What you don't want to happen when you are speeding down a trail is to get left behind because you are unsure which fork in the road to take. Avoid this situation by getting one of the latest GPS systems specifically designed for use by mountain bikers. These combine all the usual features of a GPS suitable for road running with a map base and various capabilities that will enhance your trail ride.
The Edge range made by Garmin, a field leader in navigation equipment will certainly improve your chances of being the first one home with features such as a touch screen, ability to track your every move, data sharing with an online community and fast zoom capabilities. A different range of features is available on each model.
Obviously, you could use a combination of methods but I suspect that if you are a technophile, once you find a user friendly GPS system, you will prefer to use this unless the map base does show your chosen location. There are different levels of technology that you can purchase depending upon your financial resources. You should also check if the model has detailed colour maps loaded or you are required to purchase the maps at an additional cost.
The first option is to go for a GPS Navigator which will give you your speed, location and elevation but you will not have any maps to view. Or alternatively, there are now some excellent cycling specific GPS Navigation systems. The market leader is Garmin and specifically their edge models. They have a built-in base map, which will track your performance and you can even add on an additional heart rate monitor as in the Garmin Edge 305. Features it would be worth checking out before investing in this expensive piece of equipment are; ease of attachment to handlebars, map legibility, waterproofness, visibility in a range of light conditions and sensitivity of the GPS to tracking your position under tree cover .
Finally, you could use paper maps and a compass with a small investment in a map holder. If you are not confident that your map reading skills are good enough for navigating at speed, then book yourself onto a navigation course aimed at doing just that; Improving your confidence and navigation skills. The MBO-2 rotating map holder allows you to move the map around 360 degrees. Look out for holders that have space underneath for extra maps and space on top for tucking in your compass ready for use.
The Edge range made by Garmin, a field leader in navigation equipment will certainly improve your chances of being the first one home with features such as a touch screen, ability to track your every move, data sharing with an online community and fast zoom capabilities. A different range of features is available on each model.
Obviously, you could use a combination of methods but I suspect that if you are a technophile, once you find a user friendly GPS system, you will prefer to use this unless the map base does show your chosen location. There are different levels of technology that you can purchase depending upon your financial resources. You should also check if the model has detailed colour maps loaded or you are required to purchase the maps at an additional cost.
The first option is to go for a GPS Navigator which will give you your speed, location and elevation but you will not have any maps to view. Or alternatively, there are now some excellent cycling specific GPS Navigation systems. The market leader is Garmin and specifically their edge models. They have a built-in base map, which will track your performance and you can even add on an additional heart rate monitor as in the Garmin Edge 305. Features it would be worth checking out before investing in this expensive piece of equipment are; ease of attachment to handlebars, map legibility, waterproofness, visibility in a range of light conditions and sensitivity of the GPS to tracking your position under tree cover .
Finally, you could use paper maps and a compass with a small investment in a map holder. If you are not confident that your map reading skills are good enough for navigating at speed, then book yourself onto a navigation course aimed at doing just that; Improving your confidence and navigation skills. The MBO-2 rotating map holder allows you to move the map around 360 degrees. Look out for holders that have space underneath for extra maps and space on top for tucking in your compass ready for use.
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