These days your first experience of using any sort of cycling computer, particularly with a navigation or mapping aspect, is likely to be a smartphone app.

There are loads of iPhone and Android apps aimed at cyclists, runners and walkers. Some of them are much better than others, but in terms of their suitability for the task, they all have one fundamental flaw – the hardware they run on. Smartphones with zillions of apps are incredible devices, but sometimes you still need something which is designed specifically for the job.

In an earlier post comparing OS Discoverer maps to open source OSM maps, I highlighted a crucial factor which may influence the decision to adopt one or other – the usefulness of various zoom levels, particularly noting the detrimental effect of zooming in too much, beyond a particular point. To show this in greater detail than my previous post, here are some screenshots, taken from the Garmin edge 800, showing every available zoom level.

You can buy the Garmin Edge 800 on its own, or as part of a bundle, containing either mapping products, or performance monitoring hardware (a heart rate monitor and cadence sensor), or both.
The tables below show various options from different retailers.

After installing the TalkyToaster OpenStreetmap onto my Garmin Edge 800 (see tutorial here) I think it will come in quite useful after all.

I do prefer the look of the classic OS discoverer map when in the middle zoom levels, but I think the OSM map will excel in the fine details of the close up.
The screenshots below attempt to show this, with the Velomap thrown in for comparison.

Following my last post regarding mapping options, I’ve discovered another source for free Open Streetmap maps, thanks to a suggestion from someone on the bikeradar forum.

It’s called talkytoaster.
The bikeradar contributor had suggested that there were easier ways to start using OSM mapping than the methods I’d blogged about, and I’d have to agree. Such a shame I hadn’t found talkytoaster.info when I first set out on this journey.

Imagine the scene: you’re at the café having that well earned coffee and specialist scientific body fuel (OK, cake), chatting with your mates and life feels good. So good in fact, that you completely forget to pick up your Garmin GPS and ride off without it. Now, assuming there are still decent honest people in the world (and most are, contrary to what the mass media seem to want us to believe), the average person will resist the urge to put your beloved device on eBay and instead wonder how they might set about returning it to the owner. Did you know that you can configure your Garmin device to display a customised message when it starts up?