Some flaws for bicycling use
Overall the Forerunner 201 works well for bicycling although I wouldn't discard my conventional bike computer for several reasons:
1. In Speed mode (vs. Pace mode) there's no option to average out the readings and the unit is too sensitive to motion. With the GPS mounted on a bike and the bike at a complete stop tiny motions of less than 1 cm continuously trigger the autostop/autostart so it keeps beeping and accumulating elapsed time and distance. Setting the Auto Pause threshold to a non-zero value mitigates this problem at a slight risk of false pauses.
2. The % grade (custom) readout is highly erratic. If you're moving too slowly (less than 5 mph) even if you're burning your lungs on a climb it may read 0% or even a negative number like -3%! Seems like there may be a math underflow bug in the algorithm when the vertical displacement is too small over successive readings.
3. The altitude reading is not credible when you don't have a clear view of the sky. The unit seems to extrapolate from the last trend it had to "update" the readout rather than indicating that it's unable to read the altitude. I was on King's Mountain Road (SF Peninsula) under tree-cover came out into an open spot and the altitude reading jumped by over 500 feet when the GPS got an actual reading from the satellites. There are 2 stretches like this on the climb and it happened both times.
Enabling Auto Lap in the Training Assistant mode sets the GPS to record trackpoints (time latitude longitude and altitude) supposedly at fixed distance intervals the finest preset value being 1 mile. At firmware version 3.40 the current track can hold 3000 points with the oldest points being overwritten by the newest when you exceed 3000.
You might think this means you can go 3000 miles without losing any data but it seems to sample more often than at 1 mile intervals. I've found that after about 7 hours I start getting my oldest trackpoints overwritten. The only way around it is to remember to stop the timer reset then start the timer: this starts a new track (the previous track is still in the unit's memory until you clear History).
The Windows-only Forerunner Logbook application downloadable from Garmin's website is able to download tracks and display (a) speed or pace vs. time (b) map of the route (from timer start to timer stop) (c) altitude vs. time. There were some goofy data for my most recent ride which showed me exceeding 80 mph(!) probably caused by gaps when the GPS signal was too weak to register. The Logbook application can also export the data as an XML file where each data sample contains Zulu time latitude longitude and altitude (in meters regardless of your settings on the Forerunner or in Logbook). However the format seems not be recognized by any program (including Forerunner Logbook; i.e. it doesn't know how to read the XML file it wrote!) making it of rather dubious value. Garmin's more recent Training Center (again Windows-only) app does better. GPSBabel (and MacGPSBabel) can now translate LogBook's XML to other formats including HikeTech (see below). With your track data in GPX format you can use FlightTrack (Mac OS X) to make dynamic 3D maps overlaid on digital terrain models; and the web-based GPS Visualizer (www.gpsvisualizer.com) to overlay tracks on hi-res satellite/aerial photos generate elevation profiles and generate kml or kmz files to load into Google Earth (download from earth.google.com Win 2000 XP OS X 10.3.9 and 10.4.x only).
I found the pins securing the wrist strap impossible to budge with a screwdriver as stated in the manual. I had to take it to a watch repair shop where the repairer used a "jeweler's band pin removing tool" -- with some careful effort -- to pop the pins in order to remove the wrist strap. So it seems you either leave the wrist strap on or off (or buy the jeweler's tool): it's too difficult to switch around.
Why is Garmin still stuck on serial port interfaces? USB has been around for a few years now and is much easier to deal with. It would also be friendlier if you didn't have to use the charger cradle in order to connect to a computer. The standard charger sold in the US is 120v only. It wouldn't have cost much more to design a universal 120-240v charger for worldwide use. Garmin's MSRP for their 240v version is an outrageous $32.90! (It can be found mail-order for around $20.)
The owner's manual is pretty minimal. It doesn't explain the elements of the Map Mode display. Perhaps it works well at walking/running speeds but on a bike I can't pay attention to the road and simultaneously focus on its tiny symbols. And on most rides the display is too small to cover the range of the entire route without the waypoints/auto lap points overlapping.
Once again we Mac (and Linux and even Win 95) users are ignored by a manufacturer when it comes to software support. The only way to update the firmware is with a Windows PC because the firmware is wrapped up inside a Windows-only "Updater" executable. On a Mac you can use a serial-to-USB adapter cable and Virtual PC running Windows 98 or later to update the firmware. You may have to install a Windows driver from the manufacturer of the adapter cable. In my case I also had to tell Virtual PC that COM1 was the "usbserial0" port on my Mac.
For Mac OS X I found a set of 3 shareware programs from HikeTech.com to be useful. They are: (1) Link2GPS for transferring waypoints to/from the GPS and downloading tracks from the GPS; (2) TopoDraw to display tracks as a 2-D map (you can even overlay tracks on digitized maps as long as you have at least 3 waypoints you can identify on the map to establish its scale and relationship to the track data); (3) gpswrite to chart altitude vs. distance speed vs. distance. The 3 programs work together using files in GPX format.
NEWER ALTERNATIVES (at higher prices of course): In 2006 Garmin has 2 newer lines of sports-oriented GPS units. The Forerunner 205 is a wristwatch unit with all the features of the 201 a smaller-but-higher resolution screen and more sensitive GPS circuitry and faster satellite sync. It comes with a 120v/60Hz charger only no international version. There's a model 305 which adds a heart-rate monitor. Another new series is the Edge aimed squarely at cyclists. The 205 is the basic model the 305 the higher-end one which adds cadence and/or HRM and a barometric altimeter. The Edge series has a larger grayscale screen better sensitivity and faster satellite sync and offers a 240v/50Hz charger as an optional accessory.
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