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I can't recommend any individual model, but having a little beep before every turn or if you miss a turn is pretty helpful in unfamiliar built up areas. Not mandatory of course. I think the most useful thing for me is elevation for the seemingly endless climbs when I can set little goals: "okay, just 100m more climbing and I can take a snack break"
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Jul 15, 2022 16:35
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Nyyen posted:Question for the thread. I was looking at getting a computer since I don't trust myself to take the right turn and am always stopping to check my phone. That said, the Garmin eTrex is well regarded and as a general use GPS device is a lot better, but doesn't have turn-by-turn, but also doesn't have any of the performance tracking features which I don't care about and much longer battery life. Is turn-by-turn worth the extra cost and lower battery in anyone's opinion? I run a dyno so I could charge it if I get an additional charge unit, and I normally carry a battery bank on trips longer than two days. Just get a bike computer, not worth then hassle to use anything else. 100% of enthusiast to pro level cyclists are not wrong. But for now get a phone mount and use your dynamo to charge it - it’s really only battery life and fear of damage / redundancy / aero that makes a phone bad vs a bike computer.
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Jul 15, 2022 16:42
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I've toyed around with dynamo charging. An extra power bank is almost always a better choice. The exception being a week plus of no outlets or sun while still being to keep up a 10mph pace. Idk where in the world that is. CopperHound fucked around with this message at 16:50 on Jul 15, 2022 |
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Jul 15, 2022 16:48
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Agreed. Even then, it's better to charge your power bank from the dynamo and then charge the device from the bank - the dynamo is just weak enough that it can't quite keep up.
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Jul 15, 2022 16:51
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CopperHound posted:I've toyed around with dynamo charging. An extra power bank is almost always a better choice. I hate having to remember my lights, and I tend to night ride a lot on all my bikes. Dyno is definitely less efficient but for me the always there aspect for lights is worth it. I don't really care about charging devices and as you pointed out, outlets are generally easy to find.
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Jul 15, 2022 17:01
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Oh of course, I use dynamo lights and love them. It just sucks for other stuff. Never having to think about lights is great.
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Jul 15, 2022 17:05
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CopperHound posted:I've toyed around with dynamo charging. An extra power bank is almost always a better choice. In my experience it’s reliable for charging a bank even at slower more sporadic speeds during bikepacking routes. Over many hours of moving you’ll get plenty of juice even with hike a bike and steep terrain. I basically only need it for charging my phone but it’s plenty for that.
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Jul 15, 2022 17:13
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Nyyen posted:Question for the thread. I was looking at getting a computer since I don't trust myself to take the right turn and am always stopping to check my phone. That said, the Garmin eTrex is well regarded and as a general use GPS device is a lot better, but doesn't have turn-by-turn, but also doesn't have any of the performance tracking features which I don't care about and much longer battery life. Is turn-by-turn worth the extra cost and lower battery in anyone's opinion? I run a dyno so I could charge it if I get an additional charge unit, and I normally carry a battery bank on trips longer than two days. I *love* my eTrex 20x. Long-rear end battery life (especially with lithium batteries), good controls with the thumbstick and customizable with OpenStreetMaps with a little fiddling. I've never used turn-by-turn so it's not a feature that I miss, I just tend to watch my track as I'm riding. I have Gaia GPS on my iPhone with my route and maps saved for backup, offline navigation purposes, but I like to keep my communication and navigation devices separate for the sake of redundancy.
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Jul 15, 2022 19:27
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pantslesswithwolves posted:I *love* my eTrex 20x. Long-rear end battery life (especially with lithium batteries), good controls with the thumbstick and customizable with OpenStreetMaps with a little fiddling. I've never used turn-by-turn so it's not a feature that I miss, I just tend to watch my track as I'm riding. I have Gaia GPS on my iPhone with my route and maps saved for backup, offline navigation purposes, but I like to keep my communication and navigation devices separate for the sake of redundancy. Seconding the eTrex, though I’ve only used it for backpacking. I’ve had it for about ten years now and it’s never let me down. The UI is about as good as every other Garmin UI, but you get used to it.
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Jul 15, 2022 19:49
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i did some bike touring last week in the lake district. i packed too heavy and there was loads of hike-a-bikes but it was an experience.   i also saw this cat 
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Jul 17, 2022 17:16
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Garmin edge explore? I think less than a 530 and has maps and nav and the new one can charge through the mount. they make a little power bank that attaches to the bottom of their outfront mount, or you can get a mount with a power cord of some sort attached. Nicer edge models (530 and up) also have that. new 1040 has solar charging. https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/837041/pn/010-02703-01 jamal fucked around with this message at 02:31 on Jul 18, 2022 |
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Jul 17, 2022 17:38
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Nyyen posted:Question for the thread. I was looking at getting a computer since I don't trust myself to take the right turn and am always stopping to check my phone. That said, the Garmin eTrex is well regarded and as a general use GPS device is a lot better, but doesn't have turn-by-turn, but also doesn't have any of the performance tracking features which I don't care about and much longer battery life. Is turn-by-turn worth the extra cost and lower battery in anyone's opinion? I run a dyno so I could charge it if I get an additional charge unit, and I normally carry a battery bank on trips longer than two days. The eTrex looks a lot like the Garmin Edge 130; No map, just a crumb trail with some nodes. Creating the track on the Edge 130 was a dog poo poo experience even if it purported to do turn by turn if you sync'd a course to the unit, which I cannot recommend to anyone. I stepped up to a Garmin Edge 830 and it is pretty loving sweet to go into RWGPS on your phone, select "Pin Route" and then you sync your Edge cycling computer and have the course pop up with their built in cues. The drat thing also has built in turn by turn so if you wanted to drop a pin somewhere it would figure out how to get you there. I think turn by turn is worth it because at bike speeds you will loving blow turns. I also love that the Edge computers will tell you what street is up ahead even if you are not cruising with a loaded track/course which voids the uncertainty of missing/unclear road signage. My 830 will run close to 20-something hours, and has the option of some bolt on battery for the mount if you want to go hog wild with battery life along with the dynamo. I personally want to upgrade to the Edge 1040 Solar for a bigger screen (I have bad vision) and because of the beefy battery life, but unless someone is interested in grabbing my 6 month old Edge 830 then I may just hang tight.
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Jul 18, 2022 02:25
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Yeah I recently replaced my really old 510 with a 530. I don't make myself many routes or tracks to follow but having the base maps is really handy without them. Can kind of navigate around new places without having to stop and look at my phone and the upcoming streets and upcoming sharp turn notifications are nice. When you make a track to follow on a garmin without maps you're always wondering if you're going the right way at junctions and stuff. And sort of in general. I had a fun one in a maze of unfamiliar forest roads where I just had a line on a blank screen to follow and it got a little bit stressful to be just depending on that.
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Jul 18, 2022 02:34
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bamhand posted:Anyone have experience with shuttle services for the GAP? Looking to get a ride from Pittsburgh to Cumberland. I tried contacting Bill's Car Service but haven't gotten a response or any kind of confirmation after sending over my details. If the timing works for you, Amtrak takes bikes on the Capitol Limited on that route.
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Jul 18, 2022 02:40
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osker posted:I personally want to upgrade to the Edge 1040 Solar for a bigger screen (I have bad vision) and because of the beefy battery life Same but didn't know 1040 was referring to the price (750, but still).
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Jul 18, 2022 04:22
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I really like my wahoo element bolt. If I'm on 2 wheels, I'm bringing it along. No real worries on overnight bikepacking trips. The nav poo poo works well.
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Jul 18, 2022 04:37
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Seconding the wahoo bolt. Just got the new version and it's coming on all my rides both commutes and bikepacking trips. Simple and gives me all the data + GPS tracking including turn by turn instructions I need.
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Jul 18, 2022 04:43
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The 1040 solar will last ages. I’m definitely sure it’ll last me for a 1200k (about 3.5 days constantly running). I’m really happy with the purchase.
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Jul 18, 2022 04:54
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If you're touring with a rack a small solar panel is great for charging all your various USB gadgets. I'd have my Elemnt, my phone, and one other device plugged in and as long as the sun was up I'd have enough power to keep everything topped up at 100% even while in use. With a power bank connected in-line that can charge and supply power at the same time you're also covered for multiple rainy days.
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Jul 18, 2022 05:12
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I dunno if I was too early an adopter, but the panel I got in 2014 was junk. What's the cheapest model that can charge a battery?
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Jul 18, 2022 13:01
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hemale in pain posted:i did some bike touring last week in the lake district. i packed too heavy and there was loads of hike-a-bikes but it was an experience. Looks fantastic.
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Jul 18, 2022 13:35
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kimbo305 posted:I dunno if I was too early an adopter, but the panel I got in 2014 was junk. What's the cheapest model that can charge a battery? I'm using a 15W Anker panel that was the top pick on the Wirecutter back in 2017. Their top pick now is a 28W charger, however it has double the panels which might make mounting a little trickier depending on your setup. https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-portable-solar-battery-pack/ I would either have it mounted on my rear panniers when I was loaded up, or on my front rack when just riding around.  
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Jul 18, 2022 17:59
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Does anybody have advice for self-supported bike touring in Hawaii? I'll be heading out there next month and spend one week with family near Hilo, then have a whole extra week for myself to go get into all manner of trouble with.
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Jul 18, 2022 21:01
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kimbo305 posted:I dunno if I was too early an adopter, but the panel I got in 2014 was junk. What's the cheapest model that can charge a battery? My problem with solar panels is that a 20000mAh battery pack will last me 4-5 days and weighs roughly the same amount so i could just bring another power pack instead. I like the idea of dynamos though! when i have to get a new wheel i think i'll get one. Planet X posted:Looks fantastic. thanks, it was honestly awful and i'm excited for a nice chill bike tour for my next trip. i broke the elastic in my poles from the rough descents.
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Jul 19, 2022 09:27
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When I was trying to decide between a dynamo and a panel for charging all my various electronics I found that while they're great for lights, they top out at 3-5W. On top of the hub you also need to get a charger that turns the energy from the dynamo into a USB output, and all the recommended ones I was finding were way more expensive than just getting a panel with three times the output at any speed as long as the sun was up. However if you don't mind the cost and aren't touring for something like multiple weeks, a dynamo might be enough to extend the life of an in-line battery for an entire trip.
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Jul 19, 2022 10:44
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When I rode around the world, I had a dynamo. I tried charging things with it and it was meh other than allowing me to have a strong headlight powered by it. Two decent power banks, especially now that you can get ones that charge quickly, is what I'd do if I toured again.
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Jul 19, 2022 16:47
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There are some lights that have integrated usb-chargers built into them. The system then becomes Dynamo -> Light -> USB -> Battery. Directly charging from the usb-port is usually an exercise in failure. A good list of these: https://www.cyclingabout.com/list-of-hub-dynamo-power-supplies-for-usb-devices/
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Jul 19, 2022 18:00
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I can't wait to tour again. Last one was 2 weeks down the coast from Portland to SF in March '20. We were ~2/3rds of the way when CA did all the covid lockdowns and all the campsites we were gonna stay at closed, and the last 2 hotels we stayed at closed the day after we left them. Starting one in ~2 weeks finally  . Doing about a month tour biking the coast of Denmark. Just finishing getting all my poo poo organized but super excited to tour again. Here's the rough route, I'm still planning out the days, but gonna be ~100-120km days mostly. 
FireTora fucked around with this message at 18:32 on Jul 19, 2022 |
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Jul 19, 2022 18:25
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FireTora posted:I can't wait to tour again. Last one was 2 weeks down the coast from Portland to SF in March '20. We were ~2/3rds of the way when CA did all the covid lockdowns and all the campsites we were gonna stay at closed, and the last 2 hotels we stayed at closed the day after we left them.
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Jul 19, 2022 18:37
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FireTora posted:Doing about a month tour biking the coast of Denmark. So... single speed for reliability?
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Jul 19, 2022 18:54
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CopperHound posted:I've toyed around with dynamo charging. An extra power bank is almost always a better choice. FireTora posted:a month tour biking the coast of Denmark. I found your place with no outlets or sun!
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Jul 19, 2022 22:18
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Do they even make rear dynamo hubs? That's a whole extra wheel that could be generating electricity!
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Jul 20, 2022 00:20
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Coxswain Balls posted:Do they even make rear dynamo hubs? That's a whole extra wheel that could be generating electricity! I feel like Sturmey Archer may have had one in the 50s. Honestly, a dynamo doesn't have the watts to charge a modern smartphone, but leaving a battery plugged in all day and charging your phone from that when stopped can get you really far.
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Jul 20, 2022 02:47
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SimonSays posted:I feel like Sturmey Archer may have had one in the 50s. I bought a USB voltage meter to check this. My Luxos IQ2 light’s USB output does 5v, 500ma steady as long as you’re doing more than like 10mph. I’m pretty sure my dynamo is a 6v/3w affair but I’ve never seen any actual data on the output. It doesn’t seem to dip the USB output even with the light on, but I’ve never checked it at low speeds for an extended period of time; the cache battery might be smoothing it over. It’ll definitely keep a phone or Garmin topped up throughout the day, unless you’re really pushing it with GPS navigation, poor cell reception, etc.
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Jul 20, 2022 13:56
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That light has a small battery inside. I actually have a spreadsheet of dynamo output from a son hub at various speed and load from a project I was working on. Basically Coxswain Balls was pretty much right about power topping out at at 5 watts, but it does take some fancy electronics to get the most usable power at a wide range of speeds. CopperHound fucked around with this message at 15:45 on Jul 20, 2022 |
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Jul 20, 2022 15:39
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CopperHound posted:That light has a small battery inside. Yeah it does, but it’s tiny. I rode it for way longer than that battery would support and it’s constant 5v 500ma.
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Jul 20, 2022 15:50
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Coxswain Balls posted:Do they even make rear dynamo hubs? That's a whole extra wheel that could be generating electricity! I could've sworn alfine di2 powered itself that way but I looked it up and it uses a battery like normal di2 
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Jul 20, 2022 16:18
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Maybe this is what you're thinking of: There are a ton of rear wheel hub generators, but they are heavy and output three phase power.
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Jul 20, 2022 16:36
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CopperHound posted:Maybe this is what you're thinking of: Oh, sick, I can power my industrial bandsaw off one then.
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Jul 20, 2022 16:47
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Days left until I check bike in for packing and shipping. Last major test ride:  (flats are for commuter duty; just swapped to SPDs) Biggest change is going to slick tires. The Cazaderos were great for the several miles (that's it!) of gravel we encountered last tour, but quite a drag on the road. Last tour, I had a saddle bag and fork-mounted bottles. The sway wasn't too bad, but I've convinced myself it'll just be more convenient with all panniers. Bottle now squeezed to the handlebar, where I can still walk the bike around by the stem (at least right handed) and I can ride with hands on the tops not too awkwardly. Upgraded to a bigger gastank bag, which does rub a bit more standing. Routewerks bag is much smaller than my old Banjo Bros, but I'm excited to try the integrated Garmin mount on the lid. Solar charger per Coxswain Balls' experience. On this ride I was testing if I can get anything on the move without all panels facing up (as he'd mentioned, the newer ones have more panels and are thus harder to arrange). 10Ah battery with 8 ticks on charge indicator. From almost flat, 1h of riding around in clear noontime sun didn't advance from 1 to 2 ticks. Need to do a bit more testing, but I'm still optimistic this'll be enough. I was getting a ticking creak on the NDS down stroke on standing pedaling, and neither swapping the pedals nor the BB addressed it. A little nervous about it, but I can just ease up and do more spinning if it gets worse. Tour is later August, from Missoula to Jackson, with a stop in Yellowstone.
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Jul 26, 2022 16:33
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