Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling - Recommend a simple compass solution...?

Hi Everyone,

Purchasing a GPS for my road bike would be great, but unfortunately not in the budget. :(

Has anyone found a working (metal parts is a problem) and non-obtrusive (without a bell!) solution for a handlemount compass?

Thanks in advance
Mike

I bought a compass/whistle/magnifying glass/thermometer thing from Canadian Tire for about $5. It has a clip and chain on it, and I've clipped it to a piece of my handlebar bag. I can reach it while I'm riding to check the temperature or the direction I'm heading or whatever.

Thanks Machka, you're always very helpful. :)

I keep a small folding compass in my bar bag and found a small compass in a auto parts store I mounted to my bars for general direction headings. As for cost, nothing beats a good compass to use with you maps

I still have the one that came w/ my PBP package, in '07. Great little compass. I attach it to my Bento bag.

You can see it in the "Navigation: kit part of this page (http://www.veloweb.ca/randopages/randokit.html).

I slide my Silva backpacking compass in the map case on my handlebar bag. It's lightweight and easy to read.

I keep a small folding compass in my bar bag and found a small compass in a auto parts store I mounted to my bars for general direction headings. As for cost, nothing beats a good compass to use with you maps

You don't have any interference with the metal parts from your bike?

I still have the one that came w/ my PBP package, in '07. Great little compass. I attach it to my Bento bag.

You can see it in the "Navigation: kit part of this page (http://www.veloweb.ca/randopages/randokit.html).

Does yours actually work? I've compared mine to other compasses, and that one is indicating that North is off in another direction all the time.

The compass is a small ball that rests inside a plastic shell, which is mounted to a plastic bar
on top of my bar bag mount. As it is used for basic checking, it doesn't seem to get any interference for the bars. When I realy need to check a heading I get my better compass and get away from the bike

Thanks everyone, I appreciate your insights. :thumb:

Get a decent backpacking compass.

Some of those -- the Suunto I have -- you can adjust for declination.

You could mount it on your bike, then "adjust for declination" to zero out any interference from metal bars, etc.

This would be easy to do. The only hard part is to find a way to make sure you are pointing the bike-mounted compass in the right direction when you make the adjustments.

Or ... ride carbon.

Or ... ride carbon.

Interesting point. I do ride carbon, except for the handlebar, wheels, and brakes. I'll assume potential interference (someone advise me if i'm wrong here) from these components as they are all directly under the compass - once mounted on the handlebars.

I've got a Suunto Clipper Compass ($12.50 from REI). The face is about the size of a nickel and it comes with a wrist strap. I used the wrist strap to attach it to my handlebars. My bars and stem are alloy. The only metal near by are the screws in the stem and I just set it an inch or so away and it seems to work fine. My frame is carbon though, don't know if that makes a difference. Its works really well for keeping up with general riding direction and tracking where the wind is coming from.

I've got a Suunto Clipper Compass ($12.50 from REI). The face is about the size of a nickel and it comes with a wrist strap. I used the wrist strap to attach it to my handlebars. My bars and stem are alloy. The only metal near by are the screws in the stem and I just set it an inch or so away and it seems to work fine. My frame is carbon though, don't know if that makes a difference. Its works really well for keeping up with general riding direction and tracking where the wind is coming from.

Thanks everyone. :)

ditto on the Suunto
i have a Vector
and i use it for everything

i've had it for at least 4yrs now