Does TJ carry a sextant as a backup?
Bike Forum
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GPS? Is it really any good on a MTB?
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Posted 1 year ago #
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As for speed. I was out with a friend the other day - I could get my paper map out and orientate / check route quicker than he could using his gps app on his smart phone - a full mapping one. The main reason being the size of the screen compared with the map.
If he had a bar mounted GPS with outdoor viewable screen he probably wouldn't have needed to stop.Some GPS apps on phones are better than others, e.g. if you leave it open all the time, if it needs to load maps from internet etc. A good app, on a good phone that already had GPS location fix, would autocentre the map on your current position and so require either no user involvement or one press to wake the screen up. That said I don't think most phone GPS are ideal for MTB other than as an aid/check for position fixing; because of battery life, outdoor viewable screens, mechanical robustness, and waterproofing.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Poly that is exactly what I use mine for. I plan the route, memorise a few points of note then ride. Get phone out check position, note next turns and things to look at and then ride. It hasn't failed me yet.
Posted 1 year ago # -
I use MyTrails on a Samsung Ace, find it excellent.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Meanwhile on Ye Olde Singletrackworlde
And ye - it has been decreed. Thou must depend upon the devils compass else ye shall have it fall into a raging torrent and thou wouldst be set upon by dragons. The true believer will rely upon Gods own waymarkers, set in the heavens, guiding the faithful soul to true enlightenment.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Most of my riding companions who use their phones to track their rides claim a 3 hr battery life. I think a working mobile phone is pretty essential for remote riding also. I personally dont think its a good idea to use it as the primary navigation tool for that reason.
Posted 1 year ago # -
The OP didn't mention using a phone.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Lots of others have and it's the obvious alternative when considering navigation tools.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Other than for the reason you mention above (amongst others)
Posted 1 year ago # -
Viewranger has been a revelation to me after many years of having just a paper map. I now have the same maps on my phone and am able to relate ground features (aspect of slope etc) to these same maps to check against the indicated gps positioning. It helped me out recently when biking between two munros across fairly featureless moorland. I overshot a turn and with the ground dropping in a way other than I had in my mind from studying the route beforehand was able to check position and direction of travel as well as being able to see a route already plotted on it.
I carry a fully charged backup battery and a map and compass in my rucksack.
Many years back my sister, brother-in-law and nephew were walking up Scafell Pike from Borrodale in mist. They were fairweather, occasional hillwalkers navigating by map but were all very headstrong people and were continually determined to take any opportunity to convince each other just how right they were, about... well anything.
They couldn't sort out where they were and made a series of incorrect assumptions and as a result descended into Wasdale. My elderly father was holidaying with them and had to drive something like 70 miles round trip to pick them up - after they managed to get in touch with him (pre mobile phone days). Yes, I know that they could/should have had map skills but I guess I just enjoy retelling the tale.Posted 1 year ago # -
i use bar mounted tops got track where i've been and iPhone memory maps app as a yes i'm sure i'm in the right spot for when fell side routes disappear into the long grass.
However good the tech, just worry about battery draining etc... besides i like to read a map part of the enjoyment for me, if that doesn't sound wierd
Posted 1 year ago # -
Ball of string, tie it to the car so I can always find my way back. Worked for Theseus.
Want a GPS but haven't justified the initial expense while string is so cheap.
Posted 1 year ago # -
It doesn't need to be expensive. I use a Dell axim with memory map installed and it cost about £30 all in a few years ago. It's even cheaper now no one wants old pda's.
Eg http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280860316523
Posted 1 year ago # -
It doesn't need to be expensive. I use a Dell axim with memory map installed and it cost about £30 all in a few years ago. It's even cheaper now no one wants old pda's.
This is what I use^^ Old pda, memory map software and one of these
Batteries last ages, cheap to buy and has so far been totally reliable
Posted 1 year ago # -
I tried using GPS once but it was wrong and I found guesswork was more effective. As a spin-off though, it inspired me to create my own more accurate GPS using a goldfish with a magnet embedded in it, a large, sealed globe full of saline solution and a series of polaroid images of the area through which I'm travelling.
Remarkably, fish have an extraordinary natural sense of direction and can often discern a route simply by looking at images of prominent landmarks and rock formations, for example.
Adding the magnet to the fish - alignment is important here - means that it can also act as a primitive but highly accurate compass. I've also experimented with giving the fish a pen and paper to write down a grid bearing and act as a simple trip computer, but this ended badly, possibly because the fish I chose to use may have been dyslexic.
Anyway, the good news is that I anticipate putting this system into production in the near future. It's simple, idiot proof and robust enough to use on a bike - in an accident the globe will simply roll away safely.
I wouldn't, however, advise using a digital GPS on a bike under any circumstances. They are simply not accurate enough. As a back-up, I always carry a spare fish in a plastic bag as recommended by Icelandic Mountain Rescue Confederation.
Hope that helps.
Posted 1 year ago # -
Tsssk, there's always one sarky git in't there?
Posted 1 year ago # -
How do the fish cope with wooded areas? Surely that's a critical design issue right there?
Posted 1 year ago # -
They like woods - reminds them of sea-weed and coral reefs. And if they don't like 'em - they're organic and unpredictable after all - I generally carry a chain-saw in my pack for a spot of impromptu clearance.
Tsssk, there's always one sarky git in't there?
So I don't agree with Tandem Dichotomy. Eat my guppy...
Posted 1 year ago #
Topic Closed
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