Originally Posted by
gtragitt
Garmin Forerunner 305 is great when used in conjunction with a speed/cadence sensor. It is relatively inexpensive. It mounts easily on the bars with a quick release kit.
A good choice for speeds and recording the ride, but it doesn't have maps.
Originally Posted by
JuliusII
Hello.
I'm looking for an affordable (when it comes to GPS receivers) bike GPS. I don't want anything that will guide me to a destination address. When I go cycling, I just ride in random direction and see where it takes me. I see an interesting path: "Cool, let's see where this one goes." And so on for 100 km. The main reason I want a GPS is that I can't carry enough detailed maps with me. So I'm looking for something that will show me a fairly detailed map and mark my position on. The second function I'm looking for is route tracking. I like to keep a log of my excursions but marking the routes on Google Earth whenever I come back becomes a chore.
So that's it, two basic functions I'm looking for. Any suggestions?
Are you asking if a unit can show you where you are, so you can decide how get home? Or do you just want to find out where you went after the ride?
Any GPS bike computer will record your route for later downloading, even if it can only display speed, heartrate, etc.
My Garmin 705 has maps, and shows my current position. I can zoom out to show more map area, but the tiny screen doesn't work very well for that--it's often very cluttered and hard to read, or else with less detail selected, only major roads are showing. So, using it to decide among alternate routes home when in an unfamiliar area would be tedious.
The 705's strengths are:
Ride recording--the route, often accurate enough to show which side of the road I'm on. Elevation calculations using barometric air pressure. Cadence from an optional sensor, and heartrate from a chest strap.
Uploading a route (I use Courses and .tcx files) to follow. This works great. I use ridewithgps.com and bikeroutetoaster.com course files. I get a fat purple line on the maps showing my route. The map scrolls as I ride, of course. It's great to be able to follow a complicated ride, with lots of turns, or ride to a new unknown area.
Determining your current location.
Workouts -- timed intervals, etc.
Backlit display for night riding.
15 hour battery life.
Weaknesses:
Browsing and scrolling the map is slow.
Having the 705 calculate a new route to a destination often doesn't work. It "should" work, but I just can't depend on it.