Advice on bike GPS
Bike GPS per type of cyclist
Road bike racer
As a road bike racer, you're committed to riding on paved roads. Perhaps you're into road bike racing. In any case, you're mainly concerned with improving your performance. That is why the bike GPS has to meet a number of requirements. For example, the screen size should be smaller than 3-inch to ensure as little resistance as possible. You should also be able to connect various sensors, like a heart rate or cadence sensor.
Mountain biker
If you're a mountain biker, you prefer dirt roads. You look for challenging tracks and for that reason, you often ride on forest trails. Your navigation system should have an off-road mode that also shows dirt roads. In addition, it's important that the bike computer is waterproof, because you're not afraid of a little water.
Recreational cyclist
Performance isn't what motivates you to cycle, but you like to track your distance traveled and the time. Cycling is a form of relaxation. You like to ride through beautiful areas and stop for a coffee or lunch from time to time. For recreational cyclists, we recommend a navigation system that allows you to enter your destination yourself and one that shows useful places along the route, such as public toilets and restaurants.
User-friendliness
When you buy a bike GPS, you should also consider the user-friendliness. The more advanced the device, the more possibilities you get, but the more you'll have to look into it as well. Another important factor is screen size. The larger the screen, the easier it will be to view the data and routes. On the other hand, a bike GPS with a larger screen isn't as easy to transport in your pocket and causes more resistance.
Map coverage
While it's important to take into account which type of cyclist you are, you should also consider map coverage. Roughly speaking, there are 2 types of map coverage: Europe and worldwide coverage. For most people, Europe coverage is sufficient. To be on the safe side, choose a system that allows you to add extra maps in case you want to go on holiday outside of Europe. You can simply buy the maps of the country you're going to visit.
