RandiButts439

GPS Systems For Bicycle Touring

After 4 years of cycling without a GPS, we finally took the plunge and bought the Garmin 62S.

Our indulgent purchase of the summer has triggered a lot of interest from our cycling friends, so in this article we�re explaining why we bought a GPS, its use for bike touring and we�re highlighting some of the other popular GPS options currently available.

There are 2 questions that seem to keep coming up:

1. 1. Why did we buy a GPS? We managed to cycle around the world without a GPS for 3 years, so clearly this is a luxury and not a necessary piece of equipment.

In much of the world, where road choices are limited, a GPS doesn�t add a lot to the navigation experience and sometimes it can even be a negative thing. It�s all too easy to blindly follow that line on the screen and become immersed in your own little bubble, ignoring opportunities to talk to people (after all, you no longer need directions) and the many opportunities for serendipitous adventure. Knowing when not to use a GPS is as important as knowing when to use it.

The straight, straight roads of eastern Oregon If there�s only one road, a GPS doesn�t give you much advantage in terms of navigating.

That said, we currently live in crowded Europe and a GPS is incredibly handy when navigating through a lot of cities and populated areas. There is no way you�ll ever be able to buy a detailed map for every city centre, so a GPS can save endless pain getting into and through the bigger places on your route.

At the other end of the spectrum, we�re also hoping to ride some remote tracks and when it comes to back roads, a GPS can be very handy indeed. When we tried to follow parts of the TransAndalus trail last year, we got hopelessly lost (despite having relatively detailed maps) because there were so many random tracks and driveways that were hard to distinguish from the real roads. A GPS would have saved us a lot of hassle.

Another great reason to get a GPS is for all the free maps and tracks! It costs a fortune to buy high-detail maps but with our GPS, we now have access to a great bicycle map of Holland, 1:24,000 scale topographical maps for most of the U.S.A. and routes mapped by other cyclists on sites like Ride With GPS.

1. 2. Why the Garmin 62S? We were turned onto this series of GPS models by Tara & Tyler�s excellent experiences with the previous model (the 60CSx). Andrew took charge of this decision, and liked the 62S because it has:

   A fast processor, meaning images of even very detailed maps show up quickly, without any lag. On other GPS systems with slower processors, the screen couldn�t refresh fast enough.
   A micro SD card slot, so we can add more memory.
   Buttons to navigate between the various functions. Personally, we find buttons easier to use than touchscreens, especially when we�re wearing gloves. We also find that we get used to where the buttons are, and can use the GPS almost without looking at it.
   A robust, waterproof case for cycling in extreme weather.
   AA Batteries which can be bought anywhere (although we�ll use rechargables and keep them powered with our SON Dynamos).

Garmin 62CS GPS The Garmin 62S, mounted on the bike and ready to go.

We were also reassured by people who told us this GPS series from Garmin performs well in cold weather. Not that we plan to be cycling in -40�C but we do some winter camping, so cold weather performance is important.

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