Which GPS?

[pbasinger]

I'm feeling too lazy to do my own research.

Any recommendations?  What's the latest and greatest out there for bike packing?

I have a e Trex HTC (I think) that is dying.  My biggest complaint with it is that I cannot see the screen worth a damn in intense sunlight.

Thanks.


Pete

[sigma7]

60CSx or 62st. My 60CSx works fine since more then 4 years; I'll use it on the TD this year.

-- sigma7

[caseygreene]

For the last year i've been really stoked on my Dakota 20.

Scott wrote a great review of it which he has been updating:
http://www.topofusion.com/diary/2009/12/16/garmin-dakota-20-review/

One caveat: Although it seems like an anomaly, Todd Tanner had to quit the AZT300 last year due to a complete failure of his Dakota model.

[pbasinger]

Thanks for the suggestions so far.

I had a 60 csx a long time ago, but it always turned off when it if got jiggled around.  The repair from Garmin was about $150 bucks.   I never sent it in.  It seems like it's hit or miss whether you end up with a unit that dies as soon as it gets beat around.  I'd guess this is what happened with that guy's Dakota.
I'll look back into the 60csx and check out the Dakota.

P

[Roland Sturm]

There is a likely 15 sec repair fix to it, it almost always is a loose battery contact issue in those models: Bend the battery contacts out a bit so there is more tension on them. If that is still not enough, put a little bit of cloth (or duct tape) around the batteries so they cannot move. Really just make sure that the contacts always stay in contact no matter how hard you jiggle the unit. Step 1 was enough to solve the annoying turn off problem on my old etrek legend.  By now far too outdated a model to recommend, but it wasn't bad then, I handed it down to my son.

I mainly use an etrek vista hcx, which I like a lot. Problem is that the bike mount is a bit wobbly (using a replacement one that seems to fit the old legend more tightly). Should be the same, but it isn't exactly the same, just a tiny bit more play than perfect. The unit itself is excellent and not that expensive either as it is not the latest or greatest. Has not yet developed the battery turnoff problem, I'm sure it will, but then it is such an easy fix.  

Finally I have a very recent Edge 705. Great potential, but there are still far too many software/firmware problems. In fact, after the last firmware fix (version 3.3, which came out in December) that was supposed to take care of several problems, now the 705 has even worse ones. I used it on a 200 mile ride and the distance was off by 1/3!. Quite a problem if you follow a cue sheet! Ridiculous to have such a problem with a GPS (it is related to the ANT+, you should be ok if you don't use any of that, but that obviously is part of the reason to go with such an expensive model). Also not very waterproof, riding a day in a raid caused the screen to fog up from the inside, 4 days in rice to dry out (the recommendation from Garmins customer support, but it worked). Screen can also be harder to read than the vista, depends a bit on sun. Even if those problems were solved, it wouldn't be the best choice for bikepacking or touring because the battery is built-in and needs to be recharged (good run-time, but just a day). For day rides or training, it has the potential for being an excellent unit, just needs a bit more development.  

Bikepacking? I use the vista hcx.

[6thElement]

Roland, have you got a powertap hub or similar? The distance issue can be worked around by manually inputting the wheel circumference, rather than leaving it on auto.

I've had my 705 for 4 years now, still love it despite the occasionally unwanted "feature".

[Roland Sturm]

Yes, Powertap.  Now I know it can be worked around, although oddly enough Garmin technical support didn't know when I initially asked them. They apparently believe their advertisements and were entirely baffled by it (I found the solution and problem on a web forum). Check out these advertised features on Garmin's website

"Changes made from version 3.10 to 3.30:
Improved calculation and reporting of total ascent, total descent, and grade.
Correctly calibrate wheel size when using PowerTap hub.
..."
Oops....

So the Edge doesn't correctly calibrate at all. I wouldn't recommend equipment that does not work as advertised and where you actually have to do the opposite of what their customer support recommends (so do not set to automatic). This is not the only problem, but for every 2 that Garmin fixes, there is a new problem - or more than that, 3.2 was retired completely because it was just a mess. The biggest issue for me, however, is that it cannot deal with rain. So great potential, but not ready for prime time even after several years and certainly not worth the premium price.

A fairweather GPS with a battery that cannot be replaced is probably not the best choice for CTR, TD, AZT, etc.

[DenisVTT]

I posted the following question on a blog specializing in GPS:

I want to do ride the Great Divide on my bike. That’s a 2,700 mile route. There is a GPS track for it ( http://www.adventurecycling.org/routes/gps.cfm?rt=Great%20Divide&s=353k&f=gdgpsdata ) but I’m wondering if it will fit on the 60CSx. Also, I will want to record each day of riding (let’s say 27 days of about 100 miles each). Is the 60CSx my best bet? Thanks.

And got the following response:

It should be fine. Its broken down into several smaller files, but I have to wonder how accurate they are. The one I looked at had 833 track points for a 535 mile section. There might be more detailed tracks out there, though it might mean cobbling together a lot of small files. Recording your own should be fine, since they can be archived to the micro-SD card.

I’d suggest looking at the 62s if you can afford it though. It wil store 200 tracks instead of 20, so if you do decide to go for more detailed tracks, you’ll probably need that. You may also find this feature useful…

http://gpstracklog.com/2010/07/navigating-tracks-on-the-new-garmin-handhelds.html

I’m anticipating a good sale on the 62s starting later this month, but I can’t say much more than that for now.

Sounds like a great trip. I’m more than a little jealous!

- The link I provided was the one from ACA. Is there another one that's more precise out there?

- I said 27 days to be on the safe side. I'm thinking it will take me a few days less than that, but it will likely take me more than 20.

What do people that have used the 60CSx (and others) think?

[Blackhound]

Many thanks for your comments above Roland which I will try for this weekends outing.  My Legend HCx developed this very issue about two weeks ago and I have tried cleaning the contacts and changing the rechargeable batteries but still occasionally cutting out even on road rides (There was a little surface discolouring on batteries and contacts).  It is working fine when just sat in my jersey pocket for recording purposes, not so useful when trying to find the right way out of Helena etc!