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pepita1 wrote:It would be
It would be nice if there was a way to set an alarm to go off when you cycle past a pre determined control point. Just thinking of a way for me to remember to stop at unmanned control points when riding an audax.The Viewranger app allows you to set alarms for approaching and over-running waypoints, as well as going off-course in general. Unfortunately the app decides what is a ‘waypoint’ so it’s next to useless as an alarm as it’s always going off. I do have the XTE or ‘cross-track’ alarm that goes off if I wander more than 50m off course. I’m hoping Viewranger will allow you to set waypoints, or alarms only for specific waypoints. Seems a glaring omission for what is otherwise great software.
benezeir wrote:I the think
I the think the hammerhead navigation device is going to end this debate. All the benefits of using the phone (connectivity, free route planning, track recording and navigation apps) with none of the battery or sunlight visibility problems as the phone is in your back pocket with the screen off, and the hammerhead flashes brightly on your handlebar to tell you there’s a turn coming up, and even how close to the top of the hill/strava segment you are.I’m very keen to read the real-world reviews of this. Assume that you have to carry a phone, have it on, in your pocket using Bluetooth (no idea what flavour, should be 4 / Smart though). What this is doing is showing you distance to turn and direction. That’s something that an app like Viewranger can and does do, without really impacting battery life (checking for 15 seconds at each junction by waking the screen with a single home button press is easy). The handlebar real estate needed looks similar to a phone – good luck with using lights or a bar-mounted computer/HRM with this – you’ll need to put either the other kit or the Hammerhead out front on a Barfly. The Hammerhead is ‘a’ solution, and like people who find an Edge works for them, I’m sure there will be people who like the Hammerhead. Others might decide they need the maps side of thing on the bars, accessible instantly. I might be a Hammerhead convert, if the reviews are good and I can find a spare £100 or whatever.
Scoob_84 wrote:
You can use
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.
Ok, strap youselves in
Ok, strap youselves in folks:I have been doing some tests on an Android phone (SEM Xperia Arc, Android 4.0, latest ViewRanger and Strava clients). I’ve found the following:
======================
Radio: airplane mode
Strava: recording
VR: trip on, not recording
Screen: on for about 30mins to simulate checking next direction at intersections, otherwise off
Battery life: 30% at 10hr 15′ – extrapolated bty life: 14hr 30′Strava: 60%
VR: 24%
Screen: 9%
System: 8%======================
Radio: 3G only, no data or WiFi
Strava: recording
VR: trip on, not recording
Screen: on constantly, low brightness
Battery life: 26% at 5hr 27′ – extrapolated bty life: 7hr 20′Strava: 37%
VR: 16%
Screen: 44%
Cell standby: 3%
System: 2%======================
Two measurements on this test:
Radio: airplane mode
Strava: recording
VR: trip on, not recording
Screen: on constantly, low brightness
Battery life: 32% at 5hr 38′ – extrapolated bty life: 8hr 17′Strava: 38%
VR: 17%
Screen: 45%
System: %and then
Radio: airplane mode
Strava: recording
VR: trip on, not recording
Screen: on constantly, low brightness
Battery life: 1% at 8hr 23′Strava: 38%
VR: 17%
Screen: 45%
System: %NOTE: %’s are identical for 30% and 1% marks, extrapolated bty life pretty close to actual
======================
Radio: 3G only, no data or WiFi
Strava: OFF
VR: trip on, RECORDING
Screen: on constantly, low brightness
Battery life: 1% at 7hr 18′Strava: N/A
VR: 46%
Screen: 50%
Cell standby: 3%
System: 2%======================
Radio: airplane mode
Strava: OFF
VR: trip on, RECORDING
Screen: on constantly, low brightness
Battery life: 1% at 8hr 25′Strava: N/A
VR: 42%
Screen: 57%
System: 2%What this seems to show is:
You can push a smartphone out to 14hrs+, if you put it into airplane mode and only use the screen when needed.
Even though the stats show Cell standby only ever at 3%, it reduces overall life by about an hour, during an 8hr test with screen always-on
Whether you have Strava or VR recording makes no differenceAlthough I haven’t run this test yet, it looks like if you leave 3G on so you’re contactable (no data or WiFi on), have Strava recording and use Viewranger for navigation, and only look at the nav arrow / waypoint info when you get to an intersection, then you should get well over 12hrs runtime.
giobox wrote:Given how cheap
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.
I have suffered for years
I have suffered for years with cold hands even when others were riding fingerless. I have a shelf full of gloves – inners, outers, windproof, waterproof, you name it.I took to wearing a lambswool liner glove last year, which made things a bit better. But on rides below about 7-8 degrees was still miserable after an hour or so.
The *only* gloves I have found that keep my hands properly warm are the SealSkinz Handlebar mitten. Got a pair at Christmas for £30 on eBay. Work like no other glove on this planet, IMHO. I can now ride down to zero without a liner. Haven’t tried colder because it hasn’t been colder than that yet. Get a larger size than normal so your fingers aren’t rammed against the ends.
As for feet, I’m wearing de Feet Wooly Boolies under a windproof sock from Ground Effect, under 6mm neoprene boots. Still get cold.
I believe I have the worst circulation in the UK.
Him Up North wrote:Another
Another Xperia Arc user! :HCan 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
[quote=graham_f]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/aid:713880%5B/quote%5D
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
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.
Have you tried the Ground
Have you tried the Ground Effect Stormtrooper? I rate it the best cycling jacket ever – particularly the hood, which fits perfectly under a helmet.At £149 it’s a bargain. I’ve had mine 13 years, utterly thrashed it MTB riding and adventure racing/running, and it’s only just been re-waterproofed, ready for another decade.
Gareth W-R wrote:I found that
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.
Proof
Proof
Thanks all, pretty much
Thanks all, pretty much validated my thinking. The reviews of the Sector are pretty universally 4 out of 5 stars, which suits me fine for our generic riding.I might hold off on the expense until the urrent GP4’s are knackered – doing His & Hers will come to about £250 *eeep*.
That said, if lightening strikes more than twice this year, I’m off to Tubeless land. Possibly sooner if it happens when it’s cold/wet.
Dualit Espressivo. £50 on
Dualit Espressivo. £50 on ebay, great little machines. We make about 5-10 cups a day for last 4 years no problems.
Various waterproof options,
Various waterproof options, but even 100% ones like Sealskinz need a woolen liner glove if you feel the cold.