GPS devices

[mountainbaker]

If it's not OS you're after (foreign areas), then you can download to your own SD for free, why pay?!

http://www.openfietsmap.nl/

[paramart]

my mate copied me full uk maps onto a micro sd works brill don,t know how he did it, think its ridiculous the price they charge and they must copy from a master card, garmin 800 only probs iv,e had is straight lines on trips where it turns itself off, i run it with external power pack for longer times now

[mattpage]

Thanks for the comments. I'm leaning towards the eTrex 30.
I've got £280 to spend, at RRP. So the Oregon pushes that. eTrex comes in under, even with a bike mount.

[JohnClimber]

Thanks for the comments. I'm leaning towards the eTrex 30.
I've got £280 to spend, at RRP. So the Oregon pushes that. eTrex comes in under, even with a bike mount.

Just received my Dakota 20 (thanks to this thread) from Handtec for £127 and the official bike mount http://www.handtec.co.uk/garmin-colorad ... mount.html
They fit perfectly together with no slippage.

Thanks all


Plus I've sold my old gps until for 25% of the cost of this one

[mattpage]

Ended up going for the Etrex 30 & bike mount.

Any battery suggestions? Disposable I assume will be best?

[ScotRoutes]

I use NIMH batteries. Shop around a bit. Mine are normally from 7dayshop.com

[johnnystorm]

Ended up going for the Etrex 30 & bike mount.

Any battery suggestions? Disposable I assume will be best?

If its for something like the BB200 then I'll use Lithium disposables so I definitely get 24hrs+ from a pair. If doing a normal ride then 7dayshop rechargeable batteries of whichever mAh is the highest they offer at the time.

[mattpage]

HT550 is the main one.

[Zippy]

Lithium's if disposable, Sanyo eneloops for rechargeables.

[johnnystorm]

The in laws get Which? Magazine.

Review in December issue says Energizer Lithium (£7 for 4) narrowly sneak ahead of Maplin Extralonglife+ Lithium's(£6 for 4) for disposables and Aldi & Lidl Alkalines are the next best! (£2 for 4 and last 6 hours vs 8 hours for the Lithiums in their test).

[Giacomo]

Garmin Etrex 20 here. Bought as a recommendation. It's been great so far, about 3 months and 600+ miles. Definitely use lithium batteries. To give you an idea I did the BB200 with it and lithium batteries, took me just over 24 hours and the battery indicator was still showing full. I tried it with alkaline batteries and it got me from London to Koksijde, Belgium and back on a single set...

The handlebar mount isn't great, just mounts with zip ties.

Still I'd recommend it.

Also bought the Ioffer maps. Very good.

Giacomo

[ScotRoutes]

The handlebar mount isn't great, just mounts with zip ties.

It's worth putting a wee bit of inner tube (or other soft rubber shim) between the zipties and the bars as this gives a much firmer mount.

[mattpage]

I've just realised I've been sent the wrong bike mount for the eTrex. I think it is for the Dakota or Montana.

Can anyone recommend a bike mount for the etrex? They seem to be harder to find.

[FLV]

etrex 30 mounts

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/37121285 ... 0&ff14=108

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/garm ... lsrc=aw.ds

They can be a little rattly.

I packed the top bit of the central section with electrical tape to prevent it.

Also, worth a camera style hand loop to secure to the bars in case of ejection.

heres Aidans solution to a worn / loose mount for future ref.
http://www.aidanharding.com/2012/02/how ... ike-mount/

[Bearbonesnorm]

I've just realised I've been sent the wrong bike mount for the eTrex. I think it is for the Dakota or Montana.

I thought they were the same mount. The one in Daves link is certainly the same as I use with my Dakota.

[ScotRoutes]

They can be a little rattly.

I packed the top bit of the central section with electrical tape to prevent it.
/

My Dakota went " a bit rattly" after some use but the Oregon (identical mount) is, if anything, too tight. The back of the Dakota is plastic, the mount on the Oregon is metal so I can only assume it's a wear-related thing.

[Zippy]

So on my travels on the internet, I've come across a couple of other mounts for the etrex 10/20/30.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Garmin-Etrex- ... 1608831567

Is pricey, looks heavy, but looks pretty tough!



And then of course RAM Mount make one too

http://www.rammount.com/part/RAM-HOL-GA48U



Plus whatever handlebar bit you want.



I think I shall get the cheap is chips cable tied on std garmin one, modify it if required and put a safety loop on it.

[danielgroves]

Looking down a different line entirely here, has anyone sued something like a Suunto Ambit 3, or the older Ambit 2 model?

I normally wear a watch, but don't like wearing my decent watch out on the bike, backpacking, climbing, etc. As something for tracking on the bike, or getting a fast emergency grid reference otherwise, how would you'll rate them? Really not fussed about the navigation side of things… I'd rather use an OS map.

[Bearbonesnorm]

Is pricey, looks heavy, but looks pretty tough!

Bloody hell, it's almost cheaper to replace a broken / lost gps than buy the mount

[Alpinum]

Went down a rather unusual path for me and got a Edge 810 just recently. Got it for only a few quid more than eTrex 30.
Works quite different as it's set up as a training/racing gadget, but boy it's smart. And fast. And I can play around with it in places I actually should hold on to the bars. Even with thick gloves. That's a huge plus to the eTrex. Then it's only short of 100 g and nowadays I can load all my electronic toys (GPS, torch, mobile) from a power tank as many toys come with mini/micro USB ports. So I droped the AA-battery issue. For hiking it's a different story, but there my Foretrex is sufficient.

And the Edge looks good. And some functions make you laugh.
I'm really starting to like it. Did I say that the price a dropped?

Battery life is pretty much as stated, somewhere round about 17 h. But then if not in use it'll switch itself off after 15 min (if you select that function).