Specific Features for Biking and Hiking

GPS Bike

When you first start looking for a GPS receiver, you will notice a hundred different models. Most of the ones that you will see are the typical car navigational receivers with wide screens, colorful displays, and made to fit on your dashboard or mounted in you car panel. These models have lots of road maps preloaded for 'turn-by-turn' directions, with voice-guided turns, and text-to-speech features. Some inexpensive models may only have point-to-point directions without following roads and just showing you which way to go. These receivers will work for bike touring and hiking, but their capabilities fall way short of most people's expectations.

So what should you be looking for in a biking or hiking GPS receiver?

  • Determining your location: The basis for using this technology is to determine your specific location in coordinates and/or showing it on a map.

  • Point-to-point navigation: If you know the coordinates from point A to B, the receiver will give you a straight-line bearing with distance and direction. If you have a map on the unit, then this bearing will be overlaid on the map.

  • Plot navigation: If you have the coordinates from point A to B to C to D and so on when you start, the receiver will point to the second waypoint (B). After you reach it (B), the GPS receiver will keep pointing to the third waypoint (C) no matter where you are along the route and so on.

  • Keeping a track: As you follow along your route from point A to D, it will keep track of your path (trackpoints) so that you can retrace if needed.

  • Turn-by-turn navigation: If the receiver has the capability and the map detail, a turn-by-turn route following trails or roads enables the user to follow the actual route instead of a straight bearing from each waypoint to the next.

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Absolutely Needed Nice to Have
  • A map screen instead of just a numerical position (long/lat) makes it easier to reference your waypoints with the terrain.

  • At least a base map should be built in.

  • The ability to give the bearing to the next waypoint.

  • The capability to store at least 500 plus user entered waypoints.

  • The ability to store routes. At least 20 storable routes should be a minimum, but 50 to 100 is desirable.

  • A minimum of 8 megs of internal memory or replaceable memory capability with storage cards.

  • A large enough screen to be seen from a comfortable distance and can be seen in direct sunlight.

  • A size and weight that will fit easily in a pocket, small bag, in a belt clip, or on a handlebar mount.

  • A minimum of 12 channels is needed to track enough satellites to ensure good reception in heavy cover.

  • Waterproofness and long battery life.
  • Twenty to fifty megs of internal memory or replaceable memory capability with storage cards.

  • Ability to upload additional maps for other regions or more detail maps. The addition of topographical maps for hiking and mountain biking may be essential for some adventures.

  • The ability to do turn-by-turn directions with navigational maps.

  • Transreflective color screen that is easy to read in bright sunlight and can be easier on battery life when the screen backlight is on at night.

  • High-sensitivity processor chip such as the SiRF Star III for great reception no matter the condition.

  • Quad helix antenna for better reception under tree cover.

  • A Time to First Fix (TTFF) from cold start of less than 1 minute.

  • Compass and altimeter, preferably a barometric altimeter.

  • Computer interface to download maps and user prepared routes and waypoints.

 

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