Garmin eTrex Handlebar Mount Bracket

I was impressed by the quality of the pieces and suspect that it will be very durable. I only have two negative comments regarding this design. First, the handlebar mounting piece is tightened on via a screw. I have a road and a mountain bike and will want to switch the unit between the two. I would have preferred some sort of quick release mechanism that does not require the use of tools. Secondly, I wish that the battery cover did not have to be replaced with the new one. The one that comes with the bike mount is not rubberized and it has a clip on it that could catch on things. That means that you'll want to put the original cover back on the GPS if you want to use it as a hand-held. Having to use two different covers means that there is just one more piece that you'll need to remember to bring on your trips - and one more thing to possibly lose somewhere.

Despite these gripes, I am very impressed with the mount and can recommend it.


Works well, with a few reservations   April 7, 2001
Michael J Edelman (Huntington Woods, MI USA)
73 out of 74 found this review helpful

I've been using an E-Trex for hiking, kayaking and biking pretty much since it came out, and I'm still pretty much enamored of it. This adapter certainly makes it easy to use the E-Trex on your bike, but I do have a few reservations about it.

The adapter plate consists of a replacement for the battery compartment cover on the E-Trex and an adapter that clamps on to the handlebars with a screw. Remove the stock cover, slap on the replacement and it's ready to clip on the bike. If you intend on only using the E-Trex on your bike, this works pretty well. If you plan on using your E-Trex for more than one sport, you may be changing covers back and forth regularly, since the replacement cover doesn't fit easily in a shirt or PFD pocket,

While the regular battery compartment cover seals via a rubber coating over the entire cover, the cover that comes with this adapter uses a skinny O-ring that's supposed to sit in a groove on the cover. The problem is that it pops out every time you remove the cover, whether to change batteries or just to switch covers. It's easy to drop the O-ring and it's a bit of a fussy job to get it back in the groove. Once sealed in, it seems waterproof enough.

Since my main use for my E-Trex is kayaking, I finally decided to stick with the original cover and gave the adapter away to a friend. If you plan on using your E-Trex exclusively on a bike, though, this is definitely the way to go.


Motorcyle riders: very useful accessory, but...   June 8, 2003
Marcelo A. Soto Quiroga (Maracay, Venezuela)
45 out of 46 found this review helpful

I planned buying it for mounting my e-Trex Venture on my motorcycle. None of the reviews here could help me in getting rid of my worry: will it fit in my handlebar? I assumed it will, so I purchased it. The result? PERFECT FIT. Using the thick rubber strap I could securely attach the handlebar mount and the GPS clicked-in in a snap. Naturally there's a lot less vibration on a street/road motorbike handlebar than that on a mountain bike, so that would not be a problem for me. I was wrong, since I noticed several times GPS suddenly turned off while riding. So be careful 'cause battery lid can actually provoke false electric contacts from time to time, turning the GPS off. I got through this by placing a thin piece of foam over the batteries which made the lid to close tighter and solved the problem.


Well, with a simple fix it's a great product   January 30, 2002
Colin Wilkinson (Austin, TX United States)
13 out of 13 found this review helpful

I've had this for 8 months or so and I like it. But the bike mount has a major flaw. The battery cover has a very loose fit with the main unit. It got so bad that it managed to turn off the GPS on a ride over a fairly smooth road.
Here's the fix. Two pieces of electrical tape. I wrapped one piece around the bottom of the battery case and one around the top (this required scissors to trim the tape). I don't know how this affects the waterproofing, but the battery case grips the GPS like a limpit and everything works 100% better now.


It needs some improvement   April 4, 2002
Patonzon (México City)
16 out of 17 found this review helpful

I use this product for mountain biking, and although I find it very useful, it still needs to be improved. These are some of the cons I found:
- Whith exesive vibration, the etrex can suddenly turn off. I think this happends because the bycicle mount cover doesn't hold the batteries as thight as the original cover.
- The thin o-ring inside the cover falls very easely and it can be very hard to find if dropped.
- The rubberbands provided for mounting it in the handle bar are either too thin or too thick, so you might have to put one of your own.
- It is difficult to get the etrex off the bike mount, sometimes you need to apply a lot of strenght.
- The bike mount cover doesn't adjusts as well as the original and has some movement. I haven't tried it under heavy rain, but I think this might compromise its waterproofnes.
- When mountted on the handle bar, the etrex becomes very exposed to be damaged if you fall or hit a tree.