Question for Rally Riders

[TriggerT]

I have seen several nice works sheets people have made for helping them to plan their rally routes. My question is of people who use these work sheets take portable printer with them to the rally, so they can print a hard copy of the worksheet once all the information is input, or do they just keep a copy on their laptop? Being able to print off hard copies of some of the paperwork generated during the planning phase would seem to be a big advantage to me, but I am wondering what the people who have "Been there, and done that" do.

Thanks.

 

[Ignacio]

Carrying a printer isn't in my bag of tricks. Any working progress I do is almost exclusively in S&T like below...sometimes maybe in Excel to compute point scenarios.

Once I convert over a route to a digital one via Streets and Trip and port over to the GPS I'll often I'll write down the next day or two on a small notebook page and put that in my tank bag. If this is the Streets and Trips shorthand is this:

I'll then go one step further and hand write something like below...just to familiarize myself with what sign or detail I'm looking for. Takes all of 3 or 4 minutes.

23 -10000Stardust 24

1 Poker Run DAY

24 -10000 Donna's Ranch 5-7pm

50 -10000 Inez

etc.

And then assemble the points in GPS as a route on the way to the first bonus.

 

[brick1]

... but I am wondering what the people who have "Been there, and done that" do.

Thanks.

Some use index cards, some handwrite a list on the top of the tank bag, others use Touratech Rally Books where a roll of paper with written notes can be scrolled through on the go.

With GPS technology, the map case of the tankbag holds the list of places to visit usually in order, but also with some options if we are ahead of time or behind the eight ball.

The laptop is generally packed away until a rest stop.

The lists you make can be as detailed as you want. At the low end one might just have a three letter bonus code. Others like to have bonus code, ETA, task, etc., all written out so they don't have to check the bonus list.

I find computer printing too small to read on the fly unless the font is adjusted to a large scale. Carrying a printer, even a small one, is impossible for me. I can handwrite quickly enough and large enough for my list to be useful.

Hope that helps.

Peter Delean

North Bay, ON

 

[twistedcricket]

If you stay at hotels with "business centers" there are usually printers available.

I agree, the font size would have to be large enough for you to glance down for the cue. Otherwise I think you'd be too distracted.

Get a Stenobook and a sharpie

 

[Specter]

I find the bonuses I want (as close as I can using Streets & Trips on my netbook, then dump the waypoints onto the GPS. I make a list of the bonuses I'm after, in order, on a note in my tank bag window. Then I route from one bonus to the next.

How much detail depends on the length of the rally and how much time you have with the rally pack before it starts.

 

[Peter Murray]

After formatting the Boni via the Jim Owen method. I come up with my route and boni order then load to the GPS.

I use the the Linda T rally pack on top of the tank bag . Inside is the rally pack with a list of the boni I will go to in order. Each boni will have it's ID, point value , time restrictions if any and ETA. The ETA is a true measure of the route planning accuracy. If on time or ahead of schedule or not I have planned options in store.

 

[TriggerT]

Thanks for the replies. I need to start working on a system, and doing a few dry runs.

 

[squeezer]

This is the sheet in my map pocket from last year's Cape Fear. It has the boni I want to hit in order plus other reminders I've found useful over the years (you might guess that I once forgot to claim a rest bonus).

Those designations for the boni were (rally book page number - bonus code - bonus value). Bonus locations were labeled with the bonus code in my GPS so it was easy to find the waypoints.

This, of course, is from a rally where you get the boni ahead of time. If I had to route on the fly, I'd stick with a similar system, but use pen and paper (with paper pre-cut to fit the map pocket).

By the way, this rally didn't go real well. It was a conservative route to start with because I hadn't ridden in a while. I rode it poorly, had to blow some things off, and ended up finishing 8th.

 

[karstenp]

I use pretty much use a similar system to those that have posted. 1) Plan route in Microsoft S&Ts 2) Dump data into GPS(s) 3) Record route and ETA for key locations onto paper. I used to record my route on sheets of paper, then recipe cards etc and place in the top clear pocket of my tank bag. Last year I purchased a Touratech Roadbook with the backlight and I have never looked back! Absolutely love the roadbook for rallies.

 

[Cruzin]

I cut and paste all the info out of mapsource, once I get my route figured out, then I put it on this handy little spread sheet I keep on my smart phone :yahoo: I can view next way point time and mileage info and what the task at hand will be

Before I got the new phone I used to have another sheet made up that fit perfectly in the left arm clear pouch of my 'stitch I would use that to jot down times, mileage and bonus activities.

 

[DaJuice]

I use a Dry Doc designed to hold a smart phone <LINK> to put an index card with the boni codes listed in order of when I want to go to them. I also list the time restrictions and highlight boni I could easily add/drop depending on time available. I also list out call-in and anytime/anywhere boni on it. This dry doc holds an index card perfectly and I can strap it to something where it is out of the way but easy to read when I need to (usually to a RAM arm of one of the GPS's. Before finding the dry doc I used to have it in the rally book with my rally packet but it would sometimes get in the way of reading the bonus as I like to read the entire bonus on my way in so I know exactly what I need to do and look for as I'm getting close. I also make a 2nd index card with all the same info and keep it somewhere safe in the event it blows away or gets wet.

I'd really like a way to get my phone mounted and usable from a waterproof doc and use a spreadsheet on it instead of this but no good solutions I've found yet. No dice using a Droid X through an aquabox screen :angry2:

I've always thought it would be nice to have a portable printer, but the amount of space the printer would take compared to the amount of time it takes to create the index card doesn't seem to be worth it. I also don't want to rely on hotel business centers as I've found them to be unreliable... and making the index card is faster than running down to the printer usually.

 

[TriggerT]

Again, thanks for all the great replies.