This Satmap Active 10 was in my top 5 things to catch my eye at this years Cycle show. Helen from Satmap took Phil, Rich and I through it's features. Satmap's heritage is in developing services for walkers and they have now taken this a well thought out leap further for the mountain bike community. This is a rugged looking (designed for rugged use of course), no nonsense sat nav that uses real ordnance survey maps!

Ordnance survey maps are what are tried and tested and have that all important detail that you can't get today so far in other GPS systems. It's not some google satellite picture from 10000 miles away, but planned and well thought out, laboured over and detailed maps designed specifically with the person on foot or wheel trying to navigate from a to b in mind. To me this is the core thing I like about it.

Many cross country riders have come from a map and compass background and generally when you use to a portable mapping device you lose that earth bound contact you get and feel with a real map. Satmap's no nonsense non gimmicky apporack is to take the real map and to make it accesible in a digital and portable form.

Hence you can still still feel in touch with the navigation going on (i.e know whether it is a footpath, a bridlepath, a road used as a public path, a wooded forest, a farmhouse, a pylon whatever) but not have to deal with the extra hassle of carrying maps (that often get wet and ruined of which I have loads) as well as the re-assurance of not getting lost and so maximising time spent riding in the saddle.

Although I might not give up my maps just yet I did think I'd be keen to give it a go and up till now I've thought no way with these type of things! I guess for those that nostlagia to the days of reviewing the art of a record sleeve in your home there is a lot to be said for the bunch of well used, half falling apart both hated and loved maps adorning a dirty shelf in your home. Oh well! onwards we must go.

It has around 150 maps in Great Britian so far available. It's not PC dependent which is both good but gives limitations in post mapping fun also. The maps are in both 1:25,000 and 1:50,000 scales. You just plug and play the relevant SD memory map card in the side. It has a waterproof and shockproof casing. An electronic compass a direction indicator, on board route planning and map orientation.

If you don't have the local area map card loaded, you can use the Active 10 just like an ordinary handheld GPS i.e. it shows routes, tracks, waypoints etc on a gray screen. For clarity. It is not a turn by turn road navaigation unit. it is designed specifically for the outdoors.

Also at the show Satmap announced a free online route planner where registered users can access over £5000 pounds worth of Ordnance survey mapping as part of the service and they also have just launched a Route Share Forum which allows users to upload their favourite routes and share with the growing community of Satmap users.

To get you started you are looking at around £299.99 plus £24.99 for the bike mount.

check them out at: http://www.satmap.com/