Bike GPS

GPS navigators for cyclists

Not so long ago, if you wanted to use GPS while you were cycling you would have needed to cobble together a mixture of devices which might have included a separate GPS receiver and a mobile phone, a handheld portable sports GPS navigator with separate maps, with perhaps a cycle computer for good measure. Unfortunately, this would still have only giving you a very basic and somewhat unreliable method for establishing your location and navigating a cycle route.

However now there are four basic and reliable methods for navigating on your bike, depending on how sophisticated you want to be and of course your budget. The most basic method, which requires some technical ability is to combine readily available software with a mobile phone to give you location, speed and route information. There are now several combinations of GPS navigation software and suitable mobile phones available, although there are still limitations on compatibility and the ease with which you can share information with other cyclists. Obviously its also not really possible to mount a mobile on your bike handlebars and expect it to survive.

The next level features mapless GPS navigators, which typically track your speed, location and elevation to give you data and information about your cycling routes. These have text readouts on their screens and plotted route diagrams, but do not feature actual map displays. Some of these are specifically designed for mounting on bikes.

Then you reach a range of hand-held, portable GPS navigators which have been in use by people like ramblers and orienteers and show a screen map display. While these are fine for intermittent use, most of them have not been designed to be exposed continuously to the elements on the handlebars of a bike and they are not designed to be clipped into a mount.

Cycling specific GPS Navigators

The latest developments however have all been around a complete GPS navigation system designed specifically for cyclists. These products all fit onto bike handlebars and provide navigation information on a screen map in the same way as you would experience using a car SatNav. Usually they come with a base topo map, but true Ordnance Survey or route maps may need separate purchase.

They come complete with an array of facilities including the ability to track and record cycle routes, upload and download information using the Internet, assess and monitor your performance while you are cycling and share a large amount of information with other cyclists. Some of the higher level GPS cycle navigation devices have wireless transmission facilities and the challenge of cycling against a virtual partner.

The market for GPS navigation for cyclists is dominated by Garmin, particularly with their range of Edge models.

Motorbike GPS navigators

If you need a GPS navigation system for your motorbike or scooter, you won't be surprised to find that they are pretty similar to the devices used in cars. However obviously being mounted somewhere that will expose them to wind, water and temperature changes requires them to be more robust and completely watertight.

Motorbike GPS units also need to be able to handle bike vibration and to top products have touch screens that can be operated by the left or right hand even with gloves on.

Currently, the range of GPS navigators for motorbikes is much more limited than that for cars. You can also expect to pay significantly more for a motorbike GPS than for a car model.

Apart from this, the facilities available for motorbike GPS units are very similar to those for cars, including map updates, memory backups and downloaded latest maps and routes from the manufacturers or third party map companies.