January 4, 2022
Why is RWGPS such a good safety measure?
I started using Ride with GPS (RWGPS) 12 years ago now, why?
Of course once upon a time paper cue sheets were the one and only way to follow routes, maybe with a cycling computer that indicated distance and speed so you could see where you were on the route by distance and look for the turns on your paper route. Or committing the route to memory. Then came the Garmin revolution and on screen maps and electronic alerts for turns. I was using a Garmin and I crashed into the back of the rider in front of me because I was looking at the screen to read the name of Road for the turn coming up and not looking at the road and rider in front of me. It only takes a moment. It could be a hole or a stone in the road.
With RWGPS, voice, spoken, directions are available and there is no need to look at the device on your handle bars. This feature sold me right away and I have not been disappointed! There are various modes in which you can use the app coupled with the CBC RWGPS Club Account, free with a CBC Club membership, and get the voice navigation. There are other paid RWGPS accounts which you may want to consider as well. I have found that the RWGPS route creation and editing tools are the best available, and their support team is very responsive should you have an issue. Directions for accessing the CBC Ride With GPS Club Account are available under the members’ menu. With a free RWGPS account and the CBC Club account you get the premium voice navigation feature which is otherwise only available with a paid account. I use the voice navigation without the maps being displayed as I don’t want to look at the screen, but it can be set to pop open the screen for 30 seconds to show the map as well!
You can also use the free RWGPS app and Club Account to load routes onto your Garmin device as well! I download the route to my phone the night before and it goes into the OFFLINE folder, when there are too many routes in there I delete them. They are only deleted from my phone, not the account. Using the phone in Airplane Mode will save battery and you can turn it off at stops to see if you missed any important calls and then put it back in Airplane mode for the rest of the ride.
There are various handlebar mounts for phones, one good one is Quadlock and I have used Nite Ize Raptor as well and never have lost a phone.
We all know that distracted driving is dangerous and potentially deadly, being distracted while riding your bike is also dangerous, being able to be present and aware at all times is safest.
PS. I do not own stock in RWGPS, they are a private company!
Many safe and happy rides in 2022 and beyond!
Peter Aaron