satnav for car and bike?

souter

My better half is thinking about getting sat nav for our hols in France. Much as I rebel against this as a neo-luddite map reader, I wondered if acquiescence could yield a new funky device to sport on my bike.
So can one of these yokes be usable on both car and bike?

Raam

Hmmm, not really. Better to get a different one for each. I have the 705 edge for cycling and a Nuvi something for the car.

The edge is too small for the car, as it would be too difficult to see and drive at the same time.

A car satnav would be difficult to mount to the bike, not as good battery, no cycling specific features and probably not waterproof either!

Dr_Colossus

The car sat navs are relatively cheap now, think you can get decent ones for around 80 euro and really handy. They give precise directions telling you where to turn and what lane you need to be in etc so great for unfamiliar roads or when abroad.
Thinking of getting the Garmin 705 for the bike, excluding the smaller size how comparable would the sat nav functions be relative to the car devices? Does it give a comparable range of features, I presume there isn't a voice telling you to take the third exit on the next roundabout etc like the car satnavs but is there a beeping sound or anything with instructions telling you where to turn?
Giving the difference in price between the car and bike sat navs am also half thinking of getting a small car sat nav and fixing it onto the bike somehow but as Raam mentioned I'm guessing waterproffing might be an issue. Still could wrap it in some sort of waterproof pouch for wet days but then I don't know how it would hold up to the constant vibrations from the road on a bike? Has anyone ever tried fixing their car sat nav to a bike and how did you find it?

Captain Havoc

I have my nokia and I find it super. You can download maps for free and I like the sportstracker thingy. Sportstracker is available for free on any Nokia phone with maps. It follows you around and then you can upload it onto the sportstracker site and follow your progress in each sport. My phone cost me €50, so I'm well chuffed with it. If you want the voice navigation the first 6 months are free and then it's about €60 for the year or €10 for the month /I think).

Raam

Dr_Colossus wrote: »

Thinking of getting the Garmin 705 for the bike, excluding the smaller size how comparable would the sat nav functions be relative to the car devices?

The bike one does all the typical bike computer functions, including HR.

Dr_Colossus wrote: »

Does it give a comparable range of features, I presume there isn't a voice telling you to take the third exit on the next roundabout etc like the car satnavs but is there a beeping sound or anything with instructions telling you where to turn?

The 705 beeps at you, no voice. It flashes up a textual/visual direction

Dr_Colossus wrote: »

Giving the difference in price between the car and bike sat navs am also half thinking of getting a small car sat nav and fixing it onto the bike someone but as Raam I'm guessing waterproffing might be an issue. Still could wrap it in some sort of waterproof pouch for wet days but then I don't know how it would hold up to the constant vibrations from the road on a bike? Has anyone ever tried fixing their car sat nav to a bike and how did you find it?

I'd strongly advise that you don't attempt to attach a car one to a bike. It's not designed to take the beating that the 705 can take. I fear that it would break far too easily.

Dr_Colossus

Thanks Ramm, yea that's what I was thinking and that the vibrations would soon have the device in pieces and the touch screen shot to bits with loads of dead pixels
Can I ask if you're happy with the 705 and do you think it's a good investment. Do you use the sat nav functions much or do you mainly use it to measure your route, with speed, cadence and elevation. Have you ever looked into adding power meters onto it and generally how expensive would these be.
Thanks again

Lumen

Get her to buy you a 705. It's a win-win.

Raam

Dr_Colossus wrote: »

Thanks Ramm, yea that's what I was thinking and that the vibrations would soon have the device in pieces and the touch screen shot to bits with loads of dead pixels
Can I ask if you're happy with the 705 and do you think it's a good investment. Do you use the sat nav functions much or do you mainly use it to measure your route, with speed, cadence and elevation. Have you ever looked into adding power meters onto it and generally how expensive would these be.
Thanks again

the 705 is a class piece of kit. I sometimes use the directional capabilities, but most of the time I just look at the map and keep an eye on my target. If cycling for the weekend in a different location, I tend to pre-program a route.

My main reason for getting it was for programming and following routes and the ease of keeping a log of what I have done and where I have done it.

Power meters cost upwards of 800e. I won't be getting one for quite some time, if ever.

Jumpy

Raam wrote: »

the 705 is a class piece of kit. I sometimes use the directional capabilities, but most of the time I just look at the map and keep an eye on my target. If cycling for the weekend in a different location, I tend to pre-program a route.

My main reason for getting it was for programming and following routes and the ease of keeping a log of what I have done and where I have done it.

Power meters cost upwards of 800e. I won't be getting one for quite some time, if ever.

Can you upload user uploaded MapMyRide routes onto it?

Raam

Jumpy wrote: »

Can you upload user uploaded MapMyRide routes onto it?

yes

Lumen

Raam wrote: »

Power meters cost upwards of 800e.

Elite+ complete wheel is €781.90, the same rim on a 105 hub would be €120+, so the addition of a power meter adds about €660.

blorg

The 705 is great for the bike. You can try to use it in the car but it does not work as well as specialised car GPS; car GPSes are so cheap these days it would make sense just to buy one.

If using the 705 in a car you really need a seperate person doing the navigation; it wouldn't be possible for the driver to navigate off it. The screen is too small and it doesn't have voice prompts.

One of the key things it lacks in terms of navigation capability is "via" points- if you want to get it to follow a particular route (and haven't programmed the route on a PC beforehand) you need to set it to the next town, the next, etc. It is also important to sanity-check what it suggests as sometimes it can be eccentric... More difficult to do on such a small screen.

Definitely the best GPS out there for the bike though. Something like 15 hours battery life which is great, many car GPSes have sub-3 hour as they expect to be plugged in most of the time.

blorg

Lumen wrote: »

Elite+ complete wheel is €781.90, the same rim on a 105 hub would be €120+, so the addition of a power meter adds about €660.

Ooh itchy credit card finger, damn you Lumen

Murph100

You can get a brand new SL+ for €800 ono from the US if you're willing to put up with the extra hassle, put it on a €44 Mavic Open Pro ( 435g ), get some Sapim spokes et Voila .... 952g Powertap SL+ Wheel for €1,000 ( if customs dont interfere ). Lightest Powertap clincher combo I can find without going crazy money.