Find out why bicycle GPS units are so popular and what makes them the ultimate cycle computers!

What would the ultimate cycle computer be like? Well, first you need all of the functions and options that you would expect on high end cycle computers (speed, distance, times, cadence, altitude, heart rate monitors), then add GPS routing, mapping and tracking data... Garmin GPS

Now, on top of that, many of today's bike GPS units include options to race a virtual competitor, store routes and course data and download all ride data to your home computer to store, review and/or share with others!

Not long ago bike GPS receivers were really just small portable handheld GPS units with functionality needed for hiking and cycling and often times with handlebar clips and/or GPS holsters that you could buy separately.

You can still use one of these devices independently of a normal cycle computer if you prefer, however many of today's bike computers come with GPS that is fully integrated with all of the cycle computer features that you need.

Recommended

If you are looking for the ultimate bike computer (a bicycle GPS unit) or even a handheld GPS for your bike here are some good online resources to get you started.

Recommended Bicycle GPS Online Suppliers

See GPS Receivers at Amazon for some of the lowest prices, overall, and a good selection of bicycle GPS receivers.
www.amazon.com

See GPS & Electronics at REI for a very good selection of GPS receivers and bicycle GPS packages and plenty of information and help.
www.rei.com

Check out Bicycle GPS devices at Performance Bike for GPS Units, bike speedometers, odometers, etc. They have also recently added a fantastic comparison feature to their bike electronics pages.
www.performancebike.com

Best Buy Bicycle GPS Systems

There is almost too much GPS information online and you can end up spending a large amount of your time learning about how GPS works or about tons of features that are really not that relevant to cycling.

As for the top brand of GPS systems, we recommend Garmin. We have found the following Garmin GPS units to be the best and most popular Bicycle GPS systems.

Garmin Bike Computers with GPS

Garmin Edge 305HR

Includes Highly Sensitive GPS Receiver For Accurate Data
Monitor Emphasizes Form Factor, Feature Set & GPS Sensitivity
Sirf-Stariii Receiver For Great Reception In Challenging Conditions
Lightweight & Waterproof
Monitors Vertical Profiles, Climb & Descent, Altitude, Speed, Distance & Time

Garmin Edge 605

GPS-Enabled Cycle Computer
Sunlight-Readable Color Display
Features A High-Sensitivity Receiver That Holds A Signal Under Trees & Near Tall Buildings
Virtual Partner(R) Lets User Race A Virtual Competitor Over A Specified Distance & Speed
Courses Allow User To Race Against Previously Recorded Workouts

Garmin Edge 705 GPS w/ Heart Rate/Cadence/Data Card & Street Maps

GPS-enabled cycle computer
Sunlight-readable color display
Features a high-sensitivity receiver that holds a signal under trees and near tall buildings
Automatically measures speed, distance, time, calories burned, altitude, and climb and descent
microSD card slot for adding map detail and storing workouts, courses, and saved rides

Handheld GPS with handlebar clips

Garmin eTrex Vista HCx Color High-Sensitivity Handheld GPS

High-Sensitivity, WAAS-Enabled GPS Receiver Provides Peak Performance In Any Environment
Lightweight, Compact & Waterproof
Features A 1.7-InchH X 1.3-InchW Screen With 256-Level Color Tft
Built-In Basemap With Automatic Routing Capability
Connects To Computer'S Usb For High-Speed Map Downloads

More Bike GPS Info.

Bike Computer Functions (speedometer, odometer, etc.) on Bicycle GPS units - Magnet vs. Satellite

While I was researching the Garmin Edge 605 and 705 units, I could not find specific information on how the speedometer and odometer functions worked on these units. What I was interested in is if the speed and distance functions used a separate sensor and wheel magnet system (like most traditional bike computers) or if the speed and distance were calculated from the satellite GPS data.

I contacted Garmin and was told that the speed and distance functions use a separate sensor and wheel magnet system if you install the cadence accessories and if it detects the signal from this system. If you do not have the cadence and speed transmitter, the speed and distance is calculated from the GPS data.

A Personal Experience with Bicycle GPS receivers.

Picture yourself on that long ride in the most remote location... Do you know where you are... where the path up ahead goes... how you got to where you are now? Bicycle GPS units or handheld GPS devices can give you all of this information as well as how far you've gone, your current altitude, local maps of your exact location and much more!

These devices are really cool and are now many of the today's cycle computers include GPS options. I have personally seen this in action on a fairly desolate forest preserve road in a remote location. The unit accurately mapped out our exact location and every turn in the road! It was actually very impressive.

Background on GPS and Bike GPS systems

Understanding GPS is not "Rocket Science"... or on second thought it really is!

GPS (Global Positioning Systems) use a collection of satellites, owned by the US government, to provide highly accurate, positioning and navigation information by constantly transmitting the satellite's precise time and position in space. GPS receivers (the units that you buy) listen for the information received from multiple satellites and, from that, determine the precise location of the receiver, as well as how fast, how far and in what direction it is moving.

You can find much more detailed information on GPS technology online (Wikipedia will give you more technical GPS info than you will most likely ever need), but I will limit the definition here to the summary above and some of the benefits to bicycle GPS receivers.

The original bike GPS systems were just handheld GPS units with handlebar clips. Today's GPS functionality is completely integrated with many bike computers that you can get with a wide range of options (and at a wide range of prices) depending on your own particular needs.

Bike Trail Maps on GPS Units

One of the most useful features for bicycle GPS receivers are the internal maps, of course. Many Garmin receivers come with MapSource software like City Navigator. City Navigator (North America) includes detailed road coverage for all of the US, Canada and Puerto Rico. This software, however, currently does not have bike trails. There are ways to get bike trail information (Get the TOPO software, use the "breadcrumbs" feature to create your own bike trail maps, or search the internet for compatible bike trail maps), but the City Navigator maps does not go to the bike trail level.

Bicycle GPS technology today (and tomorrow)

The technology behind Global Positioning Systems is here to stay and a bicycle GPS unit can be a great accessory to have for your bike whether you are primarily a road, bike path or mountain bike rider.

Bicycle GPS units (or portable GPS devices in general), like most consumer electronics are getting better (and usually smaller and lighter) every year. Unfortunately, the hand held GPS unit that you get today (just like the PC, camcorder, digital camera, etc.) will probably be better and cheaper next year. Does this mean that you should wait until next year? Probably not! It will be the exact same thing next year and you will not have gotten into it until a year later... besides, they are already very reasonable priced now.

My preference (and recommendation) with these types of things is to get a moderate mid-ranged unit (not the best and not the cheapest either) now, use it, experiment with it, find out what you like and don't like, etc. and then upgrade later as they get better (and cheaper)... But don't wait too long to try these out!

Whether you choose a handheld GPS unit mounted on your handlebars (and available for use for other activities (hiking, boating, etc) or a fully integrated Bike Computer with GPS and all of the other options that meet your needs, we've researched a number of electronics and bike sites for online GPS sales and have found the web sites referenced here to have the best selections, lowest prices and to be helpful, informative and provide some good cycling GPS packages and GPS accessories.

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