Sunday, January 19, 2014

Jan 19 (Day 19) - Hard riding out of New York, Navigation discussion

Yesterday I described what a headache is was to get into New York City. Well, it was just a bad getting out. The abundant roadside glass and debris caught up with me today and gave me a flat in a terrible spot (see below). My ride was scheduled for 53 miles, but because of an unyielding 15mph headwind the entire day, it felt more like 70. I had to pedal the bike even going downhill (ugh). However, I am excited to be staying at Best Western in South Plainville, NJ tonight. They were really understanding about my bike, and they gave me first floor room right near the exit with a ramp. After 53 windy miles, this was a really welcomed gesture. On top of this, they even put a Wendy's in across the street!




Many people have asked how I am doing my navigation on this trip. My iPhone can do live navigation (GPS) with Google maps. However, this function drains the battery very fast. This occurs even faster in the cold weather (as it true for all batteries). The navigation problems are compounded in big urban areas where you must make many turns. If you're on one road for 35 miles, you can periodically flip on the GPS to check your position; This is very energy efficient. However, in a city, you really need to have it on all the time for it to be of any use. The problem is that if you leave the GPS on nonstop in a big city, chances are its gonna die on you at some point. The way that I combat these challenges is that I create a set of directions and a map (using Google) with the route marked on it the night before the trip. I can open this map on my phone with Safari when I am riding. This saves much battery power as simply accessing the internet where the map is saved uses much less battery power than the live tracking function of the GPS. You do have to keep sliding the map along as you move, but it works fairly well in some but not all instances. First, since touch screen phones use heat to sense your finger (not pressure), it makes navigating with gloves on impossible; I have to take my glove off at least 50 times a day when navigating through big cities in the cold. Second, touch screens do not work when it is very cold (i.e. the first 10 days of my trip). Third, they function very poorly in the rain. My normal routine is to use the internet maps for a few hours, then switch on the GPS as I get closer to my destination.

It appears as though I left my computer charger in New York, so this it is for today. Oh, here's where I got the flat.

9 comments:

  1. Hi Dorian, with regards to the gloves on and off thing it is wise to invest in some cheap thin knitted etouch gloves (here in The Netherlands available in every shop that sells Hats and gloves and stuff, and also in most shoe-repair shops). Use them as a base layer under your normal gloves to keep nice and toasty. I enjoy reading about your trip very much. have fun and stay safe.

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    1. Hi Janneke

      Luckily I am almost out of the coldest areas, so I hope this will soon be a problem of the past. I'll keep these in ming though, thanks!

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  2. Hey man. I met you at the Central Park feeders on Saturday. As a birder and biker, I'm totally into your year. Regarding route-finding, you've probably already investigated this but if not, check out the maps put out by the Adventure Cycling Association (adventurecycling.org). Incredibly detailed and biker-friendly maps for major routes across the country (including down the east coast, across the southern tier, up through the rockies and down through Cali). While you'd clearly need to tailor your trip to maximize bird-finding, I'm sure they'll be lots of stretches where you just need to get from A to B and these maps might be useful. Also worth checking out the organization for support and potential cross-pollination marketing efforts to get the biking community involved in your journey as much as the birding community. In any case, keep rockin and rollin. -Ethan Goodman

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    1. Hey Ethan

      Good to hear from you again. I will definitely check this out during my downtime in Philly this week. Thanks.

      Dorian

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  3. What type of tires are you using? I was getting flats on my commute almost daily. I finally broke down and got a pair of these http://www.amazon.com/Schwalbe-Marathon-Plus-Road-Bike/dp/B0015UOUJQ . I put on another 1,500 miles and not a single flat. They are a bit heavier but you will not have to change a flat again. I'm following your blog daily and hoping you find all the good birds. Andy Dettling

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    1. Andy

      If I get a few more flats, I'll certainly look into this. Right now it hasn't become enough of a pain for me to do anything about it. Stay tuned though.....

      Dorian

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  4. Have you looked into dynamo generators for recharging or powering your phone as you pedal? I've read about (but not used) sidewall-driven, hub-driven, and chain-driven systems. A local bike shop might be able to better advise you about them and tell you if they're worth the trouble.

    Good luck, and stay safe!

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    1. Hi Clayton

      Yes, I have thought about this. I may need something like this when I get into area with less people. Right now I think I can get away without it though. Thanks for the help.

      Dorian

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  5. probably not heat detection, rather a capacitive technology at work. Lots of capable glove options. I just use the tip of my nose. Waterproof your phone with a sandwich bag, the touchscreen still works.

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