GPS for cyclist

bouicca21

I have been wondering about getting a gps for my bike.  I have difficulty remembering new complicated routes and I like exploring London on my bike.  OTH I don't want to spend a fortune and it is clearly possible to spend one.  What sort of features do others think I should look for?  What is essential?  I don't want anything to complicated, just something that will help me to plan a route and follow it..

Mickey666

Have you got a smart phone?

bouicca21

Yes - is there an app?  I'd need to get some sort of thingummy to mount it on the handlebars. I currently take it with me in my pocket/backpack to record the journey on Strava, but Strava doesn't help if (when) I get lost.  And I'd need an app that understood that bikes can go places that cars can't.

Nebulous2

It is very easy to spend a lot of money on a GPS for a bike. Even if you do spend a lot of money it can be frustrating and may not do what you hoped it would. I have quite a fancy Garmin, but rarely use it for mapping, unless I’m doing a cycling event. Generally it is logging my ride / heart rate / speed etc. The big advantage is that the battery lasts much longer than a phone for long rides. 

You can can get a mount for a phone and use an app or even google maps when you’re out. 

For GPS here’s a previous thread about it, with some reviews linked within it. 

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6144354/reasonable-cycle-computer-that-doesnt-break-the-bank#latest

ruperts

In terms of free apps there's Komoot and Ride with GPS, among others that are made for cycling, on which you can plan a route and follow it.

Bike computers have their advantages over smartphones but I'd go with a phone mount and a free app to begin with and see how you get on.

Aretnap

I like Viewranger as you can download (at cost) Ordnance Survey maps for offline use. By far the best IMHO for riding in remote-ish countryside, but if you do most of your riding in London you probably want an A to Z style map rather than OS, and you probably don't mind being reliant on decent mobile signal. So other apps may be better for you. 

If you mainly use it for getting un-lost rather than detailed route planning Google Maps is probably fine, and free. You can set it to give you directions for cycling rather than driving.

If battery life is a worry you can get a power bank that fits in your pocket and will double or triple your phone's battery life for not much more than a tenner - much cheaper than a dedicated GPS unit. 

Which is all a roundabout way of saying that I'm yet to hear a convincing argument for why I need a dedicated GPS unit rather than just usjbg my smartphone. 

cymruchris

I think I'd go with the smartphone option with a good mount and a power bank if necessary. 

Johnmcl7

Aretnap said:

Which is all a roundabout way of saying that I'm yet to hear a convincing argument for why I need a dedicated GPS unit rather than just usjbg my smartphone. 

There's pros and cons to both and for me, I only use dedicated cycle computers for a number of reasons:
 - Size/weight - Even the largest cycle computers are much smaller than most phones and take up much less space on the bars which is at a premium on my bikes with lights and camera mounts taking up a good bit of space
  - Durability - I've used my cycle computers in many different conditions from scorching heat to below -10, in heavy rain and mud and through many crashes and they still work flawlessly.  Modern mobiles can't survive anything like that and while you can put them in a toughened case, that's adding more bulk to an already large solution and a lot easier to not have to bother
 - Batterylife - I find having the display and GPS on continuously quickly eats into the battery on a phone while the cycle computer can last over 20 hours with the display on and navigating without faffing around with external powerbanks.  The cycle computers can last even longer with purpose designed external batteries which integrate into the existing mount
 - Display - The cycle computer displays look crude compared to mobile phones but I find them much better in bright sunlight where they're still easily viewable
 - Controls - Cycle computers are designed for use with gloves on and in wet conditions, some still use physical controls for that reason although there's a few touch screen models that still work far better than mobile phone touchscreens which I tend to find I have to take my gloves off to use.  It's not just the sensitivity but the UI design is much larger than on a phone needing much less precision
 - GPS Accuracy - Out of A-GPS range and under cover I find phone GPS accuracy can be flaky while the cycle computers manage fine
 - Bike integration/features - Phones and accessories are getting better for integration (wider BT support in addition to ANT+) but I find the cycle computers work better for integrated with Di2 shift systems, radar (although I see there's a new version which now supports phones), power meters etc.  Out of the box the cycle computers are set up with some handy tricks like being able to contact someone automatically if they detect an accident and live tracking.
 - Criticality - If the cycle computer does fail for any reason (lost, battery failure, broken in a crash etc.) it means you lose some metrics and navigation which isn't much of a loss but the same happening to the phone could be a much bigger problem especially if you get stuck in the middle of nowhere or have a crash and need help.  So my phone is tucked up inside where it's safe as possible 

There's plenty reason to use a smartphone instead and I did myself initially when i started cycling but for my use and for many of the reasons above I now use cycle computers.  I do a lot of cycling and get a lot of use from the cycle computers so I think they're worth the cost.  I currently use the Edge 530 for the mountain bikes and day to day riding and find it's a versatile unit while still keeping size down and an Edge 1030 for road bike rides as I prefer its larger screen when doing a lot of navigation and want to see ride metrics at the same time.

ssparks2003

Have a look at beelinehttps://beeline.co/pages/beeline-velo
I'm looking at the motorcycle version but they do they for bicycles too