Finding the Way

Posted by on Jul 18, 2007 in Uncategorized | No Comments

I unloaded a bit of used gear, and turned the proceeds into a Garmin eTrex Vista HCx. The unit arrived today, and it is really nice looking. It’s super light, compact, and the screen looks great. I have messed around with it briefly, learning the basic controls and functions. First impressions are very good. It locked into a strong signal in my basement right out of the box. I think Garmin has found a way to put high end GPS features into a more consumer friendly package. Once I get a chance to really use the thing I will post my impressions. But out of the box, I am impressed.

I was looking at some of the gear I have recently put together, and realized that I am out of excuses. I have all the essential multi-day items I will need. I guess all that is left is to actually go ride one of these beasts. The problem is, I don’t think I will have a chance until ’08. Which gives me time to learn how to use all the gear, figure out a good strategy, and see if I can strap it all to the bike…good times ahead!

But, as I seem to be doing a lot of this year, I have gotten ahead of myself. Right now it is time to focus on Saturday, and the E50. I am going to try a new tactic in the race….going fast. 🙂

6 Comments

  1. Cellarrat
    July 18, 2007

    do abunch of over nighters were the focus isn’t mileage and test, test and more testing to see what works… hit hike a bikes to see how everything is to push…

    Head out with some bad weather (with a bail out option if it gets to crazy) just play around with stuff…. Feel free to email if something comes up =)

  2. Kris
    July 18, 2007

    I’ve had an eTrex for years and it’s worked well, but it looses location lock in the trees. I’m glad to see they have refreshed the eTrex line with a higher sensitivity receiver. Now I’m tempted to buy a new one. The features on your model look good. Didn’t you have an EDGE 305?

  3. Dave Byers
    July 19, 2007

    PCNation has a great price on that! Bummer they are out of stock now. I think Garmin nailed it with this one as I really like the size and functionality of the orig Vista. The better antenna and color screen will be great! What handlebar mount did you end up buying?

  4. Adam Lisonbee
    July 19, 2007

    Kris, I still have the Edge, I just wanted something that had a longer battery life, and more robust navigation features. The edge will still be my primary bike computer.

    Dave, yeah PCNation is where I got mine. I jumped on it when I saw the free 3 day shipping and the fact that it was in stock. I picked up the Garmin bike mount, so I will be testing that out next week.

  5. Kris
    July 19, 2007

    I had a bike mount for my eTrex (until it was stolen along with my bike) and it worked OK. On rough terrain I did have a problem with the GPS shutting off due to the batteries loosing contact with the terminals. I was able to fix the problem by adding another spring behind the weak terminals to help them hold the battery better and stay in contact. I would hope Garmin has fixed this problem by now so you may not have this problem. Now I just put the GPS high in my CamelBak pack (so it gets a clear “view of the sky”) and use it for tracking my ride and occasionally I pull it out to navigate. My cyclocomputer is good enough for distance as I ride. The GPS is also better protected in my CamelBak than on the bars.

  6. Chris
    July 20, 2007

    What’s it weigh sans batteries (or with lithiums)?

    If the battery cutout issue is fixed I think this will be my next GPS. The Geko is still holding it down though. I fit the whole GLR in it.

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