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STW,
I would like an equivalent of a satnav for my bike (training aids end at a heart rate moniter for me) and I would like to be able to use it on and off road, from having a look around at the garmin range (As thats the only one that I know) the 800 and the touring plus look like the stuff that I need. Also needs to be able to upload rides to the like of strava.
Anything else I need to be looking at other than garmin? No more than 250 at a push really.
Thanks in advance,
MM.
I've got a Garmin 800 with the OS maps. I use it a lot but I don't think I would buy it again. The screen's too small, and it's a bit flakey at times. Some friends have a much larger unit, Satmap I think?, and that seems a lot more useable on the trail.
Oregon 600
Had a Satmap 10. The Garmin 800 is better OMHO.
I found my touring great for on road, but the open source maps didnt really cut it for in the fly off road navigation.
Its much better with an os map sd card (at extra cost). The maps it comes with are also good for preloading routes onto it.
you can upload to garmin connect and then bi proxy to strava through linking the two.
So use the 800 or the touring with the OS maps on and that will be good enough for following on/off road routes?
800 and use open source mapping, by far the best and cheapest way
Garmin Edge 800 with OS maps has served me really well for the past 2 or 3 years. I wouldn't be without it and it has really opened up the variety of areas I now ride (off-road).
I have the 800 with OS its good but uness you can find it cheap thats an expensive option
I bought my wife an 800 for christmas and put most of europe on an SD card its just as good but only £230
You want a Garmin Etrex 20 or 30 [url= http://www.handtec.co.uk/garmin-etrex-30-010-00970-20.html?gclid=CMr897Psur0CFQUcwwodDYsAZw ]for about this sort of price[/url] and full UK OS 50k maps on an SD card [url= http://www.ioffer.com/i/garmin-gb-discoverer-1-50k-full-coverage-127349741 ]from here[/url].
I use mine for everything on and off road (from BearBones200 to 600k audaxes), and it does everything you want for much less than the 800 or other OSmap-capable devices. The 30 is also ANT+ compatible, so you can have HR and cadence sensors displayed & logged too.
After a lot of research, looks like the etrex 30 is the winner with the easy to change and source batteries and usefulness whilst running and walking.
Dyffers - that Ioffer for the Os maps is insanely cheap - thought they were normally £199 - have you bought from them and are they a good product?!
Yes, I bought one last year and it works fine. I only bought one after others on the BearBonesBikepacking forum had bought them, as I thought it looked too good to be true!
Still not sure how it can be that cheap and legal though... 😕
MM
Been thinking along similar lines recently although I'm not overly fussed about heart rate though, personally. Anyone tried the memory map equipment?
Just posted this on another similar thread. You can download and install OS mapping on Garmin devices using the free MOBAC utility (Mobile Atlas Creator).
I only have the garmin edge 705' which uses IMG map files..... Looking at MOBAC it creates the custom image files which I don't think work with the 705.... Still learning
I use memory map on my phone.
I use an Etrex 20 when navigation is priority. Very happy with it. Very robust, great for navigating, all the basic cycle functions you need, aa batteries. It's a bit bigger than many, but that's the only real downside really.
Ah, OK. I've only used MOBAC to create .kmz custom image map files for a Dakota 20. I didn't realise that other Garmins use a different map format.
All I'd say is the Garmin 800 is a cycling specific computer and GPS which has the addition of being able to use it as a GPS for walking.
The others aren't.
Garmin 800 £224 at CRC now
800 with (free) openstreetmap maps is great for on-road - I prefer them to the OS maps.
Off road I usually use the OS maps as the classification of rights of way on openstreetmap can be a bit hit and miss.
The screen is quite low-res by modern standards, but overall it's very usable and reliable. I regularly get given a GPX route for club rides which I just stick on the GPS and the happily lead half a dozen roadies around unfamiliar roads.