[QUOTE=Steve B.;22600493]
Originally Posted by
Racing Dan
You may not neeed navigation to ride your bike, but it does open up a lot of possibilities exploring unfamiliar roads, routes and areas. I would highly recommend it.
/QUOTE]
Need is the correct word to use. I have used the course creator in RWGPS to send routes to my devices so as to navigate on road networks that I am otherwise unfamiliar with. I possibly could do this with a paper map, though it's difficult to estimate distance on paper, much easier on a computer programs. As well the GPS is keeping track of my position which no paper map can do, so I not only get an accurate position it tells me when to turn. So the answer is Yes, I "need" this device in order to follow routes in area's where I would otherwise get completely lost.
Look, I'm glad that a GPS works for you and that you prefer it over other methods. I have no problem with people using GPS to ride. However, it is a ridiculous statement to say that GPS is a "need". It may be nice, it may work better for you than anything else (heck, for all I know it would work better for me, I don't know), but there are other methods that are effective, even if you don't like them or are not familiar with them. I can say this from personal experience: I've been riding for > 40 years without a GPS, and, trust me, I don't do the same neighborhood loop over and over for lack of a reliable method of navigation. Therefore, GPS ≠ a need.
It would be a shame if people avoided exploring new routes if they did not have a GPS, or if their GPS was broken, or they forgot to charge it, or whatever.