We wrote about TopoFusion topographic and GPS mapping software almost two years ago and since that time there have been a ton of major enhancements. In fact, TopoFusion is really three products in one: mapping software, photo management & publishing software, and activity logging/training software. The crazy thing: it does all three better than virtually any other product we’ve seen.

Mapping

Of course TopoFusion is first and foremost an outdoor mapping program and it includes all the features you’d expect like support for GPX files, USGS topo maps, and elevation profile charts of your GPS tracks. But TopoFusion goes way beyond what you’d expect, starting with the inclusion of black and white or color aerial photos, satellite imagery, GIS data from TIGER, and even maps and imagery covering Mexico and Canada. My personal favorite is the “Combo” map setting that blends USGS topo maps with aerial photos – an amazing feature I haven’t seen anywhere else.

TopoFusion also features tools for visualizing trails and routes in 3D to give you a totally new perspective on familiar trails. The best part is you can view any map in 3D – topographic, aerial photo, satellite, even Combo! Simple and intuitive tools allow you to rotate, zoom, and flip 3D maps and the latest version is super responsive even on my crappy 3-year old eMachines desktop.

Mountain biking is all about motion along a trail and TopoFusion includes powerful tools for dynamically visualizing GPS tracks. Plug in a GPS track downloaded from singletracks and TopoFusion adds arrows to the map showing the direction of travel – a helpful and seemingly obvious feature that’s missing from other mapping programs I’ve used. Even cooler than that: you can play back tracks as they were ridden. TopoFusion calls this ‘multi-track playback’ and you can use the feature to show the progression of multiple riders along the same trail or even play back rides of the same trail on different days to see how your rides compare (see video below). I can seriously sit and stare at replays of my own rides in TopoFusion for hours…

Trail Photo Management

Topofusion includes a feature called ‘PhotoFusion’ that dynamically places photos onto your maps. Now I’ve been hesitant to try this myself for a while – geo-tagging photos just seems too geeky and time consuming. Topofusion actually makes the process dead simple: open a GPS track, click on PhotoFusion and point to a directory with photos taken on your ride. TopoFusion then matches the timestamps on your photos with track point timestamps and places the photos where they belong on your route. Even if your GPS and camera times don’t match up, Topofusion attempts to help you resolve differences using time offsets – incredible! Photo thumbnails appear on the map as waypoints and can be moved around plus you can zoom in on pics with a click of the mouse.

Building photo maps on your computer is cool but what good is a slick photo map if you can’t share it with your friends? TopoFusion understands this and allows you to export your photos and maps to post on the web and even writes the complex HTML for you at the click of a button. Here’s my interactive photo map from a ride out at Heritage Park last month. Amazing!

Endurance Training / Activity Tracker

Many of us use TopoFusion to catalog our mountain bike rides and fortunately there are some great features for keeping track of training ride data as well. ‘Log Book’ is a feature that saves your ride data to a calendar summarizing your workouts: clicking on a date reveals distance, time, total climb, and speed data PLUS it includes difficulty and effort scores that allow you to compare workouts of varying length, elevation, and intensity. Log Book also computes summary statistics based on a date range so you can see, for instance, how many miles you rode last week.

TopoFusion activity tracking tools also work great with data from other sports like running. I imported runs from my Forerunner and using the Run Analysis tool was able to compute a GOVSS Score, Lactate Adjustment Power, Average Power, and calories expended. TopoFusion also allows you to switch units from miles per hour to more runner-friendly minutes per mile.

The current version of TopoFusion includes support for direct connection to the most popular Garmin GPS units including the GPSMap series, Edge series, and of course the Forerunner series. With this support, TopoFusion also includes the ability to view heart rate, cadence, and power data, depending on your GPS unit’s capabilities. With support for multiple file formats including GPX, TCX, KML, and even ESRI ShapeFiles you can be sure that no matter what brand or model GPS you own you can use TopoFusion to view, edit, and catalog your data.

Power User Tools and Functions

Beyond the features most users will find helpful, TopoFusion also includes a few power-user functions that map geeks will find especially cool. The ‘Make Network’ tool transforms messy GPS trail data full of backtracks and dead ends into clean, easy to follow trail segments. TopoFusion also includes a tool to fix elevation profile data from GPS units with unreliable or even non-existent elevation tracking – a feature that honestly borders on voodoo magic. You can even use TopoFusion to move or delete waypoints and trackpoints to clean up errant GPS data points before sharing with friends.

Bottom Line

TopoFusion is the best GPS mapping software we’ve used – hands down – and perhaps this is why:

TopoFusion is written by Alan and Scott Morris. Brothers, outdoor enthusiasts, mountain bikers and former wilderness rangers. Both hold Master’s degrees in Computer Science. Scott Morris is a mountain bike adventurer, PhD student and freelance writer. He holds several ultra distance mountain bike records, including the fastest traversal of the cross-state Arizona Trail. He logs his adventures at topofusion.com/diary.

We use TopoFusion on a near-daily basis here at Singletracks to map our own GPS data and it’s part of the secret sauce we use to produce the MTB trail maps available on the site. There are two versions available for sale and immediate download at TopoFusion.com – the Basic and Pro version – but take it from us: the Pro version is well worth the additional investment. Many of the features mentioned in this review are only available in the Pro version and at less than $70 it’s still much cheaper than software from Garmin, DeLorme, and National Georgraphic – with way more features!

Even if you don’t own a GPS yet, TopoFusion is a great tool for viewing trail maps created by others and posted online. Get it today and start planning your next adventure!

This is part II of a two-part review of the DeLorme Earthmate PN-40 GPS. In the first review I talked about the software included with the PN-40 – both the desktop and GPS unit software – and in this review I’ll be focusing on the hardware.

Case design

The Earthmate PN-40 boasts an attractive case design that’s rugged and easy to grip in your hand plus it’s even waterproof to IPX-7 standard (basically waterproof in 1 meter of water for 30 minutes). In any event, the Earthmate will keep ticking if you drop it (guilty) or if you ride in the mud and/or rain (also guilty). The buttons on the PN-40 give you handy access to commonly used functions but at times I found them hard to press while riding with gloved hands.

The PN-40 comes with a lanyard loop for handheld use and when used with an appropriate RAM mount can be secured to your bike’s handlebars. The handlebar mounting system was easily the worst I’ve experienced, requiring multiple screws and nuts with very little adjustability for bars of differing diameters. The mount itself holds the GPS quite securely but securing the mount to your handlebars (especially oversize bars) is quite another story. On one ride I ended up putting the GPS in my rear jersey pocket where it got a great signal, though that meant I was constantly stopping to consult the map. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it) the RAM mount is NOT included with the PN-40.

Screen and memory

The PN-40 has a brilliant daylight-reading screen which makes reading maps easy in most light conditions, though I found satellite imagery was difficult to read in direct sunlight. The PN-40 includes up to 8GB of internal memory (that’s giga with a G!) and with support for removable SDHC memory you can add another 32GB. The included serial-USB connection is mega slow and DeLorme recommends transferring large map sets to the GPS using a memory card reader (not included). To give you an idea about how slow the map and data transfers can be: sending 100 MB of images to your GPS will take over an hour. Before a recent ride I started to transfer satellite images as I walked out the door but gave up after 20 minutes when I realized how long it would take. Lesson learned – plan ahead or get a memory card reader.

Other hardware features

The DeLorme Earthmate PN-40 uses a high-tech chipset that locks on satellites mega fast for near instantaneous acquisition – no more waiting at the trailhead for your GPS to sync. The PN-40 also includes a dual-core processor that crunches through detailed maps and imagery for quick map redraws that won’t slow you down on the trail. A built-in electronic compass, altimeter, and accelerometer allow the PN-40 to orient itself even when you’re not moving – a nice touch for sure. Battery life is so-so using standard AA alkaline batteries but it’s generally more than enough for an epic ride (plan on 4-8 hours depending on how you use the GPS).

The Earthmate PN-40 boasts an impressive feature list with killer software. While the PN-40 may not have been designed for mountain bikers first and foremost, it’s a rugged, reliable, and full-featured outdoor GPS anyone can appreciate.

I’ve been using the DeLorme Earthmate PN-40 GPS for almost 2 months now and I thought it was about time to share my review. After seeing the PN-40 strapped to mountain bikes in full color magazine ads I wondered how it would perform on the bike, especially compared to the made-for-bikes Edge series from Garmin. This post will only cover the Earthmate PN-40 software – look for a hardware-focused review later this week.

Loading basemaps

First things first: the maps and mapping software included with the Earthmate PN-40 are truly top notch. In fact before using the PN-40 I was a big fan of the Topo USA desktop software with its clean, vectorized topographic maps and the latest version builds on the best features (though sadly the interface is still pretty confusing). With Topo USA 7.0 (included) you can send detailed maps for driving and trekking to your GPS in just a few clicks.

The PN-40 is great at mapping but it also includes the ability to view color satellite and aerial imagery on the GPS itself (unlike the Garmin Edge). With the right imagery loaded onto your GPS it’s like having Google Earth in your pocket – though in my experience most of the images aren’t nearly as high-res as those on Google Earth. Imagery is available online and you get a few downloads for free, after which you’ll need to pay a small annual fee to access unlimited images. The imagery downloads aren’t quite instant (you need to request them through the software and wait about 5 minutes for an email telling you they’re ready for download) but once they’re loaded in Topo USA they’re a easy to send to your GPS. The satellite imagery is a little difficult to follow while on the bike because it’s so detailed but it did help me scope out an area where I heard there were some unofficial MTB trails.

Loading and following tracks

The DeLorme Earthmate PN-40 makes it fairly easy to load GPS tracks from the web using the included Topo USA software. Just open any GPX-formatted file, preview it on screen, then send the track and waypoints to your PN-40. Topo USA also makes it easy to reverse imported GPS tracks and to view elevation and speed profiles on the computer before downloading the data to your GPS.

Once your trail data is loaded on the PN-40 you can change the display color of the trail itself and follow the track starting from your current position. On the trail the PN-40 alerts you to turns using an audible tone that sounds kinda like a bird – a nice touch since an electronic beep would be out of place in the great outdoors. DeLorme can handle up to 10 tracks with 10,000 trackpoints each (!) so you don’t need to worry about imported tracks losing any detail (by comparison Garmin limits tracks to 500 points).

Trip and cycling-specific functions

Sadly, the Earthmate PN-40 falls short in this department. Resetting and restarting a trip on the PN-40 is a multi-step, menu-driven process that will be frustrating to anyone hoping to use this GPS as a training tool. While it does include basic functions like time, distance, speed, etc., the PN-40 leaves off an elevation plot even though it boasts a barometric altimeter for keeping track of elevation data. After the ride you can view a plot of your elevation so all is not lost.

The DeLorme PN-40 is a good multi-sport, multi-function GPS for outdoor enthusiasts but serious mountain bikers may want to consider a GPS made specifically for cycling instead. Out-of-the-box features like a color screen, turn-by-turn driving directions, topographic maps, and satellite imagery are tough to beat for the price making this a good GPS for outdoor generalists.

Look for part II of this review covering additional hardware features included in the Earthmate PN-40.

We’ve heard this question more than a few times on our GPS forums: Which GPS is best for mountain biking AND everything else (like hiking, driving, etc.)? Garmin addressed the question on their very own blog and despite the fact their recommendations are all Garmin units (image that ) it’s actually a helpful post for anyone considering a do-all GPS unit for mountain biking+. They mention the Edge 605 and 705 as possible candidates for a multi-sport GPS but I say skip these. While they’re both incredible GPS units for mountain biking they suck for hiking and are too tiny for driving.

If you’re planning on using your GPS more outdoors than in the car then I say go for a GPSMap 60CSx. With a software upgrade it can give you turn-by-turn directions, the screen is large, and it has great outdoor functions like marking waypoints, sunrise/sunset calculations, and support for topo maps. The GPSMap series is also super rugged and takes AA batteries – great for long days in the field.

We’re wrapping up testing on the PN-40 from DeLorme and so far it’s also looking like a great candidate for multi-sport GPSing as well. The PN-40 has a color screen, multiple map compatibility (including support for aerial and satellite imagery), turn-by-turn directions out of the box, and a rugged case for biking or hiking.

Of course a multi-use GPS will do a good job at most things but won’t be great at any one task. If you have the dough to burn, stick to cycling specific GPS units for riding and auto units for the car – that way you can’t go wrong!

The Edge 705 cycling GPS from Garmin promises it all: detailed, full color, road and topo maps; accessories for intense ride data collection; navigation and directions; ride elevation profiles; and much more. But does the device live up to the hype? We decided to test it the only place it all matters: on the mountain bike trail.

Design

The small size and shape of the Edge 705 make it the perfect GPS for mounting on your handlebars. The quick mount system allows you to clip and unclip your GPS yet still keeps the unit safe and secure on washboard trails. Reading the Edge 705 in glaring sunlight is no problem thanks to the brilliant 2.2″ diagonal color display and there’s even a backlight for epic rides that go a little longer than expected. The new Team Garmin-Chipotle colors should have fans excited but unless you already have an orange or blue bike I say stick with the plain black original.

Loading detailed base maps

Before you can head out to the trail you’ll need to load up the Edge 705 with detailed maps of the area you’ll be riding. Two things you need to know:

1. Detailed maps are NOT included with the Edge 705. If you’re riding on the road and want Tom Tom-style turn-by-turn directions and navigation, you’ll need Garmin MapSource City Navigator software (about $100). For trail riding I recommend Garmin MapSource Topo (also about $100). MapSource Topo won’t allow you to create point-to-point directions on your GPS like City Navigator but it does include detailed road maps to help you get oriented. Sounds confusing, huh? Unfortunately it is.

2. You can’t fit maps of the entire US on your device at once. This may not seem like a big deal since most riders stick to trails within their state or region but if you’re planning that big trip out to Moab, be sure to load the detailed basemaps up before you head out! Believe me, I speak from experience here.

The distinction between base maps and trail maps on a GPS may seem strange to first-time users so here’s one way to think about it: base maps are like your old paper folding maps with roads and official points of interest marked. You can’t edit the map since it’s already printed but you can ADD to the map with your own hand-drawn lines and labeled points of interest. The drawn lines in this example are called “tracks” on a GPS while the labeled points are called “waypoints.” All of this is to say: now that you have your base maps loaded, it’s time to get a trail (track) to follow.

Loading trails (tracks)

The Edge 705 makes it easy to load tracks from you computer and there are actually a few ways to do this. If you’re using MapSource or Garmin Training Center software, simply select the track and choose “Send to Device.” Otherwise, just plug the Edge 705 into your computer’s USB port and your computer will usually recognize the GPS as a data drive (even on a Mac!). Just drag track files to the GPX folder and that’s it! Both of these methods work great for trail files downloaded from singletracks – sweet.

The Edge 705 also allows you to wirelessly exchange trail data with other Edge 705 users via the built-in ANT+ wireless technology. Though I didn’t get a chance to try this feature out, it appears to be pretty straightforward and can be a good way to swap epic routes with mountain bikers you meet on the trail.

Following trails

The Edge 705 does a great job at helping you follow trails you’ve loaded via computer or wirelessly. Of course you can follow the map visually but that’s usually tough to do on tight, technical trails that require your undivided attention. So, in addition to on screen cues and the map itself, the Edge 705 can be configured to beep when you’re approaching a turn or intersection to get you attention. In our tests this worked pretty well, though on super twisty trail sections the beeping got a little annoying, especially when there was only a single, obvious trail to follow.

Other features

Road cyclists clearly had a big influence on the design of the Edge 705 and that influence really shows in the accessories line-up from Garmin. The heart rate monitor felt comfortable and syncs quickly with the GPS. Other accessories like cadence and power meters are mostly worthless to mountain bikers (unless you’re stuck inside on a trainer) and fortunately the base Edge 705 package leaves these doo-dads out. Hopefully in the future we’ll see MTB-specific accessories that use the ANT+ system (G-shock impact meter or a hang time calculator perhaps?).

The Garmin Edge 705 is a whole lotta GPS in a small package and the best part is you can just set it and forget it most of the time. It’s a great choice for trail navigation and MTB training data collection – just remember to look away from the screen every now and then when you’re on the trail

Just wanted to let everyone know we’ve updated the GPS Activity Tracker to make it easier to use and even more powerful than before. Here’s a quick rundown of the included features:

• Upload your data in standardized GPX or Garmin Training Center (TCX) format from your Garmin GPS
• Edit waypoint names and descriptions online
• View an interactive map and elevation profile of your ride
• Automatically looks up and saves your activity location: city and state (US only)
• Download your rides in GPX, TCX, or KML format for viewing in Google Earth
• Track all your fitness activities beyond mountain biking: running, road cycling, etc.
• Customize the name of your activity location or use the suggested singletracks trail descriptions based on trails nearby
• Send your ride data to your singletracks ride log
• Submit GPS rides to the singletracks trail map catalog and earn a lifetime PRO membership
• One-click sharing of GPS ride data with other singletracks users
• Track total climb, time, distance, and average speed of your ride
• Automatic nearby ride suggestions

With your free singletracks membership you’ll get access to the GPS Activity Tracker Lite which lets you track up to 5 of your rides; upgrade to a Pro or Training membership for unlimited access. The singletracks GPS Activity Tracker is a great tool for getting the most out of your mountain bike GPS – upgrade your membership today or purchase a gift subscription for a friend!

Bet that headline got you excited – unfortunately this is only an incremental upgrade, and even that’s stretching things a bit. The latest model of the Edge 705 comes in the Garmin/Chipotle team colors and includes all the same color mapping features as the regular 705.

One new item from Garmin is the US Topo 24k map software series that gives you even more topographic detail for US terrain. The software even enables 3D views of terrain on certain GPS units like the Colorado and Oregon – a first for Garmin GPS units. Hopefully we’ll see this trickle down to the smaller cycling GPS line in the coming years…

Singletracks just passed a big milestone today when we posted our 500th mountain bike trail map to the site – Fleming Meadows in California. We started the trail map project about 3 years ago when we realized lots of people were starting to ride with GPS units. The maps have come a long way since those early days but we still give you the ability to download the raw GPS data to view in your favorite topo program, load onto your GPS, and even view in Google Earth!

A few highlights from the current MTB trail map catalog:

• Colorado boasts the most trail maps – 121 unique trails mapped! North Carolina is second with 48 unique mountain bike trail maps.
• The longest trail map in the catalog is the Kokopelli trail at 136.48 miles long. The mapped route stretches from Fruita, CO to Moab, UT.
• Singletracks offers nearly 40 free mountain bike trail maps, including 16 trails outside the US from New Zealand to Portugal.
• The trail catalog includes over 400,000 track points and nearly 1,500 waypoints.
• All trail data submissions are hand-edited by singletracks editors and mapped using professional mapping software using a custom template – you won’t find maps like these anywhere else!

If you’re not already a singletracks Trail or PRO subscriber you can earn a free lifetime PRO membership to the site by submitting just 3 new trail maps. Even if you’re new to GPS tracking we can help you understand how to collect and share you data – check out our GPS mountain biking primer today.

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to the mountain bike trail catalog over the years – we couldn’t have done it without you! Next stop: 1,000 mountain bike trail maps by 2010!

Back in July I posted a theoretical comparison between the iPhone and the Edge 705 for mountain bike navigation and made this point:

Speedometer / Odometer / Elevation

The iPhone doesn’t track these things for you but the Edge 705 does (and it does it very well I must say). Unfortunately Garmin’s lead may not last for long since iPhone app developers are sure to throw together a simple (and I predict free) application to do just this. Winner (for now): Edge 705.

Sure enough, speed and elevation tracking software for the iPhone is available now, and while I haven’t found any free programs, they are certainly cheap (like $2.99 cheap). Perivision talks about using his iPhone on an electric bike and posts this interesting screen shot of an (unnamed) iPhone program:

There’s also a piece of iPhone software called iTrail that tracks the usual suspects (speed, elevation, distance) and even records your route GPS track-style. Although the name implies it’s good for trail use I’m not sure I’d take an iPhone on a rocky track – and what about reception under tree cover? The good news is that iTrail costs just $2.99 at the iTunes store. Screen shots:

 

Of course there are other smartphone options for GPS riding – check out the singletracks GPS forums to connect with other GPS-enabled smartphone users and stay tuned as we deliver the latest GPS / mountain biking news from Interbike in less than 2 weeks!

Did anyone happen to catch video of the protests outside the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, MN last night? The riot police there were using mountain bikes – but not in the way you’d imagine. Instead of carrying those huge clear, plastic shields to back the crowds up there was one group that was using their bikes, stood on end, to push protesters away. The tires on these bikes looked pretty knobby, I wonder if any of the protesters ended up with MTB tire tread marks on their faces If anyone can find photos from last night let me know…

In other mountain bike news:

The World Firefighters Games took place in Liverpool, UK earlier this week and more than 100 firefighters took part in the mountain bike competition. The race was held in Llandegla Forest where there are more than 40Km of mountain bike trails – WAY more dirt than the Olympic riders saw in Beijing. I guess police officers aren’t the only public servants who enjoy mountain biking

For those of you who just can’t get enough mountain bike trail detail online, there’s a new(ish) site called Veo Geo that will sync your helmet camera video with GPS trail data to give you an interesting virtual trail experience. We weren’t able to get any of the MTB trail videos to work (apparently the guys are having trouble with YouTube hosted videos at the moment) but this race car video worked flawlessly. What’s next – trail holograms? chair vibrators and fans that simulate trail conditions? We’ll keep you posted.

Just a quick heads up before we start the official promos: This month we’re giving away a Garmin Edge 205 cycling GPS to one lucky reviewer on singletracks. Just submit a review of something on singletracks – trails, mountain bike gear, mountain bike tours, bike shops, and blog posts – and you’ll be entered to win. Of course your review has to be a real review and it has to be helpful to be considered so make sure your review counts

The more reviews you submit this month, the more chances you have to win! The drawing will be held on September 1 and the winner will be announced right here on the blog. Get busy!

Pssssst – tomorrow is the last day if you want a free singletracks sticker in the mail. Details are here.

I read that the new 3G iPhone has GPS built-in and it got me thinking: Could the iPhone challenge the Edge 705 as a high end GPS for mountain biking? Let’s see how the two compare:

Mapping

Both the iPhone and Edge 705 have color screens but the iPhone’s screen is much larger: 3.5 in (480×320) vs. the puny Edge 705 screen at 2.2 in (176×220). To get detailed street maps for the Edge 705 you’ll need to pony up an extra $100, no updates included. The iPhone gives you access to Google Maps for free and they’re constantly updated. Winner: iPhone.

Navigation / Directions

From what I understand the iPhone cannot provide real time navigation, a feat the Edge 705 accomplishes reasonably well. TomTom is said to be working on a navigation app for the iPhone but this will certainly be a paid software upgrade. Winner: Edge 705.

Speedometer / Odometer / Elevation

The iPhone doesn’t track these things for you but the Edge 705 does (and it does it very well I must say). Unfortunately Garmin’s lead may not last for long since iPhone app developers are sure to throw together a simple (and I predict free) application to do just this. Winner (for now): Edge 705.

Route sharing

Garmin introduced a new feature with the Edge 705 to allow riders to wirelessly “beam” previously ridden routes to one another and the iPhone doesn’t have this. The iPhone does, however, have access to the INTERNET which holds tens of thousands of shared rides on sites like this one and even Garmin’s own Motionbased site (ouch). Winner: iPhone.

Wireless accessories

The Garmin Edge 705 is compatible with all kinds of wireless accessories including heart rate, cadence, and power monitors. I don’t know of any cycling devices made for the iPhone but Apple has included a secret weapon: Bluetooth. Ok, so Bluetooth isn’t a secret and I’ve said from the beginning that Garmin was foolish to develop their own wireless standard (ANT) instead of latching onto the industry favorite. Could we see Bluetooth heart rate monitors in the future? Probably. Winner (for now): Edge 705.

Communication / Music
This isn’t really a fair fight but face it – the iPhone is a phone, an MP3 player, and an internet device while the Edge 705 is a dumb brick. Today I’m carrying my phone and my GPS on the trail, perhaps tomorrow I’ll have a single device that can manage both functions while serving as an iPod as well. Winner: iPhone.

Durability

I’m pretty skeptical about the durability of the iPhone on the trail but there are already some bike mounts on the market for the device. The Edge 705, on the other hand, is clearly built to take a pounding on the trail with a tough housing and flexible screen. Winner: Edge 705.

Pricing

It’s tough to compare pricing of the iPhone and Edge 705 because they’re both, er, different. The Edge 705 (without accessories) retails for $499 but you’ll need to pay another $100 or so for detailed maps. The iPhone retails for $199 but you’ll end up paying at least $69.99 a month for the service (no service fee for the Edge 705). Of course most of us are already paying for a cell phone plan so it’s all about the margin. Look at it this way: If you’re currently paying $50 a month for your cell phone the iPhone really costs you just $19.99 a month extra Winner: Tie.

Although the iPhone 3G is brand new it appears that it may be a good contender for taking on the Edge 705 for the title of “super fancy bike GPS” (though the iPhone may ultimately be better suited to road cycling rather than trail riding). Who knows, maybe we’ll be seeing iPhone apps and accessories at Interbike this year…