bicycle navigation computer

[HikeBikeCook]

I am looking at the Garmin 1030 because it can activate emergency messaging and location tracking via satellite for about $35 a month...

If you are talking about the inReach feature, I do not see that feature on the 1030.  https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/567991 . It is on those with the inReach feature which are under the handheld models.  Also, be sure a lot of the "communication" features on a GPS require a smartphone with active cell coverage so it won't work if there is no coverage where a phone can't make a call anyway. 

I have use the inReach in past remote tours as my wife has this inordinate fear that it will save me from being eaten by a bear or at the very least I can tell her my last goodbye as I am being eaten alive.  I do like the feature but it is a bit pricey. One very nice aspect is people can track you on a (mostly) real-time basis and then when paired with Google Map's satellite view, you can see very accurately where I am at.

It is a feature you can enable from what I have found. https://www8.garmin.com/manuals/webhelp/GUID-D9E9CF32-5A89-4140-8B6A-0A61633E397F/EN-US/GUID-28070EF5-36E0-4178-9468-B99DB255D256.html

[HikeBikeCook]

But reading further I guess you have to buy an additional device https://www.amazon.com/Garmin-Lightweight-Handheld-Satellite-Communicator/dp/B07CR7PL54/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=Garmin+inReach&linkCode=sl2&linkId=1e168f80bc865685da89f345b6ef29e1&qid=1611936805&refinements=p_89%3AGarmin&s=electronics&sr=1-2&tag=garmininreach-20

[John Nettles]

Hike,

Yep, you would need to get an additional device.  If you want a combo unit, consider the 65.  Bulkier but I like my 64 (previous generation).

If you are just want emergency capability, you would only need one inReach device for the both of you, assuming you ride together.

The inReach is really nice.  I was texting back and forth with my wife, albeit very slowly, while in a middle of forest.  Be aware, it can take up to 5 minutes for a round trip message to take place, i.e. I send, you respond, I receive. Still nice when in the middle of nowhere.  I usually used it to say "I am stopping for the day" or "Stopping for a break" something equally repetitive so she didn't call out the national guard to look for me because I stopped for 60 minutes to fix a flat and eat lunch and she couldn't figure out why I stopped where I did.

[HikeBikeCook]

Yeah, we will have adult kids at home wondering if we are okay. Different on a BnB tour where you have WiFi every night and can facetime the grandkids. Plus my wife's biggest fear is that I keel over 50 miles from nowhere on the Palouse to Cascades trail or some other remote place, or she breaks an ankle in a crash (last year's experience) on a bike trail far from the road. One thing in New England to leave her to go get help, another thing in bear country

[Rixtoy]

I like the "Follow me" feature on the Garmin I have (Edge). It allows my location and route be "followed" by whomever I set up as emails.
When I did the Bike across Kansas (520 miles over 8 days) it allowed my wife and a buddy to know exactly where I was at any time. Thry found it quite useful for different reasons.
And, if a long training ride takes a bit longer than expected, my wife can be assured all is well. that is worth something to me.

But, the best part is the unit has an accelerometer built into it and if the unit receives a high G-force impact, as in a crash, it sends an emergency text to a phone number you designate (cannot be 911) along with your GPS coordinates. It gives my wife a comfort feeling knowing that. I don't pay extra for that.

Is that practical on a cross country tour? Without a power hub I think the GPS would be hard to keep charged up for a 70 mile day, but I am looking at Solar chargers as well.

Just my thoughts.

[John Nettles]

Rixtoy,  while I am not sure, I "think" Garmin's "follow me" feature requires you have a smart phone AND the smart phone has a cell signal which is not a given out west or in many places of the country depending on your cell phone provider.

[John Nelson]

But, the best part is the unit has an accelerometer built into it and if the unit receives a high G-force impact, as in a crash, it sends an emergency text to a phone number you designate (cannot be 911) along with your GPS coordinates. It gives my wife a comfort feeling knowing that. I don't pay extra for that.

I turned that feature off after three false alarms. The last thing I need is for my wife to be notified of an emergency because I had to slam on the brakes to avoid a dog. I wish there was a way to adjust sensitivity, but I haven't found it.

[Rixtoy]

Rixtoy,  while I am not sure, I "think" Garmin's "follow me" feature requires you have a smart phone AND the smart phone has a cell signal which is not a given out west or in many places of the country depending on your cell phone provider.

Thanks for that clarification - spot on . . .

[froze]

While I haven't bought a navigation computer yet I have decided that I do not want one that I have to pair with my smartphone, it uses up both the phone battery and the computer battery faster.   So that leaves out a whole bunch of brands!  I decided this spring to get the Garmin Edge 520 Plus, it's very basic but it gives turn-by-turn directions and you can add maps.  It has the option to monitor your heart rate and threshold power, but I'm touring and not racing so I don't care about that ability, but you will want to order the optional speed sensor so you can track your time at your current speed to a location.

Anyway, all I want is something simple and cheap when touring, I don't want to have to use a smartphone with it, and I don't want a bunch of bells and whistles that are unimportant for touring.  So if you're like me then I would look into the Garmin 520 otherwise you'll need to keep researching this stuff.

[HobbesOnTour]

While I haven't bought a navigation computer yet I have decided that I do not want one that I have to pair with my smartphone, it uses up both the phone battery

Sorry, I don't want to be "that" guy, but if you're under the impression that your phone needs to be connected all the time to the unit, then I'm afraid you're mistaken.

I've a Wahoo unit and I only connect the two rarely.

There are a number of advantages to having a unit that connects to a phone from on the fly navigation, to matching photos taken on the phone with logs like Strava/RWGPS.

I got a gps unit specifically for touring and phone connectivity was an important factor for me

[Pat Lamb]

Leave bluetooth turned off on your cell phone, and they're not paired.  Or turn bluetooth off on your GPS.  Simple as that.

FWIW, my cell is usually either off or on airplane mode when I'm touring.  The battery lasts a very long time when the phone is off, and in remote areas, it's not like you'll see a lot of signal anyway.

[HikeBikeCook]

I like to use Google Street View when available to look at the critical turns and key landmarks for the next day's ride. I do that even for car trips when off the main roads. It is not 100% fool proof, but it is the difference between driving somewhere and riding as a passenger --  I don't always remember the turns if I am not driving.

Nothing beats a paper map and asking for directions, especially from an LBS or other cyclist, often leads to a better experience. Remember a hill in a car is a mountain on a bicycle.

[Westinghouse]

For road touring, googlemaps is good enough. Paper maps are great. Nothing cooler than pulling into some town, getting set in a corner table of some cafe, and unfolding a road map with your lines and crosses and notes. It identifies you as a man of distinction. What you say? No detailed directions for cycling through the big cities? That is when you go electric. Some bicycle tourists want to record their elevations, speed, average speed, mileage, time spent in  spin, name, rank, serial number and the kitchen sink. How about just follow the sun and have a good time.