[Closed] GPS - iPhone, or Garmin

Garmin or other proper GPS computer.
Iphone sucks balls at it-I used mine for several years before getting a Garmin, should've done it ages ago!

necessary no, does it mean your phone works when you want it to, your GPS is accurate and it's waterprrof enough to sit on your bars in all weathers yes.

I reckon it depends where you are riding and if you often ride solo. I like to keep my phone well charged for the purpose of using it to make phone calls.

Strava logging or similar uses very little power if it's in your pocket or bag with the screen switched off - of course, with it on your bars, screen on and brightness whacked up (so you can read it) will drain the battery very quickly.

Garmin all the way if you want to follow routes. Just for basic tracking, iphone is fine.

I'd agree with the above. I use a Garmin as it's a better way to plan routes, follow them, and record/follow the results. Also, it's fully waterproof, mounts really well on my bars and has an excellent touch screen I can use with any gloves I might be wearing. Also, leaves my phone charged and ready to be a phone.

To be honest, the times i have used the iPhone to track my cycling, i'be just used the 'mapmyride' app and have left the phone in my bag. It does kill the battery pretty quickly though, had a situation last week when i had to bail from a ride early and was in the middle of a forest, and my phone was at 20% and i had to use the map app to figure out how to make my way to the car. I only made it by checking the map, then turning the GPS off, cycling a bit and turning it back on to check i was going the right way etc.

It would be good to have something on my bars telling me how fast i was going, how far i'd cycled and for how long, but a simple cycle computer could do that... What ya think?

If you only want to see how far you go in a given year, then just get a cycle computer.
But, that won't give you much in the way of month-by-month, where you've ridden etc.

Iphone for me. 2hr ride uses less than 20% of battery, 1s recording with the wahoo app is better than my garmin 200 ever was.

Longest ride I've recorded was nearly 9hrs with Bluetooth HR monitor, speed cadence sensor and RFLKT display.

If you do want something on the bars, then yes a Garmin is great. An Edge 200 does fine for tracking, usual cycle computer stuff (speed, time, distance, etc) and can follow basic routes too - but with no maps.

For me an iPhone works just fine.

For road rides I keep it mounted on the bars in a cheapish waterproof case. For longer rides I connect an external battery which I keep in a Topeak tri-bag next to the bars - that way the phone is always fully charged even after an eight hour ride.

Advantages of a phone solution, for me, are:

- I already have it so I don't need to spend £300 on a Garmin.
- I can see any incoming calls/texts (and decide if I want to answer them) without having to stop and get my phone out my bag.
- my missus can track my progress via Find My iPhone or Viewranger BuddyBeacons.
- uploads are automatic so I don't need to fanny about with GPX files and USB cables to get stuff onto Strava/Endomondo/MapMyRide etc.
- likewise I can plan routes online (i.e. Viewranger) then access them on my phone without fannying about with USB cables.

Some disadvantages are:

- it's bulkier, especially with the external battery.
- potential for damage to the phone (though the case is pretty tough and the phone is a 4S so probably worth less than a Garmin anyway. For MTB rides I'd probably stick it in a Camelbak instead which loses some of the advantages).
- it's [i]slightly[/i] less accurate. IME the actual GPS position is comparable but the tracking depends on the app and there isn't any independent altitude measurement (e.g. a barometer) that you get in some dedicated GPS units.

there isn't any independent altitude measurement (e.g. a barometer) that you get in some dedicated GPS units.

iphone 6 has barometer in, not been able to work out if 3rd party apps have access to it yet.

Ooh didn't know that. Not sure I fancy strapping one of them to my bars though - it might act like a spoiler! 🙂

I put it in my pocket and use a wahoo rflkt+. works a treat.

edit: i backed the rflkt on kickstarter and paid nowhere near the RRP...

[s] I already have it so I don't need to spend £300 on a Garmin.[/s] Garmin 810 is £230 and saves me losing/breaking my phone
[s]- I can see any incoming calls/texts (and decide if I want to answer them) without having to stop and get my phone out my bag.[/s] Why do you answer your phone?!
[s]- my missus can track my progress via Find My iPhone or Viewranger BuddyBeacons. [/s]Garmin Live track does the same bluetooth's back to our phone
[s]- uploads are automatic so I don't need to fanny about with GPX files and USB cables to get stuff onto Strava/Endomondo/MapMyRide etc.[/s] 810 Links to your phone and uploads via strava if thats how you want to do it
[s]- likewise I can plan routes online (i.e. Viewranger) then access them on my phone without fannying about with USB cables.[/s] Ah you've got me there - i do have to have 1 cable

on the whole im happy with the garmin and you can use it as a car nav and a walking nav, found some lovely walks knowing im not going to have to walk miles across a wood and end up miles from anywhere

Garmin 810 is £230 and saves me losing/breaking my phone

Yep, so that's £230* that I'm saving by not buying one. Which was kinda my point.
My 4S is only worth about £80 at trade in, so I'd rather break that than a £230 Garmin.

* And isn't it another [url= http://www.wiggle.co.uk/garmin-city-navigator-full-europe-micro-sd-card/ ]£70 for the maps[/url] (which is where I got my £300 total from)

Why do you answer your phone?!

I have a wife and kids - sometimes it's important! 😀

Garmin Live track does the same bluetooth's back to our phone.
810 Links to your phone and uploads via strava if thats how you want to do it

Yep, newer Garmins can now link to phones - which means you are carrying your phone and consuming its power to get that functionality.

on the whole im happy with the garmin

Good. I was just stating the pros/cons of using a phone as I see it.

Garmin edge 200...get the free strava account and then view using veloviewer.

job done

Flashy sums it up best for me.

Yep, newer Garmins can now link to phones - which means you are carrying your phone and consuming its power to get that functionality.

Why are you consuming your phone's power? Makes no difference. And you can see who calls/texts you on your GPS.

No need to pay for maps on your Garmin either. Free OSM ones are perfectly adequate, and only the 800/810/1000 can actually display maps anyway.

Your phone will last much longer if you turn off the cellular data, it doesn't need that to track the ride. With cellular data the Strava/Ednomondo app is sending data as you go using up battery and probably download ing all your emails and facebook/twitter notifications etc. That being said a proper GPS is much better, I have walking/sailing one which will run 24 hours on a charge

Why are you consuming your phone's power?

The Garmin is linking to the phone across Bluetooth to send out position data across the phone's 3G/data signal. So that is consuming the phone's power, no?

Free OSM ones are perfectly adequate, and only the 800/810/1000 can actually display maps anyway.

Whereas all smartphones can display maps and you get a choice of maps including OSM, OCM, Google, Bing, and Ordnance Survey

* And isn't it another £70 for the maps (which is where I got my £300 total from)

Yep, newer Garmins can now link to phones - which means you are carrying your phone and consuming its power to get that functionality.

GS - I suppose its where you ride, i bought it for dartmoor as its ****ing remote out there and using up your phone battery and no OUT wouldnt be fun 🙂

Garmin 810,some days the phone stays at home, if it comes with its doing its job syncing with the world and not eating it's battery. It stays in the bag on bad weather days and doesn't get wet. The battery does more than a day and I can always make a call or update Facebook or troll stw without fear of no battery.

The Garmin is linking to the phone across Bluetooth to send out position data across the phone's 3G/data signal. So that is consuming the phone's power, no?

Aah, if you're using the live tracking then maybe, but ordinarily it's not doing anything with the phone, just has a Bluetooth connection. As that functionality isn't available on an iPhone (short of using find my iPhone, which can only be done by someone with your iTunes password that seems a moot point).

Whereas all smartphones can display maps and you get a choice of maps including OSM, OCM, Google, Bing, and Ordnance Survey

Can you get those free? Surely you have to pay for sensible resolution OS maps on a smartphone? And then does that app do all the training metrics at the same time?

They're different things, which was the point I was badly making. An Edge is a far more useful training aid than a smartphone, but you can't deny that a smartphone has a bigger, better resolution screen than any GPS.

Am I about to put my iPhone 6 on my bars though? No bloody way. I wouldn't even use an old iPhone myself as I'd need an ANT+ dongle plus various other bits of software to make it work half as I want.

@njee 1:50,000 is free on many smart phone apps (eg outside) - it's decent enough for general navigation

Curve ball.....

What about waiting for the Microsoft Band or Fitbit Surge....? Both will have GPS and heart rate monitor and will be worn like a watch. Not sure if the GPS function will enable export into programs than the ones listed in the launch details or not but worth finding out more.

I don't know if these will be in anyway better or not, just putting the option out there...

[url= http://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-band/en-us ]www.microsoft.com/microsoft-band/en-us[/url]
[url= https://www.fitbit.com/surge ]https://www.fitbit.com/surge[/url]

GS - I suppose its where you ride, i bought it for dartmoor as its **** remote out there and using up your phone battery and no OUT wouldnt be fun

As I said, for longer trips I use an external battery. Unless you need the GPS running continuously for multiple days then that'll do the job nicely and your phone will remain at full charge.

(plus of course, if you do need continuous GPS for multiple days then you can take multiple external batteries and change them without having to turn the phone off or stop your GPS track).

Can you get those free? Surely you have to pay for sensible resolution OS maps on a smartphone?

You can download OSM and OCM maps for free.
And if you have a data connection you can also can stream Bing, Google and Apple maps for free.

You can also pay for OS maps for just the regions you need or even buy them on a tile by tile basis if you want

(Viewranger currently charge about 10p per 1:50,000 tile or 30p per 1:25,000 tile)

And then does that app do all the training metrics at the same time?

Yep can do - or you can run multiple apps at the same time. Up to you.

that functionality isn't available on an iPhone (short of using find my iPhone, which can only be done by someone with your iTunes password that seems a moot point).

In my case my wife shares my itunes account so has my password anyway - but yes it is, the "Find My Friends" app doesn't need your iTunes password and there are other cross-platform solutions like the Buddy Beacons in the Viewranger app.

Am I about to put my iPhone 6 on my bars though? No bloody way.

Neither would I. 😀

I wouldn't even use an old iPhone myself as I'd need an ANT+ dongle plus various other bits of software to make it work half as I want.

If you go for Bluetooth Smart sensors, rather than ANT+, then you don't need a dongle. And most of the "other bits of software" are free.

i bought it for dartmoor as its **** remote out there and using up your phone battery and no OUT wouldnt be fun

there is no mobile signal on large swathes of dartmoor so I'm not sure that really counts....

[i]they[/i] should really do something about that...maybe tarmac it too

Jam bo you are not helping my paranoia of dying on dartmoor 😆