How do I Install Garmin GPS 276C Hardware on a Bike?

The Garmin GPSMAP 276C is a feature-rich GPS device capable on land as well as water. Although there is no manufactured bike mount for the 276C, the ability to load up-to-date road maps and topographic maps on the device makes it a powerful tool to bring along on two-wheeled adventures. With a little improvisation, your GPSMAP 276C can be mounted to the handlebars of your bike securely using the marine mount that comes with the device.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

Stock GPSMAP 276C marine mount, or replacement marine mount (part # 010-10511-00)
Small block of wood, between 1/2 and 3/4 inch thick
Saw
Sandpaper
4 120lb cable ties, 8 inch
Bicycle inner tube, or other strip of rubber that is (or can be folded to be) about 1/4 inches thick
Rubbing alcohol
Paper towel

Step 1

Cut the wood down as a platform for mounting your marine bracket. It should be as wide as the diameter of the base of the bracket and twice as long. Sand the cut edges of the wood.

Step 2

If your bracket is a screw-down mount, you can now screw it to the center of the piece of wood according to the instructions that came with the mount, but it is not necessary. If the mount is a suction mount, you will not be using the suction feature.

Step 3

Clean the handlebar and the inner tube with alcohol and let them dry for a few minutes.

Step 4

Fold the bicycle inner tube in lengths that match the block of wood, until the rubber is about 1/4-inch thick. This rubber strip will sit between the block of wood and the handlebar of your bike, as a shock absorber, and as a stabilizer to prevent slipping.

Step 5

Select the best location for the GPS, ensuring that it won't get in the way of brake or gear-shift operation. Set the rubber strip on this section of the handlebar and the block of wood on top of the rubber. Fix the assembly to the bar with two of the zip ties. Ensure that the zip ties are spaced far enough apart that they will not interfere with the bottom of the mount where it sits on the block. The ties should be tight enough that the block will be a stable platform for the GPS.

Step 6

With the bottom of the marine mount flush on the wood block, thread the remaining two zip ties through the two arms of the mount and around the block, rubber and handlebar. Ensure that the whole assembly is cinched together tightly.

Tips & Warnings

Set up your GPS before you get rolling, not during your ride

Use a pair of pliers to pull your cable ties tight

Don't be distracted from the road while using your GPS

Resources

Article Written By David Maddalena

David Maddalena has been writing since 1986. He writes for the website (low) tech writer, and his work has appeared in "American Surveyor." Maddalena holds a Master of Arts degree from Fuller Theological Seminary.

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