melon

i have a problem getting lost in the middle of nowhere, it happens fairly reguarly. id like a fancy GPS but alas im too poor for one of those doodads.

at the moment i plan my routes via google maps and write myself a cuesheet. i also have a road map i carry, but the map only has the names of the large roads and motorways; im riding on the small country roads.


my cuesheet becomes useless at a certain point, as the country roads often dont have name signs and its difficult to ever know if you are on course. my map is useful, but only when there is a landmark to orientate myself.

i could get an OS map with all the road names and more detail, but these things are huge, and the english countryside is a maze of small roads. still difficult to place myself. i might have to get an OS map and have it in a map holder until i can afford a garmin.



how do you guys deal with following routes youve never rideen before? what are the best methods?

rha600

I just simply don't get lost.

melon

thanks for taking the time to post

camhabib

I would either find a really cheap GPS (you can get them for ~$100), a more detailed map, or just work on your memory. You don't have too many options to be honest.

pabuck

What about buying the huge map and cutting it down into smaller tiles? Easier to manage and flip through, and easier to carry only the ones you need.

DScott

What's wrong with getting lost?

If you're really worreid about it, only do out-and-back courses, then just keep track of where you go so you can go back the way you came.

Lots of phone have GPS now, too...

melon

the problem is that in order for me to remember the course i need to ride it first. getting lost is fine, but at some point i have to find my way home!

cutting the map down isnt a bad idea. i might go one further and scan the map in high res at my library, then i can print out as many copies as i like at any size.

DScott

That's not a problem, that's a solution. Ride until half your time is gone, then turn around. It always looks different on the way back anyways, so you won't be bored.

Yeah, the maps thing works too.

jesseboston81

Do you have any kind of cycling computer? On your cue sheet, include distances and pay attention to your mileage. Country roads don't have intersections that frequently, so knowing how far it is to your next turn should help get you on the correct road.

superdex

bread crumbs?

jasony0423

I do the cell phone thing. My blackberry has built in GPS.

coasting 

cycle in a straight line. make no turns.

MCODave

Get a regular "automotive" GPS and figure out a way to mount it on your handlebars like this:
https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=552565

In fact, if you set the volume high enough you could probably just put it in your jersey pocket and follow the verbal commands. I've seen good basic units from Tomtom and Magellan for around $70 (online, may have been refurbed).

mr handy

I generally drive my rides once before I ride them... I have a knack for finding roads on maps that are either dirt/gravel or simply don't exist.

I always say "roads go moth ways" you can always turn arould.

that reminds me, when i get back home and riding, there are a few roads i need to ride that have some decent hills... at least for Fl.

rha600

hey melon,

what about driving the route a couple times in your car first? you can still take notes but I know it's a lot easier to remember where to go when you actually see landmarks and such at key points.

otherwise, save up for a garmin edge 205. that is their cheapest model and it has the bread crumb trail. no actual maps but it will help you.

Spreggy

Can't you pretty much always tell when you're going north, south, east or west? As long as you can point to roughly where your house is, how lost can you truly be?

rha600

https://www.amazon.com/GARMIN-010-004...8998762&sr=8-1

just in case, here's a link to the 205 on Amazon for $179.

Avalanche325

Do you live in Nebraska or something? Are there no landmarks to navigate by? I live at the base of some mountains. As long as they don't move the mountains, I can find my way home.

Even in other places, I don't get lost. I think "sense of direction" is either something you have or something you don't.

Are there any radio towers, rivers or an ocean that you can use?

Lizzylou

I got lost about a week ago, used my cellphone to call a friend who went on Google maps. They gave me directions from there.

I look at getting lost as a way to learn new routes. You pay attention to the landmarks more when you don't know where you are, so you are more likely to remember the roads and such for the next time.

StephenH

Just copy off the part of the map you'll need and take the copy with you.

Here in the Dallas area, there basically aren't any roads that are more than 100 years old. So things tend to be laid out in a somewhat orderly fashion. Meaning, it's a lot easier for some of us to avoid getting lost in the first place just because of where we live.

Zan

you can't get lost where I'm at. Everything is laid out in concession roads. Every 2km is a long long long road. Just a giant grid. As long as you know which way is north (it's hard to forget), you can't get lost.

If I'm heading into a town I'm unfamiliar with, I take a look at google earth maps (i can see landmarks like a park with the earth maps) and I'll draw out the map on a piece of paper. I dare not print it 'cause then I miss the names + it wastes ink. Just pencil + paper with every street name. Doesn't have to be to scale either.

works for me .

I'll get lost in durham forest (big mountain biking trail area), but I navigate using the pigeon method of "that way is north."

rha600

HAHA same thing here Zan. All the roads are laid out like a grid, and on top of that I've got everglades to the west and a big puddle called the Atlantic Ocean to the east.

ericm979

"english countryside" might have been a clue where the OP is. They don't have that everywhere you know.

Photocopy the high resolution Ordinance Survey maps. And bring a compass. If you learn basic orienteering skills you won't get lost as long as you have a map and compass.

I like to study some maps before I ride somewhere new. I memorize the roads and their relationship to each other, and any landmarks.

melon

yeah i live in the UK. unlike say america, where most of the roads/infrastruture are relitivly new and ordered, the roads here are old and all over the place. some of the roads i reguarly ride were built by the romans! alough they have ben repaved scince they are the straightest roads, everything else is built to fit when needed.

the closest things to landmarks are villages, pubs, and churhces. actually churches are normally the most useful for finding myself. other than that its just rolling hills fields and farms.


writing the distances down is somthing i havnt done. i might try that, however it does require quite alot of preparation.

i dont drive or have a car. im a cyclist!

i think im gonna get a compass and do the OS map+holder jive. if im still having problems i might cave in and get an iphone when my contract ends, at least then i essentially get a sat nav for free.


any other advice is welcome!

urbanknight

Plan out-and-back routes. Even if you make a wrong turn, come back the way you came.

Also, do your cue sheets have mileage at every turn? I find that to be very helpful when following a new route, because unless I make a wrong turn or take a detour, the correct street to turn on is usually within 1/4 mile of what the sheet says.