Cycle Navs?

For discussions about bikes and equipment.
woldsweather
Posts: 23
Joined: 17 Aug 2018, 6:03pm

Re: Cycle Navs?

Post by woldsweather »

Thanks , hadn't thought of vibration but even stopping and being able to read the phone without getting glasses out would be a bonus. I had a fairly large Samsung but when I replaced it they didn't do one as big anymore.
thelawnet
Posts: 2736
Joined: 27 Aug 2010, 12:56am

Re: Cycle Navs?

Post by thelawnet »

Have a look at the Xiaomi Mi Max 3.

There's a truly huge 5500 mAh battery and a 6.9" screen.

A lot of people get them shipped directly from China. https://www.gearbest.com/cell-phones/pp ... 36864.html

I'm not convinced about the merits of specific cycle GPS gadgets as the functionality is duplicated from phones, which can do more and cheaper for less money.

Voice input & spoken directions would be no problem.
woldsweather
Posts: 23
Joined: 17 Aug 2018, 6:03pm

Re: Cycle Navs?

Post by woldsweather »

I don't know how screen size is measured. My Samsung Note 8 is 6.5 ins if oits measured diagonally, but I haven't had it long so wont be replacing for a while.
thelawnet
Posts: 2736
Joined: 27 Aug 2010, 12:56am

Re: Cycle Navs?

Post by thelawnet »

woldsweather wrote:I don't know how screen size is measured. My Samsung Note 8 is 6.5 ins if oits measured diagonally, but I haven't had it long so wont be replacing for a while.


I think that is actually 6.3".

Screens are measured diagonally, but you do get different aspect ratios which complicate things slightly. The Note 8 is 18.5 to 9, the Mi Max 3 is 18 to 9 ratio. The resulting screen area is 101.1 square centimetres on the Note 8 and 122.9 sq cm on the Mi Max 3.

Using your existing phone as a satnav should work fine?
woldsweather
Posts: 23
Joined: 17 Aug 2018, 6:03pm

Re: Cycle Navs?

Post by woldsweather »

OK which software would you recommend (sorry I suppose it's app).
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Cunobelin
Posts: 10801
Joined: 6 Feb 2007, 7:22pm

Re: Cycle Navs?

Post by Cunobelin »

RickH wrote:
woldsweather wrote:Yes but I don't need anything for distance. Are there any with nothing at the top and reading glasses at the bottom? Ideally sunglasses in same.

Varifocals just change from your distance prescription (even it is none) to your reading prescription via all points in between. My bike computer is a bit far away for proper "reading" correction but that isn't a problem with vaifocals.

The 2 basic choices are whether you get the lenses built in to the glasses (I think that is the only choice with optilabs) or whether the glasses part is a separate clip-in part. The clip in route tends to be more expensive but you can have whatever sunglasses lenses you want (I have Rudy Project Rydons with a varivocal clip in &, usually, photochromic lenses which go clear enough for night use.

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A slight disadvantage to the 2 part setup can be a greater tendency to steam up in certain cool (but not cold) damp conditions (fog & /or drizzle mainly) . I don't find it happens very often but if it does then I just remove the outside lenses & leave the optical insert in the bare frames.

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+1

You have the advantages of interchangeable lenses combined with the fact that you can change your prescription without changing the glasses or lenses
thelawnet
Posts: 2736
Joined: 27 Aug 2010, 12:56am

Re: Cycle Navs?

Post by thelawnet »

woldsweather wrote:OK which software would you recommend (sorry I suppose it's app).


try downloading komoot.

it seems to work pretty well: you can specify 'mountain bike' (will try to use off road where possible), 'bike touring' (will use cycle tracks sometimes), 'road bike' (only paved roads). You can also set your cycling speed so that it will give you an arrival time that is accurate for your own fitness level.

They do charge for voice navigation, it's £29.99 for the whole world, £8.99 for a 'region bundle', which is one or more counties (e.g., 'N Yorkshire', 'Hampshire' 'Surrey & Sussex'). A single 'region', e.g., 'West Surrey' is £3.99, BUT you get the first region free.

So you can try it out for nothing. Depending on where you live for all local routing then you probably need at least 3 * £3.99 regions to cover the local area. So they do want £29.99 out of you, ultimately.

Komoot uses Open Street Maps data, which are user-created maps & pretty accurate & complete in the UK. OsmAnd is a free (more-or-less) OSM app which also does routing with voice, but it's not as configurable in terms of the routing options as Komoot and will probably send you down cycle tracks.

Google Maps does free voice routing but it doesn't do it particularly well - you've got 'car', which is potentially dangerous and avoids the good cycling roads, and 'bike', which will send you down lots of tracks, which you might not want. If you know the area vaguely, you can add 'stops' to try and force it off the bike tracks, if you don't want them.
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