Find the Best Bicycle GPS units, quickly and easily and see 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 or to various internet sites 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.

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.

Even if you are looking specifically at cycling GPS units, you will still need to consider what you really want from your GPS unit. For example, are you primarily interested in workout information or are you mostly interested in routes and navigation.

The links and information below are designed to make the process easier for you. We have reviewed and summarized the best cycling GPS units and have included links to some of the best resources.

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

The Edge 205 and 305 series Bike GPS units are reasonably priced and are designed for training and workouts more so than they are for navigation.

The main differences between the 205 and 305 is that the Edge 305 has barometric altimeter, wireless speed/cadence sensors and heart rate monitors (optional) where as the Edge 205 does not.

Review / Buy Garmin Edge 205

Technical Details include:

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

Review / Buy Garmin Edge 305

Technical Details include:

The same features as the Edge 205 (above) plus:
Barometric altimeter
Wireless speed/cadence sensors
Heart rate monitors (optional)

The Edge 605 and 705 series are higher end GPS units that can be used for more advanced navigation as well as for training and workouts.

The main differences between the 605 and 705 is that the Edge 705 has barometric altimeter, wireless speed/cadence sensors (some models), heart rate monitors and an option to buy the unit bundled with Street Maps CD Card where as the Edge 605 does not.

Review / Buy Edge 605 Series

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
Automatically Measures Speed, Distance, Time, Calories Burned, Altitude, Climb & Descent
Microsd Card(Tm) Slot For Adding Map Detail & Storing Workouts, Courses & Saved Rides
"ANT + Sport" connectivity system

Review / Buy Garmin Edge 705

The same features as the Edge 605 (above) plus:
Barometric altimeter
Wireless speed/cadence sensors (some models)
Heart rate monitors
Street Maps SD Card option

Note: the Edge 705 was over $700 just last year and now you can get some models (new) for less than $570 this year! See the Edge 705 link above for the latest prices.

Handheld GPS units with handlebar clips

Some people prefer the handheld GPS units for their cycling needs. If you are a mountain biker the Garmin eTrex series are an excellent choice. The eTrex units can be used for multiple purposes (like hiking) in addition to cycling.

The Garmin eTrex Vista HCx and Garmin eTrex Legend HCx are popular choices in this category and can be reviewed further or purchased at the links below.

Review / Buy Garmin eTrex Series GPS units

High-sensitivity, WAAS-enabled GPS receiver provides peak performance in any environment
Lightweight, compact and waterproof
Features a 1.7-inch X 1.3-inch screen with 256-level color TFT
Built-in base map with automatic routing capability
USB connection for high-speed map downloads

Recommended GPS Resources

If you are looking for the ultimate bike computer (a bicycle GPS unit) or even a handheld GPS for your bike, and already have an a pretty good idea about what you are looking for, here are some good online resources for additional information and some of the lowest prices online.

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. We recommend Amazon as a starting point (the specific models and series above link to Amazon) because they usually have the best deals but we also recommend the merchants below for comparison.
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 Bike GPS and Electronics at Performance Bike for GPS Units, bike speedometers, odometers, etc. They have a nice comparison feature for their bike electronics pages.
www.performancebike.com

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. The wheel magnet system does not require calibration as non-GPS bike computers do.

Bike Trail Maps on GPS Units

One of the most useful features for bicycle GPS receivers (depending on your riding style preferences) are the internal maps. 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 and is fine for road bike riding. This software, however, currently does not include bike trails.

If you are primarilary interested in bike trails (mountain (cross country) trails or double wide paved and crushed stone trails) you'll probably want the TOPO software. If you ride mostly in one geographic (multi-state) area you will probably want the TOPO 24K maps for your area. You get more detail with the TOPO 24K Than you do with the TOPO 100K but you get a smaller geography (i.e. regions rather than the whole country).

In addition to the TOPO software, and the "breadcrumbs" feature (to create your own bike trail routes and maps) you can also find many bike trail GPS maps online.

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.

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 at least a moderate mid-ranged or high end unit. I have tried the lower end models and found that, aside from not having many of the nicer features of the more expensive units, the cheaper ones can be much more difficult to operate and can be very frustrating.

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.

Comments, Reviews, Helpful GPS Info to Contribute?

Find Yourself!
Location, Location Location!