Strava on the cheap...
 

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[Closed] Strava on the cheap, would this work? GPS logger @ £20 maplin.

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In the absence of owning a GPS smartphonne, would the device below work?

http://www.maplin.co.uk/bluetoothandreg-gps-travel-tracker-351568

Would it be a case of plugging it in to a pc and uploading the route and then incorparating in to strava?


 
Posted : 22/04/2012 7:22 pm
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Early morning bump as I am heading near a store today...


 
Posted : 26/04/2012 5:51 am
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a few of my friends have got them, or similar - they seem to do the job.


 
Posted : 26/04/2012 5:54 am
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Yes it will work providing it exports the log in a supported file format. Record ride, plug into PC and upload to Strava.


 
Posted : 26/04/2012 6:05 am
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Might have to try that myself. AnyOne know what the battery life is like?


 
Posted : 26/04/2012 6:09 am
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@dick. That is what I want to know! Prob worth a punt for £20. If not right for biking I will hang it from the dog and plot how much further than us she walks when we go out!


 
Posted : 26/04/2012 6:58 am
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i've been using one for a few weeks now, it seems to work aswell/better than most phones (my 'plots' are as well defined/better than my friends who use their smartphones)

you have to be careful with the button - there is only one - it's very easy to press, you could easily turn it off in the middle of a ride/run.

there is no battery life indicator, but it hasn't been a problem yet...

(i think 20hours is claimed)

it's a bit of a fiddle to get the gpx file; you have to open the unit-specific software, connect the box, create a new activity, right-click on the new icon which has appeared in your activity callendar, export to gpx (save it on your desktop or wherever), open strava, and upload the file.

not a total nightmare, but less convenient than simply pressing 'start ride' and 'finish ride'

it's a bargain at £20.


 
Posted : 26/04/2012 7:01 am
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Good news ah. Will dive in today and buy one.


 
Posted : 26/04/2012 7:07 am
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I've got one of those. Actually a higher model (GT-600)

Best bit of bike kit after my dropper post. Works perfectly, battery lasts for ages (up to 60 hours), dead simple to use.


 
Posted : 26/04/2012 7:15 am
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No I won't. It's out of stock in the north of England!


 
Posted : 26/04/2012 7:23 am
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Nice- been looking for one of these for ages.

Order placed!

🙂


 
Posted : 26/04/2012 7:24 am
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Me too. Stock levels show "while stocks last" rather than "in stock". Wondering if I am going to get an order cancelled email from maplin?


 
Posted : 26/04/2012 7:35 am
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OK, it's a few quid more but for the read out and bike mount the Holux GPsport 245 is a great buy.


 
Posted : 26/04/2012 7:42 am
 nuke
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[i]I've got one of those. Actually a higher model (GT-600)

Works perfectly, battery lasts for ages (up to 60 hours), dead simple to use.[/i]

+ 1. Been using a GT-600 for 2 years now. Never had any problems...turn it on, I tend to wait for sats (both red + blue light will flash everytime it registers an actual position), throw it in my pack and go (I have 100 milers recorded with it like the SDW in a day). When I lost mine I immediately replaced it with the same.


 
Posted : 26/04/2012 7:46 am
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I assume this would work just as well with Endomondo?

I've got a Windows smartphone and Endomondo have already stated that their app (in fact any tracking app) will not work properly on Windows Phone.


 
Posted : 26/04/2012 7:49 am
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Apologies if its a silly question, but can these just be slung in a backpack or do they need to be taped to the bars to work properly?

Edit:just read above post about being slung in a backpack!


 
Posted : 26/04/2012 8:07 am
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You can also geo-tag all your biking/holiday pictures with this
http://www.geosetter.de/en/


 
Posted : 26/04/2012 8:11 am
 Nick
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All of these "apps", Endomondo, Strava, Mapmyride etc will allow you to upload a route/workout etc, not all of them make it easy to download or export a route though, Strava has not export function. So if you want to share a gpx file it's just as well to record the route on a data logger/normal gps.


 
Posted : 26/04/2012 8:26 am
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Errrr, Strava does have an export function.


 
Posted : 26/04/2012 10:07 am
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Oh and if you want to grab someone else's ride, then use this: http://cosmocatalano.com/strava-gpx-export/


 
Posted : 26/04/2012 10:09 am
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Just ordered one....free delivery


 
Posted : 26/04/2012 10:23 am
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In 2 minds whether to order one..

I like the fact that out running Endomondo tells you your minute miles, which this wouldn't do....


 
Posted : 26/04/2012 10:49 am
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I currently use my old Nokia with sports tracker, churn out a .gpx file and upload that to strava, which is a good way to map a whole ride but not particularly good if you wanted to do accuratly time runs of specific sections.

I was considering a bar mounted Moto timer but at £20 if this maplin jobbie could be setup as an on the bar run timer (set at 1 sec log intervals), and I could still keep the phone in my bag as a full ride timer that might be ideal... would it work for that?


 
Posted : 26/04/2012 11:19 am
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if this maplin jobbie could be setup as an on the bar run timer (set at 1 sec log intervals)

you press the button, it turns on, after a while (lets say a minute) it's doing it's thing and recording your gps position - you can change how often it does this - you can even change it on a speed-sensitive basis; less often if you're travelling slowly, more often if you're travelling quickly.

but you don't get any data out of it until you get home and faff around with a computer...

and I could still keep the phone in my bag as a full ride timer that might be ideal... would it work for that?

i don't think so, no.


 
Posted : 26/04/2012 11:39 am
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I like the fact that out running Endomondo tells you your minute miles, which this wouldn't do....

but you do get that data when you get home...


 
Posted : 26/04/2012 11:40 am
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"but strava will when you get home..."

by which point its a little late to run quicker 🙄


 
Posted : 26/04/2012 11:42 am
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listen to your legs?

no-one is suggesting that this little white box is the best gps-assisted training widget ever made.

but it works, and it's very cheap.

moon on a stick for you sir?


 
Posted : 26/04/2012 11:43 am
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but you don't get any data out of it until you get home and faff around with a computer...

Yeah I'd twigged that, like I say I already log my rides in their entirity using my old duffer of a phone, not an issue there it's not blindingly accurate but it does a good job of generating a *.gpx file that I upload to strava when I get home.

but lets say I spend some time sessioning a descent 3 or 4 times over during a ride or I go on an uplift and want to capture individual run times, my current phone/Strava method doesn't really work as well for this sort of thing;

I can upload the whole thing to Strava and try to segment it but obviously there are several runs going over the same ground at different times it gets to be a bit of a PITA...
I'd much prefer it if could I could more easily generate smaller single run *.gpx files (Using this device or something similar) and upload them individually to strava to compare, if it doesn't "Boot up" and start logging very quickly or allow my to in someway waypoint a "start" and "stop" point then that might mean it's not the best device for what I want..

Is that what you were trying to tell me?


 
Posted : 26/04/2012 12:13 pm
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I've got the GT-600.

Great kit!


 
Posted : 26/04/2012 12:14 pm
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I have a GT-600, but it mysteriously failed after ~10 uses. Fine when connected to the laptop, but doesn't power-up when not connected, even though the battery is apparently fully-charged.

But I've just ordered one of these as a replacement - worth a punt for £20.


 
Posted : 26/04/2012 12:45 pm
 Nick
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Errrr, Strava does have an export function.

so it does, wonder why I hadn't seen that before... thanks!


 
Posted : 26/04/2012 12:53 pm
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Is that what you were trying to tell me?

something like that...


 
Posted : 26/04/2012 12:59 pm
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Balls! They're compatible with a Mac.


 
Posted : 26/04/2012 1:03 pm
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Arrived this morning...

Looking neat.


 
Posted : 28/04/2012 8:52 am
 nuke
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Quick tip for those who don't read instructions 😳 : the connector on the lead has to be tilted at angle to insert or remove and not just pushed/pulled in/out.

Further tip: if using the Sports Analyser software that it comes with, the ascent/descent has always been well out...raised with the developers but has not been fixed. Load it into Google Earth or similar for a more accurate ascent/descent reading

Might buy another myself as £19.99 is very cheap (I'm guessing it's a GT-200e...possibly discontinued as they are not on the Mobile Action website?) and the only difference I can see between that and the GT-600 is that the GT-600 has motion detector


 
Posted : 28/04/2012 9:29 am
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Does this give you details like start/finish time and how far you've travelled when you upload it to software of your choice?


 
Posted : 28/04/2012 9:54 am
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Got mine today....so I thought....when I opened the packet it was just the empty packaging 😥

Rang Maplin...they said they'll send me another


 
Posted : 28/04/2012 2:39 pm
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mine came today... it was in the pack too!
Impressed by the tidgyness of it. Just charging then I might tie it to the dog for a test!


 
Posted : 28/04/2012 2:41 pm
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Ordered myself one, looking forward to giving it a go!


 
Posted : 28/04/2012 3:18 pm
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I assume this would work just as well with Endomondo?

Presumably you could upload a gpx to Endomondo & Strava after, but obviously you wont be able to use the live tracking function on Endomondo.

I've got a Windows smartphone and Endomondo have already stated that their app (in fact any tracking app) will not work properly on Windows Phone.

Why? That's a bit rubbish, are there still not enough windows phone users out there to justify it?


 
Posted : 28/04/2012 4:33 pm
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There used to be issues with apps not being able to run in the background when the screen is locked. I just use an app called gpx tracker and it runs fine. Upload to Strava after.


 
Posted : 28/04/2012 5:12 pm
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Does this give you details like start/finish time and how far you've travelled when you upload it to software of your choice?

This is what the uploaded data looks like on the supplied software.

[IMG] [/IMG]


 
Posted : 28/04/2012 6:00 pm
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Slight hijack but can I import gpx files from mytracks into strava, and if so how?

Not having much luck with my googling!


 
Posted : 28/04/2012 6:40 pm
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anyone having problems getting their pc to recognnise the logger...just did a quick walk around the block and it was tracking but on @trip software it wont download. Just keeps saying to connect the logger to the pc and I have but nothing there.


 
Posted : 28/04/2012 7:09 pm
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..now working...amazing what a shutdown/switch on can do... 😕


 
Posted : 28/04/2012 7:32 pm
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Mine just arrived; at least I thought it had. Like LapSteel all I got was empty packaging. Called Maplin & there's no stock left & it's been discontinued. Just my luck!


 
Posted : 02/05/2012 6:17 pm

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