I think if you have one of these waterproof cases hiding your phone it'd be ok. You can just use any old phone with GPS , it doesn't need a sim card in it. I've used Maps.me for years , free and easy (won't load GPX) but I know people recommend Osmand Maps. Phones are fine for shorter distances in the city. If I was doing all day bike touring i'd probably get a cycle computer.
That Osmand maps does look good and it's on sale at a tenner now. Walking is by far my preferred mode of transport but if I do a lot more cycling, I might just think about investing.
Sure, the advantage of Maps.Me is that it let's you easily download all the OpenStreetMaps for free worldwide. Great when offline.
I've been using this too which also does offline stuff (and it works with my Samsung watch which is handy)
han is a fan of bridleways.
Agree with Han about the Schwalbe Marathon Plus, also the Specialized Nimbus Armadillo is another great commuter tyre, I only got the very occasional puncture every 18mths-2yrs of regular commuting.
Just a trade off between grip/speed/punctures. I’d rather risk the odd stop at the side of the road - that I can fix in less than 5 mins now - and still have decent grip. Some of the tougher tyres are horrible to ride IMO.
The smart guard version is supposed to reduce the rolling resistance. I haven't ridden them so can't comment on what difference it actually makes. The Marathon Plus is certainly quite a heavy dead feeling tyre so it depends what kind of bike you're putting it on probably - if it's a chunky utility/hybrid then you're unlikely to care or notice. If it's a lighter weight touring bike you might want to get the smart guard version.
Ah nice, thanks. I opted for the regular one in the end. It's a very entry level hybrid so doubt I'll notice much. Mostly went for the regular one as it was in-stock for click and collect at my LBS. Plus has reflective strips.
I use Osmand, have done so for years. You can download the maps from their website for free and sideload them into the app. I have an old Moto e with no SIM in a quad lock on my stem for navigation. The setup works really well for touring.
Out today and discovered some utter muppet has signed off installing this across a local cycle route
View attachment 257028
What’s even worse is the number of “it’s not so bad I can just get off and push my bike round it” responses on the local FB group
www.cyclingweekly.com
What’s more worrying is that it’s taken a high profile, very public failure for them to take action. Imagine if this was just a normal customer telling them they’d had a failure. Can’t help but think they’d be fobbed off.
