Short of bolting a sidecar to your bike, iBike's Dash CC Deluxe cycling computer is as close as you can get to taking a personal navigator along for a ride.
Actually, its computing brains are supplied by your iPhone, which is sort of like a personal navigator anyway. So let's just call the device a sidecar for your little Apple buddy.
The Dash CC Deluxe system has a few components: a case that mounts on your bike, various sensors (also included) that attach to your bike and your body, and a free iPhone application that turns your iPhone into a detailed bike computer. It's compatible with the iPhone 4, 3Gs/3G, and the iPod Touch generations 1, 2 and 3.
The case, called the Phone Booth, is sturdy enough. It bolts to your crossbars with some minor wrenching, and the case itself slides in and out securely. iBike may as well have allowed you to bolt the whole thing on, since the Phone Booth is too bulky to be used as a regular case off of the bike. There's no way you're getting that thing into your jeans. On the bike, though, it proved solid – it survived a few laydowns and is completely waterproof, which is great news if you get caught in a downpour.
When your phone is in the case, it's able to communicate wirelessly with the included sensors. The list of ride data the Dash is able to collect is too long to run through in full, but it covers the basic cycling computer mainstays: cadence, heart rate (included a strap/monitor combo), speed, distance traveled and hours logged.
But your iPhone is much more than a bike computer, so the Dash goes well beyond the basics.
Since your iPhone is rocking GPS, you can use the maps feature to track your location wherever you go. Forget about getting lost. You can map out your route and follow your charted course, keeping an eye on your progress, and even the weather, as you ride.