Have you ever been out on a ride and wondered which direction you were heading? The local part of the MRT is a good example. It takes a lot of bends as it follows the course of the Mississippi River. Therefore I can\’t keep track of which way is North; or South or East or West, for that matter. (Yes, I know which way is generally East/West, but that\’s not enough).

I decided it would be a good thing to know when I was about to turn into a stiff headwind, especially during long rides. So I got a compass for my road bike.

Here\’s how it helps me. Let\’s say I know that I\’ll have a headwind on the way home, and the forecast said it would be from the NNE. Being able to determine exactly which direction I\’m going helps me to adjust my efforts. As already stated, that bike path has a lot of bends. Even when my general bearing is towards the East, sometimes I\’m actually going North. Or South!

If the compass lets me see that an upcoming bend in the trail will get the wind dead on my nose, I know I\’ll need to shift to an easier gear and get ready for some spinning. Mashing a hard gear into a stiff wind can be quite exhausting.

Using a compass can be helpful when out riding the trails. Want to create a map of bike trails? That might require another kind of compass!