# How do you navigate.



## derrick (1 Mar 2018)

What do you use to navigate while on the bike?
Cannot edit the nosw one.
Local club rides i know all the routes so no problem, Have a few 100 milers in my head, but am planning new routes, so am using gps for them.


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## biggs682 (1 Mar 2018)

Seat of my pants and follow my nose 

With a quick look on google maps if using a new route


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## dave r (1 Mar 2018)

I've been pedalling the local lanes for over thirty years so know most routes to the cafe's I use regularly, if I'm going somewhere new or taking part in an event I'll spend some time on Google maps learning the route.


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## vickster (1 Mar 2018)

Mostly I'm going somewhere familiar, otherwise I follow road or cycle route signs, occasionally garmin


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## Heltor Chasca (1 Mar 2018)

Wahoo, but OS maps have a special place in my kit list.


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## Drago (1 Mar 2018)

I use a sextant.


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## Racing roadkill (1 Mar 2018)

A Garmin as back up, to a phone with Strava, which are backed up with an OS map, and a compass.


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## Markymark (1 Mar 2018)

IPhone.


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## hoopdriver (1 Mar 2018)

I rode from Sussex to Istanbul once pretty much by guess and by golly, often with no maps at all - sometimes with a locally bought map. I got there, not by the most direct route - as I could see later when I saw a map of Europe - but I had the pleasure of discovery and didn’t wander too far off a sensible line. On those occasions when .i did have maos it was always fun to ride off the edge of them and wonder where I was heading...


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## BudgieBike (1 Mar 2018)

Depends on legs/weather/mood what direction I take


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## jayonabike (1 Mar 2018)

New routes I use Garmin, I know most of the decent roads for cycling around here so follow my nose on most rides


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## NorthernDave (1 Mar 2018)

I've got a Garmin, but I know most of the roads and lanes I'll typically ride so well that I rarely use the navigation function - about the only times I've actually used that have been on organised rides or sportives with a published route that have been off my usual patch.
When I first got the Garmin I faffed about plotting routes on it, but soon discovered that I'd normally fancy going somewhere different when I was out so that didn't last long.
And I've got a phone with GPS and Google Maps.

Plus I've got a reasonably good sense of direction, which if I combine that with a look at where I'm planning on going on Google maps the night before I'll have a fairly good idea and only rarely have to refer to the tech to find my way. Usually...


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## robjh (1 Mar 2018)

Echolocation, when I can't see the stars.


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## alicat (1 Mar 2018)

Map

Memory

Innate sense of direction.


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## jefmcg (1 Mar 2018)

Markymark said:


> IPhone.





NorthernDave said:


> And I've got a phone with GPS and Google Maps.



Phone definitely needs to be added to the poll

OsmAnd on Android for me.


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## Drago (1 Mar 2018)

If the weather is a bit dicey I use dead reckoning.


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## Shut Up Legs (1 Mar 2018)

I follow the ley lines to work out the ley of the land.


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## ianrauk (1 Mar 2018)

Garmins 200 and Touring and roads well ridden.


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## User10119 (1 Mar 2018)

On the increasingly rare occasions that I ride a bike somewhere new, I generally pedal and follow.


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## derrick (1 Mar 2018)

jefmcg said:


> Phone definitely needs to be added to the poll
> 
> OsmAnd on Android for me.


Phone added.


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## Old jon (1 Mar 2018)

Memory, a squint at a map very rarely.


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## Bazzer (1 Mar 2018)

I tend to follow my instinct. But if I get really lost, I'll get my 'phone out and set Google maps for home, until I am on roads I am familiar with.


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## gbb (1 Mar 2018)

The wind dictates my outbound journey. Always into it whichever direction that happens to be. Once the general direction is decided, it can be wherever my nose takes me...and however far my legs will.


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## pjd57 (1 Mar 2018)

If I am going outside my normal routes/ comfort zone, I'll look it up on my folding paper map laid out on the floor.
Jot down a few details and that's me set to go.


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## Moodyman (1 Mar 2018)

Smart phone in an emergency, but generally I can get by via road signs.


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## tallliman (1 Mar 2018)

Garmin when I'm straying away from a 30 mile radius from home.


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## classic33 (1 Mar 2018)

Check the route beforehand, then it's memory from then on.

Specific street, signs.


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## robjh (1 Mar 2018)

robjh said:


> Echolocation, when I can't see the stars.



A serious answer this time : maps, real paper ones, usually torn from a spiral-bound road atlas.
Supplemented by an occasional look at Google Maps on a smartphone when I'm stumped, which happens mainly in towns when looking for the right road out.

On more local rides, especially if I'm leading a group, I just store a route in my head, using Google Maps at home to help prepare, and streetview for a preview of unfamiliar junctions so that I'll recognise them when I get there. I always have a folded map in my back pocket just in case though.


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## Jenkins (1 Mar 2018)

On new routes a Garmin Touring plus a quick look on Google Maps & Streetview but mostly I'll have a destination and make up the routing there & back as I go.


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## ColinJ (1 Mar 2018)

Memory on familiar routes. Ancient Garmin Etrex on new routes, which I plan using digital OS maps and the cycle.travel website.


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## Ming the Merciless (2 Mar 2018)

A map and look at the sign posts.


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## Lozz360 (2 Mar 2018)

I use a Garmin 520 or just ride roads I am familiar with. The pole only allows one choice, although there are a number ways one might navigate.


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## Supersuperleeds (2 Mar 2018)

Satmap Active 20 gps unit.


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## raleighnut (2 Mar 2018)

Maps, proper paper ones as I've yet to have one go 'flat' on me.


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## LeetleGreyCells (2 Mar 2018)

Plan out route by Google My Maps, export to Cyclemeter on iPhone. Cyclemeter doesn’t have turn-by-turn navigation so a lot is done by memory, road signs and occasionally checking the map on Cyclemeter. 

I like to explore though so if I see an unfamiliar road or bridleway, chances are I’ll follow it just to see where it goes. To much Star Trek as a kid, I guess.


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## pawl (2 Mar 2018)

Heltor Chasca said:


> Wahoo, but OS maps have a special place in my kit list.





Mine to.Never let you down. Don’t need charging.


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## iandg (2 Mar 2018)

Follow my nose 90% of the time. Garmin Etrex backed up with a good old fashioned map if I'm in an unknown area.


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## snorri (2 Mar 2018)

Paper maps and compass when far from home, I know all the roads within 100 miles or so of home.
Although I have found the Garmin handy for getting back to base after a few hours of aimlessly exploring new territory.


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## Lavender Rose (2 Mar 2018)

I have LOTS of set routes around here, so I never really need to resort to maps. But if I do...I usually use Google Maps on my tablet.


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## Will Spin (2 Mar 2018)

If I'm going somewhere new I check and memorise the route on the OS maps and also use google street view to identify landmarks before turnings etc.


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## mjr (2 Mar 2018)

Signs, memory and osmand voice prompts in some combination. Non-cycling signs in this country often try to mislead you onto quasimotorways, though.


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## Vantage (2 Mar 2018)

I know my local routes from memory but the etrex20 comes with me at all times in case I go exploring. It's got me home a number of times...no sense of direction here.


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## fatjel (2 Mar 2018)

If I'm doing an audax or going somewhere I don't know I'll ue a garmin 200.
Often use GPX files to validate DIY audax where I have been known to use 2x 200 Garmins and a 520
With my iphone as back up.. Jut in case you understand
Anker power packs ensure they don't go flat


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## nickyboy (2 Mar 2018)

Anything up to 30 miles it's very unlikely I don't know the route anyway

Longer rides I'll plan it with ridewithgps and download to my Garmin which bleeps at me whenever I need to turn off the road I'm on. Preplanning the route lie this means I can make sure I go on the little lanes that look interesting on a map and explore a bit


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## ColinJ (2 Mar 2018)

I bought my Garmin Etrex way back in 2006 after seeing the route for a 200 km audax event that I had signed up for in Cheshire and discovering that there were over 200 junctions to deal with. I had done an earlier 200 km route with only about 50 junctions and had spent so much of my time looking at the route sheet that I hardly noticed the scenery and despite my best efforts, nearly got lost a couple of times.

With the help of my trusty Etrex, I navigated the route with no problems whatsoever and spent the whole day helping other audax riders with _their_ navigation!


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## mgs315 (2 Mar 2018)

Wing it mostly. Road signs, follow buses/read bus stops, pay attention to the direction of shadows and time of day, that kinda thing. I get my phone out when time is of the essence but it’s great fun suddenly cycling from somewhere you don’t recognise into somewhere you do. Good for working out alternative routes to the main drag.


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## pawl (2 Mar 2018)

wicker man said:


> Follow my nose 90% of the time. Garmin Etrex backed up with a good old fashioned map if I'm in an unknown area.







My nose has a bend in it.Could this be the reason I keep riding round in circles.Perhaps I should find a velodrome to ride on


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## HLaB (3 Mar 2018)

Depends what time constraints are or familiarity. If I am wanting to get somewhere fast I'll put the route in my garmin and follow. Similarly if its in a brand new area I'll follow the garmin (I may take a paper map too). But if I'm not time constrained and its an area I'm familiar with I tend to follow my nose.


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## GuyBoden (5 Mar 2018)

derrick said:


> What do you use to navigate while on the bike?
> Cannot edit the nosw one.
> Local club rides i know all the routes so no problem, Have a few 100 milers in my head, but am planning new routes, so am using gps for them.



You've not listed paper maps, the most commonly used navigation aid.


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## bigjim (5 Mar 2018)

Take a paper map but use Osmand on smartphone in or near towns to take me out the other side. Google maps won't work offline using cycle routes. Osmand is great for turn by turn directions, but it does use a lot of battery. I used to use an old Garmin Legend which works fine, but I struggle to see the screen on the move. I've noticed a lot of road signs seem to be disappearing lately which is I suppose due to Authority's assuming everybody is using satnav.


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## Gixxerman (5 Mar 2018)

If it is a local route then I generally know the roads well enough to just wing it, and extend / shorten the route depending on weather, inclanation and energy.
If I am planning a longer route on unknown roads, I plan the route using bikehike / OS maps and make a route card using my own version of shorthand, and write it down on a scrap of paper. I then either stick it in my pocket or attach it in a plastic wallet to my stem using a bulldog clip. I used the latter method for my C2C and it worked like a charm.


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## the stupid one (5 Mar 2018)

Online maps and Streetview to plan a route, a small piece of card with a list of roads/junctions/turnings in my pocket. 

I live on the coast in Wirral, so I'm familiar-ish with most places as far as Chester, and beyond that isn't yet within my capabilities. A few wrong turnings won't get me into too much trouble.


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## JhnBssll (5 Mar 2018)

To date I've relied on local knowledge and a good sense of direction  Back in November I caved and ordered a Hammerhead Karoo on pre-order. The first units are now out in the wild (and getting a mixed reception due to software bugs and glitches!) but mine isn't likely to arrive for another month or so. It's a new device and I'm confident it will be great once the software matures 

Hopefully


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## steveindenmark (6 Mar 2018)

I use Garmin, Wahoo, phone and paper maps. The Wahoo is a game changer though. So simple to use either by plotting on the PC at home or out in the field on the phone using Komoot.


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## GilesM (6 Mar 2018)

If I'm on unfamiliar roads, I use OS maps downloaded on my Android phone, works really well, paper maps have lots of advantages, but a phone you can hold in one hand is much easier to look at while you're riding along, especially if its windy.


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## gom (6 Mar 2018)

Paper maps (OS 1:50K) for me, on the handlebars all the time. That way I can see what I’m near and plan the next 5, 10, 20 miles any time I choose. Always loved following my way on a map. 
Use a Garmin for recording the route and it or phone if I fear I’m lost, but if I could only take one, it would be the map. Just like old times, though I fear my map reading skill has faded through lake of practice in this gps era.


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## Nigel-YZ1 (6 Mar 2018)

Paper maps.


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## confusedcyclist (6 Mar 2018)

I find it helps by not caring about where you go, or how or when you get there. Haven't been late yet. A man is only truly happy when firmly rooted in place. And yet I still appreciate the gentle irony of using a cycle as a form of transportation.


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## jefmcg (6 Mar 2018)

GuyBoden said:


> You've not listed paper maps, the most commonly used navigation aid.


Is it? Still? I personally discarded my last street Atlas when it got wet a decade ago and did not replace it, and haven't even printed out a google maps page for 4 or 5 years.

This is not a criticism of maps, just a question of whether they are the commonest anymore.


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## Milkfloat (6 Mar 2018)

GuyBoden said:


> You've not listed paper maps, the most commonly used navigation aid.



Unfortunately this is not true, at least not in the developed world. I make maps for a living and sometimes rue the loss of paper maps, whilst being wowed by the latest digital maps.


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## captain nemo1701 (8 Mar 2018)

My bike knows where it's going most of the time.


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## derrick (8 Mar 2018)

GuyBoden said:


> You've not listed paper maps, the most commonly used navigation aid.


Sorry i don't ride with anyone who uses paper maps.


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## cyberknight (8 Mar 2018)

Get lost at the gate ,club rides or signposts


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## GuyBoden (8 Mar 2018)

Milkfloat said:


> Unfortunately this is not true, at least not in the developed world. I make maps for a living and sometimes rue the loss of paper maps, whilst being wowed by the latest digital maps.



Sat Nav is no good when there's no signal and you're lost without a paper map, especially in remote locations. Walkers are the worst culprits, putting the mountain rescue volunteers at risk with their selfish acts.

http://www.mountainsafety.co.uk/Rescued-Reliance-on-Smartphone-Apps.aspx
"Venturing into the hills, especially the Cairngorms, which are remote and you may not see anyone all day, requires a good level of navigation. At the basic end of that scale is having a map and compass and knowing how to use them. GPS units and smartphones have their place, but only as a back up to the tried and tested methods of navigation."

"Mountain Rescue Concerns
Some mountain rescue teams have recently expressed concern that some people are venturing into the hills armed only with a GPS equipped mobile phone, in the hope that an app that works in towns and cities will work in the hills.

From the above information it should be clear about the limitations and benefits of the different types of apps available. And also clear from various sections of this website that you must always carry a proper walking map when in the hills."


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## Donger (8 Mar 2018)

A quick reccy the night before on Google Earth if it's just outside my patch ...."Flatnav" if I'm far from home:


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## furball (8 Mar 2018)

Pre plan the basic route with a road map. Fine it down with OS maps then use street view to identify the approaches to junctions. Once on the road I have a good idea where I'm going. I carry a map as a backup.


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## derrick (9 Mar 2018)

GuyBoden said:


> Sat Nav is no good when there's no signal and you're lost without a paper map, especially in remote locations. Walkers are the worst culprits, putting the mountain rescue volunteers at risk with their selfish acts.
> 
> http://www.mountainsafety.co.uk/Rescued-Reliance-on-Smartphone-Apps.aspx
> "Venturing into the hills, especially the Cairngorms, which are remote and you may not see anyone all day, requires a good level of navigation. At the basic end of that scale is having a map and compass and knowing how to use them. GPS units and smartphones have their place, but only as a back up to the tried and tested methods of navigation."
> ...



Its the same when you go out to sea, so many people on boats relying on GPS, and not having a clue about the old ways of navigating, But thats down to stupid individuals.
But it's really hard to get completely lost on a bike, i have never managed it, 
Am sure there will come a day though.


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## slowmotion (9 Mar 2018)

Street signs, my nose, and paper maps. Sometimes I wander along the route on Streetview (or similar) before I set out. It's a great way of jogging your memory when you have to negotiate complicated junctions etc. I don't carry any electronics.


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## si_c (9 Mar 2018)

Depends, on anything under 50miles I'll just memorise key junctions from the map and wing it, using road signs if needs be. Anything longer and I tend to put the route file onto my bike computer (Mio 505) and follow that, but I don't tend to actually use it until I'm in unfamiliar areas. It's got full maps on it too, so it can navigate for me as well if I need to get somewhere.

I tend not to use the track following element of the navigation though, I prefer to have one of the boxes on the screen tell me how far ahead the next turn is and which direction I need to go, less distracting I find.

I keep my phone as a backup, with OSMAnd installed with local maps available.


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## robing (12 May 2018)

steveindenmark said:


> I use Garmin, Wahoo, phone and paper maps. The Wahoo is a game changer though. So simple to use either by plotting on the PC at home or out in the field on the phone using Komoot.



I've just got the Bolt. I already use ride with GPS. Is Komoot better, particularly out on a ride? Do you use the app and does it cost anything?


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## steveindenmark (12 May 2018)

robing said:


> I've just got the Bolt. I already use ride with GPS. Is Komoot better, particularly out on a ride? Do you use the app and does it cost anything?



I always use RWGPS if I can. But you can use Komoot on your phone out on the road and transfer it straight to your wahoo. It is something I must try, buy havnt up to now.


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## robing (12 May 2018)

steveindenmark said:


> I always use RWGPS if I can. But you can use Komoot on your phone out on the road and transfer it straight to your wahoo. It is something I must try, buy havnt up to now.


You can just use the Wahoo app though, can't you. Go to routes and then take me there. It seems a great bit of kit so far, looking forward to trying it out. You can download maps for anywhere in the world. There's even one for Antarctica, if you so desire!


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## robing (12 May 2018)

Hmm not convinced by Komoot. You can only send routes to the Bolt if you've unlocked the region for a fee. You are supposed to get a free region bundle on Komoot with the Bolt but I can't see how to redeem it.


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## jefmcg (6 Jun 2018)

robing said:


> Hmm not convinced by Komoot. You can only send routes to the Bolt if you've unlocked the region for a fee. You are supposed to get a free region bundle on Komoot with the Bolt but I can't see how to redeem it.


I'm pretty sure @vickster has had this working on the fly, without paying for anything. 

(Komoot gives all users one free region, and after that you have to pay. Maybe that's the free region Wahoo is referring to)


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