bt

As long as I'm not home before I say I will be, my wife don't care.

Coulda swore I seen someone hopping my back fence the time I cut a ride short.

Who knows....

Jed19

My system too.

GlennR

That was your wife? Sorry.

bt

ooops, I'm single.

That was my Goat.

GlennR

Guess it was some other house.

But i'm not sure why a single guy has a goat.

Jed19

Dual purpose, you know. Milk and ........

GlennR

Nahhhhhhhhhhh

StanSeven

As long as your phone is on, you can be found

WalksOn2Wheels

So the last half of this has been hilarious. Thank you all.

But on a more serious note, the Garmin option (which I do have and have used and is awesome) is very expensive and it requires a smart phone to work. And if you already have a smart phone, there are several apps available for someone to find you via the GPS on your phone for free, some of which have already been mentioned.

BUT: If you really want a Garmin, this is a great way to sell it to the wife.

GlennR

Scary when you think about it.

Nachoman

I don't keep the wife too informed. Before I leave I may say something like I'll be back in a few hours. But that's about it.
And if I stretch my ride out a few extra hours, or cut it short by a couple hours, she's totally fine either way.

FBinNY 

Deb and I have been married almost 35 years. When we do things apart, like a bike ride, there are only 3 questions.

1- what time are you getting up/leaving?
2- any idea when you expect to be home?
3- are you going to be in shape to do anything after? (to which the answer is usually no).

This has served both of well throughout our marriage, without any reliance on cell phones or worry about what may happen between departure and return.

Prior to meeting Deb I used to crew on a 70' schooner. Captain Hans had a pat answer to the "when will you be back?" question. "Sailors don't wear watches, we use calendars. I've sort of adopted that outlook, and it makes life much easier.

Bassmanbob

I let her know about where I'm riding and I also have a Cardo BK-1. It's a headphones and microphone package that attaches to your helmet. I encourage her to call me anytime. I just press the button on my helmet and talk to her as if I'm sitting right next to her.

It it also helps to break the monotony of some long rides.

B. Carfree

There's no cell coverage over most of the range of my rides. (Yes, I live in an area that is that primitive.) I suppose I could be found if someone brings out the right gear before the battery goes dead, but the odds seem pretty slim.

When I'm riding alone, I use a Spot. I even pay the extra for the tracking feature that puts a pin on a map every ten minutes (when the canyons, hills and forest don't block access to the satellites). It allows me to send three pre-programmed texts as well, although I've never had to send any of those.

However, most of the time my wife knows where I'm at while I'm riding because I'm stoking the tandem she's captaining. We still use the Spot so that friends can come get us if we should get into a bit of trouble (never happened, but it's nice to have a net).

rlsmith17

In the past I have used the RoadId app for tracking and it was reliable. The only issue I had with it was how much it impacted the battery life on my phone. Any rides over 65 miles would completely drain the battery. After purchasing a Garmin 810 in April i started using their Live Track feature an that worked great until the last 2 weeks or so. It has gotten buggy and has only worked on 2 of the last 5 rides that I was on. Might have to switch back to the RoadID app for a while.

bgrider

I agree - some great comedy in these responses.

I will look into the road id and other apps. Short of following a pre-set route these seem to be the best ticket for someone knowing where you are at.

I have a question for those of you using the various phone apps (including the Garmin since its tracking feature apparently is linked to the phone): What is the impact on phone battery life of the various tracking app options? My rides can be as long as 4-5 hours. I tried using Map My Ride (once) and it was such a battery drain that it drained my battery long before the ride finished leaving me phoneless.

Great input here - I was unaware of any options other than Garmin. Thanks for the input.

BGRider

Sy Reene

One of the original tracking apps is (for an iPhone) simply named "Find my iPhone". As far as I know if someone uses their iphone to find another iphone, it's only using the battery of either device during the approx. 1 minute time period it takes to find the iphone and put the location on a map... assuming your wife would close the app after determining where you are.

I'm not sure whether android has same idea app, but I'd imagine so.

If you're asking about regular cycling software apps and their impact on phone battery life, I can generally use Wahoo Fitness or Strava over a 4-5 hour period and still have about 30% remaining (on a 'old' iphone 5). The important thing is to keep your screen off. I also throw a lipstick battery charger in my saddle bag just in case.

mcours2006

Serious response.
I like to go on Google Maps or some other site where you can plot your route as well as go onto Street View to see the terrain. I'll plot a route and leave it on the computer. Most times I don't stray from the route. So if she wants to know where I am she can just check the map.

bt

if she has an idea of your route, why can't she go on google earth and find you?

Amirite?

thump55

I may as well text a random stranger...they will come looking for me before my wife ever will.

Last year I crashed and did not call her. I was several hours late getting home and when I walked in, she just looked up from the life insurance papers she had spread out on the table and just mumbled, "Gol dammit"

rjones28 

wphamilton

For Android there is an app called Glympse that works pretty well. You pre-set the options, then when you start it she gets an email or text. The email has a link to a map with your current location, speed and estimated ETA.

I've used it a couple of times and I don't think anyone ever actually looked at the map page. You might as well just send a text.

bikecrate

I thought bike riding was about being untethered from the family for awhile.

cderalow

road id bracelet in case of emergencies.

find my friends app on our iphones/ipads... or she can locate me using the find my iphone app on the ipad....

i generally give the 'I'm going riding, back in x hours'

tobefirst

I'm with these guys. The iPhone's Find My Friends app works well enough for my wife's concerns to be assuaged.