Bicycle GPS

This clever, Luddite take on the GPS, by one of my favorite columnists, isn't going to stop me from seriously considering ordering one on my next cellphone. 25 years ago I read similar anti-computer arguments, claiming among other things, that no good book would ever be written on a computer.

During my month in Holland, which is the most densely populated country on earth, virtually every car I rode in had GPS on the dashboard. They were in use constantly and I didn't see a false reading once. Meanwhile, my bicycle computer failed again, this time alternating correct readings with wildly inaccurate ones.

It seems to me that many cyclists are suffering silently with balky electronics. It's always "blame the victim:" YOU must have moved the sensor on the wheel, YOU must have loosened a critical wire...

Salvation may be at hand with the new generation of handlebar mounted Garmin bicycle GPS units, which include color maps. Despite my good supply of paper maps, I got lost constantly in rural Holland. We'll know in a month or so what Garmin has wrought. Meanwhile, the existing Garmin cycling units, shown above with a heart monitor, are on sale.

Anyway, I'd welcome comments from anyone who has used a cellphone GPS unit. Is the GPS compromised? Does it work for bike touring?