Need help learning to read a roll chart

[craigincali]

Is there a book I can buy, a web site or anything ??? I am obviously new to this stuff and have no idea where to start. Any help would be appreciated.

Craig

[kiethco]

Craig, the rollchart learning curve takes about 5 minutes, or two wrong turns. It's really easy.

All you do is load the rollchart onto your holder spindles. The way to think of it is a scroll of adding machine tape that takes you thru the ride, so you want to start rolling the last part on first. For me, if I'm holding the spindles in my hand, looking down, I would wind onto the bottom spindle. I tape the end of the ride scroll or rollchart to the bottom spindle and start winding. When you've rolled the ride onto the bottom spindle you have one loose end, this is the beginning of the ride chart. Tape that to the top spindle and give it a few twists to secure it. There will be some notes at the beginning of the rollchart such as MDR=main dirt road, PLR=power line road, JT=jeep trail, Miss Kittys=place of ill repute, etc.

Then to use the chart advance to the first arrow by turning the top knob, then set your odometer to 0. Ride till the chart says to turn, then turn in that direction. It's best to ride with someone who has used a rollchart before, and you should have a buddy on all these dualsport rides. It's easy to learn and there's always a few new guys and gals on any Dualsport ride using the rollchart. Dont let the "new guy" factor keep you away. You will not meet nicer people on the trail than dualsporters.

Tom has given you a real time look at the tape below,lol.

[T_Reiner]

easy to learn

start by setting your odometer at 0 at the start point

lets say the rollchart is like this

0.0 straight

1.5 right turn

2.5 left turn

4.4 left @ Y

6.5 stop X at Paved road

8.5 Stop reset

when the odo gets to 1.5 you make a right turn,

when the odo gets to 2.5 you make a left turn,

when the odo gets to 4.4 you veer left at the Y in the trail or road

when the odo gets 6.5 you stop and cross the paved road,

when the odo gets 8.5 you stop and set the odo to 0 again

then the next section starts over again ?

[craigincali]

Damn, that is easy enough. Other than roll charts and GPS is there anything you guys use?

Craig

[DualSportVP]

A great excuse or REASON as to give to the wife to go riding instead of painting the house or any other "HONEY" do!!!!!!!!!! ?

[grreatdog]

The hardest thing to learn is how to read them when you are bombing down a trail at warp speed passing people and dodging rocks. At 45 years old I need inch high numbers on the odometer and the roll chart taped to my goggles like tear offs.

[T_Reiner]

GPS tracks also help a lot if you make a wrong turn.. seing where you are in relation to the track helps a lot,,It's saved me in the past

But overall, just relying on GPS for navigation is not a great idea,,Roll chart for Nav,,GPS for back up is my way of thinking

[drzmike1]

GPS isn't much use on an event unless you like to see where you are, or are relying on the GPS as your odometer.

Unless the event organizer has mapped the route out with tracks and waypoints and e-mails it to you a month ahead of time. I've found that pretty useful.

RL Lemke does excellent roll charts for his events, but I think I could do it all with just GPS too.

http://www.dualsportmagazine.com

[T_Reiner]

When they invent a GPS unit that doesn't break when you crash hard, short out when you drop your bike in the stream crossing, run out of batteries, or just die for no reason at all and is reliable as a piece of paper wrapped around a steel rod I'll go GPS only,,,until then the roll chart is my freind ?

[fdr1371]

easy to learn

start by setting your odometer at 0 at the start point

lets say the rollchart is like this

0.0 straight

1.5 right turn

2.5 left turn

4.4 left @ Y

6.5 stop X at Paved road

8.5 Stop reset

And they say people never use algebra after high school!!!

[Trick_Dual_Sport]

Besides the roll chart, you need to keep the ODO correct. Not everybodies ODO will match up 100% to the one used when the chart was made. IF you have a left turn at 1.7 and you make the turn at almost 1.8 you need to stop and correct your ODO after that turn or every couple miles so you line up with the chart.

Most Roll Charts have a reset at around 10 miles. Most bike ODO are about 10% off. So every 10 miles you can be as much as 1 mile off.

It is not as hard as ir appears. Look at the chart for the next turn as soon as you make the last turn.

Dale

[T_Reiner]

Besides the roll chart, you need to keep the ODO correct. Not everybodies ODO will match up 100% to the one used when the chart was made. IF you have a left turn at 1.7 and you make the turn at almost 1.8 you need to stop and correct your ODO after that turn or every couple miles so you line up with the chart.

Most Roll Charts have a reset at around 10 miles. Most bike ODO are about 10% off. So every 10 miles you can be as much as 1 mile off.

Dale

Dale,

True all odos don't match up perfect,,but it depends on which promoter makes the chart,,My ODO always matches up with Countdown's rides perfectly

Also if the milage is short a little that sometimes is on purpose. If a shown milage is like 1.7 and the true mileage is closer to 1.8 it may have been 1.75 or so when the ride was layed out,,When we do our charts we allways error to the lower number,,that way when the rider gets to that point he is looking for the turn. I'd rather be looking for a turn for the next 250' than blow the turn completely and have to turn around

If you start increasingly being off by greater and greater amounts, then it is a good idea to adjust the ODO,,especially in long seactions,

[garyc]

mount on left side of your handlebar. It is hard to brake, twist gas and roll the chart at the same time.

[drzmike1]

When they invent a GPS unit that doesn't break when you crash hard, short out when you drop your bike in the stream crossing, run out of batteries, or just die for no reason at all and is reliable as a piece of paper wrapped around a steel rod I'll go GPS only,,,until then the roll chart is my freind ?

Let's see...I've crashed hard a few times and never broke my III+ or V (and the III+ is a factory reman unit). They are both IPX7 waterproof (can be submerged), so the stream isn't an issue. I run them off of bike power but bring batteries for back up just in case a wire breaks or something. Never had either one just die for no reason.

Redundancy is a good thing though.

[bcs]

1) Many of the roll charts have symbols that correspond to the turns. For example, if you are approaching a T intersection and the route turns left, there is a large symbol "T" with an arrowhead in the direction of travel (ie., on the left side of the top line) which makes the chart even easier to use.

2) If you have an electronic speedo/odometer, then before you get out on the course get out your owners manual and make sure you know how to reset your tripmeter not only to zero, but also up and down in tenths. For the reasons discussed previously, it is important to try to keep your trip meter correct.

3) GPS is invaluable; those who say it is not useful do not understand it. You use it to display the track on a scrolling map. Your position is in the middle of the display, and your intended route is laid out in front of you on the map. Whenever the roll chart is ambiguous, the GPS will confirm whether you are on course, and even help you get back on course. Some organizers will even add waypoints with information (like the location of a trailhead sign or numbered forest road) that supplement the line on the map. But the roll chart has a lot of important info, like "next gas 30 miles" that you do NOT want to be without. On the VCMC ride, for example, the roll chart had warnings that said "the next section is 30 miles of single track. if it is 3:30pm or later, you should take the bail out" and then it gave the directions for a quick shortcut back to the start on paved roads. You can't get that info in your GPS. Finally, if you ever get off the course and are lost, GPS is the best way to get back on course, or to safety.

[thumpinTed]

Follow the most roosted path works for me when lagging behind or the dust contrails in the distance give a clue

[craigincali]

Excellent advice, thanks guys!!

[don87xr600]

This post seems dumb until you run into a pack of 20 riders that don't know which way to go.

[grreatdog]

Or until you blow past a turn and ride an extra 40 miles in a cold driving rain after monkey had already set in a couple of hours earlier. Not that I would know from experience or anything.

[dirtr1der]

I use GPS and usually a photocopy of the county atlas maps her in Michigan. Most of the fire trails here are on my GPS, but old logging roads ususally appear on the atlas maps and are a pretty good guide for short-cuts if we are on a time constraint.