I looked at the Spot and the InReach and decided that you definitely get more for your money with the InReach - and I reckoned their billing was fairer and more flexible too. As well as the obvious SOS feature, it has worked great for posting ad hoc location updates to Facebook and, as others have said, the two way text messaging service (although a bit cumbersome in this age of smart phones) is an excellent fall back when no other communication is available.
But why use a cradle? Both the Spot and the InReach are designed as 'personal trackers'. You can't use them very well oh the move, and they work just as well in a breast pocket. If it's bike security you are after, try the Road Angel Bike Trac. They provide an event page so people who are following you can see your whereabouts on their website. They use Google Maps and the level of detail is excellent almost everywhere. The only downside is that they work on cellphone technology rather than satellite.
Here's my MapShare page, showing our current location - Mariinsk Municiple Hospital - after my husband broke his leg on the road to Tomsk and we had to backtrack: https://share.delorme.com/BrigidRynne (Word of advice for Russia - practice your off-road riding skills, even if you don't intend to deviate from the highway!  )
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