# Anybody have a compass on the handle bars?



## Bigtallfatbloke (12 Jul 2007)

...I was just wondering if this works what with the bars being metal etc?


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## sloe (12 Jul 2007)

Were you thinking of one of those bobblyball dashboard stickons? Have had cause to wish for one often enough. 

Suppose it depends how much steel there is nearby, nothing else would affect it.


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## Bigtallfatbloke (12 Jul 2007)

yes I was...I could have used it on yesterdays ride.

Years ago when I was young I ordered such a thing mail order....when it arrived it was a compass designe dfor use in th esouthern hemishere where north is south and south is north ...bloody confusing....

They arnt that expensive so I may just try one and see.


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## MartDavis (12 Jul 2007)

I've had a compass/bell which I liked except that it lied to me because of the steel handlebars. You might be alright if you have aluminium ones though. I'm going to carry a small compass in my pocket in future and have an ordinary bell.


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## orbiter (12 Jul 2007)

I confess to using the bell with inbuilt compass too. It works fine with ally bars but I couldn't live with the look of it. 

I'd never tour without a compass as they've dug me out of holes many times in strange territory. Normally I use the sun to navigate but someone keeps switching it off :?: 

Pete


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## Keith Oates (12 Jul 2007)

Bigtallfatbloke said:


> yes I was...I could have used it on yesterdays ride.
> 
> Years ago when I was young I ordered such a thing mail order....when it arrived it was a compass designe dfor use in th esouthern hemishere where north is south and south is north ...bloody confusing....
> 
> They arnt that expensive so I may just try one and see.


I've done a bit of travelling in both hemispheres and never heard of that before!!


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## Bigtallfatbloke (12 Jul 2007)

well i assumed that was what the problem, th dial told me that what I knew to be east was in fact west and vice versa....


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## piedwagtail91 (12 Jul 2007)

i've a compass built into the gps. comes in handy for getting a bearing to work out the names of hills or features


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## snorri (12 Jul 2007)

I find the hand held compass hooked on my belt more convenient. It can be used on the bike but also handy for finding the camp site after checking out the night life on foot. :?:


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## Andy in Sig (12 Jul 2007)

No offence, but if you think that you seriously need a compass on the handle bars touring might not be for you. I could understand it if you were navigating cross country in a desert or something but otherwise no.

I keep a compass in my rack bag for those moments when I'm convinced that I've wandered off course. It's a cracking bit of kit - a marine compass mounted in a block of solid aluminium so it's completely waterproof. Cost a bloody fortune though from the duty free in Amsterdam airport.


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## Brock (12 Jul 2007)

I bought a pair of discount Karrimor trainers to wear down the pub, and they came with a combined emergency whistle, LED light and compass keyring. It helped me navigate my last tour on dozens of occasions. I wouldn't dream of going without a compass in future. A pin on a cork floating in a jam jar lid of water works though. :?:


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## Rhythm Thief (13 Jul 2007)

Never felt the need. I take the relevant page torn from a road atlas and / or a 1:50 000 OS map, which go in the map pocket on top of my bar bag. I got a GPS system for Christmas a few years ago and I've never even taken it out of the box.


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## Brock (13 Jul 2007)

I noticed that the OS 1:50 000 maps are more expensive than petrol. probably heavier too. I ended up with seven of the bloody things in my bar bag last time. Should've posted them home as I went I suppose. A decent GPS gizmo with a good base map could potentially do the job much more conveniently in my opinion.


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## Keith Oates (13 Jul 2007)

I've never carried a compass when riding the bike but I'm sure they are handy if you're in an area totally unkown. However good maps are a must in such places IMO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Rhythm Thief (13 Jul 2007)

Brock said:


> I noticed that the OS 1:50 000 maps are more expensive than petrol. probably heavier too. I ended up with seven of the bloody things in my bar bag last time. Should've posted them home as I went I suppose. A decent GPS gizmo with a good base map could potentially do the job much more conveniently in my opinion.



Yes, but OS maps are among the nicest things in the world.


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## chris42 (13 Jul 2007)

My Nike Lance 4 watch has a compus function which is very good


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## snorri (13 Jul 2007)

Brock said:


> I noticed that the OS 1:50 000 maps are more expensive than petrol.


Isn't petrol the cheapest processed fuel around. :?: :?:


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## Brock (14 Jul 2007)

snorri][quote=Brock said:


> I noticed that the OS 1:50 000 maps are more expensive than petrol.


Isn't petrol the cheapest processed fuel around. :?: [/quote]

Nah, flapjack is. :?:


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## Bigtallfatbloke (14 Jul 2007)

> I got a GPS system for Christmas a few years ago and I've never even taken it out of the box.



What is it? Ever thought of selling it at a rock bottom price to a skint newbie tourer who cant read maps on an internet forum? :?:


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## Pottsy (17 Jul 2007)

The problem with GPS's is that they can run out of battery or fail and then what do you do if you don't have maps? So I always feel the need for maps even though I have a GPS. Mostly I end up just with the maps.

Maps are great for pouring over in the pub afterwards to see where you've been and where you're going tomorrow.


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## psmiffy (27 Jul 2007)

I always have a compass useful for finding way out or around wildernesses like Paris or Cadiz - best sort is one you can see when on move - handlebars is generally best place - not good for conventional magnetic sort so gps mega

(in souther hemisphers and northern hemisphere compasses the needle is weighted to allow for vertical declination of earths magnetic field)


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## oldwheels (13 Dec 2018)

I used to have a combined bell/compass on the bars. No matter what I did the needle only pointed forward regardless of the direction I was going. It was not stuck. Useless object.


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## Drago (13 Dec 2018)

Never needed one except for cross country navigation. I'm a bit of a 'divvy'with maps (a diviner, a natural) and a quick glance, orientate myself with a landmark, and I'm away, so even then don't really need a compass. I did the Brirtish Army land navigation course and needn't have bothered - 4 weeks of training, and still all I ever did was look at the map, look around me, and I was off.


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## classic33 (13 Dec 2018)

oldwheels said:


> I used to have a combined bell/compass on the bars. No matter what I did the needle only pointed forward regardless of the direction I was going. It was not stuck. Useless object.


What was the bell made out off?


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## mudsticks (13 Dec 2018)

I always take a compass - partly because I'll often go off on day, or overnight walks over rougher ground when i'm cycle touring too ..

But a compass can also be really useful for navigating your way out of an unfamiliar town - particularly if a one way system - or featureless outskirts have disorientated you..

Its a standard silva type one - but i can see how a handlebar mounted one would be useful ..


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## MikeG (13 Dec 2018)

Drago said:


> Never needed one except for cross country navigation. I'm a bit of a 'divvy'with maps (a diviner, a natural) and a quick glance, orientate myself with a landmark, and I'm away, so even then don't really need a compass. I did the Brirtish Army land navigation course and needn't have bothered - 4 weeks of training, and still all I ever did was look at the map, look around me, and I was off.



Yeah, I'm a bit like that. But wander around a maze of backstreets in an unfamiliar urban environment, or, as I have done, endless mud tracks in and around un-mapped African towns, twisting here and there, and a quick glance at a compass to orientate yourself can be a godsend.

So the answer to the OP is yes, I have ridden with a compass on the handlebars, and yes, it was useful at times. I must tell you though that a mis-placed spoon or pocketknife in an adjacent bar bag can drag the needle off kilter, and by then you've been swallowed up into the inescapable morass of Preston's back streets, from which escape is vanishingly unlikely. There is a reason I know this.


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## subaqua (13 Dec 2018)

Holy thread resurrection Batman ..


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## Brains (13 Dec 2018)

MikeG said:


> Yeah, I'm a bit like that. But wander around a maze of backstreets in an unfamiliar urban environment, or, as I have done, endless mud tracks in and around un-mapped African towns, twisting here and there, and a quick glance at a compass to orientate yourself can be a godsend.
> 
> *So the answer to the OP is yes,* I have ridden with a compass on the handlebars, and yes, it was useful at times. I must tell you though that a mis-placed spoon or pocketknife in an adjacent bar bag can drag the needle off kilter, and by then you've been swallowed up into the inescapable morass of Preston's back streets, from which escape is vanishingly unlikely. There is a reason I know this.



The OP has not been on the site since 2010 ........


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## Drago (13 Dec 2018)

Maps can get wet, tear, blow away, so you can't be blase with them either - all artificial nav aids are fallible. Before you set forth its wise to have a general idea of the route, your orientation, how to establish north-ish without any aids, etc.


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## Ming the Merciless (13 Dec 2018)

I used a compass to find the right road out of a village just the other week. Was heading the wrong way till got compass out.


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## Dave Davenport (13 Dec 2018)

I always used to have one cable tied to the stem, as others have said, just as handy in a city as the countryside. I've had to take it off and now keep it in one of the pannier outer pockets though since getting a Ortlieb bar bag, as the magnets on the closure screw the compass up.


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## MikeG (13 Dec 2018)

Brains said:


> The OP has not been on the site since 2010 ........



Oops, I really should check these things.


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## mudsticks (13 Dec 2018)

MikeG said:


> Oops, I really should check these things.



He / she might come back if you resurrect the thread - maybe just needs a bit of encouragement ??


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## Kempstonian (13 Dec 2018)

I'm still fairly new here and I found the thread interesting. Just because a thread is old, it doesn't mean nobody wants to read it! 

I've never thought of carrying a compass but I do have one, so I might put it in my little bag just in case I need it.


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## mudsticks (13 Dec 2018)

Kempstonian said:


> I'm still fairly new here and I found the thread interesting. Just because a thread is old, it doesn't mean nobody wants to read it!
> 
> I've never thought of carrying a compass but I do have one, so I might put it in my little bag just in case I need it.



It can be really useful.. Esp at the end of the day, if you're tired, and trying to make the map fit your desires.. 

It's good to double check, and be sure you're not cycling in completely the wrong direction - like away from the pub


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## Drago (13 Dec 2018)

Brains said:


> The OP has not been on the site since 2010 ........



That's because hes lost!


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## mudsticks (13 Dec 2018)

Drago said:


> That's because hes lost!



Should we be getting a search posse up ??


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## Kempstonian (14 Dec 2018)

Drago said:


> That's because hes lost!


He'll be ok, he has a compass.


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## Ming the Merciless (14 Dec 2018)

Kempstonian said:


> He'll be ok, he has a compass.



He won't realise magnetic north has drifted in those 8 years...


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## snorri (14 Dec 2018)

mudsticks said:


> Should we be getting a search posse up ??


I'm sure he was last heard of in Cyprus running some sort of cycling holiday venture.
I don't know if they have the internet there?


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## Rickshaw Phil (14 Dec 2018)

snorri said:


> I'm sure he was last heard of in Cyprus running some sort of cycling holiday venture.
> I don't know if they have the internet there?


I believe you're thinking of @BigonaBianchi


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## mudsticks (14 Dec 2018)

snorri said:


> I'm sure he was last heard of in Cyprus running some sort of cycling holiday venture.
> I don't know if they have the internet there?



No the internet hasn't reached Cyprus yet - i think i might go search him out - it sounds great .


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## Heltor Chasca (14 Dec 2018)

Having lived in both hemispheres, I can confirm people still get lost in either, with or without a compass. They are all the same and work regardless. Usual adjustment for magnetic north applies which is marked on decent maps.

It’s true what they say about the direction of water spiralling down a plug hole though. If this bothers you, plug hole adapters can be purchased from all good outdoor retailers.


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## mickle (14 Dec 2018)

I keep one permanently trapped inside the map pocket on the top of my bar bag. Far enough away from anything ferrous which might influence it.


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## Soltydog (14 Dec 2018)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> I believe you're thinking of @BigonaBianchi



It's the same guy 
AFAIK he's alive & well on the south coast of the UK


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## snorri (14 Dec 2018)

Rickshaw Phil said:


> I believe you're thinking of @BigonaBianchi


Thank you! 
I don't remember as well as I used to.


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## snorri (14 Dec 2018)

Soltydog said:


> It's the same guy
> AFAIK he's alive & well on the south coast of the UK


Why did i ever get into this?


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## Rickshaw Phil (15 Dec 2018)

Soltydog said:


> It's the same guy
> AFAIK he's alive & well on the south coast of the UK





snorri said:


> Why did i ever get into this?


I hadn't realised he'd had two user names (dates from before I joined the site). Good to know he's alright even if he doesn't visit anymore.


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## Pale Rider (15 Dec 2018)

The last entry on @BigonaBianchi's Cyprus blog is 2016.

As said, he moved there to run a cycling tours business.

I recall a typically tetchy current affairs thread on here with members having a dig at him for putting tenants in his house in the UK.

He posts publicly on Strava as Rolf Riley, so anyone who understands Strava better than I do could check what he's currently up to.

https://cyprusonabianchi.blogspot.com/2016/04/2016-update-i-still-love-cycling-here.html


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## Gravity Aided (15 Dec 2018)

mickle said:


> I keep one permanently trapped inside the map pocket on the top of my bar bag. Far enough away from anything ferrous which might influence it.


My bar bag has a loop for the compass, one of those small flat ones with a cover, but I prefer the larger lensatic compass, and one of those map measurement devices. Which reminds me, I need to remount my handlebar bag on the Trek when I get the winter overhaul done. I have thought about going to Harbor Freight and getting a sextant, from time to time. For the running fix.


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## froze (15 Dec 2018)

No compass on the handlebars but I do carry a lensatic compass in the handlebar bag, but I yet to ever use it because I've never gotten so lost I needed one! In fact even when I use to hike I never used the compass, but I always carried one just in case.


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## Pat "5mph" (16 Dec 2018)

BOAB's ears will be burning lol
I've got him on FB, he's fine, still cycling lots, still playing the guitar.


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## sheddy (16 Dec 2018)

I used to keep compasses on the handlebars. 
Then they fell off and punctured my back tyre.


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## classic33 (16 Dec 2018)

Pat "5mph" said:


> BOAB's ears will be burning lol
> I've got him on FB, he's fine, still cycling lots, still playing the guitar.


Gone to the other side


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## HobbesOnTour (29 Dec 2018)

Just a word of warning on compasses. A couple of years ago a group of Irish hillwalkers had to be rescued after magnets had interfered with their compass.
Similar in Scotland
https://www.grough.co.uk/magazine/2...d-could-be-fatal-attraction-for-your-compass#


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## Venod (29 Dec 2018)

I have the direction setting on my Garmin screen, and my phone has a brilliant compass and OS maps, I know someone will say what if the batteries run out.


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## Ming the Merciless (29 Dec 2018)

Afnug said:


> I have the direction setting on my Garmin screen, and my phone has a brilliant compass and OS maps, I know someone will say what if the batteries run out.



What if the internal pigeon runs out?


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## Venod (29 Dec 2018)

YukonBoy said:


> What if the internal pigeon runs out?



I would follow it, they usually know the way home.


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