OK..

Hubby is p*ss poor at getting anywhere without getting lost. I bought him a Tom Tom for the car ages ago, but now thinking about getting a Tom Tom Rider for the bikes. I'd much rather get a Garmin, but bit out of our price range at the moment cos of the escalating building costs.

Bikerdave.. I know you have one.. anyone else?

What I want to know is .....

a) any drawbacks you've found with it yet? (as it's a new product)
b) can it record routes you take like the Garmin?
c) anything else you can think of ie pros and cons.

Ta peeps.

i've recently started using tomtom mobile, i just listen to the directions.

it found my newcastle general hospital when i was totally lost (i was within spitting distance too)

tomtom is excellent, i have used destinator3 before and tomtom wipes the floor with it.

oh i cant really answer a, b or c i am afraid.

There is a comparison of some of the popular GPS models for bikes (including the TomTom Rider) on the new Ride magazine. Check it out.

Thanks Vaskunito, but as I live in Holland it ain't really an option just to pop out and buy Ride magazine.

Satnav for Johns bike????????..................I thought he got the MV just to polish it..

was actually thinking more along the lines of me using it to map ride out routes! : rofl:

Ok so perhaps I can scan the article and email it to you.

Hi


if you want,, I can scan the pages and email to you......????

I have also an article on Ride ,,,, comparing the Quest with a local Cab driver etc




Just let me know......

Thanks Roddas and Vask... if one of you can mail it to me that would be great.

Can anyone who uses a TomTom mobile tell me...

Is it possible to copy the maps off the supplied memory card and into the phone's memory or another storage card.

I have an XDA Exec and really want a TomTom but if I have to give up my 2GB storage card (with all my music and videos on) to use it, then I'll give it a miss.

What maps have you got?
We have most on CD, so possibly I can send you a copy.

That's kind linny...I don't have the product yet, but when / if I do I'll need maps of the UK and Europe (Spain, Italy, France and Germany).

So is that how it works...You get the maps on CD and then copy the ones you need to the storage card of the phone or to the standalone unit?

Yup. We have an HP PDA, just copy the maps we need as we need them. It's all done through your pc.

That's fantastic news....Since I'm hopeless with directions....This product was made for me.

Thanks Linny...I'll be buying one soon.

I've got a review of the TomTom Rider coming within the next couple of days.

So far, I've been really impressed with it. What bike will he be fitting it to? If it has standard type bars, fitting should be easy. The TomTom comes with a couple of brackets for fitting. One can go on the mirror, so long as it is a standard stem type. The other can connect to the handlebar clamp. There's also a adhesive pad for sticking it on.

With the clip on style bars and the fairing setup, I had to adapt the bracket to make it fit. But there are other clamps available quite cheaply, which would probably be my prefered option, if I was keeping the TomTom.

It comes with a bluetooth headset, which is pretty good. Although the headsets that come with it can be a bit uncomfortable with a helmet on and it found it a bit difficult to hear the commands over 45mph. I can't compare it to the Garmin because I've never used one but it'll keep recent destinations but not the route taken.

Would I buy one? Absolutely... The last couple of weeks when I've had the chance to use it, it's been really handy. Especially because you can use it on the bike or in the car.

Drawbacks
-------------
Fitting but only if you don't have the traditional type bars or mirrors. Then again, I've heard that you don't get mounting brackets with the Garmin, so you might need to buy those anyway.

The headset can be uncomfortable and hard to hear at higher speeds. With the bike headset, it's quite well padded but that means it puts pressure on your ear. My old HJC helmet had a recessed area for fitting ear-pieces, my current Caberg doesn't, which may be where the problem lies. The other ear piece, which is supposed to be for all other times doesn't have the same padding but becomes uncomfortable over time.

Goodpoints
-------------
Very easy to use. You can plug-in addresses for future use. So if you want to visit say a dozen bike shops in an area you don't often visit. You add them to the favourites or points of interest. Once you get to one of them, the TomTom will show you which one is nearest and how far away they are.


It'll hopefully become clearer, when the full review is uploaded shortly. I've just got to add the conclusion and add a few pictures.


The full TomTom Rider article

Thanks BD. Main thing is being able to map the routes I take. So maybe the Garmin would be a better choice. Just have to wait a bit longer for it cos of the price.

I have a Garmin handheld Etrex. It has great "track" data. Is that what you mean by "mapping the routes"? If that's what you need, not directions, you could get a cheap handheld and stick it in your tankbag?

Mounts - Ram do all sorts of mounts for these things so don't worry. Garmin's need a 3rd party mount for anything other than "bicycle" mounts (I had to buy a bicycle mount for my Etrex).

Just be aware there are more options than the Rider and Garmin. I have a "car" GPS that came with a bicycle mount. With an "over the ear" earpiece it gives superb directions and I got the European maps for next to nothing. You can now get this for £180 + £20 map/memory card in Aldi in the UK (it's a Medion GPS). It's not waterproof but has a shower case (or sandwich bags...). It doesn't "track" your routes but you can plot hundreds of custom waypoints. I tend to want to know where I am going, rather than not care and find out where I went afterwards. Both have their uses I suppose.

I also heard the Rider has limited functionailty once "docked" to the bike to stop you attempting to operate it whilst on the move. Try here:

http://www.pocketgpsworld.com/tomtom-rider.php

Yeah Michael.. it's the track data function I'm interested in. It's great for mapping out Ride Outs for customers here.

Thanks for the info.

The tom tom rider can also be used in the car with the optional car mount

I currently use TomTom Navigator 5 on my PDA, with a bracket holding it to the bike, which is brilliant. With the PDA TomTom I can also download all the camera sites / camera van sites via 'POI edit' and get a warning via the headset when I'm getting near to one (obviously this isn't to warn me to slow down ).

Does TomTom rider have the same ability with POI's?

Yep and you can create new POI's. I've created a bike shops POI. If I'm near one of the ones I've entered, I get a symbol on the screen.

Sounds interesting for the Sprint then, I'll wait for the review.

If you want any details re where to get POI edit and the camera sites (which are free) let me know.

That's the same as i use, but i don't have a mount. Where did you get yours from if you don't mind me asking?

Steve

cant see why you cant copy the maps off the original memory card to another as it comes on a specific card and not all phone use it.

afterall you have to activate a legit copy anyway.

mikest, any chance of a copy of poi edit, seems they say its free but you have to still pay to cover costs :S

Hi Steve

On the ZX6R I use the TomTom charger mount (linked through an accessory socket I've installed under the seat) attached to a Garmin bicycle mount that clamps the the H frame holding the upper fairing and screen in place (I used some rubber strips to bulk up the fairing bar). It's a bastardisation in that I had to drill through the Garmin mount so the TomTom cradle could bolt to it, but the end result is very tidy and means that the PDA gets charged as I ride so I can have the backlight on full brightness and not worry about battery life.

Prior to doing all this I used a standard PDA car windscreen cradle with a Suction cup on it which I suckered to the tank with a Plastic tie attached to it and the fairing bar as a 'fail-safe'.

Sorry, it was a one-off so I can't give you a website.

But the Tom Tom is on my bike and I have to navigate everywhere we go Mr MikeST!!!!!!!

No worries. You can download it free from

POI Edit

Once downloaded and installed, go to 'Auto Update Manager (icon of a hand holding a file), in the top left hand window click on 'http://www.pocketgps.co.uk' and the yes when it asks you to download the .xml file. Once done go to the next window down and select 'United Kingdom' as the country.

In the right hand window a selection of points of interest appear. Select whichever gatso POI's you want and select either local or PDA from the top bar to save them to the relevant file. (For TomTom5 save them to the Great_Britian_Plus-Map folder.

Hope this helps, shout if you get stuck, or PM me your e-mail address if you want me to mail you the setup file.

That'd be why I want one for the Sprint dear.

i recently bought a tom tom one for £249, it has all the features of the rider
(i think?)
except it's not waterproof but is small enough to slip into your jacket and get directions via the headphone socket to an earpiece

mike, i've been there thats how i know the links are dead

i've got latest (march) db from pcoketgps, its over things i need poi edit for.

doh doh and double doh.

i didnt click on the ad a it was blocked oops

thanks mike

I only use it for the cameras and race tracks which are working. What POI's do you need?

No, it's only limited once you're on the move.

mike, things like colleges etc, i can get the poi's off the internet but they arent in a tomtom format.

(i know tomtom offers some uni locations)

Yeah, but if you read the start of the thread you'll see we already have a Tom Tom in the car.

Pheasant... We can use it for the bike, PDA in one pocket, GPS unit in another, but more interested in the functionality of the Rider.

Linny...One last question please.

I read a review in Ride magazine of the stand alone hardware version of the Tom Tom...It criticised the device for not giving directions in enough time compared to the Garmin devices.

Does this affect the software (PDA) Tom Tom devices and in your experience, has this been a problem for you out on the road?

Thanks.... Was the last question...Promise

I have one, and it's great. Easy to use, the in-helmet speaker has a velcro backing which lets it stick nicely in the hollow inside my helmet where the chin strap connects, Bluetooth works flawlessly and the directions are timely and accurate. You can even download points of interest off the net and upload them into the tomtom... like, say, the location of every speed camera in the uk, for example...

Bit pricey, but if it helps enjoy the road instead of stressing about missing a turn, with a half-remembered itinerary in your head, it's worth it.

can't be bothered trawling through the 3 pages to see if anyone's already mentionned it but there's a test of various sat nav units in the May edition of Ride..

Read Bikerdave's review