bike computers and mapymyride (or similar) - suggestions pls.

[54ny77]

am a fish outta water in a new-to-me area and wondering if a garmin (or similar) is best thing to get for using mapymyride.com routes that others created. are they easy to download? does a garmin beep or say "turn left you moron?"

i know zero about these things so any tips would be appreciated. thanks.

[Pete Mckeon]

I am thinking about a Garmin now but have no first hand knowledge of using one.

Reason for having is traveling to new or little known areas with bike and would like some routes to follow in riding.

:confused:

pete

[MattTuck]

I don't believe that the Garmin cycling computers have voice turn by turn directions. You can download routes and use the cycle computer to follow them.


It is more like.... this on the screen: [ 1.5 Mi -----> ] (ie. turn right in 1.5 miles) It may say what the road is called also. You can also go to a different view and see a map, that can allow you to follow the route visually.

[roydyates]

When you are following a downloaded route, the visual map with the purple stripe is the easiest way to follow the route. the garmin can also beep and flash a "turn right" or "turn left" or "striaght" message, but those cues are unnecessary often come too late.

Downloading a route from a website works fine. Most people I know download the file to their PC and then copy it over to the garmin. It's clunky, but not too hard. For the most part, the garmin operating system software is kinda lousy, especially when you compare it to an iphone or even an android phone. However, the garmin is unbeatable at running 12+ hours following a route through places where a phone won't have coverage and thus won't be able to download a map.

[54ny77]

you hit the nail on the proverbial head--there are places where i get no cell phone reception. mapmyride has an android app, but i'm guessing it requires paying for a membership, and using the phone for mapping/turn guidance is impractical (not the least of which is battery drain) if it sits in my back pocket.

When you are following a downloaded route, the visual map with the purple stripe is the easiest way to follow the route. the garmin can also beep and flash a "turn right" or "turn left" or "striaght" message, but those cues are unnecessary often come too late.

Downloading a route from a website works fine. Most people I know download the file to their PC and then copy it over to the garmin. It's clunky, but not too hard. For the most part, the garmin operating system software is kinda lousy, especially when you compare it to an iphone or even an android phone. However, the garmin is unbeatable at running 12+ hours following a route through places where a phone won't have coverage and thus won't be able to download a map.

[Alan]

One of the best references for getting started is DC Rainmaker. He has reviewed all of the Garmin units and his reviews are excellent. I have done a lot of reading but haven't bought one yet. I am waiting for the Timex unit to hit the market as my personal opinion is that the Garmin units are very expensive for what you get. Garmin also has a nasty habit of suing for patent infringement. Reminds one of some other large tech companies.

Link to DC Rainmaker is:

http://www.dcrainmaker.com

Enjoy the reading.

Alan

[yummygooey]

I have no experience with the Garmins with maps, but all my buddies told me it was overkill and they wish they had kept their 500's. YMMV I guess.

I certainly have no need for a Garmin with maps... every road either goes straight N/S or E/W here. :rolleyes:

[AngryScientist]

if you have a smartphone, i still think the best strategy is the cue card. in my experience it takes less time to plan a route before leaving the house, and writing out a pretty basic cue card for yourself, then checking as necessary with google maps on the smart phone. i find 90% of the time i'm able to follow my cue card directions, and need the google maps back-up about 10% of the time to keep me on-route. having a decent basic feel for where you're going before the ride is a good idea anyway.

again, just my experience.

[benitosan1972]

I like old-fashioned planning. I look at a map, write down cues/turns/etc on a post it note, then tape it to my toptube or stem. I have Garmin & iPhone but don't trust electronics to navigate, sometimes they are wrong and I don't want to get lost riding!

*I did this today in Santa Cruz Mtns, I don't know them very well, so I wrote cues on paper & taped it on my bike. It worked cuz I'm alive to post this comment and not sleeping under a rock somewhere atop Santa Cruz, haha!

[MattTuck]

strava.com is the best site you can use once you've got your garmin IMO. If you do most of your riding solo, as I do, it adds a level of depth to your riding.

It keeps track of segments (usually hills) that you ride, and you can see how your down on those hills, relative to yourself (past times) and also relative to other cyclists in the area.

Also has a poor man's power meter that uses some interpolation of your weight, other people's power, your speed, etc to come up with an estimated power output.

[54ny77]

Hey guys thanks for the lo-tech tips but I've been there done that and as Dylan once went, I too am goin' 'lectric. At least for now. :beer:

What Garmin would you recommend? I just need basics, don't give a hoot about connecting to anything else, power measurement, yadda yadda. I also prefer not having a toast-r-oven sized unit on my stem.

[ofcounsel]

I have a Garmin Edge 500, and I love it. The mount is really great, as it allows you to switch from bike to bike very easily. It's also very easy to use.

I ride my mountain bike mostly, but use it for my road bike as well.

It has a barometric altimeter, so it's elevation information is pretty accurate. This is important for me to track my elevation climbing on the MTB. It also connects wirelessly to the cadence unit and my heart rate monitor.

I use www.geoladders.com to download new MTB routes to ride. The garmin saves the routes as "courses" And it creates a simple "breadcrumbs" type visual course outline to follow. It's rudementary, but helpful when you're in the backcountry and you wind up with a fork in the road, it will help you figure out which way to go, and it starts flashing and beeping to let you know if you go off the course.

It's all I need.

As suggested, check out DC Rainmaker's website, as he does a pretty in-depth review of the Edge 500 on his site.

I also use www.strava.com to track my ride info. Garmin, Android and Iphone's synch up pretty seamlessly to Strava.

Here's an example of a couple of rides I did last week, you can see the info...

http://app.strava.com/rides/4556730

http://app.strava.com/rides/4420742

http://app.strava.com/rides/4307237

[palincss]

I have no experience with the Garmins with maps, but all my buddies told me it was overkill and they wish they had kept their 500's. YMMV I guess.


Are they actually using the GPS as a navigation device, or are they perhaps using it as a data collection device? Most of the folks I know in the local bike club who have GPSs do not use them for navigation at all, only for data collection. It's the randonneurs who are using them for navigation.

I can tell you from personal experience, when you're riding in the dark in an unfamiliar area and have already gone 100 miles with another 27 to go, it's really nice to have that thing beeping at you to let you know it's time to make a turn!

[sand fungus]

I also have the Garmin 500 and use Strava on my Android phone as well. As far as I am aware the 500 will not give you turn by turn directions it only collects data.

[ofcounsel]

I also have the Garmin 500 and use Strava on my Android phone as well. As far as I am aware the 500 will not give you turn by turn directions it only collects data.

More than Data Collection....Not turn by turn, but it can upload other people's rides (or your own) and display them as a course.

http://www.blog.ultracycle.net/2010/05/courses-on-the-garmin-edge-500

[54ny77]

Which Garmin do you use? That's all I need--navigation only, as downloaded from course maps (Strava, mapmyride, etc).

Don't care about anything else--although if it tracks speed & distance that'd be handy, but not essential.


I can tell you from personal experience, when you're riding in the dark in an unfamiliar area and have already gone 100 miles with another 27 to go, it's really nice to have that thing beeping at you to let you know it's time to make a turn!

[ofcounsel]

You want the Garmin Edge 800 if your goal is more on the navigation.

[roydyates]

if you have a smartphone, i still think the best strategy is the cue card. in my experience it takes less time to plan a route before leaving the house, and writing out a pretty basic cue card for yourself, then checking as necessary with google maps on the smart phone. i find 90% of the time i'm able to follow my cue card directions, and need the google maps back-up about 10% of the time to keep me on-route. having a decent basic feel for where you're going before the ride is a good idea anyway.

again, just my experience.
Just wait until your first 400k when you are finishing in the dark and your brain is addled from fatigue. Of course, if it's mid summer and it's fast course, you might finish a 400k in the light. In that case, you will have to wait for a 600k. :)

As palincss mentioned, garmin beats cue sheet in the dark. Of course, you can aim a light at your cue sheet, but it's easy to miss the corresponding street sign.

[yummygooey]

More than Data Collection....Not turn by turn, but it can upload other people's rides (or your own) and display them as a course.

http://www.blog.ultracycle.net/2010/05/courses-on-the-garmin-edge-500

That's cool... I'm gonna try that sometime.

[palincss]

As palincss mentioned, garmin beats cue sheet in the dark. Of course, you can aim a light at your cue sheet, but it's easy to miss the corresponding street sign.

First time I went on a 200k brevet (in November, sunset at around 5 pm) I figured the night riding would be the easy part for me, since I'd been a year-round commuter for 30 years. I rigged up a light to shine on the cue sheet and figured I'd be good.

It turned out, not only couldn't I see the street signs, I also couldn't see the computer so I had no idea what the mileage was, and when I looked at the cue sheet the light reflecting off the paper was so bright it dazzled me. That led to a real epiphany at around mile 110, and although far from my worst cycling moment (I think that would have to have been when I crashed on the C&O Canal and broke my shoulder) it was profound.

The following year I mounted a light to my helmet. It had three brightness levels and the lowest setting wasn't dazzling in the dark. Everything was fine -- right up to the moment I realized I could see both the computer and the cue sheet but, because I wasn't looking through my bifocal reading lenses, I couldn't read either the mileage or the cues. When I tipped my head back enough to be able to use the bifocal lens, the light moved up and onto the road, leaving both computer and cue sheet in the dark. Thank goodness for Bill's GPS!

[benitosan1972]

Just wait until your first 400k when you are finishing in the dark and your brain is addled from fatigue. Of course, if it's mid summer and it's fast course, you might finish a 400k in the light. In that case, you will have to wait for a 600k. :)

As palincss mentioned, garmin beats cue sheet in the dark. Of course, you can aim a light at your cue sheet, but it's easy to miss the corresponding street sign.


I rode across the USA from NY to LA without electronics.
Just a daily cue sheet and lots of hope, lol. Much longer than 400k! ;)

[cody.wms]

More than Data Collection....Not turn by turn, but it can upload other people's rides (or your own) and display them as a course.

http://www.blog.ultracycle.net/2010/05/courses-on-the-garmin-edge-500

^^ This.

the 305 and 500 can both do this. Downside is that is isn't a map like on the 800. With the 800, you can see what roads are coming up, just like a car GPS. With the 500, you have the path you downloaded, and little other information.

You _can_ add some stuff in bikeroutetoaster, AFAIK, but I havent messed with it. The biggest complaint I have with using courses with my 500 is that it often doesn't let you know when to turn until you should have already made a turn. You can just keep the screen with your course up (second to last pic on link above), or the screen that has your upcoming turns (last pic on link above). You can also add change the "warning" beep to 200 meters before in bikeroutetoaster, but again, I haven't personally done this. If you get off course, it gives you a warning.

The 800 costs MUCH more, esp. if you buy the Garmin maps. There are open source maps, but I dont know much about them. The courses feature, and the $200-400 decrease in price point, make the 500 a winner for me.

[cody.wms]

BTW, downloading a course from ridewithgps.com is mega easy. Just export the .tcx file and put it in Garmin--courses.

[weiwentg]

the 305 and 500 can both do this. Downside is that is isn't a map like on the 800. With the 800, you can see what roads are coming up, just like a car GPS.



Ime - while the unit can display what roads are coming up, it's very far from a car GPS in terms of how well it can help you navigate on the fly. The text is impracticably small.

[personicus]

I've seen a few tourers who use the Garmin Nuvi (cheap and small) car type GPS unit with some luck. They jury-riged a mount for the rear socket. I'll see what I can dig up regarding pictures.

[palincss]

I rode across the USA from NY to LA without electronics.
Just a daily cue sheet and lots of hope, lol. Much longer than 400k! ;)

How much night riding did you do? It's not the length of the 400K that's the issue, but rather that it must be completed in 27 hours -- which, except for summer north of the Arctic circle, means you definitely will be riding in the dark.


Time limits
Each control point (including the final one) has opening and closing times that govern the minimum (and maximum!) speed of the riders. The formulas for calculating these times are complex but the minimum average speed that must be maintained is roughly 15km/hour (just under 10 mph). The overall time limits for the common distances are: 13 hours, 30 minutes for a 200km brevet, 20 hours for 300km, 27 hours for 400km, 40 hours for 600km, 75 hours for 1000km, and 90 hours for 1200km events. The clock runs continuously and riders must carefully budget their time for riding, eating, and resting.
--http://www.dcrand.org/dcr/randoinfo.php?page=about-randonneuring

[sg8357]

Anyone tried the new Etrex 20 vs. the 800 as a navigation device ?
$280 vs $530 seem like a pretty high bike tax, if you can live with
the bigger size.

[GPrince]

Bike Route Toaster allows you to put in warning messages (beep) to turn. 705 and older units have a limit on the number of beeps before they stop beeping (about 100 turns which is two for each turn if you use a warning).

Opensource maps readily available free so no need to buy maps.

For nighttime riding, I have a schmidt hub via an ewerks unit. My unit is always lit when riding at night. An external battery might also keep unit lit.

[thwart]

I learn something here every day...

And every once in awhile it's actually useful stuff: My 500 can actually do more than be a ride recorder/cyclocomputer. Not that it's not worth the price of admission for that alone...

[tuxbailey]

Bike Route Toaster allows you to put in warning messages (beep) to turn. 705 and older units have a limit on the number of beeps before they stop beeping (about 100 turns which is two for each turn if you use a warning).

Opensource maps readily available free so no need to buy maps.

For nighttime riding, I have a schmidt hub via an ewerks unit. My unit is always lit when riding at night. An external battery might also keep unit lit.


I use BikerouteToaster to create courses for my 305 and it allows you save your course for future use again (the 305 memory is kind of low so you can't store too many.)

You can customize how early the warming before it comes. I usually specify mine warning 200 ft before the turning points and it beeps.

And when you are off course it will display a warning so you know you missed a turn somewhere.

The 305 only allows 100 waypoints though.

This is the course I created for last year's DC Chapter's MS Bike Ride (century route.) After you create the course you will have the cue sheet as well (click on different tabs) as well as the summary of the course (elevation profile, etc.) The cue sheet can be downloaded as CSV file, or Excel spreadsheet.

http://bikeroutetoaster.com/Course.aspx?course=259231

You can plug in your device and send the course to your unit from the site directly. My coworker has an 800 and he uses the same site to create courses for his training rides.

I like MapMyRide and RideWithGPS's interface but last I check I found that I can't crate custom waypoints from their course and usually by the time I finished plotting one it will be over 100 turns (and if I send that to the unit every turn will be treated as a course point) and I don't have enough points before I finished.

That is why when my 305 died I looked for a used one in the classified because it has all the needs I need. I don't plan on using any power meter so the 500 is overkill for me :)

When the battery on my 305 started to hold less charge I bought one of these to carry with me on a long ride and use it to charge my unit on the ride.

http://www.amazon.com/Duracell-Instant-Charger-Lithium-universal/dp/B002FU6KF2