I have a GPS bike computer

I had a brief hunt and there are some automated tool for cue sheets - load in the gpx and it generates a document. I could work it from my phone just fine.

I’d prefer turn by turn instructions rather than documentation of future suffering.

I love that someone makes these things though.

https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/i-made-a-printable-cue-s...

Some modern bike computers have solar charging for extended battery life, and you can also carry an external battery pack which weighs no more than a large paper map.

Oh, nice!

I think we might have copied that from you here in North Rhine-Westphalia, and the nice thing is, that by law the have to replace the signs when they are broken/missing (they are legally similar to road signs for cars). However, it sometimes still isn't always possible to just follow numbers because might might have missed or misread a sign, and you might just find out a kilometer later...

Anyway, it's ten thousand times better than in our neighbour state Rhineland-Palatinate

Edit: the Knotenpunktnetz NRW, if anyone is interested: https://radservice.radroutenplaner.nrw.de/rrp/nrw/cgi?lang=D... (you have to zoom in a little too see routes ... if you zoom in more, every sign is shown!)

These are available in the Netherlands and Belgium. And as the cyclists there like to travel a little bit further, the network is extended around north of France, the German border, some in Luxembourg. This is a very nice way to travel.

I did that for many years before buying a bike computer. If the number of turns isn't large, I memorize all the turns in advance. I finally gave up when I took part in an organized ride with hundreds of turns with no markings on the road.

I still like to memorize the route these days. When I do that, I mostly don't use the map feature of the bike computer: I look at my speed, cadence, and heart rate.

Friend of mine who's a group ride leader has a minimal turn-by-turn in a wireless earpiece paired to his phone, which sits in his pocket and runs a navigation app.

Means he can lead rides confidently and fluidly while also being completely present and aware.

Depends how much riding to new places you want to do without getting lost. If you only ride places you know, or don't mind spending time lost, you don't need live maps.

You can do this with a regular Garmin smart watch and a bike mount. It doesn't run Android but that doesn't matter. The problem is that it's really tough to read a map on a small display while riding: a real bike computer with a larger display is far superior if you're going to use it for navigation.

https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/1221709/#devices

I don't want to make advertisement, but what you describe is what Beeline is selling for bicycle and motor bike. I've not tried it. I don't know how good it works.

That made me think: why dont they make a bike mount for my Suunto watch? (Thx to the HNer that suggested checking Suunto out btw), and well, looks like they do: https://us.suunto.com/products/suunto-bike-mount

Wahoo's GPS units are based on Android. You could pair them with a headset top cap holder, though IMO this is not a super ergonomic location for a bike GPS (in front of the handlebars is better).

I understand your concerns. I had similar concerns. The UIs on bike computers are very glanceable by design. I wouldn't go back. I would be more concerned with physical maps. I know myself and I would be tempted to "cheat" by trying to look at the physical map while moving if I was under time pressure to get to a destination.

Another huge benefit of a bike computer is that you can pair it with a rear facing radar. This has transformed my biking on roads. It absolutely doesn't replace looking over your shoulder, but it increases your awareness. You now know that there are three cars approaching from behind so you know what to expect. There is no way I'd go on a long cross-country ride without a radar.

The basic setup is the GPS highlighting the path you're supposed to follow.

You don't have to keep looking at it: a quick glance when you're coming to an intersection, to know if you have to slow down and get ready to turn or just keep going.

As other said, it can also provide additional features like warning you about cars coming from behind or reminders to eat/drink.

And contrary to some other comments, it's not another screen asking for your attention. Setup correctly, it's just a map that refresh itself and follows you. Allowing you to focus only on your sensations, instead of having to think about where you are, where you're going...

Finally, cue sheets are nice, but even if you don't care about being "lost" or having to find your way by yourself, you'll probably end up on bad roads with lots of traffic. Meanwhile, if you're just following precisely a nice route going only on quiet roads/paths, you won't end up in bad situations and you'll find your ride more enjoyable.

Bone conduction headphones would allow for audio directions.

I do like my bike computer, if only to show me my speed. It also beeps when the radar detects a car behind me.

I've made a PDF of one of my bike club cue sheets from 2014 and put it at https://www.cs.toronto.edu/~cks/tbn/tbn-gatineau-gallop-2014... ; the GPS route that is more or less equivalent to it is https://ridewithgps.com/routes/28370340 (there may be minor differences because the route is more modern than the cue sheet, but it will give you orientation). The cue sheet is written for a group ride (where the group will stay together) and for people familiar with Toronto, so it might be challenging to follow solo unless you were already somewhat familiar with the ride (as the ride leader is expected to be).

The cue sheet is structured the way it is because it's expected it will be folded in half horizontally to fit in a map/cue sheet holder, and perhaps vertically as well (if people have a small holder; you fold vertically first, initially hiding the entire right column since you only need it after lunch, then horizontally). Cue sheet holders typically let you flip them up to see the back, so the exact division of a horizontal fold doesn't have to be perfect. Each numbered section covers a (relatively) distinct section of the ride to make it easier to keep track of where you are in the cue sheet overall.

Cue sheets for different circumstances need different sorts of structure. For example, for some cue sheets it would be quite important to include the distance (cumulative and/or from the previous cue). In others, such as this one, individually numbered cues and distances to them are mostly distractions.

(I'm the author of the linked-to blog entry, and as you can tell I have Opinions on cue sheet design.)

Here's an article - even Tour de France riders regularly use those: https://7seizh.info/tour-de-france-tales-quand-une-affiche-v...

I've seen them take many forms, but here's one following the official layout of the Audax Club Parisien, for one of their BRM: https://www.audax-club-parisien.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/...

I found that the usual American brands for bike computers (Garmin, Wahoo) are more expensive than Chinese brands. If you think a Chinese company handling your ride data is an okay compromise I think the Coros Dura is quite wonderful, with longer battery life (100+ hours) than the competition too.

How cheap do you want?

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2025/06/garmins-new-edge-mtb-cyc...