Smartphones and long rides: The Strategy

giobox wrote:

Given how cheap you can snatch up a Garmin Edge 500, 200 or a Bryton model I don't really think the compromises of using a phone are worthwhile. Phones also tend to promote battery life over GPS accuracy, often causing some pretty crappy data in my experience. Very much like the experience of the Sony Experia Arc user listed earlier.

The whole reason for using a phone is the mapping/navigation. Specifically, free OpenStreetmap or Opencyclemaps. As with any electronic device YMMV, the issues with the Xperia Arc are known and fixes are available. Most phones don't have any problems these days. I cannot distinguish the rides i record on Android or iphone from friends on the same ride using Garmins. Almost identical distances, speeds and altitudes. Given the natural variability in reading a signal from a garden shed moving at over 3km a second, 20,000km out into space, from your jersey pocket, it's not too shabby

With a few tweaked settings, you can have all-day onscreen map-based nav without investing the best part of £500.

Scoob_84 wrote:

You can use Garmins 200 and 500's for navigation. I do this all the time with my 500.

How well does that work in practice, riding in a totally strange place? That's a breadcrumb trail with no mapping - and the UK mapping on the 800/810 is £200 vs. free for Viewranger if you download the free Openstreetmap tiles. Also Garmin give no distance- or time-to-turn - just an alert if you go off-course, and no way to easily get back on without guessing and waiting for another alert to say you're now going the wrong way. The peloton will have beaten me to a pulp with their Lezynes long before I work out which way to go, once lost in Hampshire's myriad lane maze.

My aim is to have low-cost stress-free nav where making a mistake or a detour is forgiveable/recoverable. £150 for a 500 with no maps. Or the 800 is £300 with the UK 1:50k maps, which is a great solution - if you have £300. Add another £150 for the 810.

Him Up North wrote:

Another Xperia Arc user!

Can I pick your brains? Do you find the GPS on the Xperia any good? Mine wigs out on rides, dropping speed readings at points and showing "detours" I didn't take. I don't use Strava (not that invested yet) but use Google's My Tracks.

Secondly, what do you use to mount the handset to your bike? There are millions of gadgets for iphones but a dearth for the XA.

I recently did alot of faffing to get the GPS working better. can't remember which site/method I used, but it now locks in about 10 seconds instead of 10 minutes or not at all. I recall installing a new GPS file or something, telling it to look for a different clock signal.

Re mounting, nothing yet beyond a BikeCityGuide Finn mount rubber thing. Am thinking the Quadlock is the way to go, but might buy a Moto Defy instead as that is water/shock proof to boot.

graham_f wrote:

For really long rides, has anyone looked at the possibility of hooking a dynamo hub up to the appropriate cable to charge a smart phone? I think modern dynamos typically have a 6v, 3W output, so should be well capable of keeping a smartphone charged. Then you could ride indefinitely

Edit: went and had a look, and answered my own question: http://www.rosebikes.co.uk/article/supernova-the-plug-iii-usb-charger/ai...

It is £135 for a variable 6 > 5V USB socket. And includes no storage, so you have to charge on-the-go, negating IP rating & introducing cable faffage.

Plus you need a decent dynamo hub - another £100 built?

I've looked at these before, and not seen anything cable/free/truly elegant, nor anything that came in under £250-£300 all-up and required a dedicated bike build.

Sure, if you are going unsupported around the world that sort of thing or a large Powermonkey solar et al is the go. I'm talking about single- or multi-day 8-12hr efforts in the developed world, where your bed is likely to be within arm's reach of a 240v socket to recharge mobile batteries overnight.

chokofingrz wrote:

Yes, you can do 6-7 hour rides using your smartphone of choice, but it's still a pain managing the settings to keep it alive, and knowing the battery is going to get low. Not really viable for unsupported touring, so I'm going to get one of those Anker portable battery devices which holds enough for several full recharges. £30 on Amazon and more useful than a solar charger. Apparently Saxo-Tinkoff's Chris Sørensen swears by them too.

Why not 2-3 spare batteries? £10 for OEM ones. Using an external charger like the Anker means no IP rating and you have to work out how to mount it somehow with a cable going to the phone, whereas pop a new bty in whilst huddled in a bus shelter/under a tree and you're off again for another 12hrs of pedaling.

Re: managing settings, going into Airplane mode or even WiFi/Mobile Data off is the work of seconds.

Gareth W-R wrote:

I found that when doing long rides (6-7 hours) I put my phone on airplane mode and Strava still works with battery to spare at the end!

For sure. I can get 13hrs out of my iphone in airplane mode. Point being, most people like to be contactable out on the bike. With a properly waterproof phone mounted properly, you wouldn't need to carry a second phone for emergencies.