shardy53

I would like to know if they are accurate for speed and milage I have three bikes so it would be really convenient to have just one GPS. Also I would appreciate some recomendations on brands to look at.

Steve

eskimo85

Garmin. They make them so that you dont have to calibrate anything and thus can transfer them from bike to bike. More expensive than regular computers but very nice.
https://www.garmin.com/outdoor/products.html

kosherdave

I use a garmin GPS for running. Great for training and races. You could use on on your bike. Super easy to use and very accurate. When I race Duathlons, I have my garmin and my cyclocomputer. They always match up exactly in terms of distance, so I suspect both are really accurate. You can pick them up with a heart monitor (I don't have that) for a little more if you want one. Also, if shopping at EMS or something, they match ANY price, even something off the internet, so find it cheap, print off the web site, and take it in. They have no hassle returns if you find you don't like it. Be warned though, they suck in heavily wooded areas, or in the city with tall buildings. You can read my detailed review here: https://www.epinions.com/content_179246960260

Phantoj

I have a friend who works for Garmin. We recently got together and did a century on Missouri's Katy Trail. He used a Garmin Forerunner - 301, I think - instead of a bike computer. It worked fine. The Forerunner is designed with a bike mount. I'd recommend it.

I think the basic Forerunner isn't too expensive...

Also, Garmin is supposed to come out with the Edge pretty soon. It's supposed to be more bike-ready, I think. I think I would like to buy one of 'em when they come out, but the price may be a bit much to swallow...

Wil Davis

I have a Garmin Quest which I use on all three of my bikes. I bought a couple of extra mounts from Garmin so the Quest can be moved very easily between bikes. The Quest will run for around 20 hours between charges, and I can up/down-load data from it to and from a PC. I use the Garmin MapSource software for both the Quest and the Garmin 276C which I have in my car.

I can pre-load the Quest with routes and tell it to navigate. I've found it to be easy to use - it beats stopping and reading maps…

- Wil

SeqTarRou

Yes, call me an infogeek. Here is how I had my old Sequoia set up for a while to compare accuracy.

https://www.ourblueheaven.com/biking/bike/gps.jpg

I live in the Seattle area and ride where there are lots of hills and trees and signal strength is an issue sometimes. The GPS shown is good for hiking or also in the car and has full mapping software. I'll replace it with the new Garmin Edge when it becomes available. It includes HRM as well.

BlastRadius

I'm waiting for an EDGE version like the ForeRunner. The Forerunner's antenna loses tracking pretty easily in canyons and heavy tree cover. The EDGE has a much more sensitive antenna. I saw an EDGE demo at VeloSwap and it tracked 7 satellites indoors!

In open sky areas, the Forerunner is great though.

Bauerthis

The edge also uses a wheel mount sensor so if you do find yourself in a location that is not GPS friendly. You will still have speed/distance readings. It also has a baro sensor for more accurate ALT info.

Arom

i have a magellan that i bought a bike mount for i like it

Fat Boy Biker

Dude, you like an advertisment for an electronics store. Do you have subwoofers mounted under your saddle?

Steve
-I also have been know to have a fondness for gadgets

curt in denver

you can buy a Garmin 101 at Target for $99.00

SeqTarRou

ROFLMAO! Not a bad idea, had I thought of that a year ago, I probably would have done something like that (if you saw what I drive, you would know how true that statement is). My latest bikes are pretty stripped down though. HRM is still used and GPS goes in the back pocket. Aero bars are history. Trying to simplify things a bit.

ruppster

I had a setup similar to SegTarRou's for a while this summer. I ditched the 'puter and just use my Garmin Vista C now.

smoke

i have the garmin 301 forerunner. i think it's highly accurate for speed and distance. it's much better in wooded areas than my other gps gear was. i bought it for the same reason as you; i have two bikes, one without a place to mount a computer (a time trial bike). the gps functions of the garmin work fine. the heart rate function of it isn't up to snuff. it's gotten worse and worse as the year has gone on, for some reason. i've finally gotten where i use a ton of electrode gel to keep the contact between me and the belt, and sometimes that doesn't even work. HEY PHANTOJ - tell your friend that works for garmin that their heart rate function sucks. as soon as the season's over, i'm gonna send it back and have it repaired. if he wants to talk with me, give him my e-mail addy and i'll be happy to have a conversation

the garmin 305 is a bicycle-mounted computer that is coming out soon. supposedly even more sensitive to satellite sensing. and the altimeter function is based on barometric measurements (much better) instead of the old satellite computations (highly inaccurate at times). but it mounts on the bike, i believe

anyway, if all you want are the computer functions, i recommend the garmin forerunner highly. if you want heart rate with that, i'm afraid i can't recommend it

smoke

sunninho

I lost my Forerunner 301 after running a 5k this summer On the bike, it was great and pretty much mirrored my other computer when mounted next to the Cateye Astrale (wired).

I'm waiting on the Edge 305 early next year and hope to get it from either Costco or REI so I can return it if it ever fails in any way.

Phantoj

My friend who works for Garmin is a mechanical engineer and he works for their aviation instrumentation department. So he doesn't really have anything to do with the GPSes. He was supposed to get us an pre-production Edge to try - if he had done that, I'd really have something to talk about (or, probably be bound to secrecy). But that didn't happen.

My pal has the HR-equipped model (301?), but he didn't bother to wear the strap on our ride, so HR didn't get measured.

Do you have a wireless computer that is messing up the HR signal?

smoke

cool. i fly. i'll take any pre-production aviation stuff he wants somebody to try out. lol

i'd like to hear how the edge does. i'm not going to get it, but i'm curious. i use nothing but the 301; no other heart rate or computer system on me or the bike. so there are no interference issues. i did that once, to check the heart rate readings. i wore it and another heart rate system, they both worked, and they were within 1 beat of each other. just got lucky that day and the garmin decided to work

NoRacer

Well, I've used the Timex Bodylink. I have the oldest Garmin GPS unit that came with the Speed & Distance system and I have the newest GPS unit that Timex sells with the Bodylink. Both are frustrating to use due to 2 issues:

1 - loss of satellite(s)
2 - (but mostly) $hitty battery contact design

From now on, I'll only use the GPS to do a calibration check of my CatEye.

smoke

i had the timex for a while. really bad system. heart rate on it was good (and i kept that and travel with it), but the gps computer system didn't work worth a damn

Loosecannon

Waiting for an Edge 305 with HRM and cadence. Right now its either or but not both.

Phantoj

We're all waiting for the Edge... supposed to be available in January...


But I wonder if you can just get the HR Edge and buy a cadence kit for an extra $50 or so...?

I can't justify a bike computer that costs half as much as my car did, but maybe the discount price will be more reasonable.

Elvish Legion

Do you ever use the aero bars? It looks like things would be in the way

banerjek

I use a Magellan Meridian Platinum. It's decent, I like being able to track my vertical profile, and the mapping capabilities can be quite nice if you're in the middle of nowhere and aren't sure of your exact location. It comes with an available bike mount which is decent. It's a bit of a power hog, so I recommend NiMH batteries.

GPS is very accurate. However, if you bike alongside large rock walls or buildings, the GPS signals may be blocked. The Meridian is supposedly better than many other units with bad signals. I can say that it's decent, though I sometimes find coverage holes when I'm in the mountains.

Be aware that brackets to mount the GPS on your 3 bikes will cost as much as 3 inexpensive computers. If all you care about is speed and mileage, I'd either get 3 computers or get a computer and 3 kits to install. It will be lighter, you won't have to change batteries as often, and it will be cheaper.

However, GPS is pretty cool. Here are just a few things I use it for that have nothing to do with bikes:

1) Help you find unknown addresses/businesses -- the Meridian allows you to specify a distance from the target when you hear an alarm, so you don't even need to look at it for it to be useful

2) Keep track of your car or whatever if you have to go to an unknown area. Just put a GPS marker on it and forget about it

3) Keep track of where you are in relation to your destination when you are in public transport or riding with someone else.

4) Figure out where I am when hiking

SeqTarRou

Yes, I used the aero bars all the time, I loved them. I had things set up to not be in the way of my hands or arms (note the angle from the elbow rests to the grips and you can see the arms run up the outside of the bars).

When I bought my two newest bikes a few weeks ago, I decided to forego the aero bars and ride without them. The first couple of rides were kind of tough getting used to not having them (35+ mile rides) but I think overall not having them has made me a much stronger rider. I don't miss them at all anymore (except in strong headwinds) and will not install them on my new bikes. Whether I can still do a solo century without them remains to be seen but I won't need to worry about that until at least next spring, my winter rides are shorter than summer (its getting cold out there).

Phantoj

I talked to my friend at Garmin last night... he had been able to try out the Edge 301 recently. Some things he said:

He was able to use the speed sensor and heart rate monitor at the same time.

He thinks Garmin will be able to meet the expected January delivery date.

The heart rate monitor is much improved over the Forerunner.