Yes, if one only needs to track distance a cyclometer works fine. I have a Garmin eTrex Vista Legend HcX (AA batteries) & pre-programmed turn-by-turn directions didn't work; was only useful to find location when lost. Current Garmin Touring, I hear, doesn't work much better. Wired cycloputers are a bit more dependable than wireless but I've had reasonable luck w/wireless. Current wireless cycloputer died though, next one will include altimeter.

GPS is still sucking battery, as are whatever apps you are using, all dependent on the phone but I doubt you see two full days of use. As far as the batteries, what I did was buy one large (15000mAh or so) and two little ones (~4000mAh). All three cost about $30 total at Micro Center. Use the small ones for charging the phone, and recharge the small one not being used off the big one in a bag. Big one also had a quick charge port that could fully charge my GoPro at lunch, when the dang thing turned itself on and killed the battery.

Not sure I'd want to solely rely on that, though. I knew I had power every night, it was more to keep my toys running.

Then all's you need is a bigger battery that you can charge from for as many days as you think you need...

That is sort of the route I am heading. I like using my phone since it is pretty versatile, I already have it, and I like looking at the gps maps and stats and all. The battery is a bit on the small side now-a-days at 2000mAh. The phone I bought my son has a 4000mAh battery. So battery life is greatly dependent an what particular phone you have. Some are even less than 2000mAh.

I did a 3 day trip last week, first and second day 82-83 miles each. First day I had my phone on like normal, tracked with GPS and endomondo, plus I did have to use data and google maps to figure out some hard to follow trails for a bit. My low battery (15%) warning kicked on when I was still 15 miles from my destination. That night I was able to plug in. Second day, same distance, I tried to see how I could improve battery usage. I did a fresh reboot to insure I didn't have a bunch of background apps using any extra power. I went right into airplane mode first thing in the morning, and I downloaded some maps to a jpg file ahead of time so I could just look at a picture instead of turning data on and google maps. At the end of the day I pulled into the campsite, and setup my tent. Did a screenshot after I unpacked in the tent, 6:48 PM, was at 59%.

Technically I could have shut the phone off overnight, and made it through another day on the same battery charge. But I brought along an extra battery plus a portable usb power pack - one that uses replaceable 18650 li-ion cells (I have several 3400mAh cells for flashlights). So I plugged it in overnight and charged it back to full.

I figure with just the extra phone battery I could have gone 4 days, with gps and Endo running around 8 hours or so each day. And then of course with a portable power cell I could get about 2 more charges (4 more days?) for each li-ion cell I brought along. Seems like even with some phone usage in there, a week without power wouldn't be an issue, especially if you could use airplane mode most of the day. That might be unrealistic for some folks with families though, or those who need to stay reachable for work or something. My son was on an Alaskan trip at the time and I was not expecting any phone calls. I didn't even have phone signal for part of the trip anyhow.

i scool this california beatifuly:crash:http://laissezachats.net/206/o.png

Why not charging your Edge and tablet directly from the dynohub? I'm all with you wrt the benefits of a power bank, but efficiency is not that great (you have to produce almost twice the power if you go dynohub -> battery pack -> device instead of dynohub -> device)

The Edge requires a buffer battery between it and the dynamo otherwise it is a right pain in the rear-end if my speed drops off, e.g., climbing up a hill. As to the tablet not interested in having it in an exposed position to charge. Using the battery I just need to top it up during the day and really don't need to but do it, but I do simply because I can. It works out well, being fairly secure in my handlebar bag. Overnight charging of the other devices is a simple process in the tent where I can charge two devices at once if I desire.

Other than the 2 days on a charge, that's almost exactly what I'm testing out, except that I'm charging the batter during the day using my dyno hub. Not sure why the roll eyes.

FWIW I just downloaded Gaia for my phone. Seems to be pretty reliable compared to previous phone GPS app. Maybe this will work after all. I will test this weekend either hiking or cycling or both.

Re GPS I'm wondering if a basic etrex 20 or 30 would be better for touring due to the use of AA batteries. Easy to pack spares. Then again, cheap rechargeable battery phone/device chargers are available these days, possibly making this sort of thinking obsolete.


I anyone using the 'cheap' Garmin GPS cycling computers, Edge 20 and Edge 25?

I'm hardly a weight weenie, but those battery packs can add up in a hurry. That 15000mAh pack was probably the single heaviest thing in my bag, it'd do some damage if I chucked it at someone's head!

Well, there's no free lunch, you have some choices, dynamo, battery pack, solar panel, plug in every night, not use electric gadgets...

I just got the Planet Bike Protege 9.0 (non-wireless) off Amazon a few weeks ago and love it. If you don't need GPS and are looking to just track distance and ride time, I highly recommend it. SUPER easy to use and set up, and all the info is on one screen.

According to reviews on amazon folks are getting half the claimed battery life, about 4 hours. That's a lot of battery changing!

I've seen mixed reviews on the 17 hours of the Edge Touring. Anyone have any personal experience with that? It's my first choice if I buy a dedicated GPS.

Garmin Edge 500 has fantastic battery life, mine does as I can get a hours on end without having to charge. Up to 18hours claimed lift on a charge and lightweight. Plus, since they are 2 generations old since the 520 is out, they are getting pretty cheap or you can score a used one for a great price.

Otherwise, with your phone why not get a battery charging pack? 10,000mAh or 20,000mAh packs are pretty cheap these days and you could use it for extra juice for your phone (typical high capacity phone batteries are 3000 or so mAh and others that are non-high capacity are 2000ish or so mAh so you could have enough juice for days on a 20,000mAh version).

I use the etrex 20 for all of my tours. I either download the routes and tracks or make my own using basemap and of course the Open Street Maps. Batteries last 20 hours and the etrex is waterproof and has buttons that can be used with gloves on. The learning curve is a bit longer than most but this system is reliable and has worked flawlessly. I highly recommend this unit.

The roll eyes I put in there because... It seems to me, people are making it way more complicated than it really is... One needs to figure out how long one needs/wants to be able to go without plugging into a wall for power... The solution is varied... One can use less power, one can make some power, one can carry more power, one can do a combination of all... ;) So, IMO the easiest way, is cut to back on power usage, and carry some extra battery power to extend the day's you can go without plugging into a wall socket... Once you go down the road of generating power with a dynamo or a solar panel... The $$$ one spends to accomplish the goal can be huge... And the goal could still be left wanting... :p

15,000mAh seems almost a ridiculous amount of battery though. I use a usb power pack (the cylindrical ones that takes 18650 cells), if I brought two of my Panasonic ncr18650b batteries (3400mAh each) I figure I could get around a weeks worth of full day GPS tracking plus some other light phone usage. With no other charging along the way I mean.

Its a lot, but it was what was on sale and available. I was using it to charge a phone, GoPro and camera battery when needed. Having dealt with cheap electronics, I didn't trust ratings so much and upsold myself, but it seemed to hold a realistically close charge to its claims.

Well if you're charging 3 or more devices then maybe it's appropriate but that'd last my android for like a month using my maximum conservation techniques but still gps+tracker on for all-day rides.

For extra power on the go I just got this for $15 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
edit: looks to be unavailable now, but there are other similar units out there

Use a twofish block holder to attach it to your stem or bar, or electric tape, or throw it in a bag and run a cable down the frame (if you're phone can't make it until the end of the ride).

It includes a 2800mAhr battery but I already had several better panasonic ncr18650b 3400mah batteries and a Nitecore charger. I paid a little more for the amazon USB power pack than other cheaper options just because it allowed removable 18650 cells so I could use my better cells, charge my cells with a better charger, plus carry more in a bag or pocket if needed to swap out when the one in the unit is depleted. They make AA usb power packs too for those that don't want to invest in 18650 cells (but they make really great flashlights that use 18650 cells!) obviously the most common battery in the world you can get at any corner store but you'll go through AA's a LOT quicker!

I got along fine with just a computer tracking miles , resetting trip Odo part at town miles to go signs.

And paper Maps .. in many countries ..

Yup, & a cue sheet holder works well with computer/odo. I've just folded up the cue sheet (with miles listed for each turn) & put it in my pocket but with a cue sheet holder it's easier to check frequently & avoid missing a turn. Last week I saw a touring bike with some impressive-looking aluminum thing mounted on the stem, it was either a heavy-duty cue sheet holder or perhaps a small tablet holder?

Any handheld Garmin that takes batteries... Etrex series, Garmin 62 (which is what I use), Oregon.

What charger uses 18650's?

But what's the weight of the battery , compared to the wt of the dyno?

For USB charger/power pack I linked the one I bought right off amazon. Check my last post. It was currently unavailable though last week, not sure if that particular one is discontinued or what. I'm sure a google search would turn up some more options.

You did indeed, thanks!

I just finished a 700 mile trip and tried several things. What I ended up liking the most is Osmand on my phone. You can download the maps you need to your phone. Load the gpx routes that you want to travel to your phone. Place the phone in airplane mode with the GPS on. Osmand will give you turn by turn voice and visual directions along your route. It can be setup to run in the background with the screen off and come on 20 or 30 seconds before the next turn, etc.

It is a little difficult to understand though since I believe it was made in Russian and translated to English.

I tried with my phone fully on one day, using Osmand for nav and tracking myself with mapmyride and still had 30% battery after 7 hours. The next day I put it in airplane mode I had over 50% remaining after 7 hours.

I carried a 3000mAh USB battery but only had to use it on one long day spent fighting a headwind. One or two of these should be able to keep you going for a couple days if you use airplane mode.

A limited version of Osmand can be downloaded free, the full version cost a few bucks.

Curious to know if you tried ride with gps?

I have tried ride with gps and actually prefer to use it for a lot of my route planning. However I have had problems with trying it in some locations not in the USA, even with OSM or other maps selected.

Regarding the nav function, last time i tried rwgps the screen was either on or off. One of the things I like about osmand is that you can set it up so the screen goes off after about 10 seconds then comes on before your next turn. Also osmand has no monthly subscription.

All that being said, osmand has its issues as well. It is a little difficult to set up and some of the verbiage is unconventional (in English anyway).

Overall I have found osmand to be useful mainly because:

1) Maps can be downloaded for any part of the world and they are updated periodically
2) It works without a cell signal, conserving battery power
3) The screen blanks between turns, conserving battery power
4) You can upload your own gpx routes

It's worth a try. I know that it probably isn't for everyone. There are times when it exasperates me!