Thinking of getting into GPS? In the next few posts I will be saying a bit about my recent experience of using GPS for cycling, especially mountain biking. I am quite a newbie to GPS, but I think our recent Serbia Bike Trek was a good testing-ground for this technology and I am in a good position now to share a bit about it. Today I’ll give a brief overview of what it’s about and how to go about choosing a GPS, then I’ll follow up with some posts about the features offered by GPS and the ways of using GPS for mountain biking. I also aim to provide some comparisons of different devices to give you an idea of the different things to think about when buying a GPS unit to be used primarily for cycling.

GP-what?

Just to fill you in on GPS in case you’re not up to speed. The Global Positioning System allows a small device, usually the size of a mobile phone, to establish contact with special purpose-made satellites in geostationary orbit and use the data that is received to calculate the exact position of the device, to within a few metres in some cases. The really useful thing about this is if you happen to have this device in your hand, because you can then get latitude and longitude data on exactly where you are, anywhere in the world (above ground/water!)

There is kind of a philosophical question related to this - do I really want to know where I am?! Surely there is a sense of adventure in getting lost, exploring new territory etc? All I can say is firstly that getting lost isn’t usually THAT fun, it can mean a lot of tedious hours of unnecessary wandering and can even be dangerous if you get stuck out in adverse weather etc. Secondly, GPS can enrich your cycling experience by helping you find new routes, cover more ground more confidently and provide a wealth of information for the data freaks out there!

GPS devices

There are various different GPS devices on the market, slightly adapted for the needs of different users, though the technology is pretty much the same, and most of the features too. These include general-purpose “outdoor”-type devices designed to be carried by hand (like the Garmin eTrex range), bike-mountable devices with additional features for cyclists like calorie measurement etc. and automotive-type GPS units which sit on the car dashboard and have advanced routing capabilities. There are also more specialised GPS devices such as for maritime use and for fishing enthusiasts!

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The most basic type of GPS device, like the bog-standard eTrex essentially tells you nothing more than your coordinates and bearing, which is fine for map-reading enthusiasts who are not bothered about ever knowing exactly where they are! But most people want something which is going to give them a much better sense of their whereabouts and the surrounding terrain. More advanced devices have a host of features, particularly maps and routing, which I will cover in a future post.

What GPS for cycling?

I will say right away that I personally wouldn’t buy a specialised cycling GPS. They only duplicate the options you already have on your cycling computer, probably, and if you are a cyclist then you are probably an outdoors type and will want to use the GPS for general purposes too, hiking, climbing and the like. Cycling GPSs are a more elongated shape and not very convenient for carrying in your hand.

I have used two “general outdoor” devices from the Garmin eTrex series , the Garmin Legend and the Garmin Vista Cx. The former I bought, the latter (more expensive) I was loaned by the local Garmin supplier for the Serbia Bike Trek (and hung onto it for a week or two after because I liked it so much). I plan to do a comparison of these two at some point, but for now I will just give you a run-down of some issues when getting a GPS for cycling:

1) Can it be fitted to your handlebars? Probably the most important question! You need it where you can see it, and also some devices do not work very well if they are not lying face up. The Legend, for example, loses its signal when just hanging round your neck, and anyway this is not very convenient for cycling. Most Garmin devices can be fitted with a bike clip (bought seperately usually) which will keep it firmly where you can see it, regardless of whether it is specifically a “bike” GPS.

2) How much are you going to be looking at it? More basic GPS models have black and white screens which are fine if you are just occasionally stopping and having a look, but are very difficult to see whilst riding, despite the backlighting that can be clicked on. This is especially true on an involved route where you need information quickly and can’t take your eyes off the road for long! Colour models are considerably easier to see - the contrast is better and the colour allows you to distinguish features on the screen at a glance. Screen size may also be an issue for you, especially if your eyesight is not quite what it used to be!

Related to this point, it must be said that the all-purpose GPS units are a little tricky to use on the bike - the screen is much smaller than on, say, an automobile device (though the colour Vista model is absolutely fine), but even more tricky is actually operating it whilst riding. This type of device is controlled mostly by the little “joystick”, which is just impossible to operate whilst jiggling about on the bike, even on a flat road. But you will normally have it on one setting anyway - perhaps the map if you are trying to find your way or the trip computer if you are trying to beat your time, so there is not too much need to operate the GPS “on the fly”. Anyway, fiddling with stuff whilst riding (see Stupid Things to do on a Bike) is generally a bad idea anyway!

3) What features do you really need? Don’t get into the marketing trap that the manufacturers have carefully laid for the unwitting consumer! Just as with anything else you can buy, there is always that model with just those extra features that sound so tempting, and for more money than you were really planning to spend. Garmin are particularly skilled at this. Do some soul-searching and, unless you really have a bottomless budget, think about what features you can in all honesty do without. For example, the colour screen WILL cost far more - can I actually do without it? Do I need a huge memory if I am only going for short rides?

In a future post, coming soon, I will try to give you a run-down of some of the typical features of GPS devices and try to help you with some ideas about their application to biking.

But for now I will leave you with this: it is unlikely you will go back to biking without GPS once you have tried it. It has added a new dimension to my cycling and travelling experience (I can also always find where I parked the car!) and I wouldn’t go back to being lost again!

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Posted on June 29th, 2007 by markowe
Filed under: Biking - general, GPS, MTB Serbia (All), Serbia Bike Trek!