Cheap GPS Solution on My Bike

I have got myself accustomed in using a GPS when driving in the city of Kuala Lumpur. One thing I get to know is that over time, I get a bit reliant on my GPS that I have myself got used to following the direction the British accent lady gave me and slowly not being able to remember my ways as much as I wanted to.

When I picked up riding, I realize some things that are not as the same as driving. Such as we will not be able to hear or respond to any phone calls or any sms while riding. Other than nagging that I get from my wife about me not responding and worry about my well bring and constantly being reminded about how dangerous riding is, finding my way around town without a GPS has also not been a very pleasant experience.

All my GPS devices all along have been my phone, ever since my Nokia N95, then the N79, both were running the Garmin XT on the Symbian OS and these devices has proven to be very reliable and they do provide well navigational experiences for me here in Malaysia, moreover with very frequent map updates on Malfreemaps, they things are a steal! Things have not changed a lot ever since I have started to use my Android phones. I have been using the Samsung Galaxy S II phone for nearly a year now and the Papago GPS that runs on Android has so far served me well too. Personally, I do not like to have too many devices, which motivates me to try to get the best out of the phone that I use, i.e. I do not use a MP3 player when I go running and I do not need another GPS device. Less devices, less hassle for me to make sure they have enough battery to last for the task that I aim to accomplish.

Therefore, I have thought of the idea of installing a bracket and a charging point on my bike to enable me to use a GPS on the bike. What a brilliant idea, yes? Maybe. The thought of someone snatch away my 2,000 ringgit phone of my bike at a traffic light stop is not a very pleasant thought, or the idea of my phone dropped off after I rode over a pothole or speed bump is not encouraging also. And another reason is that the SGS2 screen just doesn't work that well under the sun anyway, AMOLED or not... All you see under the sun on the screen of the SGS2 is blank, and that is even before you put on a shade or tinted visor of your helmet.

With a purpose built GPS built unit costing more than a thousand ringgit, I am even more determined to find a cheaper solution to solve my navigational problem.

Finally I had an idea, and I am about to share with you.

There you go.

This is my old Nokia N79 running on the Garmin XT with updated map, and holding the Nokia is a 10 Ringgit phone holder that I bought from ebay! As you can see I have also installed the cigarette lighter outlet charger by connecting this charging terminal to my bike's battery and viola... a working GPS on my bike.

This solution provides a piece of mind and and it simple works... I do not need to worry that someone will want to steal or snatch an old phone, even if anyone did I will not feel as bad.... (if I couldn't get the barger and wack the nerve out of him), and I am pretty sure that the phone could survive a crash as I know, Nokia made their phones tough, seriously. And the best of all, I can see the map and navigation direction on the phone clearly without problem at all. See pic below pic taken outdoor. I am using this phone as a GPS without a sim card, and it would get effective satellite signal in a few minutes, (without the use of any data) just like a standard GPS device.

and this is how the phone holder that I bought from ebay looks like.

Well, there you have it, a cheaper and I would say a practical solution for a GPS on a bike. Will update from here after I use it for a biking trip. Stay tuned!

All pictures are taken using my Samsung Galaxy S II