I'm thinking of purchasing a Garmin GPS unit soon. The model I think might be best is Garmin Edge 305 with HRM/cadence. Can anyone offer advice please - here are some of my burning questions:

How easy is it to learn to use? Do the units come with easy to follow guides?

Any advice as to the best software to use? I suspect buying OS maps and software adds to the cost.

 Does using the software come with a steep learning curve?

Is it a good idea to learn map and compass as well?? I do recall going riding with a group and the batteries/unit failed!! I don't think I'd go out without paper "backup".

Cheers!!

I've got a Garmin Geko which is one of the basic one I've had it about three years. I have looked at upgrading but thought there was little point.

How easy is it to learn to use? Do the units come with easy to follow guides?

You can download the manuals off the Garmin website even before you buy. I found it a bit complicated at first but I think once you get the basics you are fine. I'd plan a route into it that you know so you can see when it changes direction etc. Even my basic ones has loads of functions I don't use. Mine holds ten routes which is ample.

Any advice as to the best software to use? I suspect buying OS maps and software adds to the cost.

Does using the software come with a steep learning curve?

I've got Memory Map and would recommend it their technical help is good. It's easy to use and the 3D effect is a great toy you can see how steep a ride is going to be.

Is it a good idea to learn map and compass as well?? I do recall going riding with a group and the batteries/unit failed!! I don't think I'd go out without paper "backup".

Personally I'm not bad with maps, not so good with compasses. I have rechargeable batteries and always take plenty, mine eats batteries for fun. I always take a map. The way I use the GPS is draw my route on the software and load it onto the GPS and simply follow it. If you have to go off that route then I would need a map. I very, very rarely use the map. It is fun to see map-people hoping your GPS will fail they are dying to get their maps out and say you have gone wrong !!

They are a brillaint piece of kit and you just have to trust in them. They are pretty accurate. If they ever take you slightly wrong, and it would only be slightly it will be because the OS mapping is slightly incorrect nothing to do with the GPS, so you would have gone wrong if you were reading a map anyway. It's usually due to a farmer re-routing a path and the OS not yet having been updated.

All I'd say is 'Have faith, trust it'.

There are loads of routes on websites on the internet that you can download onto the software.

I've got one, had it for a while now.  It's very easy to use and the manual is far better than the one which came with a Garmin GPS I bought a few years ago.

One thing it WON'T do is give you a grid reference.  The newer ones (605 and 705) do but this is designed as a training aid and GPS-enabled cycle computer rather than a pure navigational device.  It will do routes, as Carolyn says Memory Map is very good (and fairly intuitive to learn to use) and you can download routes off your computer/the interweb which it will guide you round.  However if you end up in the middle of nowhere, it won't tell you where you are on the map!!  It's excellent for races, it's got a neat little funtion that resets the lap-time when you cross a pre-programmed point - tell it where the Start/Finish is and it'll reset every time you cross the line without you having to do anyting, it's quite cool for multi-lap endurance races.

The battery lasts quite well (10+hrs on constant) and its a non-removable Li-Ion one so it's easily recharged (one thing I hated about my original GPS was constatly having to buy sets of AA's) although the run-time comes down if you use the HR or Cadence functions (which I don't).

It's always a good idea to know map and compass and, personally, if I'm going somewhere new I'll always have a paper back-up.  I have to say I use my GPS more as a fancy cycle computer than anything, however it's a very capable bit of kit.  Have a search round the internet, you can pick them up for about £150 now or £200ish with the full HR/Cadence kit.  The price will only drop further once the new 605 and 705 units are more widely available.

There is a very convoluted way of gettiing it to do it but to be quite honest I can't be bothered!  To me it's just a fancy cycle computer and I probably only use about 50% of its functions.  It's not that I have more money than sense (honest!) I got it dead cheap off a mate and promptly sold the Cadence and HR bits on to someone else.

All the other Garmin GPS's that I've used (the more navigation based ones like the Etrex and Geko) ones show grid ref as standard, the cycling and running ones (Edge and ForeRunner series) don't show it as standard, you really need to faff around with it.  It's not just me that criticises this, it was apparently a fairly common complaint so Garmin have fixed it with the newer 605 and 705 ones.

In spite of this it is still an excellent piece of kit, very accurate and easy to use.

Hmmm - thanks for all your advice!

 Thinking more about what I want it for - maybe I'm better off with something more purely navigational. I have cadence/HRM for road bike but thinking about it - probably not so appropriate for cross country.

 Any advice on models then, if the Garmin Edge is more geared for training??

thanks again guys!

You won't go wrong with one of the Garmin Etrex series.  I used to have a Vista (sold it to a mate) but the new Vista Cx (colour screen one) looks good.

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=145&pID=8703

Does all the mapping and waypoint stuff you could want, comes with a basemap pre-loaded and you can buy little SD cards with other mapping info (like streetmaps or whole areas like the Lakes and Peaks in OS level detail nearly).  The benefit of a system like this is you can set it up to work with any grid system, not just OS so it'll give accurate grid refs (instead of just lat/long) for anywhere in the world once you've told it what system you want it to use. 

Gives you all the other GPS stuff like speed, distance, altitude, route profiles, compass etc, most of them come with handlebar mounts (or you can buy them as extras) and they're much more versatile than the Edge.

Any decent outdoors shop should let you have a play around with a few models, there's a company called GPS Training (http://www.gpstraining.co.uk) that run courses in how to use them, they sell Garmin and Magellan units and software too.  I've never used them but I have read the book they do called "Getting to Grips with GPS" which also has a sort of buyers guide thing in it, what to look for when you're buying a new GPS.  Useful book.

The things i'd want are speed, distance covered, altitude. I want to be able to go out and follow someone who knows routes and have them stored if I want to repeat the ride in the future. I like the idea of being able to plot route elevation profiles.

Also to download routes I'd like to try -  off the internet as downloadable files, or ones I could plot from OS maps or books/guides. All without having to stop and unfold/refold a map. Probably the most important feature would be an easy to follow pointer arrow.

 If I can get heart rate as well that's a bonus but less important I think. At 45 my racing potential is not of the utmost importance. I'll save that for the road bike.

Mine is a Geko 201, it does all that and more, apart from the heart rate. I have a Polar Heart rate monitor for that which also does altitude anyway.

It doesn't matter how much you pay the accuracy of the navigation is the same for them all as it's the satellite that does the navigating, you just follow the pointer. Of course the more expensive ones have more bits to play with but that can make it more complicated. I quite like the idea of the ones with the colour OS map showing on the screen but they are bigger than mine. I did consider getting one but I didn't really want to carry such a big thing around with me. 

Having just bought a 305 for my other half, just waiting for it to be delivered. I'm glad to hear the comments here. I'm quite tempted to get one for me as well

Muddy - from what I have seen when I was looking around there is also the 205 which does all that the 305 does but without the hrm/cadence functions and therefore a fair bit cheaper. Both of these versions are currently on offer(or were a week or so ago) online through Halfords and Currys - 205 @ £90 and 305 @ £140. My understanding is that the 705 etc will be about £3-400.

Hello again thanks for all the advice. I have gone for the top range Garmin GMAP 60Csx - was swayed by the colour screen, high sensitivity aerial and ability to keep signal in tree cover.

 Does anyone have memory map OS maps? Thinking of getting all of UK. They have 1:25000 and Landranger - I think landranger scale is ok for MTB use.

Would be most interested to hear views on maps/mapping software.

I have MM and have used it to plot routes and transfer them to my Garmin 205. Its not wonderfully intuitive to use and for the whole of the UK.. damn expensive. When you ride a route with your Garmin it will upload it in Training centre and then you can export it into a file on your PC and re-export it from there into MM to view £d fly through etc..

the 3D fly through is a nice feature.... i just find i dont really WANT to see the hills I will have to climb tomorrow!... the surprise is much nicer!

I blundered around for ages with MM before i got it to work properly and upload routes without truncating etc so message me if you have any problems as I have probably had the same problem!

Thanks for all that advice. I am swayed towards Memory Map but Tracklogs also looks good - they say it's designed more with bikes in mind. The jury is still out. My GPS will be here today I hope.

No doubt I will post up soon once I have opened up the packages and tried to use them!!

 Elaine - saw your post re. Letcombe Regis - can't make this one (unless something else gets cancelled!) but shall no doubt encounter you somewhere with bicycles soon!

 cheers

Sue

A couple of years ago I bought some Tracklog routes and had problems with the software, more so that MM which is why I went for MM. I would personally recommend MM.

Didn't have much time to explain yesterday but the 1:50 is sufficent because when you draw a route in by hand you have the time to study it and get it right. But out on the trail I find I need the detail of the 1:25 in paper as it's easier to follow. Most routes that we use for MTB are quite well defined so it's accurate to within 20ft or so on the 1:50 if that makes sense.  

Anyone knows if I can get the total ascent and decent from the
205?

They are at a bargainastic 49£ on PCworld.

Cheers