I have decided on Tracklogs as my choice of mapping software after reading the various threads on GPS, however, I am still unsure which unit to buy. More than likely it will be a Garmin but what model do people use and why?

Vista, as the base mapping is useful for road rides and general navigation. It's pricey, and you'll get most of the features from the Venture.

The compass is useful when in the woods and the barometric altimeter is also useful.

To be honest I use the GPS more on foot than on the bike. Other stuff you can do with a GPS like geocaching is quite fun.

Yeah, my dad has the Vista, its a bit much though and I tend not to use it on the bike a great deal.

I've got a venture (and tracklogs) and its great. Only thing it doesn't do is display the memory source maps, which doesn't really matter since they only show major roads and stuff.

Go for the base etrex - battery life is the longest and in my opinion is the best for that reason alone. If you want the other features then buy a second one.

Incidently, just come back from the states, where the base etrex seems to be available for $100. If you know someone going to the states soon, you could save yourself a few quid.

I have the eTrex Summit because of the barometric altimeter - much more accurate than 3d GPS. I have a copy of MapSource and some GIS sourced maps I can drop routes onto. Works well, but the GPS has started switching off on bumpy stuff when on the handlebar mount... Bummer.

Oh, and it was bought in Canada, as Kevin said, much cheaper there :o)

I have the Etrex legend with EU base map, use Fugawi for route and track information though fugawi does not allow the fancy 3D topography features the other software packages allow. Have had the combination 4 months now and have nothing put praise. Now is a good time to purchase into GPS as I believe EGNOS goes live on the 1st of April(I may be wrong).

I've recently bought the base eTrex and I'm with Kevin Jenkins. It does most things, and OK it doesn't have maps, compass or barometric altimeter (which must be fiddly). However the maps aren't that much use for minor roads or tracks, as long as you're moving it'll show your direction - just walk around a bit - and the height calculation is to the same accuracy as the position. At the price (try expansys.com) I think it's a steal!

I use the geko 201. Got it from Tracklogs with the free map.
It's small, light and has all the trip data i need.
Load in your Route and follow the little guy along the track, it's that easy.
Use those new durecell batteries and you get about 8 hours of use.

When I've looked at these, I've wondered whether the 50 waypoints on 1 route capacity on the base etrex is a practical limitation. I know the Tracklogs stuff is supposed to be the smartest at mixing its use of tracks and waypoints.

Does it only have a single track store mean that you overwrite your stored track as you go or what ? How does that all work out ?

The best way to use one is to download a route as a saved tracklog - you can load 10 on a basic E.trex - & then do a trackback on it. All you do then is follow the trail on the screen. As you ride, it will record a new track but won't overwrite the one you are following. It will however overwrite the beginning of the one being recorded when the memory is full but you can easily periodically check how much memory is left.
Trackpoints are limited to around 125 per saved tracklog but that is good for a pretty detailed ride of 20 miles or so. The software - I recommend Tracklogs - allows you to intelligently filter the points to get a useable route. A GPS is also great for just getting you back to a marked spot - it won't give you a route but will tell you which direction is back to the spot & how far it is as the crow flies.

Etrex Vista hooked up to Memory Map is a dream :)

Got hold of my Vista from here :-

http://www.sportextreme.com/pz823x10261yGBP/

£219.00inc

Superb service from the supplier and the GPS unit is very good as well.

I bought this a month or so ago and feel I can now recommend it to anyone looking for a compact, lightweight, easy to use, simple GPS unit.

The unit can be mounted on your handlebars (optional bracket) but I have decided not to buy one as it fits perfectly on my wrist. It comes with an extension strap, so it's fits easily over clothing or armour.

The are pre-defined displays showing things like your speed, times, distances, pace, etc and you can add a custom display showing the info you want. (I have current speed, maximum speed and trip time.) The digits are easy to read and there is a backlight.

The unit is also water resistant. You couldn't go diving with it, but it survived a rather wet ride in Cannock Chase last Friday and is iirc ok to a metre for 30 minutes.

One of it's best features is the internal rechargeable battery. Just plug it into the charger which also provides a serial link to your PC. it is good for 15hrs after a full charge. You can download software from the Garmin website that allows you to download your trip details. It is rather basic, but shows everything you really need - speed, time, altitude, track over ground, dates.

There is a navigation feature but it is also rather basic. But again, it is all you need. For example, my last trip to Cannock Chase - I have only been there a couple of times and my buddy and I got a little lost towards the end of the ride. I had marked the position of my car and using the navigation screen I could see my position relative to my car. The marker told me what direction I was riding in so I could then decide which paths to take. We got back in no time at all.

I have read that you can use Tracklogs to upload waypoints to the unit, but I haven't tried this, yet.

All in all, a very useful and inexpensive bit of kit.

I'd go for a Garmin Vista, I personally have a Venture which is very good, but after looking over my friend's Vista, well it's supurb.