Once you start commuting by bike or riding a road bike, you'll probably want a navigation system.

It can tell you your estimated arrival time at work and how bad traffic is.

When you look into it, navigation systems can be quite expensive, but I'll show you how to install one for free.

The effectiveness of navigation

Some of you might say, "I already know the way to work, so I don't need it."

There's also the idea that because you always cycle at full effort, you arrive at roughly the same time, and you don't feel the need to look at a map.

My suggestion for how to use it is precisely this: once you know how much time you have, take advantage of that余裕 (leeway) to try a different route than usual, or stop by shops you wouldn't normally visit, and enjoy yourself.

It can be stressful if you don't know how much time you have.

You need information to act with peace of mind.

Among that information, knowing how much leeway you have with time is important.

Even a bicycle navigation system costs around 30,000 to 50,000 yen.

It comes with a speedometer and heart rate monitor, but it's still expensive, isn't it?

I imagine those who can easily afford one are wealthy.

Generally speaking, navigation systems are for cars and motorcycles.

Both require a power source, which makes them a bit worrying to put on a bicycle.

So, I'll tell you a good method.

Use a car navigation app on your smartphone

If you buy a stand to mount your smartphone on your bike, your smartphone will be securely fixed.

This allows you to use car navigation.

When it comes to car navigation on smartphones, NAVITIME is famous, and it even tells you elevation differences for cycling, so

Even if you don't use a dedicated navigation app, Google Maps allows you to select routes for bicycles.

Unlike car routes, it chooses narrower roads.

While traffic jams might not seem to matter for bicycles, it also provides traffic information, so you can find routes that are easy to ride.

What your smartphone can do

○ Bicycle navigation

Google Maps is very convenient because it selects routes specifically for bicycles.

It's also great that it shows the remaining distance and estimated arrival time.

Of course, it also displays your speed.

Although I don't use it much, it also has a compass, so you can tell which way is north.

The timeline feature records which roads you took and where you stopped along the way.

○ Dashcam

Smartphone apps also include dashcam functionality.

In the unlikely event of an accident, it records who was at fault, and even if you are cautioned by the police for running a red light, you can prove your innocence. (Please ride safely.)

Having a dashcam also has the effect of unconsciously promoting safe driving because you are recording yourself.

Not only that, but you can also record travel videos, and because it can display a map and video on one screen, you can enjoy an immersive experience, to the point where some people upload them to YouTube.

With some editing, it could become an enjoyable video.

○ Heart Rate Monitor

This is also called a heart rate monitor in English.

It is said that the most efficient way to burn fat during aerobic exercise is to maintain 60-70% of your maximum heart rate.

Maximum heart rate can generally be calculated using the formula "220 - age."

The idea is to maintain this heart rate to efficiently burn fat and lose weight efficiently.

Heart rate monitors are often found on smartwatches, but they can also upload data to your smartphone and display your heart rate values in a graph.

While you can display it on your smartphone alone, it's not actually monitoring blood flow, so it's probably best to consider it as providing a general overview.

As you can see, simply mounting a smartphone on your bicycle significantly increases what you can do.

Moreover, new apps are constantly being released, so there's also the benefit of enjoying them for free.

Summary

Bicycle navigation systems exist but are surprisingly expensive.

Purchase a smartphone holder and fix your smartphone to your bike.

This way, you can get desired information for free, such as navigation apps, dashcam apps, and heart rate monitors.

It's very convenient for information on effective dieting and recording your travels.

Please give it a try.