Hi. Firstly I offer you kudos; I’ve read your first two books and am following your blog and I’m jealous on most levels. I was wandering is there any reason you don’t use a modern GPS device or cycle computer? Great value these days and can really help on a bike. It took me a while to convert from paper maps but now I’m sold. Just curious. Enjoy!
Hi James. Thanks for the kind comments. The simple answer to your question is… I do! I use a CatEye cycle computer for measuring the distances as it’s easy to see the screen. I also use various apps for the iPhone which are GPS driven, principally Cyclemeter (which I use to record my track – you can see the link on the posts every day) but also Google Maps for route finding (usually shortish distances in urban areas) and Open Street Map which has the route of the Eurovelo 1 (that I’m following for this final section to Nordkapp) embedded in the cycle layer. I still use paper maps however as they are easy to use, don’t require a battery and give a bigger geographical picture than modern devices. They are also great for starting conversations with other travellers that you meet along the way… ๐
Thanks for your reply. I had gathered you were using iPhone apps but I’d always strugged with battery longevity so ended up with a dedicated unit. Good points for the paper maps though. Hope all is going well and you’re still living the dream. Give my best to Reggie.
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Hi. Firstly I offer you kudos; I’ve read your first two books and am following your blog and I’m jealous on most levels. I was wandering is there any reason you don’t use a modern GPS device or cycle computer? Great value these days and can really help on a bike. It took me a while to convert from paper maps but now I’m sold. Just curious. Enjoy!
Hi James. Thanks for the kind comments. The simple answer to your question is… I do! I use a CatEye cycle computer for measuring the distances as it’s easy to see the screen. I also use various apps for the iPhone which are GPS driven, principally Cyclemeter (which I use to record my track – you can see the link on the posts every day) but also Google Maps for route finding (usually shortish distances in urban areas) and Open Street Map which has the route of the Eurovelo 1 (that I’m following for this final section to Nordkapp) embedded in the cycle layer. I still use paper maps however as they are easy to use, don’t require a battery and give a bigger geographical picture than modern devices. They are also great for starting conversations with other travellers that you meet along the way… ๐
Thanks for your reply. I had gathered you were using iPhone apps but I’d always strugged with battery longevity so ended up with a dedicated unit. Good points for the paper maps though. Hope all is going well and you’re still living the dream. Give my best to Reggie.
I have two PowerMonkey Extreme batteries that keep me going… ๐