Bicycle GPS
bicycle navigator
some kind of bicycle version available, but after a pretty
comprehensive search on the internet, I found no such thing. Is this in
your plans at all ? The idea has been floating around in my mind for a
while, and I figured it would exist by now, but it hasn't surfaced.
So I decided to adapt a portable car GPS unit to fit on my bicycle. I
have been testing it over the last couple of weeks on various bike
commutes. It's amazing. I've gotten a few funny looks and one guy
thought I was watching DVDs while riding my bike, but besides it being
an icebraker for conversations, it's been a really an incredible
tool.
I found this particular unit used on Craigslist. It's a Garmin Street
Pilot c330. It's meant for a car, but the small size and the fact
that it can last on its built in battery for about 8 hours before
needing to be recharged has enabled me to easily mount it on my bike.
It shows me where I am in relation to everything else and thus, I
don't have to stop my bike to unfold a map to figure out where I am
and where I'm going.
The only problem with this device is that it thinks I am a car and
gives me directions most suitable for a car. Even so, I get a moving
screenshot of what is around me, so it's easy to hop on to one of the
neighborhood streets if it tries to route me onto MLK or something.
BUT, and I know this could be a huge endeavor...if you can somehow
incorporate GPS technology into your mapping, it could really take
bicycle navigation to the next level. I know that getting lost is part
of the fun of cycling and finding new places, but having this little
device has enabled me to stumble upon many new places, such as parks
that I never knew existed, because I can see them on the screen. They
were only blocks away along routes that I take every day, but I just
didn't know they were there before. Having a birds eye view of my
surroundings at all times has seriously taken biking to a different
level for me. I feel that I can be more adventurous and go wherever I
feel like going without having to worry about getting lost. And I can
always find my way back while staying away from coldesacs and dead
ends.
GPS also has the potential to factor in changes in altitude ( for them
hills )
This is really not a gimmick. It's a potential necessity for bicycle
commuters. I would be interested in getting feedback about this.
- trevor
uuellbee
trip planner into GPX or other formats that various handheld GPS units
can understand. I personally don't think this sounds like it will be
too difficult to do, but we don't have the resources to work on it for
the time being.
~wyatt