Bicycle GPS Mount

[+The Yinnies]

I am looking for a good bike mount for my and my Wife"s mountain bikes. I have a Etrex 30 and she has a Oregon 450.

Thanks

Edited August 30, 2012 by The Yinnies

[rsaxvc]

I am looking for a good bike mount for my and my Wife"s mountain bikes. I have a Etrex 30 and she has a Oregon 450.

Thanks

 

Here's the manufacturer's offering: https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID=11411

[+user13371]

Yes, that Garmin spline is nice - works very well. And I say this as a cheapskate who has often made my own mounts rather than pay "$10 for a few cents worth of plastic."

 

In this case, it's $10 well spent.

[+Walts Hunting]

Nothing is as good as http://www.rammount.com/

[tr_s]

Yes, that Garmin spline is nice - works very well.

 

I had problems with it on my bike though and had to replace the plastic bands once. This is because the only place where I can really put it is somewhere where the circumference of the handlebar is slightly varying; it's hard to get a tight fit with the bands and the thing shakes loose displacing the rubber.

 

The old Garmin eTrex mount (screw tightening) can be seated like a rock on the same place. Liked that design better. An option for making the new garmin mount more usable might be just slabing it in place with silicone rubber or vibration resistant glue like Silane.

[+DonB]

Nothing is as good as http://www.rammount.com/

+1 on ram mounts

[+Redwoods Mtn Biker]

I like the low profile of the Garmin stock mount more than RAM mounts. You do need to be sure it slides all the way in place when you attach the unit though.

[+LadyBee4T]

I have a ram mount on my bike and really like it so it gets my vote.

[+user13371]

...the only place where I can really put it is somewhere where the circumference of the handlebar is slightly varying; it's hard to get a tight fit with the bands and the thing shakes loose displacing the rubber.

Shim it with something -- handlebar tape, a bit of old inner tube, or maybe plumbing gasket -- before you tighten the zip ties. And after you've tightened the zip ties, wait a while and tug on them again. Use pliers if your hands aren't strong enough.

 

I could go either way on a mechanical clamp (solid, but heavy and limited size range) versus the zip ties (lighter, more versatile, but maybe not as secure). But I've not had a problem with the latter shaking loose.

Edited September 4, 2012 by user13371

[team tisri]

I've seen the Garmin mounts and they seem reasonable enough for smaller units. For a larger unit I'd go with a RAM mount. I use a Montana and put the custom RAM mounting onto a handlebar attachment designed for motorbikes, simply because a few reviews of the regular bicycle mount said it broke and I'd rather not find my expensive GPS fell on the road behind me.

 

So far the only issue I've had is when one of the nuts worked slightly loose and the whole thing rotated around my handlebar, but a quick application of an 11mm spanner fixed it nicely.

[+gpsblake]

I use the Garmin spline for my Dakota but found that it can come loose after a while and I replace the plastic ties. Since then, I have simply reenforced the ties with gorilla tape.