Revision of Super Budget Map Board from Mon, 06/30/2014 - 12:12

I'm heading up to Canada in a few weeks to be on the other side of the racing coin (racing instead of directing) and i can't wait.  I'll be doing the Swamp Donkey Adventure Race - an event i did last year for the first time.  It's a great event - short enough to be fun but long enough to be hard.... a great race to do with my wife and overworked buddy Joel.  Last year we ended up in 4th place in our category (despite some 90+ total teams) and that gave us the idea that we might be able to end up on the podium with a little more work this year. 
 
the purple zip ties add a certain flair not seen on conventional map boards
 
But since i've decided to stick to my low volume training approach, i have to figure out ways to get faster without physical work.  Hmmm.  One thing we didn't  have last year was a map board for the bike, so maybe i can work to build one.  My background (a story for another post) is such that i love being thrifty, so i thought i'd see how cheaply i could build a serviceable one.  Of course it will remain until after the race to determine whether it actually was serviceable - but i thought i'd share the finished product so the ooohhs and aaahhhhs of budget minded appreciation could start early (FYI, these things can cost upwards of 65 bucks!).
 
Here's what you need -
1) extra thick cardboard
2) zip ties
3) old bike tube.
 
Here's what you do -
1) cut the cardboard slightly larger then 8.5 x 11
2) poke holes in it and zip tie it securely to your handlebars and stem
3) cut ribbons out of the bike tube and tie two lengths around the top and bottom of the board. 
 
the finished product
 
Voila - map board for the cost of 3 zip ties.  My initial tests indicate that it should work just fine... as long as i don't crash!