Electronics, Lighting, & Gadgets - Best GPS for bike, car, directions, file download & massaging

We just went on holiday and finding destinations with just maps a nightmare.

We are looking for a GPS navigator that meets the following requirements:


displays a map
use in car for voice directions
use on bike for voice directions (okay for an additional, possibly external battery)
easily transferred from bike to car and vice versa
no cadence or heart rate required for bike use
record route to file
download file to computer
file format must be the accepted de facto "standard" for manipulation by programs and upload to Open Map and Map My Ride (or at least easily converted to the de facto standard from the native proprietary standard)
upload routes from computer to navigator
be really, really inexpensive (moo-er-ah-ha-ha-ha-ha :D)


I would also be interested in GPS-based stolen bike tracing; not sure how this relates to the GPS navigator.

If you have any advice about issues overlooked in the list above, please feel free to add them. This GPS novice will be grateful any help you can give.

Regards,
Hedley

hifinger

There was no way I was going to buy the Garmin edge 800 bike GPS for $649. So I adapted my Garmin 2595 car gps with an external battery (Gomadic brand w/their prop USB cable to match Garmin's own variation) and a RAM bike mount. On a short ride the last weekend it worked justgreat. I expect the GPS battery to last about 2-3 hours and the battery, an additional 3 hours. So as long as you don't keep it on all the time it should last a 5-6 hour ride everyday. This is what I plan to use on my tour. You could probably buy a cheaper car Garmin GPS. I don't know about uploading and downloading maps, however. I don't plan to do that with the ACA maps - too much hassle. In any case I'll have back up maps and a backup :) GPS via my Android if I need it...

Are there any cheap I Phone apps that show you the random route you just took and the mileage? Also, can any be linked to the computer for logging?

Sounds like Osmand, the Android app, would be the ticket.

Can any of the "car" GPSr's be easily hooked up to a solar panel? If so how big would the panel need to be, and where would one need to place said panel?

If I could get a GPS with a massage feature I'd be all over that.

If I could get a GPS with a massage feature I'd be all over that.

I am sure the car GPS's will direct you to a massage place. We need someone with an entrepreneurial mind to solve this problem of cutting out the middle man... :)

If I could get a GPS with a massage feature I'd be all over that.

- set the phone to vibrate
- tape the phone to your back, neck, etc
- have someone call you repeatedly

- set the phone to vibrate
- tape the phone to your back, neck, etc
- have someone call you repeatedly

there's an app for that too.

On my Google Nexus S with Android 4.0 I've been using Google Maps for showing maps including "breadcrumb trails" from GPX / KML files imported into "My Maps" to follow existing routes. I can always see where I am relative to the trail I'm following and it shows a ruler to identify distances on the map. I can zoom and slide using my fingers on the touch screen. For GPS logging I use the Strava app. I can later re-export the GPX from the Strava site and import it into MMR (though MMR can't be exported into Strava as MMR only let you export routes, not workouts).

The only thing is, you need either a USB battery or dynamo hub USB adapter if you do rides beyond a certain length (4-6 hours, depending how often you check the screen).

I'm very happy with this solution, as it requires no extra gadgets beyond the smartphone I already use and the optional power source for longer rides. I can keep the phone in my pocket or a back pack side pocket. It's equally usable for hiking.

Anybody try MapMyRide for Android?

there's an app for that too.

:roflmao2:

- set the phone to vibrate
- tape the phone to your back, neck, etc
- have someone call you repeatedly

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=sonjoy.FreePowerVibrator&hl=en

iPhone version

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/vibrate-massager/id498812756?mt=8

Anybody try MapMyRide for Android?

Until about 3 months ago, yes. While I am still using their website for viewing stats and looking at route maps, I am no longer using their Android app. The two major reasons are:

1) If you log a ride with MMR, their website only lets you export the route (list of points that got you from A to B), but not the workout (list of points with precise time when you were there). You lose all performance data. You don't know how long it took you to get up that mountain that day. You have no way of figuring out at what speed you averaged on those 20 km, etc. You effectively lose the ability to analyze your own data with tools of your choice. There is no such limitation with the Strava app or the Endomondo app, which allow full data export. Therefore you're much better off recording with the Strava, Endomondo or other Android app and then importing the GPX file into MMR, if you still wnat to use their site. That way you keep yourself all options open.

2) The MMR app has an annoying bug where the times and even dates for the ride are recorded incorrectly if your time zone is ahead of UTC (i.e. almost anywhere except North and South America). If you import GPX files from Strava at least the time comes out correct, though you may still have to manually correct the calendar date on the MMR site. These problems have been known for at least 9 months, but they seem unable to fix them.

My recommendation is to use Strava as your primary Android cycling app and website and combine it with other sites if you like their extra features (RideWithGPS is also a nice website). MapMyRide will have to try harder if they want to remain competitive in the cycling GPS market.