We are very impressed with DeLorme’s Earthmate PN-60w bike GPS. You can use this bike GPS for a number of different activities, including but not limited to: cycling, hiking, geocaching, boating, hunting, fishing, driving and off-roading. In fact, there is a separate mode for each of those pastimes. This bicycling GPS doesn’t function like a cycling computer since it lacks several components a cyclist would look for in a cycling computer; however, it provides a plethora of detailed maps and excellent turn-by-turn navigation. The only difference between this model (the PN-60w) and the PN-60 is the SPOT Satellite Communicator. We are thrilled with the performance of this product, but we aren’t sure the SPOT Satellite Communicator is necessary for most cyclists.
The Earthmate PN-60w has the ability to track your speed, distance, time, altitude, climb and descent during your ride. It even has a barometric altimeter for more accurate altitude readings. There are countless maps covering both North America and Canada included with the product – topographical maps, trail maps and maps covering streets, roads and places of interest.
One feature that is unique to the PN-60w bike GPS is its ability to connect to the Spot Satellite Communicator and provide you with a personal mobile satellite connection. Once connected you can share your location with family and friends via text messages, Facebook and Twitter or let them track your progress via Google Maps. This feature provides awesome functionality found in the PN-60w alone. Although we found it extremely useful in many situations, it is an extra that many cyclists said they could go without.
The Earthmate PN-60w has a glossy black finish and isn’t available in any other colors. It has a beautiful color screen that measures 2.2 inches diagonally and weighs 7 ounces. It is one of the heaviest bike GPS units we reviewed, but also one of the most durable. It is built to withstand being dropped, scratched and rained on, and it won’t automatically shut off when it’s jolted or bumped. It runs on two AA alkaline batteries which will last for approximately 15 hours. It has a built-in SD card slot for additional memory. Unfortunately, the bike mount is sold separately.
We found this bike GPS fairly simple to navigate. Because it lacks the touchscreen that many vehicle GPS units provide, it may take some time for some users to get used to it. The buttons are all labeled with their corresponding functions, which provides greater ease for navigation and use.
Through the DeLorme website you can retrieve contact information for the customer service team. They are available through a toll-free phone number as well as through a customer support email address. We attempted contacting DeLorme customer support through their email address and never received a response. When we contacted them by phone, we were connected to a representative almost immediately who was able to answer our questions very efficiently and had a great deal of knowledge regarding the bike GPS unit.
Overall we were very impressed with the abilities and the design of the Earthmate PN-60w. While the SPOT Satellite Communicator may come in handy for mountain bikers, it seems like an extra, unnecessary expense for road bikers. The bicycle GPS also lacks many of the features that cyclists want in a cycle computer – for example: calorie counter, heart rate monitor, cadence sensor and temperature reading. While these things are not vital, they provide extra information that we found cyclists appreciate during training.
