Best bike GPS system for pre-planned tour around UK

[RevDonkBonkers]

Hi all,

I am planning to cycle around the UK later this year and am looking for a little advice on my idea for planning/navigating a route. For a little background I only got a touring bike last year and aside from doing a three day, 120 mile ride in November this will be the first time I have done any long-distance touring. My plan loosely is to cycle around the UK coastline.

Essentially what I am thinking is that I want to plan my entire route before I go and then use a bike GPS computer to follow it as I cycle. Of course this route won't be set in stone, there will no doubt be times when I veer off course and follow a different route after local advice, etc, before rejoining my planned route, but I think I would like the security blanket of having something there to guide me. I want to enjoy the ride, the places, the people and the scenery without worry about reading maps all the time.

I appreciate everyone will have their own opinions of how cycle touring should be done, but I just wondered if anyone can offer any advice on what kind of Bike GPS I should get based upon my needs? I have had a look at all the different Garmins and Wahoo Elemnts, etc, but am still not totally certain what would suit my needs. Budget wise I could afford to buy the top-level (by price anyway) Garmin 1030 Plus, but I don't want to waste my money on unnecessary functionality that isn't needed.

I know I could use a smartphone, but I only bought my first smartphone last year and it is second-hand, old and has a battery life similar to that of a mayfly.

Any advice is welcomed, thank you in advance.

PS - in advance, I have also read and taken on board the comments here: viewtopic.php?t=148305&hilit=bike+gps

[glucas]

I am wading in here to give my 5 cents, but I am a complete amateur compared to some on here who have done thousands of miles.

As with a lot of product related dicussions there are fan boys who opt for one over another e.g. Garmin v Wahoo. My feeling is that it really depends on your requirements. The most useful thing for me is the superior battery life when compared to a smartphone. I have done a couple of tours recently where I was using komoot and strava inconjunction with my Elemnt Bolt and the GPS just sucked the life out of the smartphone battery by 2pm. And from that point on I was mainly reliant on the Bolt and would be charging the phone via my battery pack.

Why did I need to run both in tandem? Well - initially on my bike tours I have started in Derby and Aberdeen. In both cases it has taken 4 or 5 miles to navigate out of the cities. I seem to remember getting out of Derby from the train station was a bit convoluted. The screen on my Wahoo Elemnt Bolt was not detailed enough so I had to revert to the Smartphone - and in some cases Google Street view as well.

Further examples of dual use have been when I have veered off course. In the case of the Elemnt Bolt it starts flashing red, so you know you have to turn around and pull out the smartphone to orient yourself.

I have upgraded to the new Elemnt Bolt 2 and it has a new colour screen, which has a better resolution. I have not yet toured on it but it has a reported 15 hour battery life. I would probably still resort to getting out the smartphone if stuck but if I just had one device I would probably upgrade to something like a Garmin Edge 1030 plus.

Now - I bet the next poster says they use ancient technology - like a map.

A further thought - when I was cycling along the north scottish coastline - I hardly needed GPS - as it was just along coastal paths.

[Psamathe]

Like OP, touring I enjoy looking around at wildlife, scenery, etc. and thus prefer have a GPS to do my navigation for me. I know I am quite capable of navigating on using a map but prefer spend my time enjoying other aspects.

With a pre-planned tour of such a distance each leg pre-determined before even setting out to me it suggests limited flexibility,. I suspect (and I have found on my own tours) some days you have loads of energy and go further, other days a bit tired and go shorter. Sometimes you arrive to find a campsite closed down and end-up going further, etc.

With modern routing and GPS systems it is very easy to create routes whilst under way. e.g. cycle.travel which easily downloads routes created to your GPS using internet.

I've had two such devices. 1st a Wahoo https://psamathe.net/wahoo-elemnt-navigation-review/ was a disaster and I gave-up on it 1 month into my tour and ended-up buying a Garmin 1030 (overkill but I could only buy what the shop had in stock) - that said, if I broke it I'd buy the same (or modern version) again. On that Garmin device you can create routes on the device itself (no internet connection needed) and I used that for the last 1 month of a tour as mid tour I didn't have the battery or internet to work out Garmin accounts, etc.. Its on device created courses were not as good as cycle.travel but they were still good for cycling, no disasters so such on device capability gives a good backup if internet connection not good in some places.

If it were me I'd create a rough route before departing, maybe a list of places to go through/close by, specific places (e.g. x to y on National Cycle Route z) but be planning the navigational detail (turn by turn instructions) along the way using online and on-device as available.

When I 1st got my Garmin it was very bad as handling deviations from a route - when you went off-route it would calculate new navigation but to get you back to the point where you left the route e.g. what I think of as a "treasure Hunt" where you must pass all points on the route. Garmin have a bad reputation for this BUT subsequent software updates have significantly improved this aspect so the reputation is historical and I consider it no longer an issue.

Regarding specific devices I can only comment on those I have experience of and from that experience I'd never buy Wahoo again and would buy Garmin again. I'd suggest that being able to create routes on the device without internet/online connection is an important feature, particularly on a longer tour where deviations may be required.

Ian

[Jdsk]

Specifications first, please.

You want to be able to load routes in advance for the whole trip. So do I.

1 Do you want turn-by-turn indication... coming to and at each junction the device tells you where the route goes?

2 Power management: how will you recharge the device?

3 How big a screen do you want? You can play with devices or cardboard replicas if you aren't sure yet.

Jonathan

[Jdsk]

Smart 'phones...

Lots in the archives on this. I suggest listing the advantages and disadvantages in general, and then telling us how those stack up for a 'phone and for a dedicated device for your own needs.

Jonathan

[andym63]

ive not done a lot of touring but what I have done has been with a Garmin Montana 610..its most probably been updated to a new model now, but I chose it for its good battery life, its ability to run on dry cell batteries if needed and its good sized screen..
I use base camp to do your planning and downloading of routes on the laptop.. transfer the routes to the device and use as required..I should say that I have the topo o/s 1;2500 uk maps on that device..
found it works well on the dedicated handlebar mount...sometimes the issue of sunlight preventing a good view of the screen , but again I suspect that is a common problem to most devices...
Andy

[RevDonkBonkers]

I have upgraded to the new Elemnt Bolt 2 and it has a new colour screen, which has a better resolution. I have not yet toured on it but it has a reported 15 hour battery life. I would probably still resort to getting out the smartphone if stuck but if I just had one device I would probably upgrade to something like a Garmin Edge 1030 plus.

Now - I bet the next poster says they use ancient technology - like a map.

A further thought - when I was cycling along the north scottish coastline - I hardly needed GPS - as it was just along coastal paths.

Thank you! Really appreciate your first hand advice, I have a dynamo USB hub to keep whatever I chose charged, but these two points were really helpful.

[RevDonkBonkers]

With a pre-planned tour of such a distance each leg pre-determined before even setting out to me it suggests limited flexibility,. I suspect (and I have found on my own tours) some days you have loads of energy and go further, other days a bit tired and go shorter. Sometimes you arrive to find a campsite closed down and end-up going further, etc.

Just re this - I have no idea how these devices work, but I am presuming I could plan out one big route before I leave and split it down into 'days', but if I got to the end of one 'day' and still felt good I could just start the route for the next 'day' if that makes sense?

I think what you allude to about a GPS being bad at handling deviations from a route is something that I have thought about. Ideally I'd like to pre-plan a route but be able to deviate from it if needed, without the GPS trying to reroute me onto it. I do have a big list of places I'd want to see, which I will use to plan my route.

Appreciate your feedback on the Wahoo and the Garmin, again this kind of first-hand experience is really useful - thank you for taking the time to reply.

[Jdsk]

With a pre-planned tour of such a distance each leg pre-determined before even setting out to me it suggests limited flexibility,. I suspect (and I have found on my own tours) some days you have loads of energy and go further, other days a bit tired and go shorter. Sometimes you arrive to find a campsite closed down and end-up going further, etc.

Just re this - I have no idea how these devices work, but I am presuming I could plan out one big route before I leave and split it down into 'days', but if I got to the end of one 'day' and still felt good I could just start the route for the next 'day' if that makes sense?

One day routes or shorter routes if preferred. And it won't mind how long you take to do them.

And take you back to the route if you've deviated for any reason.

And most of the type that you're probably going to end up with will create a new route to another destination if asked. By itself, no need for a computer or any network access.

Jonathan

[RevDonkBonkers]

You want to be able to load routes in advance for the whole trip. So do I.

Am not totally sure if this comment is meant to be sarcastic (apologies if it isn't!), but the reason I mentioned that is I followed a website - google 'zebra on a bike' - of a lady called Natalie who cycled 5,000 miles around the UK on a recumbent trike and I know for a fact she pre-planned the entire route beforehand. Also I know she used a Garmin Edge 1000, which does kind of answer my question, but I thought it was still worth asking.

1 Do you want turn-by-turn indication... coming to and at each junction the device tells you where the route goes?

Yes

2 Power management: how will you recharge the device?

I have a dynamo USB hub on my bike

3 How big a screen do you want? You can play with devices or cardboard replicas if you aren't sure yet.

I genuinely don't mind, as long as I can read it, I don't care how big or small it is.

[RevDonkBonkers]

ive not done a lot of touring but what I have done has been with a Garmin Montana 610..its most probably been updated to a new model now, but I chose it for its good battery life, its ability to run on dry cell batteries if needed and its good sized screen..

Great, thanks Andy I will definitely look into this!

[Jdsk]

3 How big a screen do you want? You can play with devices or cardboard replicas if you aren't sure yet.

I genuinely don't mind, as long as I can read it, I don't care how big or small it is.

I'd start experimenting with that as soon as possible. Screen sizes and legibility vary enormously. And some people wear glasses. And some have retreating near points.

Jonathan

[Jdsk]

You want to be able to load routes in advance for the whole trip. So do I.

Am not totally sure if this comment is meant to be sarcastic (apologies if it isn't!), but the reason I mentioned that is I followed a website - google 'zebra on a bike' - of a lady called Natalie who cycled 5,000 miles around the UK on a recumbent trike and I know for a fact she pre-planned the entire route beforehand. Also I know she used a Garmin Edge 1000, which does kind of answer my question, but I thought it was still worth asking.

Not at all sarcastic. : - )

Just different strokes...

Jonathan

[Jdsk]

2 Power management: how will you recharge the device?

I have a dynamo USB hub on my bike.

Me too. But I learnt by experiment that the best approach for me is to charge a USB battery pack from the dynamo hub, and everything else from that.

Jonathan

[Jdsk]

Thanks for the added information.

I'm currently using (!) a Garmin Edge 1000. Very pleased with it, and the biggest single improvement would be a longer battery life. On long days I recharge it from the USB battery pack at lunchtime.

Then the Edge 1030 came out... with longer battery life.

But if I were buying now it would probably be an Edge Explore:
https://www.garmin.com/en-GB/p/611996

That site allows you to compare models side by side.

Jonathan