Originally Posted by
noglider
Tourist in MSN, I enjoy reading your stories. They spark my imagination.
You don't need Strava, just as you don't need bikeforums. They are both social media. If talking about bikes and bike riding on BF is more satisfying than seeing people's GPS tracks, then do that. I know you know this. It's
roadcrankr who might be unaware of the
variety of how people ride and what they need.
These gadgets and services are helpful to some people but not everyone, obviously. I listened to the audiobook
Coffee First, Then the World read by the author. Jenny Graham broke the women's world record for cycling around the planet. She used a phone on her handlebars and secured it with a Quad Lock mount. It failed near the end of the trip but it survived longer than any other would have lasted. Since I don't use a bike computer, I realized, the hard way, that a good phone mount is a good investment for me.
Did Jenny Graham break the record before or after Lael Wilcox?
I am a retired geological engineer, I worked with maps every day for my professional career before I retired. I bought my first personal GPS in 2001, I have lost count of how many GPS units I have bought over the decades. I often used my own GPS for work too, they did not provide one. When you had to have good maps and location equipment for your job, you have a different attitude on that sort of stuff than the attitude from a weekend roadie.
There have been a couple times when I put my phone in the clear map case on top of my handlebar bag, I do not recall why I did that but I recall doing it. I remember in bright sun not being able to see anything on it. Point being that I have used the phone as a backup to the GPS.
According to this link, only two of the riders that responded to the survey used phones for navigation on the Great Divide race this year, that is twice as many as used paper maps. Over 100 used GPS. I am actually shocked that so few used their phone since everyone would have carried a phone too. They probably were reluctant to use their phone in rain and snow.
https://bikepacking.com/bikes/rigs-o...r-divide-stats
If you enjoyed my story on my parking brake that saved the day for that phone user on a brevet, in brake mode my parking brake looks like this, two extra thick hair elastics:
