Garmin GPS (Other GPS are available)

corblimey

After doling a few searches here and elsewhere, I'm confused about how people do big long spins. Take a 100km spin, there's no way in hell I'm going to remember to take the 3rd left after the Texaco but before the Spar on the right, etc. Is it just me?

So do y'all go out on your long spins with a GPS attached? Or do you have a Google maps printout lodged in your back pocket? Or do you just do the same spins over and over til it's second nature and sure if you get lost, just do a uey?

If most people use a GPS, then I'm thinking the Garmin 705 would be useful to me, but there's a few threads here (for example) where people have 'no use' for the mapping feature, so there's obviously some folk out there who have such a keen sense of direction they can find their way around the highways and byways of Ireland without a worry. I'm not one of those people.

Or am I missing something?

short circuit

My spin today was short by your 100km standard only 65kms ... but I had a general plan that I wanted to explore some roads between Dunshaughlin & Navan. So started out by taking the old N3 out to get there quickly. Its actually a pleasant road to cycle on now that that M3 has opened if without great scenery.

Back on topic .. after Dunshaughlin, I took many a random roads aiming to pick the smallest, least busiest roads. An hour and a half into the spin, I started aiming for places I know and soon enough ended up on a junction I recognised and was back.

If you are not doing a loop, then having some map might help to atleast give you an idea of what you are aiming for.

By the way, many brevets still give cue sheets like you mentioned ... 3kms take left, .5kms straight etc. If you use www.ridewithgps.com or www.bikeroutetoaster.com ... they pretty much make up the cue sheet for you. So you can print that and follow them.

Nietzschean

it varies depending on what routes people are doing, if your doing big sportif's, routes near where you live or routes you know the mapping feature is of limited use.

That said i use mine quite often for weekend spins, its great just being able to draw on the map what looks interesting knowing nothing about the area and the gps brings me around...

Stokolan

I got my garmin after I got lost on a spin one day. I moved house and ended up cycling roads I didnt know or would never cycle normally. I tried to do it by memory but unfortunatley google maps wasnt too accurate and when I got to a point where I needed to take a left turn there was no road thankfully I cam out onto a main road after about 30 min of cycling So did get home in the end.

But since I'm after getting used to the roads and dont really use it that much anymore. But its still nice to have incase I decided I want to do a cycle holiday or something like that

corblimey

My problem is that I basically know the road between my house and my work and that's about it. I've worked out a few other routes, but never straying too far from that main road. I want to get out and about, see parts of the county I've never seen before, do massive spin loops (not just the basic out and backs that I'm doing at the moment) and I don't think I can do any of that without a GPS. My sense of direction is piss poor - getting lost in a car is bad enough with the price of petrol, getting lost on a bike and adding hours and hours to my spin would be even worse.

By the way, many brevets still give cue sheets like you mentioned ... 3kms take left, .5kms straight etc. If you use www.ridewithgps.com or www.bikeroutetoaster.com ... they pretty much make up the cue sheet for you. So you can print that and follow them.

I think if you'd pelting along, wind in your hair and you come to a t, having to stop and check the cue sheet to see if you're supposed to turn here or keep going would really suck the life out of a spin.

Nietzschean, that's exactly what I want to do. Drive somewhere random, get out and plot a course into the wilds of East Cork. What GPS are you using?

ednwireland

nope remember all my regular routes gps is for tracking time and climbing

coastwatch

I have a garmin 705, only use it for trip stats. The map function is really too small and fiddley to use on the go, but would help get you home if you're really lost and too shy to ask directions:o.

You can of course load your route into the 705 before you go, and follow the garmin directions, arrows and info on the screen and alarm sound if you leave the route.

If I'm going somewhere unfamiliar on a long spin, I'd bring along an OS Discovery map, rolls up and fits in a back pocket, and lots cheaper than a garmin.

gman2k

If yer out doing enough miles, GPS is not needed (for telling you where to turn).

Nietzschean

corblimey wrote: »

Nietzschean, that's exactly what I want to do. Drive somewhere random, get out and plot a course into the wilds of East Cork. What GPS are you using?

garmin edge 705, plotting routes to a destination(without waypoints) is fairly trivial on the go on the garmin do it frequently enough if i don't want to stay on planned course...