Bike Computers

[plastic_cyclist]

Hi, I'm wondering if these uber fan-dangled gadgets allow you to just tap a start position into them, and then it plans you a route from start position HOME and back? Do some offer this as a route planner? or do you have to plan your own route first then enter it into the device manually?

 

[HobbesOnTour]

I'd suggest you start your digital navigation by using the search function.
Try searching gps, garmin, wahoo, online planner etc.
YouTube is also a great resource. DCRainmaker always gets a mention.

Good luck!

 

[Spiderweb]

Hi, I'm wondering if these uber fan-dangled gadgets allow you to just tap a start position into them, and then it plans you a route from start position HOME and back? Do some offer this as a route planner? or do you have to plan your own route first then enter it into the device manually?

My Garmin Edge 1000 (some other models have this too) has ‘round trip routing’. Although I haven’t used this feature for some time it was particularly useful in France where I wasn’t familiar with the area. On my device I select a distance and Garmin offers 3 different routes, select one and ride. For me each ride was like a mini mystery tour, no worries of getting lost and taking me back to the holiday house each time.

 

[steveindenmark]

Most navigation apps do what you want to do. I use Maplocs and Ridewithgp which are good. I found Garmin and Komoot took me all over the place and on wrong surfaces. I used Garmin for years and then bought a Wahoo Bolt. I would not go back to Garmin.

 

[LeetleGreyCells]

I have a Wahoo Bolt and plan all my routes with either Komoot or cycle.travel.

The Wahoo does have a Take Me To... function, but I’ve never tried it as I always plan everything ahead of time. I’d use the function if I had to cut a ride short to take me home, but I would assume it only has basic function and would not chose quieter roads over busier ones as the apps mentioned above do.

 

[ianrauk]

Some Garmin's do off the cuff routes. Choose a distance and they will come up with 3 different routes.
Check out DC Rainmaker's excellent website for everything GPS,

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

When I go out either on a bike or in a vehicle, I like to pre-familiarise myself with the route, so I have a pretty good idea where I'm going. I do not like to rely on navigation aids such as sat-nav, except for unfamiliar town centres where I admit they have a value. My rule of thumb is make sure you do your homework, don't go out blind and hope for the best. If I need an en-route sanity check on my current location, that's what the map app on my iPhone is for. Constant reliance on navigation aids is a zombie way of travelling.

 

[Brooks]

I like to plan all routes using a map, I study the route and believe it or not it sticks in your head that way. Before mobile phones I could remember about 20 numbers as I would regularly use my memory, today I only know my own number. Routes are exactly the same, if we use our memory and maps we really have no need of fancy gadgets, as the best gadget is our own brains.

 

[rockyroller]

map & compass for me

 

[CanucksTraveller]

Not quite, or at least not on the fly / on the head unit itself like you would on a car sat nav. It's similar though. With something like the Wahoo Bolt you first plot a route on your smartphone using a GPS mapping service like Ride With GPS, then you sync that route into your computer and hit go.
You can pre load many self-designed routes into your computer (handy for long, multi day tours), and you can also use routes that were designed by others and uploaded into RWGPS.

 

[plastic_cyclist]

Interesting chaps, thanks for the (as always) valuable feedback/advice!

 

[cyberknight]

Some Garmin's do off the cuff routes. Choose a distance and they will come up with 3 different routes.
Check out DC Rainmaker's excellent website for everything GPS,

garmin edge explore i had a touring plus but with my experience i cant recommend them as mine worked fine but if you loaded a created course after you left home the route would get an error after after a few miles and show the course but would not give turn by turn routing .It did work better than normal gps ones in the way it calculated on the fly rerouting if you went of course rather than what most do which is just to take you back to whee you went off course

 

[ianrauk]

garmin edge explore i had a touring plus but with my experience i cant recommend them as mine worked fine but if you loaded a created course after you left home the route would get an error after after a few miles and show the course but would not give turn by turn routing .It did work better than normal gps ones in the way it calculated on the fly rerouting if you went of course rather than what most do which is just to take you back to whee you went off course

Thtats Garmin's for you.
My touring plus has no problems following courses with turn by turn.

 

[cyberknight]

Thtats Garmin's for you.
My touring plus has no problems following courses with turn by turn.

its fine if i start it at home it doesnt like it if i load the course mid ride , very odd

 

[ianrauk]

its fine if i start it at home it doesnt like it if i load the course mid ride , very odd

Aha right.
You mean when you ask it to design one of it's courses right?