Hand held GPS for Mtn biking in the Forest

[oilboy123]

I went to some real trails and printed out maps. I realized that it was a maze in the forest and realized I could easily get lost even with the maps. I brought a compass with me he first time, which leaves something to be desired.
They have some other trails higher up in the hills I would like to try out. I don't want to spend a night in the Forest.

Does anybody use a hand held for this type of use.

 

[jdeare]

Yes, I use a Garmin GPSMap 60 CSX for this. I generally use Garmin Connect to find routes, and then load them onto my GPS before a ride (routes are also available elsewhere). Trails are also in their map products (like Topo US)... I would suggest getting one of those with your GPS.

I would suggest going on a site like mtbr.com and posting in the regional forum for the area you are going to ride in. They should know where to find GPS routes for the trails in that area.

 

[JHZR2]

Garminmakes bike specific gps units.. Look like handheld but do some more Iguess. Have you looked at them? Edge 605 and 705, iirc.

 

[oilboy123]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Garminmakes bike specific gps units.. Look like handheld but do some more Iguess. Have you looked at them? Edge 605 and 705, iirc.


Did not know that. A few days ago I saw a regular hand held GPS on Walmart.com for under 90$ that was getting good reviews.

I think it was Garmin?

 

[oilboy123]

Originally Posted By: jdeare

I would suggest going on a site like mtbr.com and posting in the regional forum for the area you are going to ride in. They should know where to find GPS routes for the trails in that area.


Good idea

 

[ZZman]

A guy at work uses one for bike and horse rides he does. He loves it.

It shows where he has been so he can take different routes the next time.

 

[oilboy123]

I did a quick search for the bike specific model and did not see any good sites. Anybody have any suggestions?

REI, Performance bike.......

 

[IndyIan]

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=145&pID=309#imageTab
My cousin has this one and it works very well from inside his camelback. We used it in a simple trace mode so we could see where we were and where we've been, most times its very easy to figure out where you are on the map just from that. You can get bar mounts for them but I'm worried about how they will handle the vibration and crashing...

 

[jdeare]

I don't know that they are bike specific, but Garmin has been advertising their Oregon series as being more suitable for "on the trail". I've gone OTB a few times and rolled right over my 60CSx (it was in my camelbak) without issue, so I think pretty much any handheld would work fine.

There are handlebar mounts available for GPS units, so you might look to see what's available there to guide you. Some of those mounts may be universal though.

I looked at Walmart.com and I think you are talking about the Garmin eTrex? That will tell you where you are and how to get where you are going, but it won't display a map... I guess it depends on what you prefer. I use mine in my car as well, so I wanted the mapping capability. Based on walmart.com, the next lowest priced GPS that would do that is the eTrex Legend, at $126. It has limited memory for maps though.

Oh yeah, I bought mine at geomangear.com.

 

[moribundman]

Originally Posted By: oilboy123
I went to some real trails and printed out maps. I realized that it was a maze in the forest and realized I could easily get lost even with the maps. I brought a compass with me he first time, which leaves something to be desired.
They have some other trails higher up in the hills I would like to try out. I don't want to spend a night in the Forest.

Does anybody use a hand held for this type of use.


If you just want a breadcrumb function to find back to your car or a saved landmark, even a $100 Garmin eTrex will do the job. They got a convenient handlebar mount for it.

GPS units with detailed maps (usually downloadable or installable via cartridges) are fairly costly. I have a Lowrance GPS with mapping function, but I rarely use it.

A GPS never replaces a compass and a map.

 

[pickled]

Just don't be glancing at the screen too long when you are rolling through the woods! We don't want you pulling a Sonny Bono man.

 

[dperreno]

The Garmin Edge 305 and 705 are the bicycle-specific units. You can get wireless cadence and heartrate for both and they mount nicely on the stem. The 305 can be picked up refurbished for $170ish on ebay. The known issue with the 305 is that if you are riding hard, the battery can disconnect momentarily and the unit turns off. I think if you bend the contacts a little it will take care of the problem, but I'm not sure since I don't own one (yet)