Long Distance Cycling - Your cue sheet/map holders

Cue sheets and maps are sort of a long distance requirement, and I'm curious to see what everyone has found that works best for them. So, what's your favorite system?

I use a Cue Clip. Put the folded cue sheet in a zip top bag and clip around the zipper. Holds securely and stays dry.

An Adventure Cycling map holder. Discontinued one that you won't see on their website. I don't like it much. Oddly shaped window requires too much folding of cue sheets, lanyard tends to get in the way, but it has a 1" pocket under the map window that holds energy bars, keys, cell phone. I'm planning to try something different this year, maybe a Zefal.

zip-lock bag and a clothes pin, clip it to the brake cable. cheap and easy!!

I had my maps in a normal transparant map case hanging around my neck, tucked into the reflective 'belt' I was wearing. It was easy enough to pick up with one hand and look at it while riding along, and then tuck it back in.

For really long rides I make my own maps and get them printed. I put a lot of time into it so I can fold it up in many different ways in a transparent case and see where I'm going for a bits at a time. I examine the roads carefully and make zoomed in versions for places like cities where I might get lost. For most of my rides however I just take a look at the map at home, sometimes jot down a few notes, then take off. I get lost a lot but I'm getting better at it.

Here is my setup for the SF 200k brevet tomorrow. I reduced the cue sheet down to two 3x5" cards glued to an index card, turn over card for 2nd half. Used colors for left/right turns and other items with elevation profile along the top (got really bored at work one day). Then poor man laminated for the rain tomorrow using quality packaging tape. Couple of binder clips zip tied to the handlebars.

SharpT

http://pic40.picturetrail.com/VOL362/677161/15775683/300618364.jpg

i use a waterproof clip-on holder that goes on top of my ortlieb "classic" handlebar bag. has plenty of space for longer cues.

Bar Map
http://www.cycoactive.com/bike/bms.html

One of the real advantages of a classicaly-styled handlebar bag is the clear plastic top under which you have all the room in the world for maps and cue sheets, which are also protected from the weather.

While I've never been a fan of the various jury-rigged contraptions for attaching cue sheets to bicycles, I will say that I saw home-made device which held the cue sheet curled around a pair of rollers, kind of like a cigarette rolling machine. Only a few lines were visible at any given time, and as the route progressed, a knob on the device was turned, advancing the sheet so that the next cue was available. I wish I'd talked to the fellow a bit; I am sure the thing is marketable.

That sounds pretty neat six jours.

I'd love a classy bar bag, and that would solve the problem but there are a lot of rides where you don't need the storage of a bag but still need a cue sheet.

I used binder clips and rubber bands instead of zip ties (none on hand) today and it worked great. Thanks for all the suggestions everyone.

One of the real advantages of a classicaly-styled handlebar bag is the clear plastic top under which you have all the room in the world for maps and cue sheets, which are also protected from the weather.

While I've never been a fan of the various jury-rigged contraptions for attaching cue sheets to bicycles, I will say that I saw home-made device which held the cue sheet curled around a pair of rollers, kind of like a cigarette rolling machine. Only a few lines were visible at any given time, and as the route progressed, a knob on the device was turned, advancing the sheet so that the next cue was available. I wish I'd talked to the fellow a bit; I am sure the thing is marketable.

In 06 I used the Cycoactive thing on my aerobars, for 07 I was playing around with something very similar to what you describe in a box like arrangement. I made it tiny - too tiny in fact. I've also used my Ortlieb bar bag with the great map case...

Here's a prototype I'm hoping to have some parts made for: (this dates from awhile ago, sent to some machine nerd friends... if I have time I'll make one for 08) (pardon the modeling, I have a clean version somewhere...)

going low tech, paper style. I've searched the web and the best I can do is map cases (already use one and have issues) and the bulky (heavy!) motorcycle roadbook holder.

So, I've been playing around with some sample cases and its just not working out... it would all be a hack job and not really work.

http://www.mikebeganyi.com/webimages/CueTube/cuetube.jpg


This is what I've come up with:

Acrylic tube 3" OD about 5.5" long.
Aluminum end caps with a gasket of some sort to keep out the weather.
Interior acrylic tube 2.5" OD (half a tube, used as a base for pulling the paper cue over).
2 interior aluminum rods to hold / wind the paper. (turned down on the ends, maybe to slide into nylon bushings)
Aluminum base inside to hold the ends together and serve as an LED mount. (this would be bolted to the interior end caps)
Room for a battery and LED for lighting this up at night (from within, using a red LED so as to not wipe out my night vision).
End cap oppositte knobs spins off on a threaded stud for easy no tools access / adjustment. (need gasket to keep out water)
End cap with knobs is fastened to interior aluminum base (both sides) to hold the inner works together.
4.25" (most cues are set up to print 4 per 'letter' sheet) paper rolls on one end, then over the interior tube and onto the other roll. I'll need some sort of drive belt between the 2 rods to sync both rollers, so I can go forward and back without screwing up the roll. (and work the thing from either knob)
I'm working out the mounting details next. I'll mount it centered on my bars, just in front of the stem. Probably some sort of bolt patter through the outer tube at the base. You simply loosen the aluminum end a bit to adjust the angle.

I also need to work out the paper clip attachment thing. I'm thinking some tape will work just fine... but was also considering a spring clip of some sort.


http://www.mikebeganyi.com/webimages/CueTube/cuetube3.jpg


http://www.mikebeganyi.com/webimages/CueTube/cuetube4.jpg


http://www.mikebeganyi.com/webimages/CueTube/cuetube5.jpg


http://www.mikebeganyi.com/webimages/CueTube/cuetube6.jpg


http://www.mikebeganyi.com/webimages/CueTube/cuetube7.jpg

Mount from below, on something that will float just in front of the bar tops. I'll need something here too - but might be able to adapt something to a h-bar bag mount.




So, that was last year... I've rethought the whole thing and am hoping to make it from off the shelf parts. I have some of them on hand somewhere... as spring gets closer I'll see if it is worth it.

I think you're on the right track, Mike. I took a long look at cigarette rolling machines a while after seeing the gadget I wrote about, and finally decided that it was mildly promising, but much more work than I was interested in.

I do believe there'd be a market for a good quality device. With all the rickety items I see zip tied to handlebars, and gutters full of cue sheets...

i'd also like to see a consumer version of the nfl-quarterback forearm thingy that they keep plays on - it'd be perfect!

cue clip works fine for me.....so far

i'd also like to see a consumer version of the nfl-quarterback forearm thingy that they keep plays on - it'd be perfect!


http://www.touratech-usa.com/shop/media3/FM-1.jpg

here (http://www.cycoactive.com/mc/fm1.html)

ride a tandem and tape the map and the route to the pilot's back.

i was looking at something like this. (http://www.touratech-usa.com/shop/show.lasso?SKU=020-0020&-session=touratech:4B44F662052d80DA0DLPL252BBD4)

http://www.touratech-usa.com/shop/media2/01-020-0020-01.jpg

i talked to the folks from touratech (http://www.touratech-usa.com/shop/show.lasso?SKU=020-0020&-session=touratech:4B44F662052d80DA0DLPL252BBD4) last winter and they said you could probably strip out a bunch of the stuff in here to simplify it for bike use... there's a bunch of harware for mounting options on the motorcycle.

its a bit bulky, but if you added a fabric pouch below it you could make it into a feed / camera bag as well. i didn't like that it only takes narrow paper... 1/4 letter size would be better for cue reading.

zip-lock bag and a clothes pin, clip it to the brake cable. cheap and easy!!

What (s)he said.

Scott P
Bend, OR

i was looking at something like this. (http://www.touratech-usa.com/shop/show.lasso?SKU=020-0020&-session=touratech:4B44F662052d80DA0DLPL252BBD4)

http://www.touratech-usa.com/shop/media2/01-020-0020-01.jpg

i talked to the folks from touratech (http://www.touratech-usa.com/shop/show.lasso?SKU=020-0020&-session=touratech:4B44F662052d80DA0DLPL252BBD4) last winter and they said you could probably strip out a bunch of the stuff in here to simplify it for bike use... there's a bunch of harware for mounting options on the motorcycle.

its a bit bulky, but if you added a fabric pouch below it you could make it into a feed / camera bag as well. i didn't like that it only takes narrow paper... 1/4 letter size would be better for cue reading.
When I went searching online for the gadget I saw on the one fellow's handlebars, that's what came up. Same thing about 1/4 size would be just the ticket...

I have a 350 cubic inch handlebar bag retrofitted semi-permanently to a small front rack (Nashbar mini-rack). It has a clear top case, but i dont use it, I use 3 small binder clips, 2 attached to the bag's front corners and one attached to a cable housing. A freezer bag with properly folded and organized cue sheets works really well and allows full access to the bag. The h-bar bag is so good for randonneuring in so many ways... way better now that it's on the rack as opposed to the less stable bar mount, too. A 10 lb. load is manageable, where as 10 lbs. connected directly to the bars was a nightmare. The load is carried lower this way too. The French are on to something good with the front rack/decaleur systems.

One of the real advantages of a classicaly-styled handlebar bag is the clear plastic top under which you have all the room in the world for maps and cue sheets, which are also protected from the weather.

While I've never been a fan of the various jury-rigged contraptions for attaching cue sheets to bicycles, I will say that I saw home-made device which held the cue sheet curled around a pair of rollers, kind of like a cigarette rolling machine. Only a few lines were visible at any given time, and as the route progressed, a knob on the device was turned, advancing the sheet so that the next cue was available. I wish I'd talked to the fellow a bit; I am sure the thing is marketable.

Must have been a BCI ride. I had heard that there was an attempt to market it...

I have a 350 cubic inch handlebar bag retrofitted semi-permanently to a small front rack (Nashbar mini-rack).

What bag, and how did you attach it to the rack? I've got a similar sized h'bar bag and the same front rack I'd like to set up that way.

it's the Novara brand bag from REI.

http://www.rei.com/product/733832

I drilled a small hole through the bottom of it and the rack. A nut an bolt and its quite well attached. I use a hard to explain cord set-up to keep the front of the bag held down. Basically a thin cord holds the front of the bag down on the rack and keeps the top secure when yanking on the zipper. It is not quick release, but this is not an issue for me.

I really need to post pictures of this contraption as i'm quite proud of it....

good luck, Clifton.

-L

zip-lock bag and a clothes pin, clip it to the brake cable. cheap and easy!!

Ah! Sweet simplicity. I love it....

Ah! Sweet simplicity. I love it....

Almost as simple, I use the smallest size office clip (those little black spring-steel things with the silver lever-handles) and zip tie it to the stem. Very inexpensive too.

Rick / OCRR

I found this on the Oklahoma Bicycle Society website. It is larger than I need, so I adapted it using a snack (1/2 the size of sandwich) size baggie and ignored the gluing step. Works great. Cheep. No metal parts and nothing to break or scratch my bike. The plastic canvas gives enough support to any map/cue sheet. Very light. Works well. After picking up the supplies, I made it in less than ten minutes.

http://www.oklahomabicyclesociety.com/hintstips/mapholder/mapholder.htm

Some of these seem a bit complicated. I zip tie 2 binder clips to the bars (one on each side of the stem) and put the Q sheet inside a quart size ziplock which gets clipped in the binder clips. Simple, easy, and almost free.

Some of these seem a bit complicated. I zip tie 2 binder clips to the bars (one on each side of the stem) and put the Q sheet inside a quart size ziplock which gets clipped in the binder clips. Simple, easy, and almost free.
Yeah, some of it probably is more complicated than it needs to be, but there are those of us who don't really care for bodges like zip ties and baggies. Us anal retentive types like things to be just so!

Not mine, but if you go to bentrideronline, someone has done this very cheaply with twofish blocks.

In 06 I used the Cycoactive thing on my aerobars, for 07 I was playing around with something very similar to what you describe in a box like arrangement. I made it tiny - too tiny in fact. I've also used my Ortlieb bar bag with the great map case...

Here's a prototype I'm hoping to have some parts made for: (this dates from awhile ago, sent to some machine nerd friends... if I have time I'll make one for 08) (pardon the modeling, I have a clean version somewhere...)

going low tech, paper style. I've searched the web and the best I can do is map cases (already use one and have issues) and the bulky (heavy!) motorcycle roadbook holder.

So, I've been playing around with some sample cases and its just not working out... it would all be a hack job and not really work.

http://www.mikebeganyi.com/webimages/CueTube/cuetube.jpg


This is what I've come up with:

Acrylic tube 3" OD about 5.5" long.
Aluminum end caps with a gasket of some sort to keep out the weather.
Interior acrylic tube 2.5" OD (half a tube, used as a base for pulling the paper cue over).
2 interior aluminum rods to hold / wind the paper. (turned down on the ends, maybe to slide into nylon bushings)
Aluminum base inside to hold the ends together and serve as an LED mount. (this would be bolted to the interior end caps)
Room for a battery and LED for lighting this up at night (from within, using a red LED so as to not wipe out my night vision).
End cap oppositte knobs spins off on a threaded stud for easy no tools access / adjustment. (need gasket to keep out water)
End cap with knobs is fastened to interior aluminum base (both sides) to hold the inner works together.
4.25" (most cues are set up to print 4 per 'letter' sheet) paper rolls on one end, then over the interior tube and onto the other roll. I'll need some sort of drive belt between the 2 rods to sync both rollers, so I can go forward and back without screwing up the roll. (and work the thing from either knob)
I'm working out the mounting details next. I'll mount it centered on my bars, just in front of the stem. Probably some sort of bolt patter through the outer tube at the base. You simply loosen the aluminum end a bit to adjust the angle.

I also need to work out the paper clip attachment thing. I'm thinking some tape will work just fine... but was also considering a spring clip of some sort.


http://www.mikebeganyi.com/webimages/CueTube/cuetube3.jpg


http://www.mikebeganyi.com/webimages/CueTube/cuetube4.jpg


http://www.mikebeganyi.com/webimages/CueTube/cuetube5.jpg


http://www.mikebeganyi.com/webimages/CueTube/cuetube6.jpg


http://www.mikebeganyi.com/webimages/CueTube/cuetube7.jpg

Mount from below, on something that will float just in front of the bar tops. I'll need something here too - but might be able to adapt something to a h-bar bag mount.




So, that was last year... I've rethought the whole thing and am hoping to make it from off the shelf parts. I have some of them on hand somewhere... as spring gets closer I'll see if it is worth it.

Some of these seem a bit complicated. I zip tie 2 binder clips to the bars (one on each side of the stem) and put the Q sheet inside a quart size ziplock which gets clipped in the binder clips. Simple, easy, and almost free.

I did this for my ride last weekend, except instead of a ziploc bag, I used a photo laminate sheet and just photocopy reduced my cue sheet to fit in it. Worked great. Thanx for the idea.

Has anyone tried this?

http://www.arkel-od.com/panniers/mapcase/features.asp?fl=1&site=

I used some insulated electrical wire to tie the binder clips to my handlebars for yesterdays century. It worked pretty well and I don't have to keep buying zip ties.

I used some insulated electrical wire to tie the binder clips to my handlebars for yesterdays century. It worked pretty well and I don't have to keep buying zip ties.

You take the binder/cue clips off after each ride?
I used the extra small binder clips and zip-tied them on last weekend, and I haven't taken them off. They're not in the way of anything and don't add significant weight to the bike, so unless I get really picky about aesthetics, they're staying put.

You take the binder/cue clips off after each ride?
I used the extra small binder clips and zip-tied them on last weekend, and I haven't taken them off. They're not in the way of anything and don't add significant weight to the bike, so unless I get really picky about aesthetics, they're staying put.

They rattle a bit, and I tend to pride myself on a nearly silent bike...