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Any body going GPS Free?

Old 03-24-22, 11:04 AM
  #26  
GhostRider62
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Originally Posted by njkayaker
I think that's some form of the "sharp turns" warning. I get that very infrequently. I go off course much more regularly and don't see the red banner.



Settings (hamburger menu: the three horizontal lines) -> Profile -> Road (whatever you use) -> Climbpro -> Off

(This is from a 1030+. The 1030 should be the same.)


By "cuesheet", I suppose you mean the "course points". Disable those with Settings -> Course Points -> Off (after selecting the course; the settings item might be off the bottom).

You won't get course points if you use GPX format files (course points are only present in FIT and TCX files).


Might need more detail.
I can't believe I could not find that on my own, THANK YOU!!!

The climb screen isn't so bad but when it starts telling you to climb and then says, "Is that all you got?" "We're going to cut your FTP and tell everyone on Strava".....(joke)

Maybe I want the cuesheet screen.....will experiment. Thanks again.
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Old 03-24-22, 11:12 AM
  #27  
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Originally Posted by GhostRider62
I can't believe I could not find that on my own, THANK YOU!!!


The device also can display the elevation profile on the map. (I don't find that useful.) You can turn that off too.

Settings (hamburger menu: the three horizontal lines) -> Profile -> Road (whatever you use) -> Data Screes -> Show Elevation Profile -> Off

Originally Posted by GhostRider62
Maybe I want the cuesheet screen.....will experiment. Thanks again.
It's "course points" (the term Garmin uses) not "cuesheet". (RWGPS writes its cues as "course points" in the file.)

The "course points" are typically turn instructions but you can add your own custom ones (for food stops) in Garmin Connect and RWGPS (but you need a subscription).

Course points were how Edges that didn't have maps were able to provide turn instructions. They are separate from the "turn guidance" (big white arrows). You can use both or either or none.

The course points show up as magenta icons on the map (and are listed in the course point page, as you know).

They work as a backup/repeat of the "turn guidance" instructions. People often don't quite understand what they are or how they work (and so might be confused by them).

The course point page (and a data field) shows the distance to the course points (or the next one). If one could get rid of the ones for turns and keep the custom ones, they could be used to display the distance to the next control (for example). Garmin Connect only includes your custom course points (you don't get the ones for turns).

Note that if you are using "turn guidance", you can get a list of turns by tapping the text at the top of the map. If you tap a turn, you'll see a zoomed in picture of the turn. You can also disable "turn guidance" (useful if your track isn't following roads/paths on the map).

Last edited by njkayaker; 03-24-22 at 12:06 PM.
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Old 03-24-22, 11:33 AM
  #28  
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Originally Posted by unterhausen
I recommend off-line google maps as a backup.
That might be a weaker option than alternatives.

There are apps Guru Maps (expensive), OSMAND (cheap), and Maps.me (free) that let you use maps stored locally (ahead of time) and also let you load the track. These also can do routing without an internet connection (which google maps or RWGPS can't do). These apps can't create routing that follows the track (I'm pretty sure but I haven't looked lately).

Downloading maps to these apps is more straight-forward and reliable than caching the google maps (recollecting when I did that a while ago).

It's easier to review the track and map on the phone than it is on the smaller Garmin screen. (But I've gotten good enough with the Garmin that I don't really need the phone for this too often.)

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Old 03-24-22, 11:49 AM
  #29  
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Originally Posted by Classtime
It wasn't long ago when folks couldn't depend on GPS due to accuracy/battery life. Now many folks charge as they go with back up batteries or dyno charging. I'm planning on doing my first complete series next spring and wonder if anybody does that these days without GPS.
It's been quite a long time when people "couldn't depend on GPS due to accuracy/battery life" (they've been generally fine since at-least 2012). (The 800 had issues recording long rides, like > 180 miles. But, if you knew about that limitation, it was easy to avoid.)

There was a reluctance (by brevet organizers and riders) to use GPS mostly due to cuesheets being the only officially-sanctioned thing and a somewhat-irrational distrust of "new" technology.

While I appreciate some people might want to use cuesheets for "tradition" and the challenge, they kind of suck to use.

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Old 03-24-22, 05:42 PM
  #30  
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Some randonneurs are still using some very old GPS units successfully, so I imagine they have been working for as long as I have been randonneuring. What has improved is the online support to prepare for a ride. For example, before PBP they changed the route at the last minute so I downloaded the new route from rwgps using my phone. It wasn't that long ago that would have been a nightmare with no computer.

Originally Posted by njkayaker
Downloading maps to these apps is more straight-forward and reliable than caching the google maps (recollecting when I did that a while ago).
It was a throwaway comment on my part, but I think it's a good idea to have a backup map. If someone was going to rely on it, they probably should test your apps. I think rwgps is pay only for routing.

I never had trouble with google maps offline, the app is on my phone, and I like to have the maps for the areas I travel in downloaded. It saves battery life if you use it for navigating in your car, for example. It punts the downloaded maps after a couple of years, but it gives warning of that. If nothing else it would be a decent backup to your backup. And google will give you a route for a bike, but you have to follow it. Of course, the bike routing isn't great. The one time I used it to DNF a ride, it put me on the wrong side of a very big hill. There is a route from where I was to where I wanted to go without climbing that hill, but I didn't know it.

I have downloaded rwgps maps, including PBP, but I have only ever used them on the NJ 600k I mentioned. That was only for a short while, but it worked okay. I should probably download them for every ride.

In any event, everything you use should be tested ahead of time.
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Old 03-24-22, 06:08 PM
  #31  
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Originally Posted by unterhausen
Some randonneurs are still using some very old GPS units successfully, so I imagine they have been working for as long as I have been randonneuring.
Yes (kind of what I was getting at). Many people over estimate the "unreliability" of them.

The basic thing they do (show a track and your location on a map) has worked well-enough for a long time.

Fancy routing and turn notifications have gotten better.

Originally Posted by unterhausen
What has improved is the online support to prepare for a ride. For example, before PBP they changed the route at the last minute so I downloaded the new route from rwgps using my phone. It wasn't that long ago that would have been a nightmare with no computer.
I was nudging things towards supporting GPS a while ago. Way back when, it was something the organizers didn't want to deal with. It's nice to see things changing. Being able to handle last-minute changes is a big advantage.

Originally Posted by unterhausen
It was a throwaway comment on my part, but I think it's a good idea to have a backup map. If someone was going to rely on it, they probably should test your apps. I think rwgps is pay only for routing.
You need a subscription to use routing on RWGPS.

The apps I listed are one-off costs (unlike the perpetual cost of a subscription) They are cheap enough and easy enough to use that having them as a backup is something people should consider. They do routing but not based on tracks (which is how people often use on the Edges and RWGPS).

Originally Posted by unterhausen
I never had trouble with google maps offline, the app is on my phone, and I like to have the maps for the areas I travel in downloaded. It saves battery life if you use it for navigating in your car, for example. It punts the downloaded maps after a couple of years, but it gives warning of that. If nothing else it would be a decent backup to your backup. And google will give you a route for a bike, but you have to follow it. Of course, the bike routing isn't great. The one time I used it to DNF a ride, it put me on the wrong side of a very big hill. There is a route from where I was to where I wanted to go without climbing that hill, but I didn't know it.
As far as I know, Google map needs internet access to calculate a route. I rate the likelihood of having internet access when I'd need it for this as low. So, it doesn't work that well as a backup or a backup of a backup.

There also is no way of loading the track to Google. Downloading maps in the aps I listed is also unambiguous. It's very clear you have the map you need. The caching of maps in Google is a bit opaque.

(Maybe, things have changed since I looked at it.)

One way of controlling the route used is to navigate to intermediate places.

Note that the things I'm suggesting work for travel too (including to places were you don't have cellular internet).

Originally Posted by unterhausen
In any event, everything you use should be tested ahead of time.
Absolutely.

I think what gets people in trouble with GPS's is the expectation that they will be easy to use. They don't realize it takes some practice/experience to integrate the use of the GPS as a normal part of riding. I keep telling people to use them when you don't need to.

Also, having some understanding how they work makes it easier to deal with issues or confusing things. Many people, though, think they can be "experts" the first time they turn it on. When they find out that isn't the case, they give up.

One reason people have that expectation is a result of using GPS navigation for driving. But the use for driving is much less critical than the use for cycling. You don't really care too much about using highways, or hills, or a bit of extra distance when driving.

(Note that I don't care what people choose to do. I do care that they have a basis for what they choose. Especially, if they talk about those choices on a public forum.)

Last edited by njkayaker; 03-24-22 at 07:03 PM.
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Old 03-25-22, 07:32 AM
  #32  
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Our club has an rwgps subscription, so anyone that uses the app for our routes gets all the premium features for that route, including downloading if for offline use. For managing our routes I'm not sure there is anything better out there, and it's not the worst way to navigate a brevet, some riders I know use it for the audio cues and it seems to work well for them.

I don't really use it to navigate though, usually just look at the elevation profile. Any routes I design have some extra information put into the POIs that rwgps uses, they're added to the cuesheet just as "optional services" or whatever, but there's more room in the app to put in restaurant names and whatnot.

I've had good luck using maps.me for offline navigation, though I end up modifying their suggested route into something that suits my riding style... maps.me (and google/rwgps also) seem to love using busier roads around here, and snowmobile trails, private farm lanes, utility RoWs, etc. so one needs to be mindful of the generated routes.
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Old 03-25-22, 07:48 AM
  #33  
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I have a RWGPS subscription for one reason. So that I can change the 100m default turn notice to 150m.

In reality, it doesn't take a lot to get reasonably comfortable using a GPS. I am pretty lazy on this stuff. I switched to GPS because I could no longer see a a cuesheet and riding with safety glasses that had magnifiers built in became a pain. The first time I saw the huge Garmin popup showing the turn in detail, it was love at first sight.

Any other older randos might remember old cuesheets. They were like "Ride to Vermont, take a right to NH, come back to Mass" or fill in your favorite states. On PBP, the whole cuesheet was maybe a page and a half. The worst I have seen someone get lost was several years back on the TransAm bike race. IIRC, it was the leader. She did not make a left at the top of Chief Joseph pass towards Wisdom, instead, she descended down into Idaho. She had no cell service and a Wahoo. Lost. I followed her dot all night long as she bushwacked back up the ridge in Grizzly country, probably carrying her bike.
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Old 03-25-22, 08:15 AM
  #34  
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Originally Posted by GhostRider62
In reality, it doesn't take a lot to get reasonably comfortable using a GPS.
It's not exactly hard but you have to do it. So it becomes a normal part of riding (something you really don't have to think about). This isn't going to take the same amount of effort for everybody (it's going to be easier for some and harder for others).

I know many people who have GPS's who aren't that good at using them. There is some issue, generally, getting there (which isn't helped with the somewhat-dismissive "it doesn't take a lot").
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Old 03-25-22, 05:50 PM
  #35  
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Originally Posted by njkayaker
It's not exactly hard but you have to do it. So it becomes a normal part of riding (something you really don't have to think about). This isn't going to take the same amount of effort for everybody (it's going to be easier for some and harder for others).

I know many people who have GPS's who aren't that good at using them. There is some issue, generally, getting there (which isn't helped with the somewhat-dismissive "it doesn't take a lot").
In the past I only used GPS when I needed it for navigation. Then about 2 years ago I got a radar so I started using it every ride so I can have the radar display. I agree it's a lot easier when it's a normal part of riding and you don't need to think about it.
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Old 03-26-22, 04:28 AM
  #36  
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Originally Posted by Classtime
... my plan now is to research and acquire a GPS before next spring.
You obviously would want one that you can operate on a powerbank for long rides to charge up the internal battery while you are riding. But other than that, I will not make any specific suggestions since I do not use a cycling specific one. And you might have preferences for one that can communicate with a phone, or a heart rate monitor sensor, or cadence, etc. Lots of options. I mentioned above that I use a general recreation GPS that I can also use for other activities, thus I assume you are not interested in one like mine.

There is some learning curve. Depends on what you want it for.
- I have my GPS along for most of my exercise rides, but it is not really needed or used on those. I also have a separate bike computer with wheel sensor on most of my bikes. If it is a longer ride, I occasionally check to see distance to end.
- Bike touring, I am using it to find and follow the route I choose each day. And for bike touring, it is important for me to be able to load different base maps into it.
- Brevets, I download the track for the event and load it into my computer. From that load it into my GPS.

For a brevet, given a choice of track or route, my preference is track. I do not get turn notifications, I have a thick purple line on the map to follow, it is up to me to make sure I watch the map on the screen often enough to avoid missing a turn. If (or when) I glance at the map and I am not on the purple line, it is time to turn around and hopefully only go back a few hundred yards to get back on course. From the comments on this thread, I suspect most use a route with turn notifications instead. Of the different options, you would have to figure out what you prefer and get used to how it works. I suspect that if you are used to cue sheets, you would want turn notifications. I worked with maps every day for my professional career, so I am more accustomed to looking at maps than most others are.

The screens are usually quite readable in good sunlight or light overcast with backlight off. Backlight consumes battery power that you will want to conserve. I find at night I can get by with a fairly low level of backlight, and have my backlight turned up higher to max around sunset or sunrise, or when the sun is low. But it is easy to forget that you have backlight on high in the morning when it is no longer needed as the sun rises.

I am probably the only one that does this, but I will download the track for the event, then split it up on my computer into segments, each segment (numbered 1,2,3,...) ends at a control. Then manually at each control I have to tell the GPS to follow the next segment. I do not have a lot of brevets under my belt, if I had more experience I probably would not split the track into segments. I have a bit of fear of going past a control without stopping since I am not that experienced with brevets, that is why I split them up to end at each control.

I use Mapsource on my computer, it is a discontinued Garmin product that is no longer supported, I would not recommend it for someone new but I was using it a decade and a half ago and I am used to using it, so I do not use some of the other newer options. Others should advise you on the best options for that sort of thing.

I do not read many comments on people having their GPS fall off the bike, either the mounts are getting better than they were a decade ago or users are getting smarter. A decade or two ago, that was a common complaint. It was common to read of people having to go back and find where their GPS is after it fell off the bike, and then if they were lucky it still worked well. I always use a lanyard on mine, and I sometimes do not get mine in the mount quite right and later will find it hanging from my handlebar on the lanyard. It will be up to you to decide if that is something you will want. I do not even know if the cycling specific ones offer a way to put a cord on a GPS or not. Perhaps the newer mounts are good enough that this is not an issue at all any more.

I think you will find that you will wonder why you waited so long to get a good GPS. I bought my first one over two decades ago, I bought it because I really did not want to accidently paddle my kayak past the island that I was going to in fog. GPS units have come a long way since then. Other cyclists used to look at me skeptically because I had a GPS, they could not figure out why anyone would have one. Now they give me odd looks because I do not have the latest cycling specific one that comes with the latest bells and whistles that I never heard of.
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Old 03-26-22, 06:19 AM
  #37  
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Originally Posted by njkayaker
It's not exactly hard but you have to do it. So it becomes a normal part of riding (something you really don't have to think about). This isn't going to take the same amount of effort for everybody (it's going to be easier for some and harder for others).

I know many people who have GPS's who aren't that good at using them. There is some issue, generally, getting there (which isn't helped with the somewhat-dismissive "it doesn't take a lot").
That qualifies as encouragement in my book. It is not hard, it just takes a little time and watching a couple youtubes. I am old and I figured it out.

Of course, I do not use any of the fancy features like identification of Strava segments, location of other riders, crash detection, connection to my cell phone for texts, etc. I need battery life, a big screen, and simplicity. For Randonneuring, the main challenge I had was learning how to create free maps when travelling outside the area, how to create or copy a GPS file from RIDEWITHGPS and where to drop the new files onto the Garmin. There are youtubes showing you. You can also purchase maps. Then, you just select the ride in Navigation and push Ride. But the bread and butter navigation for a rando is not hard to learn. My next challenge was getting the one screen that I liked and there was a youtube video showing how to do that. The one aspect of the navigation that is always perplexing is when you miss a turn, it seems garmin has dyslexia, it does not mirror the turns. On the way back, if it tells you to make a left, make a right. I just just the map and moving arrow in that situtation. Connecting different sensors like a heart rate monitor, power meter, radar unit, etc, is downright simple. Turning the screen down or using powersave on longer rides is more subtle and take experimentation to learn how to coax a long ride out of it.

It took me a lot longer to get comfortable with my older Garmin (a few weeks) but the 1030 layout is easier. Frankly, I cannot imagine doing a brevet without my Garmin but I always have the cuesheet and sometimes, I take photos of them as a backup to the backup.

Randos tend to stick to simple, durable, and tried and true. Garmins and Wahoos are ubiquitous out there nowaways although a few oldtimers still use paper to navigate.
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Old 03-26-22, 06:25 AM
  #38  
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Originally Posted by Tourist in MSN
I am probably the only one that does this, but I will download the track for the event, then split it up on my computer into segments, each segment (numbered 1,2,3,...) ends at a control. Then manually at each control I have to tell the GPS to follow the next segment. I do not have a lot of brevets under my belt, if I had more experience I probably would not split the track into segments. I have a bit of fear of going past a control without stopping since I am not that experienced with brevets, that is why I split them up to end at each control.
This is a good idea especially if you are using "turn guidance" (the big white arrows).

Turn guidance is calculated by the device. The longer the route, the longer it takes to calculate. There can be issues with calculating longer routes as well.

One might need to reload the route. Since one clearly doesn't need the part you have passed (or parts that are hours away), shorter routes make reloading faster.

If you are using "course points" (kind of like cuesheet items in the route file), consider that there might be a limit to the number of these your device can handle. Some devices might also have a limit for the number of track points in the file.


​​​​​
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Old 03-26-22, 06:26 AM
  #39  
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Originally Posted by Tourist in MSN
You obviously would want one that you can operate on a powerbank for long rides to charge up the internal battery while you are riding. But other than that, I will not make any specific suggestions since I do not use a cycling specific one. And you might have preferences for one that can communicate with a phone, or a heart rate monitor sensor, or cadence, etc. Lots of options. I mentioned above that I use a general recreation GPS that I can also use for other activities, thus I assume you are not interested in one like mine.

There is some learning curve. Depends on what you want it for.
- I have my GPS along for most of my exercise rides, but it is not really needed or used on those. I also have a separate bike computer with wheel sensor on most of my bikes. If it is a longer ride, I occasionally check to see distance to end.
- Bike touring, I am using it to find and follow the route I choose each day. And for bike touring, it is important for me to be able to load different base maps into it.
- Brevets, I download the track for the event and load it into my computer. From that load it into my GPS.

For a brevet, given a choice of track or route, my preference is track. I do not get turn notifications, I have a thick purple line on the map to follow, it is up to me to make sure I watch the map on the screen often enough to avoid missing a turn. If (or when) I glance at the map and I am not on the purple line, it is time to turn around and hopefully only go back a few hundred yards to get back on course. From the comments on this thread, I suspect most use a route with turn notifications instead. Of the different options, you would have to figure out what you prefer and get used to how it works. I suspect that if you are used to cue sheets, you would want turn notifications. I worked with maps every day for my professional career, so I am more accustomed to looking at maps than most others are.

The screens are usually quite readable in good sunlight or light overcast with backlight off. Backlight consumes battery power that you will want to conserve. I find at night I can get by with a fairly low level of backlight, and have my backlight turned up higher to max around sunset or sunrise, or when the sun is low. But it is easy to forget that you have backlight on high in the morning when it is no longer needed as the sun rises.

I am probably the only one that does this, but I will download the track for the event, then split it up on my computer into segments, each segment (numbered 1,2,3,...) ends at a control. Then manually at each control I have to tell the GPS to follow the next segment. I do not have a lot of brevets under my belt, if I had more experience I probably would not split the track into segments. I have a bit of fear of going past a control without stopping since I am not that experienced with brevets, that is why I split them up to end at each control.

I use Mapsource on my computer, it is a discontinued Garmin product that is no longer supported, I would not recommend it for someone new but I was using it a decade and a half ago and I am used to using it, so I do not use some of the other newer options. Others should advise you on the best options for that sort of thing.

I do not read many comments on people having their GPS fall off the bike, either the mounts are getting better than they were a decade ago or users are getting smarter. A decade or two ago, that was a common complaint. It was common to read of people having to go back and find where their GPS is after it fell off the bike, and then if they were lucky it still worked well. I always use a lanyard on mine, and I sometimes do not get mine in the mount quite right and later will find it hanging from my handlebar on the lanyard. It will be up to you to decide if that is something you will want. I do not even know if the cycling specific ones offer a way to put a cord on a GPS or not. Perhaps the newer mounts are good enough that this is not an issue at all any more.

I think you will find that you will wonder why you waited so long to get a good GPS. I bought my first one over two decades ago, I bought it because I really did not want to accidently paddle my kayak past the island that I was going to in fog. GPS units have come a long way since then. Other cyclists used to look at me skeptically because I had a GPS, they could not figure out why anyone would have one. Now they give me odd looks because I do not have the latest cycling specific one that comes with the latest bells and whistles that I never heard of.
Not sure if this helps with your concern, this is what I do.

I write the control distance and a word, like "Wawa" or "Info" on a piece of painters tape. I apply that tape to my top tube. I also use an arrow system so that I know if I have to reverse course out of the control, make a left or right or continue straight. (Ok, laugh.....this works for me)
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Old 03-26-22, 06:39 AM
  #40  
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Originally Posted by GhostRider62
That qualifies as encouragement in my book. It is not hard, it just takes a little time and watching a couple youtubes. I am old and I figured it out.
Whatever it is in fact, it's common for people staring out to see using them as hard. Experienced people often have the impression that things are easier than they really are for people starting out. It's not encouragement to tell somebody something is easy when they perceive it as hard.

​​​​​​I think people need to know that it will take some effort to get to be good at using them. Emphasizing that something is easy might give them the impression that there is no effort and they should "get it" right away.

Originally Posted by GhostRider62
The one aspect of the navigation that is always perplexing is when you miss a turn, it seems garmin has dyslexia, it does not mirror the turns. On the way back, if it tells you to make a left, make a right. I just just the map and moving arrow in that situation.
Are you talking about the icons in the black notifications that pop-up?

Those are "course points", and they won't show up pointing properly if you ride the course backward. (The course point icon is decided when the file is created).

The big white arrows should show the turn properly (there might be rare situations where they don't).

Anyway, these issues shouldn't be a problem because you should be looking at the purple line. You know you made a wrong turn, which means you should be being careful/alert to avoid another mistake.

Originally Posted by GhostRider62
I change the warning from 100m to 150 meters.
If you are talking about the Garmin, this is talking about when the course points are displayed. If you are riding backwards, these will show up after you make the turn (and pointing the wrong way).

​​​​​​​The "turn guidance" (the big white arrows) are displayed 0.1 miles (500 meters) before the turn. There's no way of changing that (on the Garmins) unless you use "automobile" mode.

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Old 03-26-22, 12:12 PM
  #41  
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I'm one of the veteran randos who uses an old gps: etrex 20x. Track mode, ezpz. AA batteries are good for a 300k, 6 stored for a 1200. I charge nothing on brevets of any length, and like it that way. As far as navigating, my job is to keep the dot on the line. I carry a cue sheet as backup, and have the route downloaded into my phone as double backup. Phone is off, stowed. I split routes to avoid the route crossing itself, because without turn by turn i can't tell which way to go.

I have a buddy who works in the industry, and he can provide loaner units. I used a 1030 or such, on a 400k. Meh.

What will drive me to upgrade is... I'm not sure. I've worked in tech my whole career, and I'm generally unimpressed by technology. It's mostly crap.

For LEL, I'll have my etrex, paper, stowed phone, and zero concerns for navigation. Headwinds on the return, however, are a concern. As they should be.
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Old 03-26-22, 01:57 PM
  #42  
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Originally Posted by njkayaker
Whatever it is in fact, it's common for people staring out to see using them as hard. Experienced people often have the impression that things are easier than they really are for people starting out. It's not encouragement to tell somebody something is easy when they perceive it as hard.

​​​​​​I think people need to know that it will take some effort to get to be good at using them. Emphasizing that something is easy might give them the impression that there is no effort and they should "get it" right away.


Are you talking about the icons in the black notifications that pop-up?

Those are "course points", and they won't show up pointing properly if you ride the course backward. (The course point icon is decided when the file is created).

The big white arrows should show the turn properly (there might be rare situations where they don't).

Anyway, these issues shouldn't be a problem because you should be looking at the purple line. You know you made a wrong turn, which means you should be being careful/alert to avoid another mistake.


If you are talking about the Garmin, this is talking about when the course points are displayed. If you are riding backwards, these will show up after you make the turn (and pointing the wrong way).

The "turn guidance" (the big white arrows) are displayed 0.1 miles (500 meters) before the turn. There's no way of changing that (on the Garmins) unless you use "automobile" mode.
The standard turn pop up warning in RIDEWITHGPS is 100m and on a fast descent, this is about 3-6 seconds. 150m is more comfortable.

The last thing I want to be looking in a WaWa parking lot making any turn onto a busy street is my Garmin. In general, I never ever us the map with the purple line due to energy consumption. It is simply a feature that I do not use. My screen is off unless I touch it or unless a turn is approaching. That is how I can do a 600k on one charge. I might touch the screen to confirm distance to next turn and maybe on climbs to make sure I am not riding too hard. But if I know the next turn is 5+ miles ahead, I have no use for the Garmin. It is sleeping in effect. BUT, if I go off course, it yells at me.
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Old 03-26-22, 02:19 PM
  #43  
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Originally Posted by GhostRider62
The standard turn pop up warning in RIDEWITHGPS is 100m and on a fast descent, this is about 3-6 seconds. 150m is more comfortable.
In the RWGPS app or on the Garmin? If it's the Garmin, you are talking about "course points". RWGPS lets you change where they are placed on the track. Those are different from "turn guidance" (the big white arrows). The announcement of those is set by Garmin.

Originally Posted by GhostRider62
n. In general, I never ever us the map with the purple line due to energy consumption. It is simply a feature that I do not use. My screen is off unless I touch it or unless a turn is approaching.
That might work for long straight runs.

Navigation works better using the map (I explained why earlier). But do whatever works for you.

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Old 03-26-22, 03:02 PM
  #44  
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I find with backlight turned off, having the map screen on consumes very little more power than with the screen shut off. (Thus, my comments on backlight in a previous post.) I do not remember if I did that test with my 62S or 64, the 64 is the one I use now on my bike. That said, I think that was the data screen, not map screen. I might have to re-run this test with map screen.

But, as I noted before I am not using a cycling specific model so I have no clue if that changes the power usage.



This is on a bike tour, not rando event. Bike computer next to GPS, left of that is a HRM.
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Old 03-26-22, 04:51 PM
  #45  
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Originally Posted by Tourist in MSN
.

But, as I noted before I am not using a cycling specific model so I have no clue if that changes the power usage.
They both are using the same code from the same company.

So, there really should not be much difference for the power usage for maps (or anything else).

The cycling computer are doing extra things with more sensors.

Garmin knows battery life is important. I suspect they spend a lot of time on that. Newer software might be better.

Newer electronics are smaller, which tends to make them more power efficient.

======================

Rendering the map takes more power. There’s a lot going on there. If the map isn’t showing, the map stuff isn’t being used (not much). So, there’s no issue with power consumption.

I think the value of using the map is very much worth the battery life.

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Old 03-26-22, 07:59 PM
  #46  
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I don't often use the map screen on my wahoo bolt, it's nice if there's a complicated jog through a strange intersection, but there's not very many towns in Ontario that aren't just grids so it's not something that comes up a lot. If I end up lost or curious about the route, I'll usually pull over and use my phone to look at it on rwgps, much easier to do that on a phone than a tiny gps. The only time I really ride with the map screen on is during thick fog, and sometimes at night, though I've been making an effort to avoid too many long nights on 400s.
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Old 03-26-22, 09:54 PM
  #47  
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Thanks All.
Due to all the responses and some follow up BF searches and googling around, it occurs to me that my nephew gifted me a Garmin InReach SE+ last year to use when my son and I are backpacking in the high country. I can mount this on my handlebars and play with it on local routes learning how to load and follow a course. I think the InReach SE+ is like an Etrex ## with an SOS button and satellite texting?
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Old 03-27-22, 08:28 AM
  #48  
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Originally Posted by Classtime
Thanks All.
Due to all the responses and some follow up BF searches and googling around, it occurs to me that my nephew gifted me a Garmin InReach SE+ last year to use when my son and I are backpacking in the high country. I can mount this on my handlebars and play with it on local routes learning how to load and follow a course. I think the InReach SE+ is like an Etrex ## with an SOS button and satellite texting?
At one time, I really wanted an InReach for the satellite connection and ease of texting using one's phone. The subscription isn't cheap but unlike SPOT, they were pretty liberal in terms of allowing you to start and stop the service. This might be a perfect solution for you, if you like following bread crumbs
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Old 03-28-22, 09:44 AM
  #49  
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Originally Posted by Classtime
Thanks All.
I can mount this on my handlebars and play with it on local routes learning how to load and follow a course.
I don't think the InReach follows road and trail courses.
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Old 03-29-22, 05:02 PM
  #50  
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Good post. I've been leaning towards getting a dedicated GPS unit for riding. I've traditionally just used cue sheets for my Rando rides or print out of a map route when doing something new. I've mostly been concerned with powering the unit and having another bit of tech around that I won't use in a few years. Maybe for riding it will be different; about the only thing I don't use anymore is a heart rate monitor when I ride. I've looked at a few apps that map a ride, but I don't always carry my phone on me and my phone's battery sucks. We'll see what happens.
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