GPS... mark II

The handlebar mount, after being lost by the postie for 2 weeks, finally turned up today to allow me to mount the Garmin Nuvi on my handlebars.



In this position it doesn't appear to be blocking my field of view of the speedo so I just need to take it for a test drive to make sure it looks OK and we're sorted.

I also took the extra safe option of securing it with a quick release strap to the handlebars in case the mount comes loose.


The Nuvi itself has a pad of velcro securing it tightly to the holder, then a cable tie provides me with a loop to hold on to the cradle. The quick release strap, after I trim it down to make it neater, holds this to the handlebar so if the mount goes, or the ball joint that the Nuvi holder clicks onto goes, I should still have it dangling an inch below the bars rather than bouncing off down the motorway.

Grand total of £4 for the mount, £2 for the quick release and velcro, leaving me with £394 saved from the price of a Garmin Zumo that would do the same thing.

So really I could buy that GoPro Hero wide camera and I'd still have saved money ;-)

Show me the way to go home

This week I have mostly been experimenting with GPS related solutions for my bike. There are three main approaches to take with this.

1. Buy a Garmin Zumo 550. This is designed to work on a motorbike, is waterproof, has bluetooth so you can hear directions in your helmet, and is perfect for the job. It also costs £400, so we'll put that on the "maybe" pile.
2. Use the Nokia N95 which comes with Nokia maps already installed. The phone isn't waterproof so it needs to go inside my tank bag. With some velcro strips to stop it sliding around I fashioned the holder (free with screen protectors) and a velcro pad inside the bag.

This is the holder with velcro on the back.


And in situ with the phone inside the tank bag.


I used this on the way to work and back on the bike this week and found the following slight downsides to this as a solution.

• It costs £6 per 30 days (or £60 a year) in subscriptions for nokia maps to do routing and voice navigation for you. They do give a free 7 day trial which is what I used for this test.
  
• You can't see the screen very well (if at all) and can only hear directions at low speed.
• It is convinced you are riding off the road despite being on it, so won't give you directions thus defeating the whole idea of using it as a Sat Nav.
  

So I think this is consigned to the emergency "where the heck am I" role when I'm lost on the bike as GPS positioning is free and does work. It's also handy when used with the other Nokia freebie, Sportstracker, which will create a gps log of a route for you so you can tell where you bimbled.

3. Garmin Nuvi. I already have this so the cost is nothing. I already have the velcro strips off eBay to attach it to the inside of the tank bag (£2).
   

On the test ride to work and back, this had the distinct advantage that

• It knew I was on the road
• Routed correctly
• Was audible coming up to roundabouts and the like where you need it
• Doesn't cost anything in subscriptions.
• You can see the screen (if you tilt it slightly back with a carrier bag under the far edge, proper solution to follow)

So the clear winner is the Nuvi. The price is right, and it works :-)

Brum Brum.

D'oh... a deer... a female deer.

Today happened to be a days holiday and as the snow forecast by those chaps at the met office never materialised it was a shame to leave the bike in the garage so arranged to meet up with Frank (the elder) down in sunny Saffron. Before leaving I checked the outside temperature with my latest eBay purchase (infrared thermometer with laser pointer because... well... Dave has one), and it was a rather brisk 0.6C in the back garden. Ouch!!!!

A quick change into thicker socks (and an additional thermal layer in the tank bag just in case the two jumpers and bike jacket weren't enough) and I was off. Once on the M11 and "making progress" it was getting a bit chilly but as it was only a 20 min trip from there I held on and defrosted my hands courtesy of a cuppa from Missus Frank ;-)

Once Frank had his mittens on, had wiped his nose, and promised to do his homework when he got back, the boys were allowed out to play, Frank in the lead, and me playing catchup.

The roads were pretty twisty, and covered in mud, grit, stones, misc crap (thank you Mr Tractor) so there was no knee down action (and if there was it would be followed by shoulder and head down action I reckon) but I had fun accelerating up the straight bits and plenty of gear changing action (although it seems the Fz6 will do anything from 10-70mph staying in 2nd, which is nice). The 10 miles up to Balsham saw us ready for a pub lunch and a sit in front of the fire to defrost again, so we did courtesy of Mike in "The Bell".

Coming back we dropped onto the A11 where the bike again doesn't appear to need all its gears before coming back through the villages again heading for home.

Not 1 mile from my front door, a Muntjac Deer decided to run across the road right in front of me and I had visions of the chicken episode all over again, but on a much larger, and more painful scale. Luckily I slowed enough to let it sneak in front of my front tire and across the road and Frank was far enough back to not run into the back of me. Fresh underpants were donned at home, and a cuppa made things all right in the world once more.

Roll on spring when the weather warms up a bit and we can get out for more bimbles in the countryside.