Learning how to find, research and create your own adventure routes were tips #4 and 5 in Comova’s “25 for 25 Adventure Cycling Tips” series. But having good routes is pointless if you don’t know how to load them onto a GPS device and then confidently use the device to navigate your route.
That’s why tip #6 is “Know how to use your (GPS) technology.”
GPS Shouldn’t Be an Obstacle
Lots of avid cyclists I talk to say the #1 reason they are hesitant to ride alone or plan bigger and bolder rides is that they are directionally challenged. What some mean is that although they know how to navigate using a GPS head unit–such as a Garmin, Wahoo, Hammerhead, or Coros device–they would be lost if their GPS device failed.
Others don’t entirely know how to use their device so that even if it is working correctly, they still fear getting lost. Both types of riders can benefit from Tip #6.
But there are too many GPS units on the market for this to be a practical “how to” guide. If you want insights into how your device works, try typing “DC Rainmaker + [make/model of your device]” into the YouTube search field. DC Rainmaker reviews virtually all fitness technology and you’re bound to find a video reviewing features of whatever device you own.
Finding instructions is the easy part. Figuring out what you need to know is the challenge. So here are the seven things you should know how to do on your device:
1. Load routes onto your GPS device
Whether they are routes you’ve created, ones you’ve found on a website, or ones shared with you, they are useless unless you can get them onto your GPS device. This can be infuriating because the process might vary depending on where you created or found your route (e.g., Ride with GPS, Strava, Komoot, etc.) and what format it is in (e.g., .gpx, .tcx, .fit, etc.). But you have to learn how to do it. Otherwise your GPS device is nothing more than an expensive odometer/stopwatch that also happens to record where you rode.
2. Find routes on your GPS device and begin navigating a selected route
How you move around within a GPS device’s interface varies by device. Whether by touchscreen or buttons, you need to learn how to move through the device’s menus to get to your routes (and change settings). If you have a lot of routes on your device, you’re also going to need to know how to search and/or sort the routes to find the one you’re looking for. Proximity, alphabetically, length, and newness are typical ways most devices allow you to sort your routes. If you can’t find a route you think you’ve loaded onto your device, it’s impossible to know whether you failed to load it properly or you just can’t find it. So make it a priority to learn how to sort and search for routes on your device.
3. Change the zoom level and pan
I often ride with my map zoomed in pretty tight so as not to miss a turn. But sometimes you need to zoom out to see the bigger picture, like where you are relative to a landmark. On a small screen, you’re also going to want to know how to pan your map to see what’s ahead (or behind). Let’s say you’ve zoomed and panned and realize you’re off your route and need to bail out. Then you’ll need to know how to do #4.
4. Stop navigating one route and begin navigating a different route
A good adventure route is usually more than one route. It’s your main route plus at least one additional route that is your bailout. Sometimes, when a route involves more than one crux, you might have 2 or more bailout options planned. Each bailout should be a separate route file. When you are at the crux of the ride–like a big climb–and you’re behind schedule or a storm is coming in, you need to know how to load the bailout route you created and begin navigating it.
5. Restart your GPS device
”Restart the device” is the first step in troubleshooting for almost all technology. Notoriously buggy GPS devices are no exception. If the device shuts down or freezes, you need to know how to do a forced restart. Most devices will save your activity. But even if you lose your activity (or it’s truncated), better to get the device restarted and begin navigating than to ride blindly for fear that a restart will stop or lose your activity.
6. Turn off the feature that auto-navigates you back onto your route when you go off route
GPS devices use base maps that don’t always reflect reality on the ground. If you are off route, the device might try to get you back on route using a road it things exists but doesn’t. Or it might send you on a busy highway or technical singletrack depending on the routing preferences programmed into your device. These can be changed according to your personal preferences, but until you learn how to do this, it’s best to turn off the “return to route” feature and learn to retrace your path to get back on your route.
For instance, on most Garmin units you need to turn off the “Course Recalculation & Route Recalculation” feature under the “Routing” menu found here: Menu>Activity Profiles>(Select Profile)>Navigation>Routing>Course Recalculation & Route Recalculation
7. Change the orientation of your screen
If you are glancing between your device and the road ahead, you want your device’s screen to be oriented so that your direction of travel is at the top of the screen. This makes it easier to see if the arrow that represents your location is pointed along your route. If not, you’re either off-route or about to head off route. If you are using the GPS device to reference against a physical map or a map downloaded on your phone, for example, you might want to force the orientation so that North is at the top of the screen. This will make it easier to align the device with the map.
Using Your GPS Device Effectively
- It’s not a race
- Slow down
- There’s always a solution
Let’s zoom in on “Slow down.” The higher the adventure quotient of a ride, the more there is that can go wrong. Mistakes can have high consequences, so slowing down to avoid mistakes is crucial.
For example, navigating off route can be a minor nuisance on an easy ride with cell reception, people around to ask for directions, and a road network that makes it easy to get back on route. In the remote setting of some adventures, you won’t have these luxuries.
Slowing down and knowing how to use your GPS device so you can confirm you’re on route will help you avoid navigational mistakes.
Here’s a real world example…
The first image above is what I saw while riding at a fast pace down a forest road. With my eyes I could see an upcoming switchback as well as a fork continuing straight out the back of the switchback. I couldn’t recall having passed a fork coming in from my left (the white road in the first image).
At the zoom level in the first image, I was unsure whether the left-bending switchback I saw on my device’s screen was the one immediately in front of me or another one still out of sight that would be revealed if I continued out the back of the first switchback.
The second image shows the satellite view. With this additional view the choice would have been obvious. But I was confused, so I slowed down and then stopped. I zoomed in the GPS device to the level shown in the third image, and it became clearer that I was to continue out the back of the first switchback. To confirm, I unmounted device, laid my bike down, and walked up the road a bit and then back again watching where my arrow was relative to the yellow line of my route. After a few back and forths, it became clear that the first switchback was not my route.
The final image is the track my device recorded uploaded to Ride with GPS. You can see the heatmap activity behind the red line of my movement. Look closely and you can see the back-and-forth investigation I made before continuing on.
Why was it so important to slow down and make the right decision? The first switchback was the start of a 4-mile descent on which I would have lost 1,200’ of elevation. This is also a good time to point out the importance of studying your route and having a sense of the terrain. I knew my route continued traversing at this point so even if I made the wrong turn, my gut shortly would have told me I shouldn’t be descending. But ideally you want to be able to use your GPS device effectively before getting to the point of relying on your memory of the route’s elevation profile or a gut feeling.
Now, what about having a backup navigation plan in the event of complete device failure? Or what if you simply want to have a second navigation method to refer to if your gut tells you your device’s directions seem off? The next installment in our tips series will address these very questions.
