Navigating new courses

foxydan

Hi All,

Firstly I want to say I am fairly new to cycling. Been at it around 6 months now. I want to know how do people naviagte new courses without a GPS. I am toying with the idea of getting one of these as everytime I want to do a new course, which is fairly regularly as live in london, I like driving out to the countryside (essex often) and riding there. The problem I have is always getting directions off, creating some sort of map, sometimes getting lost whilst on route - all a bloody pain. Do other people do the same as me? Do you have similar problems? Is GPS the way to go?

Thoughts?

Chris87

I find its really helpful to go on a site like mapmyride.com then once I have a route I'm happy with run through it on google street view. This way you can get a visual reference for when you have to make a turn, I've got a bit of a dyslexic memory so visual cues work better for me than trying to remember directions.

Though to be fair I always have my iPhone on me as well just in case I take a wrong turn

mcp73

I haven't had the luxury of a GPS device with mapping, so I tend to pull up Googlemaps before any new excursion. Using that, I plot a route, taking note of village names, road numbers and turnings. Having a good knowledge of the area clearly helps, but when cycling to new areas this method works well for me; though I do have a memory that works well for names and directions. I haven't yet become irrevocably lost and there is always some signpost giving the correct direction to somewhere you've heard of. I suspect that were I able to afford a GPS device with mapping software, I would probably make use of that option.

andyeb

+1 vote for trying out the route on Google Streetview. It also gives you a better idea of what the roads will be like to ride on - for example an A road can be a winding, scenic adventure, or 3 lanes of traffic doing 70 mph. On the map, it's not possible to tell the difference unless you are already somewhat familiar with the roads in question.

the playing mantis

im in mid essex, i just cut up seen better days local os explorer maps into small sections that i can easily tuck into my jersey pockets. i fully rec the route on the map before hand and note landmarks (churches etc). i stop occasionally just to check, or on a quiet stretch have a glance whilst coasting.

blackpoolkev

Buy the Ordnance Survey map of your local area.They are the best maps in the world and nothing comes close to an overview of the routes,hills,etc of an area more than an OS map laid across a dining table.

BlakeysFC

I use cycle-route.com to map my rout, then write down my route on a bit of paper and highlight key towns/villages that I'm going thru so I don't get lost, then I just stuff it into my jersey before I head out.

It's not fool proof, but I won't be able to afford a GPS unit until Xmas so have to stick with it until then.

the playing mantis

if you think os maps are a bit pricey (especially to start cutting up, if you want to take them in your jersey pockets, not an issue for me as i have replaced all my local ones that are falling apart and ancient with laminated ones, and cut the old ones up), head down the local 2nd hand shops, they always have load of old but still relevant for lanes and most roads (might be misisng motorways!), os maps at 20p a pop.

thegreatdivide

If I want to try something new then I'll plan a route on Bikley, write down directions and/or print a simple map off and tuck it in a back pocket. Once I've ridden the route a couple of times it's in the memory banks. I've also got my HTC One S as a back up.

bobtbuilder

Personally I would say that GPS is the way to go.

However, before I had one I used to do just fine with a couple of Ordnance Survey maps. Stick one in a sandwich bag (to stop it turning to mush with sweat) and off I went. It is a bit of a PITA to keep stopping and checking where you're going, but if you don't want / can't justify a GPS, it's eminently possible.

Lightning

Before I had a GPS, I used to trace a route online, memorize a few key locations (if any), and the most important part, memorize something like "at x miles, turn right towards y" for all the turns. Then, while riding, I just looked at my cheap bike computer (calibrated properly) and paid attention to said miles for a turn. It worked fine but a GPS is obviously much better.

BobScarle

I usually plan my routes on an OS map and then use Google street view to look for landmarks. But I would say, don't worry too much about getting lost, that's how new routes evolve, and you can always turn back.

englander

I check out routes as thoroughly as I can the night before on Google Maps. Then when I'm riding, I'll periodically check Google Maps on my phone to check I'm going the right way still.

foxydan

Guess I'm not the only one doing what I'm doing then. It is a pain having to keep stopping to check I am on track but guess it is what I have to do until I purchase a GPS unit.