Just wanted to share my madness.

Was walking down Tottenham Court Road looking around for prezzies when I decided to indulge a longstanding craving... By buying a TomTom Rider bike-mounted GPS unit.

I'll see if I can't write up a review whenever I get to test it properly, but if anyone is feeling brave/crazy you can get them for £545 (after a bit of bargaining) from Sunrise Digital Centre. They've got a big stock and are being encouraged by TomTom to make some noise about 'em, and since they get a 2% rebate on each unit they sell they're willing to come down a bit from the RRP.

Now I'm off to get my head checked, once I wipe the grin off my face.

I am a little bit anti Tom Tom after the farce of the free test units earlier this year
Created awareness on the forum, but never came back to us, or replied to any follow up emails. And nobody got a test unit of course

but let us know how good it is!

Ooh, do have fun with it. I hear lots of people disgruntled about the "drive" mode that reduces the functionality whilst "on the move" (i.e. plugged into the bike). But there's nothing that can match it for ease of use on a bike.

oh my credit card is itching for use this time of year, i have a tomtom in my car, didnt realise they did a bike one ....hum

Getting lost is half the fun! surely??

Well said TBC! And anyway, I don't have any trouble finding my nway around, but then I use an old-fashioned thing called a map, and I actually enjoy route-planning.

No way am I going to let a machine tell me where to go!

I just hate getting my gloves off to flick through an A-Z when my lovely toy can tell me where to go (means I can concentrate on the road more).

Mind you, getting lost *is* fun. But who said satnav stops you from getting lost. *cough*cough*

I do the route-planning beforehand, write it out in my own peculiar 'shorthand' then put the sheets in the transparent map pocket on my tank bag wher I can glance at them whenever I stop at a junction.

I write them in thick black felt-tip so they're easy to read.

Snappy just decides which general direction she should go in then follows her nose - it's true, she told me!

I do the same BG.

Clear plastic map thingy on the tank, a little planing and away I go... If I get lost just head for a big town-ish kind of place and see where I end up! Think I went around Pewsey about 4 times before stumbling upon the place!

New screen on order for the bike (windage at 80Mph far too much!) and plans of thousands of miles for the year ahead... gonna visit all the people I know who've said "when you're in the neighbourhood" and see who meant it!

Hi Gi


Well Done.... Nice Presi



I was thinking about one..... too...



and .. hurrrayyyyyy......... I got one for Xmas *.......

Got the Garmin Quest....... so hoping to load up the maps etc this coming weekend,


* - Had an earlier pressi bcos my cousin is leaving today to Brazil on holidays, so We had a little lunch earlier ( Went to Rodizio Rico Churrascaria,,, do you remember the place ? )



Have fun with your new toy and hope to see you soon....

maybe we can meet up again one of those days.....

I have a Tom Tom in my car, as I spend 4 days a week driving around London - I couldn't do without it now, it does make you very lazy.

But they're brilliant. Speaking from experience, if it does send you in completely the wrong direction and you end up miles out of your way, its usually human error

As for having one on a bike.....right now I'll settle for learning to ride the damn thing properly, never mind follow a sat nav system/talk on the phone/listen to my iPod.

I know us girls are meant to be able to multi task but no-one ever said you had to stay upright while you're doing it.

Ooops I don't think I wanted to say that did I?

Susie, before you know it you will be satnavving (I just made another word up) around Larndon on your GPZ, changing the destination with one hand whilst gesticulating wildly at cabbies with your other, keeping the throttle open by whatever means necessary....

Splendid, so my ridiculous frontal assets DO have a use after all. And I can simultaneously shine my handlebars.

I have always praised Dan, for his courage, strength and indefatigability.


I'd buy a TomTom.

No way in hell could I justify spending that amount of money on something that serves so little purpose.. it's more fun spending half an hour planning your routes and then getting lost..

The only time they'd be good would be when you get to your town/city and want to find your hotel/B&B..

I plan that before I go as well - find it on Multimap and print out a nice large scale map - and a smaller scale one as well if necessary!

I would really HATE to never get lost when I'm journeying, it's all part of the experience!

By planning your route you will be more familiar with the area you are going through and have to look for land marks and familiar stuff rather than being told and you having no imput....I know these things can do shortest route no A roads etc but when I plan a route sometimes I would like to avoid a town, sometimes I would like to be on the motorway and others I would like to take the scenic route, is it flexable enough to do this or would I spend so long telling it what to do I might as well do it on a map...

Glad you like your new toy tho

You can do all that and more MOT. With the Garmins you get a CD with maps on it, plot your route to suit you then load it up and even print it out if you like. Maps don't tell you where the nearest petrol station or cash machine is when you are unfamiliar territory, where the nearest hotel is or even the nearest police station. The GPS can with the right software. People used to think the Earth was flat, now we can use satellites in orbiting the earth to guide us around the planet we still have so much to learn about. If using a GPS allows me to get where I want to easily then I'll use it. If I just want to go for a ride then I can leave it at home and follow my nose just like anyone else. If I fancy a detour when I have it on it's me that controls the bike not the GPS but I know if I stray too far it will get me home. It has saved me from getting stranded more than once when my nose would have lead me the wrong way. For me it gives me more flexibility to go where I want without the worry.

I agree with everything you said there Ian... but they are ridiculously over priced.. especially considering you then have to pay to add additional features to your software and pay to keep upgrading..

Oh shoot

Life is ,, Pay,, Pay,,Pay,,, Pay,,,

As they say,,, certainty in Life,,,,, Death & Taxes,,,,,





Now on the bright side.........


Yes , I guess it is expensive, luckly got it was a gift
My Garmin Quest


but I was already considering getting one......... sometimes you got to give yourself a treat....


anyway GPS are becoming more popular and prices are coming down,,,,, a year ago you woundn't get one for under £500,,,, now there are some for under £300.....

You'll have to post a pic when you get it mounted on the bike..

Now what would be a good idea and possibly worth the money (this might've already been done) would be a unit that you could use on the bike, then remove and use in the car..

I know people will use PDA's but I wonder how long it'd be before one of the dedicated GPS type companies make a bike/car unit..

Maybe a bike mount that has power running to it that you can clip your unit into and then unclip it and put it into your car using a similar mount..

I'm probably describing something that's already been done..

Already available Sodom, the Quest and most Garmins have mounts for both available. The Tom Toms and PDAs weren't waterproof so not really suitable for use on a bike in our climate though some just wrapped them in plastic bags when needed. Everyone else is now catching up and making their units more rugged.

These things do sound ok then

Not for me yet tho as too much money...so I'll stick to me maps

I use MS Autoroute on the computer for initial planning - finding the places then chopping and changing the route around, Then I write down the main placenames and road numbers. Been all round most of England and Wales that way. Learned the route-writing bit many years ago when I used to navigate for my dad on car journeys (he wouldn't let Mum near a map, she would turn it upside down! )

I have a very expensive sat nav on my bike.. when it's needed it takes the form of 1 or 2 cut down sellotaped post-it notes that get stuck to my bars with the road numbers and place names on 'em

Hi Gi,,,




Now that you have a GPS maybe you can find your mind.....



the one you said you lost earlier on,,,,,,,,,,



Now you have no excuse to come over my place for a Coffee....


Merry Xmas,,,,,,,,

I find my Garmin Quest invaluable for getting cross country from one landmark to the next on the Round Britain leaving me to enjoy the ride and the views

I use a pda based navman and it cost £170. Its totally self contained the software is good and it doesnt seem to lose the signal. I have to put a sandwhich bag on it when it rains but for what i bought it for from jessops in nottingham im more than happy.

In my opinion, tom tom software isnt that great but i have no complaints so far with navman.

im thinking of just getting a pda that does it or not might just learn to drive i hate winter riding