GPS question

Do they make a GPS that does the following:
1) mounts on a bicycle (smaller size)
2) interfaces with a PC- saves mapped rides, etc.
3) works (and recharges) in a car using a cigarette lighter power cable
4) gives spoken directions
5) is reasonably affordable
???

On Sep 28, 12:23*am, "Gary" wrote:
Do they make a GPS that does the following:
1) mounts on a bicycle (smaller size)
2) interfaces with a PC- saves mapped rides, etc.
3) works (and recharges) in a car using a cigarette lighter power cable
4) gives spoken directions
5) is reasonably affordable
???

I've had a Garmin Quest for a couple years that meets all the above
criteria except that the spoken directions are only given when plugged
into a 12 VDC outlet (the speaker is built into the charger). But on
the bike it still indicates an upcoming turn by beeping and displaying
a zoomed-in view of the intersection with your route highlighted and a
large font description of the required action.

But usually the Quest sits in my wife's car and I use my older Garmin
eMap on the bicycle. I think the Quest cost us about $250 which
included maps of the US and Canada on a CD. The unit holds 115 MB of
maps at one time which is almost enough to fully cover California, or
alternatively a narrow strip of land around a full cross-country
route. Beyond that you have to hook it up to a PC and download a new
set of maps. It automatically stores a tracklog of up to 10,000
points showing where you've been on your rides - one nice application
is that if you take pictures with a digital camera you can later use
software to associate each picture with the exact location where it
was taken based on the timestamps.

I'm sure that by now there are other units available as well that
would meet your needs. I've been happy with the performance of the
eMap on my bike for close to 10 years now and the Quest for the last
couple. They've been especially useful on tours to find the nearest
grocery store, bike shop, motel, etc. BTW, phone numbers of the
various businesses are also included in the database so you can call
motels in the next town to check on vacancies - very handy if weather
or mechanical problems cause a change in plans.

"Gary" wrote in message
. ..
Do they make a GPS that does the following:
1) mounts on a bicycle (smaller size) 2) interfaces with a PC- saves
mapped rides, etc.
3) works (and recharges) in a car using a cigarette lighter power
cable
4) gives spoken directions
5) is reasonably affordable
???

Everything but the spoken directions and affordability is questionable.
The Edge 705 is a very capable unit, although the screen size is too
small for the sort of detailed info while riding that some might want.
Not sure why you'd need spoken directions though. The unit charges off a
standard USB port, which you can get a cigarette lighter power adapter
for very cheaply.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

On Sun, 28 Sep 2008 09:19:00 -0700, "Mike Jacoubowsky"
wrote:

"Gary" wrote in message
...
Do they make a GPS that does the following:
1) mounts on a bicycle (smaller size) 2) interfaces with a PC- saves
mapped rides, etc.
3) works (and recharges) in a car using a cigarette lighter power
cable
4) gives spoken directions
5) is reasonably affordable
???

Everything but the spoken directions and affordability is questionable.
The Edge 705 is a very capable unit,

As the OP doesn't request built in maps or route finding, the 305 also
fails only the spoken directions (the beep and zoom thing works just
fine at bicycle speeds) requirement. If you have maps on the PC
(including Google Earth, possibly with the Plus subscription) and the
time and inclination to plan your route ahead of time, it may be a
more affordable alternative to the 705 if you don't need the other 705
features which also are not on the OP's wish list

Kinky Cowboy*

*Batteries not included
May contain traces of nuts
Your milage may vary
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