the Delorme Earthmate PN-20 (http://shop.delorme.com/OA_HTML/DELibeCCtpSctDspRte.jsp?section=10106)looks sweet. It's the only one I found in this price range with support for vector-based maps. If it had Mac support, I'd get it.

Garmin is the only GPS company with Macintosh support, so I'd have to go with them.

The Garmin eTrex Legend® HCx [/URL]looks like the best of the lot. $250 at REI (http://www.rei.com/product/752635), $188 at Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-eTrex-Legend-HCx-High-Senstivity/dp/B000PDR27G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1201023624&sr=8-1). That'll give me some money to play with for add-ons -- maps, bike clip, et cetera.

If nobody has had horrible experiences using this on a Mac, I'm gonna order this.

Edit: The Vista HCx is $234 at Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000PDR1LS/ref=s9_asin_title_3?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-1&pf_rd_r=0THFK9R086RM23YZWKK2&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=278240701&pf_rd_i=507846), but adds an electronic compass. Not sure if that's wirth the $50 extra.

LOL
You have an electronics \ gadgets forum where the recommendation is to forgo the gadget?

Anyhow, I have a garmin edge 305 and am pondering a garmin etrex vista for the same reasons.
I may start running out of room on my bars soon. :p
The more gadgets the better!

The purpose of the forum is not "the more gadgets the better". He asked for an opinion and I gave it. IMHO he did not express a need that warranted a GPS for bicycling. If he did not want or was not really considering a simple computer then he should have titled his thread differently.:)

Update: I ended up ordering the Garmin Vista HCx. I got the City Navigator NT and the TOPO 2008 for North America. I was assured by Garmin sales that I'd be able to install the whole thing on a MAc, no PCs involned, nope. Of course this is incorrect. Garmin tech support is sending me a DVD of converted files I can use on the Mac.

I'm not all that upset, but I wish I had know this ahead of time. I'm assuming their sales people are... misinformed about the actual install process, which requires installing on a PC and then running a windows program to translate the files to Mac format.

Garmin is making huge strides towards Mac compatibility, but they're not quite there yet. What I've seen looks promising, though. We'll hopefully see full Mac packages Real Soon Now.

I thought all Macs came with a way to run windows programs now, or is that only certain versions of Mac that run Windows programs as well? At any rate, congratulations on your purchase! Just FYI, Garmin just released new firmware for the Vista HCx that is supposed to fix several issues:

http://forums.groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=184521

Changes from version 2.50 to version 2.60:

Correct German translation of 'delete all waypoints'.
Fix data card unlock failure when 2 cards of the same map set are used in one device.
Improve sun times for polar regions.
Fix issue where ETA in non motor vehicle modes can be unreasonably short.
Increase precision of distance measurement to the cursor on the map page.
Allow backlight adjustment on the track back point selection page.
Fix shutdown when editing Estonian Grid coordinates.
Correct daylight saving time for New Zealand.
Improve selection of the names of cross roads with NT maps.
Correct potential shutdown when viewing a vertical profile.
Correct European word translation of 'Find' and 'Mark'.
Support multiple languages in American version.
Fix screen fading issue in cold temperature.
Correct total ascent calculation.
Correct direction symbol of vertical speed.
Fix reboot issue of GPS firmware update.
Correct battery issue of lithium battery.

That's a pretty timely fix for me; I just picked up a battery charger and some rechargable AAs.

You need an Intel mac to run Windows. (I have a G5.) Even if I had one, I'm not sure I'd want to shell out $$ for a copy of Windows.

Sure those files aren't on Garmin's site?

Good choice - I like mine a lot though the simple computer is nice to check data against (especially when one datapoint winds up 20 blocks away for no reason - damn buildings). I'd recommend getting a simple $20 computer just to check the data against/save the ride if the batteries die in the middle.