Nav with connected app - is there a way to see the next direction?

[shalperin]

I'm using the connected app with the dash turn by turn nav on my f750. I was wondering if there are any hidden tips or tricks with this setup. In particular I'd love to be able to see what the subsequent direction is, or cycle forward and back through the list. I like to ride with a mental model of where I'm going, not just with the next turn.

Obviously I can open the phone, but I'm asking on-bike.

Any other tips appreciated. This nav setup is almost workable.

 

[pglaves]

I'm using the connected app with the dash turn by turn nav on my f750. I was wondering if there are any hidden tips or tricks with this setup. In particular I'd love to be able to see what the subsequent direction is, or cycle forward and back through the list. I like to ride with a mental model of where I'm going, not just with the next turn.

Obviously I can open the phone, but I'm asking on-bike.

Any other tips appreciated. This nav setup is almost workable.

Paper maps in my tank bag window give me all the mental model I need.

 

[shalperin]

@PGlaves -- that's actually probably the direction I'm going. Or index cards, sharpee, and blue painter's tape. I really hate the idea of putting a speaker in my helmet, and the on-dash navigation seems like a recipe for destruction the way it's currently set up.

 

[pglaves]

@PGlaves -- that's actually probably the direction I'm going. Or index cards, sharpee, and blue painter's tape. I really hate the idea of putting a speaker in my helmet, and the on-dash navigation seems like a recipe for destruction the way it's currently set up.

Don't misunderstand what I meant. I ride with a GPS 99.9% of the time and often have two GPS units mounted - one doing routing and the other showing a data table (Speed, odometer, moving time, stopped time, elevation, etc.). But at any usable display range on the GPS map it is hard to see the bigger picture beyond the next turn or maybe two. My current routing model is an old Garmin Zumo 660 and I also have an older 276C I use for the data table because the old map doesn't matter for that use.

But if traveling I almost always have a map in the tankbag pocket. I buy a Rand McNally atlas every year or two and cut out the appropriate pages to cover my trip.

My approach is somewhat stone age compared to what technology can now do. I seldom build a route and upload it. I usually enter my destination as a waypoint and then shape the way I want to go by using one or more towns or intersections as via points. I started doing this with a Garmin II back in the mid-1990s. The maps back then were major roads only and good luck in some new subdivision. Even with my 660 with less than fresh maps I might need to stop and look at Google Maps on my phone to finalize the location of a house or business, etc. It is easy to use Google Maps to get the coordinates and then enter those into my GPS. But I am usually more interested in seeing the way to Seattle or Grand Forks rather than to 816 Reeves Drive.

I know there are several other ways to do this but this is what is most convenient and works best for me.

 

[lee]

My approach is somewhat stone age compared to what technology can now do. I seldom build a route and upload it. I usually enter my destination as a waypoint and then shape the way I want to go by using one or more towns or intersections as via points. .

I also use coordinates if we want to stay on little county roads.
In Google maps just click on the road you want to see the coordinates.
Works on a desktop or mobile device.

 

[kbasa]

I usually just enter my destination into whatever device I'm using. I, like Paul, carry a map in my tank bag and use that to find interesting roads along the way. The advantage is that the GPS will calculate time to destination, etc., so I can tell if my desired route is going to cause undue delay.

I'm definitely not one of the folks that spend however long making routes and then following them. I feel like it locks my vision onto dealing with the GPS than actually seeing anything.

My exception to that is for bicycle GPS products. In that situation, you want a defined route because if you miss a turn, you're going to have to use your legs to fix it. I used a Garmin 805 for a long time and my team used that devices ability to easily share routes pretty hard. Whoever organized the ride would load it on their device and when we were having our pre-ride meeting, he'd just share it all with us wirelessly. Worked great. Distance left, distance to turn, next turn direction, SAG support locations, etc. were all in there.

Afterwards, I'd usually load output to Strava which would store the routes as a GPX I could pull down and load onto my bike GPSs.

 

[Rick del Monte]

Sam, I use the connected app for the group rides I go on. You probably know this, but if I keep it on the standard screen it only shows turns as you are approaching. If I put it on the Navigation window it displays the next turn and distance while blocking out the rev counter. I run with my phone on a quad-lock mount showing me a graphic of the route, and the screen set on navigation indicating the next turn. I have never tried to connect it to my helmet and have had no issues with it.

 

[tag2501]

basics

Having a paper map on top of the tank bag is priceless. on longer trips a GPS is really helpful, and much less painful that the connected APP. BMW should be embarrassed by that product.
fundamentally anything that distracts you from the road and traffic is a liability.

 

[kbasa]

Sam, I use the connected app for the group rides I go on. You probably know this, but if I keep it on the standard screen it only shows turns as you are approaching. If I put it on the Navigation window it displays the next turn and distance while blocking out the rev counter. I run with my phone on a quad-lock mount showing me a graphic of the route, and the screen set on navigation indicating the next turn. I have never tried to connect it to my helmet and have had no issues with it.

I route my phone and helmet through the bike, using the Connected App. It's pretty sweet. Full control of music aside from volume controls, nav pumped into the helmet and if I want next turn, that can be displayed in the TFT with routing and map overview on my phone in the app. The cradle charges it, which is pretty nice and allows control of the app via the wheel.

Depending on my situation a GPS might be better, but for weekend riding, the app works really well. I like that as I ride, it records the rides and I can export them as a GPX. If I take any pictures, it adds it to the trip log, which includes things like max speed, max accel/decel, max lean angle left and right and how long the ride was. Being able to have any photos taken automatically added to the ride record is pretty nice, too.