I didn't want to hijack the other gps posting, so...

Does anyone have the Garmin Nuvi 500 or 550? I just want something that's non-tech friendly. I would be happy just to use maps, but hubby thinks I really need GPS, so......he wins.

Basically, it's got to be as idiot-proof as possible and bike-friendly. Any suggestions welcomed!

Thanks in advance,

Cheri

you not alone Cheri , i need a gps that's not at all complicated and simple to use,
i was going to buy the garmin vista hcx lot of cyclists /tourers like these but then i heard the satmap was much more accurate and easier to use then i seen the nuvi now i'm back to square one ,three good units but which to buy.. oh yeah the vista hcx is the cheapest?

I own both a Nuvi and a Garmin gps. Avoid the Nuvi for bicycling, the battery life is way too short and it's not designed to all the bumps of bicyling. The Nuvi is also not water resistant at all.

I would recommend the Dakota 10 hiker/biker bundle, goes for around 200 bucks online. It includes the map CD to load maps and a bicycle mount for your GPS. The Dakota 10 will also give far more data. And it is a touch screen.

The Vista HCx is a great unit for bicycling also, in fact it's a great unit. The only downside is that you will either have to buy the mapping or use a 3rd party website like gpsfiledepot.com

But you won't go wrong with a Dakota or Vista/Legend HCx

The Nuvi 500 and 550 has the IPX7 waterproof rating that other Nuvi devices don't have, so it should be fine in that regard. That doesn't necessarily mean it's as rugged as other handheld/trail GPS devices. Garmin states the Li battery holds ~8hr charge. That may be fine if you just want to power on the device if/when you actually need it...or when your use allows you to recharge it as needed...or if you want to carry around extra batteries @ $40/ea.

The Dakota suggested by gpsblake sounds like one of the more user-friendly devices from Garmin. However, I don't see that $200 bundle offered anywhere. From what I see, it would be closer to $300 for the Dakota 10 with maps. That's still not particularly expensive for what you get.

FWIW, Garmin software doesn't have a great reputation for being user-friendly. There's a bit of a learning curve, and some aspects can be frustrating to the new user. Perhaps the Garmin automotive devices are highly intuitive, but the handhelds seem to require some investment of time while you get familiar with them.

I haven't used the Garmin Nuvi/Dakota/etc touchscreens, but I would get annoyed if they're like some other touchscreens that don't work well with wet, cold, sweaty or gloved fingers.

You don't state how exactly you want to use your GPS, but devices that take AA batteries are preferred among tourers and other long distance riders.

If I had a "non-techy" friend in the market, I'd suggest they take a look at the Delorme Earthmate PN series. I recall the PN-40 getting good reviews for ease of use, high quality display, and excellent preloaded maps. My Vista HCx is a good, lightweight device with fairly rugged construction, however it lacks a touchscreen and might not otherwise be what you want. The GPSMAP series would also be on my list today.

The nuvi is designed for in-car use, where you have a nice steady supply of electricity from the cigarette lighter socket and protection from rain. Since you have neither on a bike (unless you have a clever solar panel or only take short rides, and only ride in fair weather) the nuvi starts to fall down there.

Someone else mentioned the Dakota, which is a pretty nice piece of kit. The touchscreen is fairly easy to get used to but if you've got fat fingers (or gloved fingers) you might find it a struggle. A friend who has one always takes a pen to use as a stylus with it (with the nib retracted!). The Oregon series also have a touch screen but personally I found it almost impossible to read in sunlight. I struggled a little with the Dakota but not to anything like the same extent.

I like Garmin's GPSMap 60CSx, which is sturdy and doesn't have a touch screen so you can read it in just about any light. It's waterproof (when mine gets muddy I wash it under the tap) and a decent set of AA batteries will last all day and then some. It's an old unit now (replaced by the 62 series) so you can get them fairly cheaply (probably about $200 for a new one, less for a used one). For maps you can either buy Garmin's maps (which can be expensive) or, depending on where you live, you may be able to find free opensource maps for the areas of interest.

Just one thing, if you get a 60CSx make sure it's the CSx and not the CS. The CS doesn't take memory cards and, for today's purposes, has very little internal memory.

News to me... disregard my previous comments about being waterproof.

I like the more user friendly Dakota 10 @$200 thru Amazon, including CNNA map software. I have a Vista HCx(CNNA $100 extra,) and don't consider it user friendly at all. Long learning curve for me anyway. Wish I had a touch screen unit like the Dakota. Should be easier to manipulate than the hard to push buttons on the Vista.

Good luck.

Ah, there it is! That's great pricing.

I have a Nuvi. I don't know about moisture resistance, but I'm lucky to get three hours out of a full charge. By contrast, I've got an older Garmin that gets a good eighteen hours out of a set of single AAA battery. I love the Nuvi when I use it in my car though... I'm just not crazy about it as a hiking or biking model. Too big, for one thing - and Garmin wants 89 bucks to update the maps...urgh!

Yup yup. The firmware is almost identical to the Etrex units but with a larger screen and unit. The buttons are all below the screen on the 60 series. Around 200 bucks on amazon for a brand new one.

If you're in the US it seems gpscity.com has some good prices. I've never used them so can't comment on whether they are a good supplier or not.

If you don't mind spending a little more, I just picked up an Oregon 450t for my work and it's a really nice little touch screen unit. Size is great for on the bike. The newer version of the Dakota I believe. Even has a nice bike function that you can use instead of your computer. It has an altimeter, and some way to hook up a heart rate monitor and cadence if your into that sort of thing. Only fault I have with it is that you have to buy the street navigation maps seperate. It has pretty good topos, hill shade, and all that other fancy stuff and shows the streets and POI's but if you try and navigate with out the street maps it just puts a straight line to where you want to go.

I have a Garmin Nuvi in my car. It's good for that application, but not for bicycling.

I have a Garmin Vista HcX on my bike. It has its uses. I bought it intending to load ACA's waypoints and routing into it, since I was taking an ACA route (the Lewis and Clark). It didn't work for me. The ACA files have every waypoint under the sun, and all the alternate routes.

I ended up just using the maps. However, the GPS did have some uses. It got me from the Amtrak station to my motel, and from my motel to the start of the ACA route in Portland. It found me motels a couple of times and a restaurant for breakfast in Walla Walla.

I'll be taking it on tour again, but next time I'll program the routes myself, using a combination of the ACA maps, Google maps, and Garmin's MapSource software. I'll plan my route several weeks in advance. For the Lewis and Clark I was still learning about waypoints, routes, the ACA files, etc. up until the last minute, and I was hurriedly trying to program routes, rename waypoints, etc. when I was also assembling my gear, checking my packing list, etc. I was harried and rushed and didn't do a very good job. I think the biggest problem was the ACA files. Next time I'll load them into MapSource on my computer, but only as a tool to help me program my own routes for downloading to the Garmin.

bigbluetoe i intend to buy the garmin vista hcx this week hopefully,i sure hope i have better luck than you but i doubt it as I'm useless with this ki nda stuff.i am going to order an extra sd card with it, in the hope i can find some sucker to download a map of ireland/england onto it for me.
is this possible with this unit ,sure hope so.

For as long as you call people willing to help "suckers" I doubt that very much. There are people who will do it for a modest fee.

ah now now you know i didn't mean anything mean in that post ,i would have no problem paying anyone that was willing to do it.stop playing on peoples words.

I find the gps world (Garmin Vista HcX anyway) to be very arcane and confusing. "Routes" vs. "waypoints", etc. It was hard to get a clear picture in my head, and I'm not as dumb as I look! However, I'll keep trying. Too bad no one has written a "Garmin Vista HcX for Dummies" book.

The trouble is there's no way of knowing just what you mean. You're the one who chose the word "suckers", not me

A waypoint is a point. A route is what you take to get from point to point.

So you might follow a route from your house (point) to grandma's house (point) via the Big Scary Wood (point).