POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
Us Providing GPS Units
to Participants
GPS Units • Batteries • Handlebar
Mounts • Security • Training
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Individual Handlebar Mounted GPS Units |
When we decide to provide individual GPS units to every participant who
does not already have their own instead of painting the route, all participants
who will not be riding with their own individual GPS unit will receive an
individual handlebar mounted GPS unit with the route and rest stop locations
pre-programmed in from us! This service will be included with registration,
there will not be any extra charge, and we guarantee to support all units
that we provide to the participants ourselves.
We understand that you might be a little nervous about using these units,
especially if you would not consider yourself to be technically savvy. You
have nothing to worry about because we have been using these units ourselves
extensively since 2006, are intimately familiar with every aspect of them,
and have tested everything ourselves. Also, you can always contact us at
any time for help in case you have any questions or problems with the GPS
units while riding and we encourage you to ask as many questions as necessary
so that you not only feel comfortable but also very excited about using GPS
technology to navigate by. We're really excited to be able to help
you learn how to use them!
Your individual GPS unit will be ready to be used to navigate when you receive
it - all routes and waypoints will already pre-programmed in. You will not
have to upload or download any type of data yourself and you will not need
any type of computer or laptop at all. We may also individualize the routes
on each unit for each participant as appropriate, such as staying at the
main lodging site or supported hotel, riding days for partial day tours,
etc.
You will receive your individual GPS unit, a full set of batteries, and
a handlebar mount as appropriate for the entire event at check in. Each unit
will be individually numbered and assigned to a specific participant and
you will be responsible for keeping track of your own individual unit.
Otherwise if you prefer to not mount the GPS unit on your handlebars, it
will also easily fit into a jersey back pocket.
At the end of the event you will return the unit, any leftover batteries,
and the handlebar mount back to us.
GPS Units
Most participants will receive a Garmin eTrex Legend Cx GPS unit.
Depending on the availability of these units, we may also provide a Garmin
eTrex Legend HCx or Garmin GPSMap 60CSx unit instead.
Each unit will have an individual number marked both on the outside and
also on the unit's welcome message. We will track which unit is assigned
to each individual participant so please make sure you have the right one
and don't get it mixed up with anyone else's.
Initial Unit Set Up
We have gone through and set up every unit specifically for the purposes of
following our routes and have eliminated as many unnecessary functions as
possible to confusion.
PLEASE only operate our units as instructed and do not try and "tweak" or "customize" anything,
especially if you are more familiar with the operation of these GPS units.
We do not perform a factory default setting reset on the units after each
event and if you "tweak" or "customize" any setting
it could be incredibly confusing and frustrating for the next participant
who uses the unit, particularly if they are not very familiar with the GPS
technology, not technically savvy, and very, very nervous about relying on
the GPS units for navigation instead of painted marks on the road.
- Click Here for
more information about Our GPS Units.
Batteries
We will provide you a full set of disposable AA batteries as necessary
for the entire event. We will not provide rechargeable batteries because
we do not have the capability to pre-charge all batteries for all units before
the event or swap out discharged batteries with fully charged ones after
the ride each day for multi-day events.
Stored data is not lost when the batteries are removed
- Click Here for
more information about GPS Unit Power.
Handlebar Mounts
Regular 1 inch (25.4 mm)
diameter width handlebar mount
with rubber spacers
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Oversize 1 1/4 inch (31.8 mm)
diameter width handlebar mount
with rubber spacers
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We will provide you a mount to attach our GPS unit to your handlebars. Rubber
spacers will also be supplied with the handlebar mount to eliminate any gap
and mount it securely and ensure it fits tight and doesn't slip. We will
also have electrical tape and different sized screws available if necessary.
Most handlebars are typically 1 inch (25.4mm) diameter although occasionally,
some handlebars are "oversized" at 1 1/4 inches (31.8 mm) diameter. These
oversized handlebars are typically only found on higher end carbon handlebars.
The handlebar mounts are about 7/8" wide and the GPS unit sits about 5/16" above
the handlebars when attached.
When you register you will let us know what diameter (width) your handlebars
are so that we can ensure we will have the proper size mount for you.The
easiest way we've found to measure your handlebars is to simply take a ruler
and put it behind the handlebars (see picture). You can see pretty clearly
these are the oversize 1 1/4" wide handlebars.
You may need to readjust some things on your handlebars in order to make
room for the GPS unit and mount and if necessary we strongly recommend doing
this at home rather than at the start of the event because it will be MUCH
easier for you to do it there.
Handlebar Mount Installation and Removal You
will need to install the handlebar mount before the start of the event. The handlebar
mounts are very easy to put on and take off. The only tool required to install
the mount is a #2 Phillips head screwdriver. We will have a couple of screwdrivers
available but we strongly recommend bringing your own screwdriver with you
so that you won't have to wait for anyone else to install it.
To install
the handlebar mount to your handlebars, loosen the screw and fully open
the mount. Then close the mount around your handlebars where you want to
install
it and tighten the screw to clamp it secure. You may need to use the rubber
spacers and/or some electrical tape to ensure the mount remains tight and
doesn't slip. Make sure to install the mount in the right direction so
that the GPS unit is not mounted upside down - it can be installed backwards.
You can also easily set the angle at which you view the GPS unit while
riding
by just adjusting the angle the mount in installed on your handlebars.
In order to remove the handlebar mount from your handlebars simply unscrew
the mount and remove it and any rubber spacers and/or electrical tape used
to mount it.
The night before the first riding day of an event is by far the best time
to install the handlebar mount if you can arrive then. If you have difficulty
installing the mount we can also help you.
Security
Because we don't give you a choice as to whether or not we
will supply you with a GPS unit to navigate by, we really can't ask
for a security deposit or charge you if you lose or break them. So we ask
that you PLEASE BE CAREFUL and remember to remove them from your bike and
keep them sure when not in use because any repair or replacement costs come
directly out of our pocket.
Here are pictures of the mount installed on handlebars and the GPS unit
itself attached on the right side.
Training
We will rely on you initially reading through these web site pages
in order to become more familiar with what to expect and how to operate the
GPS units to save time during the event itself.
We will also have an extensive hands on training session during the opening
meeting on how to use the GPS units. If the opening meeting is the night
before the first riding day, you will also get a good chance to practice
using the GPS units in town that night, such as using them to go to dinner.
The syllabus for the GPS training directly parallels the information on
the web site about How to Operate Our GPS Units. Click Here for more information.
- Using the GPS Unit on Your Handlebars
- oHandlebar Mount Installation and Removal
- Attaching And Removing the GPS from the Handlebar Mount
- Overall Unit Operation
- Replacing the Batteries
- Turning the Unit On and Off
- Welcome Screen
- Satellite Signal Acquisition
- The Map Page
- Your Current Location
- Zooming In and Out and Panning
- Battery Power Status
- Lost Satellite Reception
- Getting Back to the Map Page
- The Route
- The Route
- Waypoints and Waypoint Nomenclature
- Navigating Via the GPS Unit
- Seeing Your Movement
- Following the Route
- Supplementary Road Markings and Orange Flags
- Limitations
- Sleeping at the Wheel
- Route Distances
Unit Operation
- Click Here for
more information about how to operate Our GPS Units
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