[terriann]

I am interested in purchasing a GPS for my bike. I've looked at the Garmin 500 and it seems to do a lot of the things I want - speed, cadence, %grade, etc. But, I have a terrible sense of direction and hate to be lost. I need something that will not only allow me to map a ride but will also show me how to get back to the starting point on an "unmapped" ride. Does that make sense? Will the Garmin 500 do that? Is there something else that I should look into to?

[rola643]

You need a 705 or 800 for that kind of mamping or use your smartphone with Mytracks, Mapmyride, etc.


You might be able to use breadcrumb navigation with the 500 if you wanted follow a track back for where you started...doable but a pain me thinks

[Poolie]

Check out the Garmin 800. It's the Cadillac of cycling GPS's and will do all that. I picked up one a couple months ago and love it. Haven't really played too much with the mapping features since it's winter and have only been riding well known routes.

[ksr5]

I agree with Poolie just received my 800 couple weeks ago and love it, still learning all the features.

[Poolie]

If you do decide to go with the Edge 800 go ahead and get the cadence/speed sensor (around $35). You get way more accurate real-time speed with the sensor than letting the unit calculate your speed. For example the bike train I ride on has a pretty heavy tree canopy covering the trail, so the GPS signal is not the best. My bike computer (which I haven't removed yet) will be steady at 18 mph, but the 800 will be all the place. 15mph, them 18mph, then 16.5mph, etc... At the end of the ride both the Garmin and bike computer agree on the summary data, but of you want to know how fast you're going at any given moment you want the sensor. I imagine if you're riding with open skies this would be less of a problem.

It also allows you to use it with your trainer this time of year and get useful data.

[okewit]

A smartphone with the proper GPS software will be hard to beat at any time.

[skycomag]

Originally Posted by okewit

A smartphone with the proper GPS software will be hard to beat at any time.

what is the proper app for a smart phone ( androd)?
thank you