Do I need a Garmin?

It’s the only 21st century
It’s the only 21st century thing I have on my bikes, just the 200, it’s all I need to pace and record my runs.

Used mine for mapping (off
Used mine for mapping (off road) and I do rate it, they do take some playing with (settings) though to get the best out of them. They are a great tool and would not go out without mine.

philtregear wrote:my mobile

philtregear wrote:

my mobile cost £15, the battery lasts a week. my garmin cost £90., the battery lasts all day.go figure.

Wow! Can you tell us all what mobile you have that has GPS, heart rate, cadence and will last a week whilst measuring all of those? And is only £15?

Or are you comparing apples and oranges?

Viewranger app. Paired with
Viewranger app. Paired with OpenStreetmaps which you download to the phone for offline use anywhere in the world, or you can purchase OS maps on a sheet by sheet basis or bundles of parks/counties etc. VR is free, 4 1/2 stars from 383 reviews on iTunes. It works, and works very well.

With VR you can use it totally free, using very detailed OpenStreetmaps (choose to download the ‘street level’ tiles of your desired route). You plan your route online, then sync it with the app – others can download the route as a GPX as well or view it online. I do this twice a week for our club, and it just works.

This thread pretty much covers the ‘debate’: http://road.cc/content/forum/108899-smartphones-and-long-rides-strategy – basically, with a tiny bit of mobile battery management you can have turn-by-turn navigation on your handlebars lasting 8+ hrs without needing a recharge. And you can still use your phone as a phone.

Re mount, you can go cheap but perfectly functional with the Bikecityguide Finn, or swanky with the Quadlock. Everything else is butt-ugly plastic faff IMHO.

Cue posts from Garmin owners saying how their £300 was better spent than £0 🙂

I’m with Phil. I also use
I’m with Phil. I also use justgoride.co.uk to create routes, and sometimes bikeroutetoaster.com to convert to tcx where you get the turn warnings. Its great for tuesday night chaingangs to keep you on the route if you get dropped, or saturday morning bimbles where you want to explore new areas. Theres always the option of ‘return to start’. If you want maps built in, you need a 500/800. If you just want to be directed, a 200 is fantastic.

I ride purely for pleasure
I ride purely for pleasure (and commuting) and have a Garmin Etrex which I bought primarily for mapping on long distance rides. Whilst I’ll occasionally look at what a rides stats are during or at the end of the ride, its unusual for me to upload the data. Mine is therefore acting as both map and bike computer and does both very well. My Etrex leads a double life off the bike as a geocaching device to make sure the kids stop playing video games occasionally.

Nobody needs one, but there are various reasons for getting one.

I’m with Chadders here. The
I’m with Chadders here. The Edge 800 has been great for me, and allowed me to find routes other people had blazed the trail for and then download and follow them. Great fun. I use OSM on mine which is free – and another nice feature, especially post injury, is that you can always rely on it showing you the quickest route home whenever you get sore or have had enough. I’m moving back to NZ soon, and although I know my local area reasonably well I’m anticipating a lot more possibilities this time around with the Edge. The battery life is a lot better than using your phone, and it’s fun to track your progress over time. I’ve got about 8 years of Garmin files now from all over the world to look back on – nice to have the maps to fit with the memories!

😀