Magellan gives bike riders a reason to ride on

Even though cyclists probably don’t need an excuse to take a long Sunday trek, Magellan may have given them some encouragement to get lost and ride their way back, with a trio of GPS units built for Australian bike tracks hitting stores shortly.

Designed specifically for Australians and not just another international model released locally, Magellan’s navigation solution for bicycles comes in the Cyclo 500 series, displaying information on a small unit with a 3 inch screen and battery life which shouldn’t die, provided your bike ride doesn’t push past the 12 hour mark.

“The latest figures from Bicycle Industries Australia reveal that more than 10 per cent of the Australian population is cycling and on top of that, 1.4 million bicycles were sold last financial year,” said Paris Basson, Brand Manager for Magellan Australia and New Zealand.

“Among them is our Magellan product and marketing team, made up of incredibly keen cyclists, who understand what people like them want and need, and as a result we have developed a dedicated device loaded with Australian firsts.”

Aussies can look forward to preloaded local bike tracks, turn-by-turn navigation designed for cyclists, and points of interest that even include the repair shop, just in case something has gone wrong on the weekend ride.

In fact, the information used has been acquired from places such as Bicycling Australia to make sure that the routes taken are bike friendly, in many places connecting bike paths to the streets.

There will be three models, with the Cyclo 500, 505, and 505HC, with all offering the 3 inch touchscreen with toughened glass and water resistance (IPX7), with each model able to work out more than just where you are and where you’re going, tracking your speed, distance, laps, and calories killed in the process.

WiFi is also included across the range, making it easy to upload your tracks and information to the cloud, sharing them with people later on over social networking services like Facebook.

The 505 (above) and 505HC will come with a built-in ANT+ sensor, useful if paired with a heart rate monitor for tracking how you’re doing, while the 505HC adds the heart rate monitor and a cadence sensor to the package.

Pricing for the Cyclo models starts at $379 for the 500, with the 505 weighing in at $399, and the Cyclo 505HC coming in at $479 for the entire package. Availability should be now, with Dick Smith and Harvey Norman stores getting the bicycle GPS units first.