Originally Posted by Carusoswi
That is a pretty minor inconvenience in my experience. The Etrex doesn't come close to what I have spent on my bikes, and seems able to run forever on a set of AA's. Certainly not as long as a computer - they seem to run for a year on a set of batteries, but, I bet I get 18-24 hours out of a set of AA's in my Etrex, and I run rechargeable AA's, so, cost really becomes a non-factor.
A GPS weighs a ton compared to a computer, if you happen to be a weight weenie. It eats batteries. My Cateye runs for years on 1 cr2032 button cell. 3 batteries in 12 years. The Cateye is tough as nails. and way cheaper too. BTW, if you have a wired computer, you can often pick up a new mounting kit with cable on ebay cheaply.
If all you want is speed and mileage, a computer is a lot better. If you want mapping and data logging, go with the GPS.