Anything better than a 1:50 for day rides?

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Ming the Merciless

There is no mercy
Location
Inside my skull
If from home an alternative is just to head into the lanes and explore , no map or anything. Pay attention to road signs and turns and go enjoy yourself. You’ll soon get a mental map of where places are in relation to each other and where to ride to fit into the time available.
 

ColinJ

Puzzle game procrastinator!
If from home an alternative is just to head into the lanes and explore , no map or anything. Pay attention to road signs and turns and go enjoy yourself. You’ll soon get a mental map of where places are in relation to each other and where to ride to fit into the time available.
Don't try that round here, unless you absolutely LOVE going up and down very steep hills! :whistle:
 

Ming the Merciless

There is no mercy
Location
Inside my skull
30% is a bit beyond my comfort zone, but fortunately even here there aren't many of them!

I wouldn't like going down a 20% descent into a valley bottom when I am tired only to have to climb back up at 20% on the other side, and later discover that there were 7% alternatives 1 km further on... :whistle:

It‘s local and you’d soon build up a map of which lanes you do or do not like, which are steep, which aren’t. Where is the challenge if you stick to 7% all the time?
 

ColinJ

Puzzle game procrastinator!
It‘s local and you’d soon build up a map of which lanes you do or do not like, which are steep, which aren’t. Where is the challenge if you stick to 7% all the time?
I don't stick to 7% all of the time... I regularly tackle 3%, 5%, 10%, 18%, 21%, 25% and so on. (25% is about my limit and my damaged cardiovascular system doesn't really like that as much as my brain does! :laugh:)

I just prefer to choose when to do the steep stuff in new places, rather than stumble across it when knackered, or when the weather has just turned nasty.

It's true about local roads. I know exactly where the steep local climbs are now and can go out to ride or avoid them without the aid of a map or GPS.
 

Ian H

Ancient randonneur
I have a subscription to OS which gives me 1:25k and 1:50k maps on my phone and other devices. I use an Etrex with Open Street Maps for navigation, but I can check the phone if I want more detail.

Edit: For France, IGN maps are available online FOC.
 
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ColinJ

Puzzle game procrastinator!
I have a subscription to OS which gives me 1:25k and 1:50k maps on my phone and other devices. I use an Etrex with Open Street Maps for navigation, but I can check the phone if I want more detail.
I just checked that - £23.99/year is pretty damn good! I I hadn't already splashed out £200-odd over the years on MM then I would go for that.

My maps slowly go out of date. Obviously 99+% of roads don't change much over the years but I have been caught out a few times. In Devon one road had been moved. The site of some old clay pits had a road built over it and the original road had been dug up to get at the underlying clay!
 
I just checked that - £23.99/year is pretty damn good! I I hadn't already splashed out £200-odd over the years on MM then I would go for that.
The current MM is also about that. And you get far better route plotting tools than OS gives you. OS seems clunky for routes and trails compared to MM.
 
OP
OP
Shack

Shack

Senior Member
The road atlas you can get in most garages work pretty well if it’s on road. Plan your day ride on them, rip out the pages you want, write down a list of villages and / or towns in sequence you want to pass through them. Use high lighter pen on page ripped out. If you want.
I have a friend who regularly reminds me of when he did this many moons ago, as the years tumble by its the little obscure ones that have the most appeal when I'm out for an afternoon bimble.
 
OP
OP
Shack

Shack

Senior Member
I just checked that - £23.99/year is pretty damn good! I I hadn't already splashed out £200-odd over the years on MM then I would go for that.

My maps slowly go out of date. Obviously 99+% of roads don't change much over the years but I have been caught out a few times. In Devon one road had been moved. The site of some old clay pits had a road built over it and the original road had been dug up to get at the underlying clay!
My Garmin had all the UK at 1:50 but like I said at the start I do like to just get the map out and see it all before me (I love my Garmin, don't get me wrong, but a small screen is never going to give me the interest or satisfaction)
 

roubaixtuesday

self serving virtue signaller
I normally plan exactly where I am going beforehand

Ah, but I think the OP was making the point about changing in the hoof. Proper maps are miles better for that.

1:100,000 wouldn't give you much detail of networks of tiny lanes

It does, honest guv! I used it only on Sunday all round the peaks.

+1 to the OS subscription too, I don't use it for on the go directions, but really useful to have if lost, for route planning, and filing in the gaps if you're just going off the corner of a map.
 
OP
OP
Shack

Shack

Senior Member
The road atlas you can get in most garages work pretty well if it’s on road. Plan your day ride on them, rip out the pages you want, write down a list of villages and / or towns in sequence you want to pass through them. Use high lighter pen on page ripped out. If you want.
I used to just write very basic nav instructions when on the motorbike years ago, just a list of towns and villages and occasion Turn left onto A road such and such and that was taped somewhere obvious and windoroof
 
OP
OP
Shack

Shack

Senior Member
I just checked that - £23.99/year is pretty damn good! I I hadn't already splashed out £200-odd over the years on MM then I would go for that.

My maps slowly go out of date. Obviously 99+% of roads don't change much over the years but I have been caught out a few times. In Devon one road had been moved. The site of some old clay pits had a road built over it and the original road had been dug up to get at the underlying clay!
Sunday I put an order in for a couple of replacement local maps covering most of my from home rides (that's what got me rummaging and pondering about alternatives) Devon has big areas of building sites all over the place and so were looking a little out of date and moth eaten, both were getting on for 20 years old (actually one one was closer to 30!)
 
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