Best method to navigate a tour?

[leaf17]

Hi all,

I asked a question a few days back about the feasibility of 4 average chaps cycling from York > Edinburgh > London > York over a fortnight (60/70 miles a day) in July, and now I am wondering what you guys reckons would be the best way to navigate this tour?
Of course, we could just use paper maps, but I'm not sure if that technique is even used anymore in this day and age?! I foresee that fannying around with several maps could be a hassle and lead to many unexpected detours.
Or maybe I should navigate using an app? I don't know much about this, but I am reluctant to do this as battery life could be an issue/would be worried about damaging my phone/I don't know if good quality apps exist for this...?
Seems to me that my last option is to buy a GPS bike computer. Would only be able to afford something like the Edge 200 but as this only accommodates the 'bread crumb' navigation style, surely I wouldn't be able to pre-load 900 odd miles of routes to it? And again, battery is an issue as we'll be doing not too far off 10 hours a day so would have to charge it every night and as we're camping I am assuming this won't be possible.

Would be great to get your thoughts?

Thanks,
Jack

 

[Trembler49]

Having done this (Newcastle to Reading 3 days) and used a combination. Use a computer to get a route and then check it with a map and change as required, e.g. Some main A roads are too dangerous even if the computer gives you them, so you need to find an alternative.

At the end of the day maps are still best, computers save you time at the start.

 

[MichaelW2]

Sustrans have some routes ready made, especially useful for entering and leaving cities.
You can pick up particular route maps, but an overall view is useful, which you don't get on a 4" screen.
Dynamo hubs can supply power through a USB cable.

If you choose paper maps, you will need a bar-bag map holder. Don't forget a small compass as well.

 

[growingvegetables]

Paper maps for me.

...... sort of. For ease, I pull out the relevant pages from those big road atlases you see going cheap. Handy tip - it is almost certainly worth remembering to laminate them BEFORE you leave, rather than two days into the trip.

 

[MikeW-71]

Paper maps never run out of battery power.

However, you would be able to store all the routes for the trip (store each days route separately) in a Garmin 200. Its battery will last for about 14 hours, and it will be good enough to navigate by. You could recharge it if you get a couple of high capacity portable chargers. A couple of beefy ones should see it through the trip.

Even better would be a Garmin Edge Touring which will display a map on screen, though it is more expensive.

If you go for a Garmin, take paper maps with you anyway just in case.

 

[Hill Wimp]

Paper maps always but i also use downloaded maps too.

I know your tour is going to be in the UK but if you ever venture elsewhere in the globe, take a map. Batteries die,signals are lost and electronics just fail sometimes. Taking paper maps, which dont take up a lot of room has probably been the best bit of touring advice i have ever been given.

 

[Deleted member 23692]

Gamrin etrex 200 + free open cycle maps and then add the daily routes to an internal microSD Card.

You'll get good colour maps, the convenience of AA batteries (20+ hours er set) and the best GPS bang for buck around.

Sorted

 

[vernon]

I've used paper and electronic mapping and to be honest for the sort of ride that you are planning, I'd use paper maps. I did both LEJOG and JOGLE using pages torn out of a cheap road atlas. The route wasn't that complicated and the pages served me well. I threw each page away as I finished with it. On the continent I've used the maps in the Bikeline books and relied upon way marking to confirm that I was still on route.

The only time that GPS comes into its own is when a complex route with lots of turns and is poorly way marked traverses a large urban expanse, think Paris, and following a GPS route on my Etrex 20 meant that I didn't have to stop and get my bearings and consult a paper map to make decent progress. The Etrex takes AA batteries and avoids the charging issue.

I'm about to take on a 4,200 mile ride and my primary navigation aid will be paper based maps. I'll be taking my Etrex with me but only resorting to using it when in large cities. Elsewhere there's few opportunities to go wrong as there's no alternative routes.

Using mobile phones for mapping quickly flattens their batteries and there's the problem of getting them recharged. Buying a dyno hub and charging unit adds expense especially if the trip is a one off.

 

[Blue Hills]

Gamrin etrex 200 + free open cycle maps and then add the daily routes to an internal microSD Card.

You'll get good colour maps, the convenience of AA batteries (20+ hours er set) and the best GPS bang for buck around.

Sorted

+1 to this with the addition of a paper map.

The gzrmin is unlikely to fail, if you run out of rechargeables you can buy normal AAs.

I'd use a phillips road atlas for the road bit.

If you do go for the etrex 20 though take a few weekscat least to figure it out. A truly excellent device but i think the worst (ie non existent) user instructions i have ever come across. I'd expect better user instructions from a pair of toe nail clippers. Luckily plenty of online help from nice folk.

 

[Bodhbh]

Maps are definately fine and like Vernon said, you can just buy a cheap road atlas from a garage and rip out what you need. Cheaper still is just printing out the relevant google maps bits (at work).

The cons are it doesn't tend to give you much info on gradients (you can read between the lines, if a route follows a river etc). You really don't need to spend much unless your inclinded too. Tbh it's nice to not have everything completely nailed down and some things up to chance.

Plus..it's great spreading out and pouring over a proper map of an evening in the pub! Having a chat,making guess what the route is like, measuring stuff off by the width of your thumb, etc

 

[robjh]

I'm about to take on a 4,200 mile ride ...

Will you be telling us where this 4,200 miles will take you, or have I missed it on another thread?

BTW +1 for paper maps.

 

[Dogtrousers]

If you don't currently use a GPS, and decide to use one, then make sure you get plenty of practice and familiarisation in with it BEFORE your tour. You want to be relaxing and enjoying yourself on tour, not stressing about why the GPS has just done something weird, and which button to press.

If you do decide to go for a GPS I'd go for a general purpose one (like an etrex as suggested above), rather than a bike specific one as they tend to have better screens, be cheaper and more versatile.

Personally I'd avoid the sat-nav style auto routing. Either they err too much to the automotive side (off onto motorways) or too much to the off road side (off on to bridle paths). But that's just a personal thing.

Paper maps work, too.

 

[samid]

Personally I'd avoid the sat-nav style auto routing. Either they err too much to the automotive side (off onto motorways) or too much to the off road side (off on to bridle paths). But that's just a personal thing.

My 7 year old Garmin Vista HCx has options to avoid highways, also it can be "told" that I'm cycling. This together with Garmin city maps allows sat-nav style routing while avoiding motorways and roads where cyclists are not allowed.
One thing that needs to be kept in mind though is, avoiding motorways makes routes much more complicated, so the target for sat-nav style routing cannot be set very far, not more than 70 miles or so.

 

[marzjennings]

Google maps has options for walking, cycling or driving. I use one earphone and the app tells me where to go so minimizing screentime and battery use. I have a back battery that can recharge my phone about 5 times, though i've not had a chance to really test it out. I haven't carried a map in 10 years (though I do still carry a compass).

 

[doog]

I use both, michelin maps and an Etrex Legend Hcx with AA lithium batteries which last for ages. Two packs of four will last a three week tour if permanently on as im a bit paranoid about charging stuff . Even if Im not roughly following a pre planned route on the GPS I will use it for locating the nearest campsite ( downloaded as POI's from archiescamping.) Many of the hidden municipals are on there and its kept updated, not totally foolproof but better than nothing. They also do an app I believe if you want to use your phone.

I actually enjoy pre planning routes on bikehike or similar months beforehand, gives me a flavour of what to look out for etc, however studying maps on the tour itself gives a much better perspective of the following days ride I find.